Plano, Texas — At Home Group Inc., the home décor superstore, has opened two new home décor stores in April, bringing the retailer’s store count to 226 and opening its first New York City store, located in the borough of Queens. The two new stores are located in Clarksville, Ind., and Rego Park, N.Y. At Home is headquartered in Plano, Texas, and currently operates 226 stores in 40 states. For more information, visit www.investor.athome.com. SOURCE: At Home Group Inc.
Broomfield, Colo. — Noodles & Company has targeted at least 7% systemwide unit growth beginning in 2022 and is leveraging franchise development to help meet that goal. Despite the many challenges the pandemic posed on the restaurant industry, Noodles was agile and quick to adapt, thanks to its pre-pandemic focus on enhancing digital capabilities for off-premise business. Noodles & Company currently has nearly 450 locations across 29 states. In 2020, Noodles & Company saw a 128% increase in digital sales, which accounted for 62% of sales. Prior to the pandemic, …
Duluth, Ga. — National Vision Holdings, Inc., one of the nation’s largest optical retailers providing quality, affordable eye care and eyewear, has selected Roger Francis as chief stores officer, effective May 3, 2021. Francis will report to Reade Fahs, chief executive officer, and will oversee operations for more than 1,200 stores across all National Vision brands. Francis joins National Vision after 18 years with CVS, where he served most recently as senior vice president of HealthHUB Retail Operations and was responsible for leading the implementation of an innovative store format …
Atlanta — Cinnaholic, the brand that sparked a nationwide love affair with gourmet cinnamon rolls on ABC’s hit show, “Shark Tank,” is accelerating its expansion plans and is set to open 20 new locations across the country this year and another 80 locations by 2025. With 54 locations open and 60 in development, Cinnaholic has set its sights on targeted franchise growth, zeroing in on key markets throughout the United States including Indianapolis, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Austin, Tampa, Orlando, and Nashville. “Our franchise model has proven successful time and time …
Morris Plains, N.J. — Natural and organic foods retailer Whole Foods Market has adopted Honeywell’s Solstice® N40 (R-448A) lower global-warming-potential (GWP) refrigerant in its stores across the United States as it seeks to reduce refrigerant emissions under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s GreenChill program. Whole Foods Market will retrofit its commercial refrigeration systems at more than 100 stores with Honeywell’s reduced-GWP alternative, replacing high-global-warming-potential refrigerants R-404A and R-22. Based on hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) technology, Solstice N40 offers a GWP that is approximately 68% lower than legacy hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants like R-404A. …
Tampa, Fla. — David Deno, CEO of Bloomin’ Brands, Inc., has announced the promotion of Lissette Gonzalez to senior vice president, supply chain. In her new role, Gonzalez will lead the company’s supply chain and join the executive leadership team. Previously, she spent 16 years with Office Depot. “Lissette has made many important contributions to our supply chain since she joined us 7 years ago,” says Deno. “With her planning and forecasting expertise, coupled with her proven talent for global procurement, she ensures our operators have ample supplies, at a …
Goodlettsville, Tenn. — Dollar General is planning to hire up to 20,000 new employees this spring and will host in-person and virtual hiring events from April 19 through April 23 to support ongoing efforts across store, distribution, transportation and corporate operations. A comprehensive list of hiring events and available positions is available here: www.dollargeneral.com/careers. “As a rapidly-growing company, we are proud to provide individuals with opportunities to start or advance their careers while serving as a positive economic presence in each community we call home,” says Kathy Reardon, Dollar General’s …
Kansas City, Mo. — Service Management Group (SMG), a global customer, patient and employee experience management partner to more than 500 brands, has launched a new customer experience management program with QDOBA Mexican Eats. The Mexican fast-casual chain is working with SMG to drive program adoption, increase guest satisfaction and advance its customer experience strategy. QDOBA has launched the SMG customer experience management program to capture guest feedback and uncover customer insights across its nearly 750 locations. With feedback from across the customer journey available in the smg360® platform, QDOBA …
New York City — Shake Shack Inc. has announced that Tara Comonte, president and chief financial officer for the last 4 years, will depart the company in May to become CEO of a private company outside of the restaurant industry. Comonte, who joined Shake Shack in 2017, will remain in her current role through May 7, 2021 to oversee the company’s fiscal first quarter 2021 reporting period and ensure a thorough transition of her responsibilities. The company is in the process of retaining a firm to manage the search for …
Jericho, N.Y., and Houston — Kimco Realty Corp., one of North America’s largest publicly traded owners and operators of open-air, grocery-anchored shopping centers and mixed-use assets, and Weingarten Realty Investors, a grocery-anchored Sun Belt shopping center owner, manager and developer, have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Weingarten will merge with and into Kimco, with Kimco continuing as the surviving public company. The transaction will create the preeminent open-air shopping center and mixed-use real estate owner in the country. The combined company is expected to have a pro …
