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Layne’s Chicken Fingers Signs 44-Unit Deal, Largest in Brand History

by Katie Lee

Frisco, Texas — Layne’s Chicken Fingers has signed a monumental 44-unit franchise agreement with Eli Cohen, an experienced real estate and restaurant developer, across its home state of Texas. Layne’s will expand across West Texas, San Antonio and the Coastal Bend. With this deal, the Texas market is now over 90% sold out, leaving room for expansion in just El Paso and a few smaller, single-unit territories. “Sealing an over-40-unit deal in our home state is a major milestone for us as we approach 100% market saturation across Texas,” says …

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Marco’s Pizza Appoints Vice President of Franchise Growth

by Katie Lee

Toledo, Ohio — Marco’s Pizza has appointed Brad Smith as vice president of franchise growth. The appointment reflects Marco’s continued investment in world-class leadership as it pursues aggressive multi-unit growth, international expansion (particularly across LATAM and the Caribbean) and non-traditional development opportunities. “Brad brings a rare combination of strategic vision, operational expertise and global franchise insight,” says Gerardo Flores, chief development officer of Marco’s Pizza. “As we continue to scale with purpose, his leadership will be instrumental in accelerating growth, deepening our operational excellence, and expanding our reach with high-caliber …

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Academy Sports + Outdoors Opens 5 New Stores in Fourth Quarter

by Katie Lee

Katy, Texas — Academy Sports + Outdoors has opened five new locations in Q4 2025 in Russellville, Ark.; Seguin, Texas; Fort Wayne, Ind.; El Paso, Texas; and New Braunfels, Texas. With the addition of these stores, Academy will have opened 24 total new locations by the end of fiscal 2025. “We are thrilled to expand our footprint with 24 new stores,” says Eric Friederich, senior vice president of retail operations at Academy Sports + Outdoors. Academy is a leading full-line sporting goods and outdoor recreation retailer in the United States. …

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Papa Johns Names New CFO and President, North America

by Katie Lee

Louisville, Ky. — Papa John’s International, Inc. has promoted Ravi Thanawala to chief financial officer and president, North America. Most recently, he served as chief financial officer and executive vice president, international. In his new role, he will lead the company’s North American business, including restaurant operations and development strategies along with his CFO responsibilities. In connection with his appointment, the company’s international business will be led by Chris Lyn-Sue, who has been promoted from senior vice president, head of international markets to senior vice president, general manager of international. …

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Dollar General Corporation Appoints COO; Promotes 3 Additional Executives

by Katie Lee

Goodlettsville, Tenn. — Dollar General Corporation has promoted Emily Taylor to be the company’s new chief operating officer (COO), effective Nov. 16, 2025. She most recently served as Dollar General’s executive vice president and chief merchandising officer. Taylor brings more than 25 years of Dollar General experience to the COO role, having first joined the company in 1998. As COO, she will have responsibility for store operations, global supply chain, merchandising, marketing and digital, real estate and store development, decision science, and process improvement organizations. “Emily’s strategic vision and tenured …

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Bagels & Co. Taps Restaurant Industry Veteran as New COO

by Katie Lee

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — Kevin Armantrout, who has held executive roles with several nationally recognized brands, has been named chief operating officer for Bagels & Co. which has several locations now open in Pennsylvania and Florida with plans to expand to additional cities across the U.S. Armantrout has built a distinguished career leading high-growth restaurant and hospitality brands through expansion, operational transformation and cultural renewal. His extensive experience in management, site selection, construction and building a strong foundation for franchising from the ground up are an asset to Bagels & …

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Walmart Names New President and Chief Executive Officer

by Katie Lee

Bentonville, Ark. — The board of directors of Walmart Inc. has elected John Furner to succeed Doug McMillon as president and chief executive officer, effective Feb. 1, 2026. Furner was also elected to the company’s board of directors, effective immediately. McMillon will retire on Jan. 31, 2026, but remain on the board of directors until the next annual shareholders’ meeting and help ensure a smooth transition. “John Furner is the right leader to guide Walmart into our next chapter of growth and transformation,” says Greg Penner, chairman of Walmart Inc. …

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Wienerschnitzel Opens First Walmart Store Restaurant in Arizona

by Katie Lee

Tempe, Ariz. — Wienerschnitzel, the world’s largest hot dog franchise, is celebrating its first restaurant opening inside a Walmart Supercenter, located in Tempe, Ariz., this month. This milestone marks the beginning of a broader non-traditional growth initiative, with six franchised restaurants planned for Walmart stores across the U.S. As Wienerschnitzel accelerates its expansion strategy, the opportunity with the retail giant represents a major step forward in bringing the legacy brand’s signature menu to high-traffic, convenience-driven environments. Additional restaurants are slated for Puyallup, Wash.; Alamogordo, N.M.; Reno, Nev.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; …

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Wayfair Testing Smaller Store Format with First Ohio Location

by Katie Lee

Boston — Wayfair Inc. will open its newest namesake retail location in Columbus, Ohio, in late 2026. At approximately 70,000 square feet, or about half the size of previously announced Wayfair stores, the Columbus location will serve as the company’s first prototype for a smaller-format model. This will also be Wayfair’s first brick-and-mortar location in the state of Ohio. “As we scale our retail strategy, we are focused on both expansion and experimentation,” says Liza Lefkowski, vice president of merchandising and stores at Wayfair. “Not only are we thrilled to …

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Smalls Sliders® Expands Executive Leadership Team

by Katie Lee

Atlanta — Smalls Sliders has made a series of leadership appointments. The company has named Ryan Crumley as its new chief development officer and promoted Michael Alberici to chief marketing officer. These two additions round out CEO Charles Watson’s executive team. Additionally, the company has promoted Adam Roof to vice president of finance. He will oversee financial planning, forecasting and scalable systems designed to support the company’s rapidly growing franchise network. Crumley most recently served as chief growth officer at Tidal Wave Auto Spa, where he helped grow the company …

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