Las Vegas — This spring, global lifestyle icon Martha Stewart will open her first-ever restaurant. The Bedford by Martha Stewart, a fully-immersive restaurant concept designed to bring Martha’s famed country farmhouse in Bedford, N.Y., to life, will open at Paris
…
Charlotte, N.C. — John R. Howe, executive vice president and chief financial officer of The Cato Corporation, plans to retire on January 17, 2022 following 35 years of service with the company. He will remain employed with Cato through May
…
Los Angeles — Highview Capital, LLC has acquired Watterson, a leading national facility services company headquartered in Schaumburg, Ill. Following the close of the acquisition, Billy Watterson, Watterson’s founder, and Steve Peldiak, Watterson’s president, will both retain significant minority stakes
…
Crowley, Texas — Powerhouse, a national commercial infrastructure management services provider, has appointed Maria Clavijo-Demchalk as vice president of operations, facility maintenance. Clavijo-Demchalk is an industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience leading operations and service-focused teams. “Maria
…
Irving, Texas — Fuzzy’s Taco Shop has named franchise veteran Scott Shotter as its new chief operating officer. The Texas-based restaurant group is recognized for its Baja-style fare with nearly 150 franchise- and corporate-owned locations in 17 states. Most recently,
…
Kansas City, Mo. — Service Management Group (SMG), a global customer, patient, employee and brand experience management partner to more than 500 brands, is working with specialty golf retailer Club Champion on a new customer experience management program. The nation’s
…
Charlotte, N.C. — Clean Juice, a USDA-certified organic juice bar franchise and quick-service restaurant, has added five new franchise partners in five new states: Connecticut, West Virginia, Kentucky, Montana and Washington. Clean Juice expects fourth quarter 2021 to be the
…
Boston — Lifestyle retailer MINISO has hit yet another milestone. On December 18, the brand’s 5,000th store opened in Boston, bringing its variety of affordable plush toys and household items to the New England region for the first time. Three
…
Mead, Colo. — Ziggi’s Coffee, the rapidly-growing Colorado-based franchise known for its fast and friendly drive-thru coffee service, has just signed its 150th franchise deal. New franchise owners Ron and Denise Cazares have joined the Ziggi’s Coffee franchise family with
…
Lynnfield, Mass. — JM Electrical Company, Inc., has promoted Andrew Guarracino — a second-generation member of the Lynnfield, Mass.-based, family-owned electrical contracting firm — to the position of project manager. In his new role, Guarracino is responsible for estimating, negotiating
…
Moorestown, N.J. — A Pea in the Pod, the well-known designer and specialty retailer of luxe maternity apparel and accessories, is returning to its retail roots with the recent opening of two new concept stores in Chicago and New York City,
…
Orlando, Fla. — Darden Restaurants, Inc. has announced that Eugene (Gene) I. Lee, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer, will retire as CEO effective May 29, 2022. Lee will continue to serve on Darden’s board of directors as executive chairman
…
Commerce, Calif. — Smart & Final, the smaller, faster grocery warehouse store for household and business customers, has named Scott Drew as its new president. Dave Hirz, current president and CEO, has been with Smart & Final for almost 12
…
Golden, Colo. — Good Times Restaurants Inc., operator of Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar and Good Times Burgers & Frozen Custard, has announced the retirement of Scott LeFever, vice president of operations, effective March 31, 2022. The company has identified a
…
Ankeny, Iowa — Casey’s General Stores, Inc., a leading convenience store chain in the United States, has closed the previously announced acquisition of 40 stores from Pilot Corporation. The acquisition gives Casey’s immediate scale in the Knoxville, Tenn., market and
…
Mead, Colo. — Colorado-based Ziggi’s Coffee® has opened its new headquarters in Mead, Colo. In addition to housing the corporate team and an on-site training facility, this location features a café and a drive-thru. Situated on the corner of Third
…
Norcross, Ga. — Hera Lighting has hired Kristen Francis as its new regional business development manager, covering the South Central Region. A graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, Francis previously served as director of sales for one of the top
…
East Rutherford, N.J. — Hudson, a Dufry company and travel experience leader with more than 1,000 stores in airports, commuter hubs, landmarks and tourist destinations across North America, is the first retailer in the travel industry to offer Amazon’s palm
…
Austin, Texas — Salient Systems, a leader in open architecture video management software solutions, has named Keith Aubele CPP, LPP as the company’s chief security officer. Aubele brings decades of experience at leading retail organizations such as Walmart and The
…
Lexington, Ky. — Ten years ago, the future of America’s oldest chain restaurant franchise was in question. A&W, owned by YUM! Brands, was struggling. But then a group of franchise owners formed a partnership and bought the company, which was
…
Boston — Wayfair, a Boston-based e-commerce firm specializing in furniture, will open three brick-and-mortar stores in the Boston area in 2022. The first two stores will be located within open-air centers in Lynnfield and Dedham that are owned by WS
…
Denver — Denver is now home to Bar Louie’s first-ever new prototype. Located in The Shops at Northfield, Bar Louie closed for several weeks during renovations and officially reopened on Dec. 10. From the menu and flatware to the interior
…
Livonia, Mich. — Pet Supplies Plus recently celebrated its 600th grand opening in Gresham, Ore. Additionally, the independent pet supplies retailer signed 107 new store commitments for this year alone. Out of those signings, 62 are new franchise owners who
…
Waltham, Mass. — On December 7, 2021, Jewel-Osco unveiled the company’s first micro fulfillment center (MFC) at the Westmont store in Chicago. The 20,000-square-foot MFC facility allows for a seamless shopping experience for customers by pairing a brick-and-mortar store with
…
Chicago and Miami — REEF Technology Inc., the largest operator of delivery kitchens, logistics and proximity hubs in North America, has acquired 2ndKitchen, a leader in virtual kitchens for hotels, offices, buildings, venues and other hospitality companies. REEF and 2ndKitchen’s
…
South Beach, Fla. – Mohari Hospitality, the global investment company founded by entrepreneurial investor Mark Scheinberg, has taken a significant minority stake in luxury restaurant business Riviera Dining Group (RDG) to support the development of new concepts and to fund
…
Hudson, Ohio — JOANN, the nation’s category leader in fabrics and sewing and one of the fastest-growing players in the craft space, has added two industry leaders to its executive team: Joe Thibault (senior vice president, store operations) and Lisa
…