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Darden Restaurants Announces Upcoming CEO Transition

by Katie Lee

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 until the 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. At that time, Lee is expected to stand for re-election to the board and continue to serve as chairman in a non-executive capacity. The board has unanimously elected Ricardo (Rick) Cardenas, Darden’s current president and chief operating officer, as chief executive officer, as …

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Newspeopleretailers

Smart & Final Names New President

by Katie Lee

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 years and is retiring on February 1, 2022. Drew has been with Smart & Final since March 2010, serving as chief operating officer since June 2020. With almost 45 years in the grocery industry, he began his career in 1977 as a courtesy clerk. Prior to joining the Smart & …

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Newspeoplerestaurants

Good Times Restaurants’ VP of Operations to Retire

by Katie Lee

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 candidate who is expected to join the brand in early 2022 and to succeed LeFever upon his retirement. “On behalf of the entire Good Times team, I would like to thank Scott for his numerous contributions to the company,” says Ryan Zink, president and chief executive officer. “Since his beginnings …

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Casey’s Closes Acquisition of 40 Pilot Stores

by Katie Lee

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 is part of the implementation of its 3-year strategic plan that was shared in January 2020 when the company set a 3-year goal of adding 345 stores to its chain. “We are pleased to complete this transaction and expand our footprint in Tennessee and Kentucky,” says Darren Rebelez, president and …

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franchise developmentNewsrestaurants

Ziggi’s Coffee Opens New Headquarters

by Katie Lee

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 and Welker (241 Welker Ave.), this new location is owned by the company’s founders, Brandon and Camrin Knudsen. “We are excited to grow our footprint in the community that has witnessed and supported our growth over the last 17 years. Northern Colorado has been our home base since we started …

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lightingNewspeoplevendors

Hera Lighting Welcomes New Regional Business Development Manager

by Katie Lee

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 marketing firms servicing the meetings and trade show sector of the hospitality industry. “Considering her extensive B2B and hospitality background, Kristen will be a great asset to Hera Lighting and our customers. We’re fortunate to have her on the team,” says Brad Stewart, executive vice president of sales for Hera …

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Hudson Becomes First Travel Retailer to Deploy Amazon One

by Katie Lee

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 recognition service, Amazon One. Amazon One is now available at Hudson Nonstop — powered by Just Walk Out technology — at Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL). Hudson continues to expand its digital offerings to enhance customer service and reimagine the shopping journey. Now with the addition of Amazon One, Hudson …

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Newspeoplesecurity/loss preventionsoftware/technologyvendors

Salient Systems Appoints First Chief Security Officer

by Katie Lee

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 Home Depot to the CSO role, which is the first such position for Salient. A former director of loss prevention for Walmart Stores Inc., and senior vice president of loss prevention for The Home Depot, Aubele will guide Salient’s approach to customer needs in the rapidly changing security landscape, as …

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franchise developmentNewsrestaurants

A&W Restaurants Marks 10 Years Under Franchisee Ownership

by Katie Lee

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 92 years old at the time, on Dec. 19, 2011. A&W is still the only major restaurant brand 100% owned by its franchisees. Since the acquisition: Same-store sales have increased every year, reversing 7 years of declines; sales this year are up 10.2%, following last year’s 9.2% growth. Average unit …

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Wayfair to Open 3 Brick-and-Mortar Stores in Metro Boston in 2022

by Katie Lee

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 Development and will carry the company’s AllModern brands. The third store will be located within Simon Property Group’s Burlington Mall and will carry the Joss & Main brand. Wayfair plans to open more stores to support other brands over the next 2 years.     SOURCE: www.REBusinessOnline.com  

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