News

Grand Rapids, Mich. — For the second consecutive year, Meijer was recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency’s GreenChill Program for having the lowest corporate-wide refrigerant emissions rate out of all the GreenChill Partners over the past year. As an active participant in the EPA’s program since 2012, the Midwest retailer has made reducing its refrigerant leak rate a priority and is now 19% below the industry average. For the second consecutive year, Meijer was recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency’s GreenChill Program for having the lowest corporate-wide refrigerant emissions rate …

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Denver —  Modern Market Eatery, a made-from-scratch fast-casual concept, has signed a 41-unit development deal with its first franchise partner, Thrive Restaurant Group. The agreement will expand the brand to 11 new markets, including Wichita and Kansas City, Kan.; Austin, San Antonio and Waco, Texas; Des Moines, Iowa; Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C.; and northwest Arkansas. Based in Wichita, Kan., Thrive Restaurant Group is a generational, multi-brand restaurant enterprise with deeply rooted values centered on guest-centric hospitality and a passion for scratch-made food. Founded by Darrel and David Rolph and led by Jon Rolph since …

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New York City — Macy’s, Inc. is providing an update detailing its achievements towards its long term sustainability goals — including initiatives that promote circularity throughout its value chain. Over the past year and a half, the company has also introduced several initiatives to reduce, reuse and recycle across its private and market brand product offerings and operations. “As a leading, omnichannel retailer, we understand the role we play in creating a more equitable and sustainable future for all. We are committed to promoting a more circular economy across our …

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Seattle — MOD Super Fast Pizza Holdings, LLC, a fast-casual pizza pioneer, has promoted Becky Mulligan to the newly-created position of chief restaurant officer and Stephen Blum as its first chief development officer. The company also has made three executive-level hires, with a focus on enhancing MOD’s strength in franchising, culinary innovation and operational excellence as it continues to expand its store footprint of more than 520 locations system-wide. Mulligan’s elevation to chief restaurant officer comes as she celebrates a year with the company during which she has led the …

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Fort Myers, Fla. — Chico’s FAS, Inc. has named Christine Munnelly as the senior vice president of merchandising & design at Soma®. She will be responsible for the product, design and overall strategy for Soma and will report directly to Molly Langenstein, CEO and president of Chico’s FAS. With over 35 years of experience in the corporate retail landscape working for an accomplished portfolio of vertical specialty and department stores, Munnelly is a veteran in leading talented and diverse teams in merchandise lifecycle strategy, product development, e-commerce and building consumer-centric …

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Dallas — TGI Fridays plans the development of 75 new restaurants throughout South and Southeast Asia over the next 10 years in partnership with Master Franchisor Universal Success Enterprises. The deal, which is expected to drive over $500 million in revenue for the U.S.-based company over 10 years, is the most significant development agreement to date for the brand. This latest development deal is core to TGI Fridays’ strategic global expansion strategy — as growth of the casual restaurant category internationally continues to thrive. The brand currently has 385 franchised …

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Forks Township, Pa. — Crayola has entered into an agreement with BrightColors LLC to open at least five new Crayola Experience venues, doubling Crayola’s presence in the U.S. The company’s portfolio currently includes five locations in Easton, Pa.; Orlando, Fla.; Bloomington, Minn.; Plano, Texas; and Chandler, Ariz. Last November, Crayola began actively seeking partners to extend its footprint domestically and internationally. The Forks Township, Pa.-based company’s first multi-venue licensing agreement will be with BrightColors, which is working with partner Kingsmen Xperience Inc. to open the new locations over the next …

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Minneapolis — International Dairy Queen Inc. (IDQ) has hired Nicolas Boudet as chief operating officer, international. Boudet will lead the international business, including operations, franchise development, supply chain and marketing in more than 20 countries outside of the U.S. and Canada. He brings more than 20 years of business leadership experience at well-known, globally recognized hospitality and quick-service restaurant brands. Boudet most recently served as senior vice president global development and president of international at Wingstop Restaurants, Inc. Before joining Wingstop in 2018, he was executive vice president and group …

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New York City — Sparc Group, a full-service lifestyle brand operating company, has appointed Todd Krinsky as the new CEO of Reebok. Krinsky succeeds Matt O’Toole, who has been leading Reebok for over 15 years and will be joining Authentic Brands Group, owner of the Reebok brand, in 2023. Krinsky, a 30-year veteran at Reebok, has been a member of the brand’s senior leadership team for more than a decade. In his new role, Krinsky will lead the team in implementing Reebok’s growth strategy, which leans into the brand’s authentic …

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Malvern, Pa. — Cantaloupe, Inc., a digital payments and software services company that provides end-to-end technology solutions for the unattended retail market, has named Ravi Venkatesan as chief executive officer, effective October 1, 2022. Venkatesan, who currently serves as Cantaloupe’s COO, will succeed Sean Feeney, who will retire from Cantaloupe on September 30, 2022. Feeney will step down from the board of directors and Venkatesan will join the board of directors, effective October 1, 2022. “On behalf of the board of directors, I would like to congratulate Ravi on this …

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