News

franchise developmentNewsrestaurants

Shipley Do-Nuts Opens First Georgia Location

by Katie Lee

Houston — Shipley Do-Nuts, makers of gourmet, made-fresh-daily do-nuts for more than 85 years, is bringing its famous do-nuts to Georgia for the first time with the opening of its new location in Cumming at 3225 Keith Bridge Rd. The shop is locally owned and operated by Oziel “Ozzie” Rodriguez, who also owns Coal Mountain Package Store and Palapas Bar and Grill in Forsyth County, Ga. Houston-based Shipley Do-Nuts is beloved throughout the South for its more than 60 varieties of fresh, hot do-nuts, as well as kolaches (savory breakfast …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newsretailers

Kohl’s Unveils Locations of 250 New Sephora at Kohl’s Opening This Year

by Katie Lee

Milwaukee, Wis. — Kohl’s has unveiled the 250 stores that will be adding a full-sized, 2,500-square-foot Sephora at Kohl’s experience in 2023. The addition of 250 new locations brings the total Sephora at Kohl’s fleet to more than 850, achieving the partnership’s initial planned goal of the Sephora at Kohl’s rollout. “We are making great strides in building a formidable beauty business with the addition of Sephora at Kohl’s,” says Karen Daoust, Kohl’s senior vice president, general manager, Sephora at Kohl’s. “The completion of our 850 stores in 2023 is …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
franchise developmentNewspeoplerestaurants

GPS Hospitality Announces Promotion to Region Vice President

by Katie Lee

Atlanta — GPS Hospitality, one of the nation’s fastest-growing BURGER KING®, POPEYES® Louisiana Kitchen and Pizza Hut franchisees, has promoted Nick Myhre to region vice president. In his new capacity, Myhre will oversee the operations of 41 restaurants in Northwest Georgia and Chattanooga, building on his impressive record of success within the company. Myhre joined GPS as a district leader in April 2016. Under his leadership, Myhre’s district went from last place in the company to become the top performer in 2019. He was named district leader of the year …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newspeopleretailers

rue21 Appoints Chief Executive Officer

by Katie Lee

Warrendale, Pa. — rue21, a leading American specialty retailer, has named Josh Burris as its chief executive officer and member of the board. Burris replaces Bill Brand, who announced in March 2023 his intention to step down as CEO. “I’m honored to be joining rue21 as CEO,” says Burris. “As a brand, rue21 serves the most vibrant and fastest-growing segments focused on affordable fashion that’s accessible to all, making it well positioned for growth. I’ve dedicated my career to building retail brands centered around the consumer and am excited to …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newspeoplerestaurants

Laxman Narasimhan Officially Assumes Role of CEO of Starbucks

by Katie Lee

Seattle — Incoming CEO Laxman Narasimhan has assumed, officially, the role of chief executive officer of Starbucks, effective March 20. He will also join the company’s board of directors. Narasimhan was named incoming CEO on September 1, 2022, succeeding company founder and now former CEO, Howard Schultz. Following the global search for the new leader of Starbucks, Narasimhan joined the company as incoming CEO on October 1, 2022, bringing nearly 30 years of experience leading global consumer goods businesses and advising retail, grocery, restaurant and e-commerce companies. Over the past …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newspeopleretailers

Shoe Carnival Names New EVP, Chief Financial Officer

by Katie Lee

Evansville, Ind. — Shoe Carnival, Inc., a leading retailer of footwear and accessories, has appointed Erik Gast as the company’s executive vice president, chief financial officer, effective April 24, 2023. Gast succeeds W. Kerry Jackson, who will be retiring after a 35-year career with the company. Bringing over 30 years of finance experience with both private and public companies, Gast will join the company from Fleet Farm Group, LLC, where he has been the executive vice president & chief financial officer since 2020. Prior to that position, he held numerous …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
franchise developmentNewsrestaurants

Korean Street Food Concept, Jaws TPK, to Open First Location in the Eastern U.S.

by Katie Lee

Atlanta — Jaws TPK will be opening at Mall Corners in Duluth, Ga., marking the chain’s first location in the Eastern U.S. The growing international brand, which has brought its Korean street food concept to 250 locations in South Korea, has signed a 1,900-square-foot lease to open in third quarter 2023. Daniel Yi, vice president for Ackerman Retail, completed the lease on behalf of Jaws TPK. He is representing franchisor Boxete Group in finding additional locations in metro Atlanta. “This is a great location for Jaws TPK that gives the …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
franchise developmentNewsretailers

Fast-Growing Australian Fitness Brand, Fitstop, to Debut in U.S.

by Katie Lee

Santa Monica, Calif. — Named the fastest-growing Australian fitness brand with more than 200 worldwide locations open or coming soon, Fitstop will officially launch its entry into the U.S. market this year. This May, Santa Monica, Calif., will become home to the first U.S. location of Fitstop, with plans to open 10 U.S. locations by the end of the year. “Fitstop’s entrance into the U.S. fitness market marks a major milestone for our brand and we look forward to helping as many people as possible to move more to live …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newsrestaurants

Neat Burger to Open First Permanent U.S. Location in April

by Katie Lee

London — Neat Burger, a plant-based restaurant from London that aims to make the future of food sustainable and delicious, will be opening its first permanent U.S. location this April in the Nolita neighborhood of New York City. Backed by notable names such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Lewis Hamilton, Neat Burger currently has eight locations in the UK and one in Dubai. The first U.S. location comes on the heels of its successful pop-up location in New York City during summer 2022. All Neat Burger ingredients are ethically sourced; additionally, …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newsrestaurantssoftware/technologyvendors

Presto Collaborates with ChatGPT Creator to Enhance Drive-thru AI Voice Assistant

by Katie Lee

San Carlos, Calif. — Presto Automation Inc., the largest drive-thru automation technology provider in the hospitality industry, has formed a collaboration with OpenAI, an AI research and deployment company, to drive greater innovation around its drive-thru AI voice assistant. OpenAI’s ChatGPT API will be used to expand the feature set of the Presto’s drive-thru AI voice assistant (Presto Voice™), resulting in interactions that are more natural and human-like. Presto Voice uses advanced AI techniques including large language models (LLM) and generative AI to understand natural human language and offer logical …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newer Posts
Older Posts