Chesapeake, Va. — Mike Witynski, who has been in leadership positions at Dollar Tree since 2010 and served as CEO since 2020, is stepping down from the Dollar Tree board and leaving the company. Dollar Tree, Inc. has named a new executive chairman, Rick Dreiling, who will expand his role to assume the position of chief executive officer, effective January 29. “The opportunity to work with the talented and dedicated team at Dollar Tree has been the most rewarding of my career,” says Witynski. “During this especially dynamic period, we …
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Lansing, Mich. — BIGGBY® COFFEE, the 340-unit coffee concept, has welcomed industry veteran Michele Waits as chief marketing officer. Waits has 25 years in brand management and more than 11 years in coffee marketing as a vice president for Starbucks. In addition to Starbucks, Waits has worked with brands such as Gerber and illycaffè. “Michele brings a remarkable professional history to the BIGGBY® COFFEE team,” says Michael McFall, co-founder and co-CEO. “As we work to drive the brand forward, her insights will empower the marketing team to connect with our …
Annapolis, Md. — Annapolis Town Center, a premier shopping lifestyle destination, has added Christi Swanson as its new general manager. Swanson will manage all aspects of Annapolis Town Center, including marketing, operations, business development, events and property upgrades. Swanson is a retail industry expert with almost 20 years of experience holding various roles in guest experience, marketing and property management. Her expertise is helping emerging retailers find their footing and flourish within their target customer base. “With Christi’s leadership, Annapolis Town Center will continue to evolve,” says Maranda Auzenne, CRRP, …
Columbus, Ohio — Condado Tacos, an award-winning taco joint, plans 12 new restaurants that will open in 2023, with 8 of these located in new markets. This fast-growing taco restaurant company will open new restaurants in St. Louis, Mo., Buffalo, N.Y., Charleston, S.C., Greenville, S.C, Birmingham, Ala., Huntsville, Ala., Knoxville, Tenn., and Louisville, Ky., as well as at least 4 new locations in existing markets. Condado Tacos has created its own niche as a full-service taco restaurant company and fits perfectly into the NextGen Casual category of exciting restaurant growth …
Los Angeles — Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) has appointed Dany Nasr as CEO URW Airports, leading the continued growth of its portfolio of airport and transit retail programs. “Dany’s extensive airport experience in North America and across the globe will strongly benefit our clients, partners and the communities we serve,” says Dominic Lowe, chief operating officer of URW U.S. “He’s a proven leader who will successfully deliver our pipeline of dynamic projects and create new business partnerships in the U.S. and Europe for our airports and transit hub platform.” Nasr joins URW …
San Carlos, Calif. — Presto Automation Inc., the largest drive-thru automation technology provider in the hospitality industry, is expanding its partnership with Del Taco Restaurants, Inc. to provide automated voice ordering at several drive-thru restaurants nationwide. Its artificial intelligence (A.I.) powered solution, Presto Voice™, is already operating 24/7 at select Del Taco locations where it is significantly helping operations by improving labor productivity, increasing suggestive selling and boosting guest and staff experience. Del Taco has 600+ locations nationwide. “With Del Taco’s desire to build a drive-thru that improves operational efficiency …
Atlanta — Focus Brands®, parent company of Auntie Anne’s®, Carvel®, Cinnabon®, Jamba®, McAlister’s Deli®, Moe’s Southwest Grill® and Schlotzsky’s®, has appointed three senior leaders across two areas of the business. Effective immediately, the following executives will be leading these key business functions within the company: Chris Newman, Senior Vice President, Real Estate Jim Cannon, Senior Vice President, Design & Construction Julie Younglove-Webb, Chief Brand Officer, Auntie Anne’s “One of the most important investments a leader can make is in recruiting the best talent and assembling the right teams,” says Jim …
Woodcliff Lake, N.J. — Party City Holdco Inc. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The restructuring process is expected to substantially reduce the company’s debt and optimize its capital structure and liquidity. The company expects to complete the restructuring process in the second quarter of this year. Party City’s more than 800 stores will remain open during the bankruptcy process. The company says it will continue to advance its key initiatives underway, such as converting stores to next-generation prototypes, evolving Halloween City pop-up stores, building out its online shopping experience, …
Cheyenne, Wyo. — Taco John’s International Inc., a quick-serve Mexican franchise, is unveiling its newest store design concept, the Drive Thru Olé, which was first piloted in 2021 and whose original idea — based on modular buildings — dates back to the company founding in 1969 in Cheyenne, Wyo. Drive Thru Olé is less than half the size of its traditional location footprint, requiring only .35 to .50 acres of land. This latest prototype is quicker to build and costs significantly less than the traditional freestanding unit that is 2,200 …
New York City — Authentic Brands Group has appointed Jessica Holscott as chief financial officer. Holscott succeeds Kevin Clarke, founding partner and longtime company leader, as he assumes a new position as executive vice chairman. Holscott joins Authentic from Warner Media, where she served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Studios and Networks. Holscott brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in financial management, strategic planning, operations and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining Warner Media, Holscott held several leadership roles, including executive vice president and CFO …