News

construction and designfranchise developmentNewsrestaurants

Au Bon Pain Reveals New Bakery-Cafe Design

by Katie Lee

Dallas — Au Bon Pain, the bakery-cafe brand known for its gourmet convenience, has revealed a bold new store design. Planned to roll out companywide in 2023, the new design continues Au Bon Pain’s forward momentum started in July 2021, when franchisee Ampex Brands acquired the brand and its CEO Tabbassum Mumtaz pledged “to lead the bakery-cafe segment into the future.” The new design builds on customers’ new reality, where convenience and off-premise reign, without straying from Au Bon Pain’s roots as a French bakery serving freshly made, high-quality and …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
construction and designNewsretailers

Meijer Introduces New Grocery Store Concept

by Katie Lee

Grand Rapids, Mich. — On Sept. 1, 2022, Meijer introduced a new brick-and-mortar store concept — Meijer Grocery — that will provide convenience for customers who are looking for a simplified shopping experience, while providing communities easier access to fresher foods. The first two Meijer Grocery stores will open in early 2023. The new stores will open in neighborhoods within southeast Michigan’s Orion and Macomb townships. The new concept is the retailer’s latest since first introducing the neighborhood market small format concept in August 2018 with the opening of Bridge …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newspeoplerestaurants

Starbucks Names Next Chief Executive Officer

by Katie Lee

Seattle — Starbucks has selected Laxman Narasimhan as its next chief executive officer and a member of the Starbucks board of directors. Narasimhan will join Starbucks as incoming CEO on October 1, 2022 after relocating from London to the Seattle area and will work closely with Howard Schultz, interim CEO, before assuming the CEO role and joining the board on April 1, 2023. Narasimhan brings nearly 30 years of experience leading and advising global consumer-facing brands. Known for his considerable operational expertise, he has a proven track record in developing …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newspeoplerestaurants

Mo’ Bettahs Promotes President to CEO

by Katie Lee

Salt Lake City — Mo’ Bettahs Hawaiian Style Restaurant has promoted its president, Robert Ertmann, to chief executive officer. He has served as president of the brand since 2021. Mo’ Bettahs will look to his guidance and leadership as the brand continues its nationwide expansion, including its entrance into three new markets over the next few months. “Savory has watched Rob carefully over the past year, and we have concluded that there is no one better suited for the growth and scale of our beloved Mo’ Bettahs brand,” says Andrew …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newspeopleretailers

Bed Bath & Beyond Realigns Executive Team; Begins Closing 150 Stores

by Katie Lee

Union, N.J. — Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. aims to go back to basics: to better serve customers, drive growth and deliver business returns. To that end, Bed Bath & Beyond has realigned its executive team and also has begun closing approximately 150 lower-producing Bed Bath & Beyond banner stores. “We are announcing immediate actions aimed to increase customer engagement, drive traffic and recapture market share,” says Sue Gove, director & interim CEO. “This includes changing our merchandising and inventory strategy, which will be rooted in national brands. Additionally, we …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newsretailerssoftware/technologyvendors

Position Imaging Expands Executive Team, Names SVP of Operations

by Katie Lee

Stratham, N.H. — Position Imaging, Inc, a pioneer in package logistics and asset tracking technology, has added Lucas Carvalho as senior vice president of operations. Carvalho will lead all Global Operations, Service, Fulfillment and Human Resources across all of Position Imaging’s business units. The company is now adapting its tracking technology to retail logistics. Before joining Position Imaging, Carvalho, in his role as executive vice president of corporate resources, spent 17 years leading the team at BAMSI, an organization with over 2,000 employees operating out of 120 locations throughout Massachusetts. …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
construction and designNewsrestaurantssoftware/technologyvendors

Panera Tests New AI Ordering Technology for Drive-Thru Lanes

by Katie Lee

St. Louis — On Aug. 29, 2022, Panera Bread began testing AI technology in drive-thru lanes with an aim to improve and enhance the guest experience. With support from OpenCity, select Panera bakery-cafes in the greater Rochester, N.Y., area have implemented OpenCity’s proprietary voice AI ordering technology, called “Tori,” for drive-thru orders, with the goal of maximizing efficiency and increasing speed of orders. Guests at Panera Bread cafes in Greece, N.Y., and Webster, N.Y., are the first Panera locations to experience this drive-thru innovation. Tori is installed at these select …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newsretailers

Von Maur Department Store to Open First Location in Pennsylvania

by Katie Lee

Davenport, Iowa — Von Maur Department Store plans to open a 118,000-square-foot store at South Hills Village in Pittsburgh. Scheduled to open fall 2024, the store will be the company’s first location in Pennsylvania. Located at the former Sears, renovations of the new two-level Von Maur store will begin this fall and will feature the company’s exterior brick façade and interior ambiance complete with original artwork, open-floor plan and music from the store’s grand piano. “The unrivaled shopping experience created at South Hills Village through its enticing mix of shopping, …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
construction and designfranchise developmentNewsrestaurants

REGO Restaurant Group Partners with BCubed Manufacturing

by Katie Lee

Denver — As part of its brands’ continued transformations, REGO Restaurant Group — parent company of fast-casual sandwich chain Quiznos and regional Mexican chain Taco Del Mar, among other brands — has inked a strategic partnership and development deal with BCubed Manufacturing LLC, a Michigan-based manufacturing company that makes high-quality, fully outfitted freestanding drive-thru restaurants. With approximately 650-square-foot layouts designed for flexibility and efficiency, BCubed restaurants include both drive-thru and walk-up windows. Designed to fit on parcels of land that are too small for traditional restaurant development, BCubed restaurants contribute …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newsretailers

Food Lion Expands To Go Services at 15 Additional Stores

by Katie Lee

Salisbury, N.C. — With more shoppers opting to save time by ordering groceries online, Food Lion is expanding its Food Lion To Go grocery pickup service to 15 more stores in the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee, beginning Aug. 29. Food Lion is offering shoppers their first pickup for free. Customers can confirm availability and place orders through the Food Lion To Go website or the Food Lion To Go app. With the click of a button, shoppers can place an order, pick up their groceries on the same day and …

Continue Reading
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Newer Posts
Older Posts