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Vestar Appoints New VP of Technology and Systems

by Katie Lee

Phoenix — Vestar, one of the leading privately held shopping center owners and operators in the western United States, has named Bill Williams as vice president of technology and systems. Williams joined the company in June 2026 and serves as Vestar’s technology leader, reimagining the firm’s approach to IT and operations. In this new role, Williams is based in Vestar’s Phoenix headquarters and leads the execution of Vestar’s technology strategy. He will develop systems, strengthen security and advance technology-enabled operations to enhance performance across the organization. In his role, Williams …

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QDOBA Signs 17-Unit Development Agreement Across San Diego County

by Katie Lee

San Diego — QDOBA Mexican Eats has signed a new development agreement for 17 restaurants across San Diego County in California. The agreement is led by Hyperion Brands, LLC, a San Diego based multi-unit operator. “California is a priority growth market for QDOBA,” says Jeremy Vitaro, chief development officer at QDOBA. “We’re excited to grow the brand with the Hyperion Brands team, a proven, operations-first organization that also brings a strong development track record and a hometown advantage.” QDOBA and its franchise partners currently operate approximately 875 restaurants, with plans …

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EVgo, Regency Expand Partnership to Bring Fast-Charging to More Retail Centers Across the U.S.

by Katie Lee

Los Angeles — EVgo Inc., one of the nation’s largest providers of public fast-charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs), and Regency Centers Corporation are expanding their partnership to bring fast charging to shopping centers, with plans to add more than 400 charging stalls at Regency locations across the U.S. Once complete, these new EVgo stalls are expected to help increase Regency’s EV infrastructure footprint by more than 20%.  EVgo installed its first charger at a Regency center in 2020 and today operates over 150 stalls at Regency locations. Located in …

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Red Robin Completes Sale of 108 Restaurants for $89.4 Million

by Katie Lee

Englewood, Colo. — Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. has completed most of its refranchising transactions as previously announced on May 28 and June 15, 2026. Across three separate transactions, the company sold 108 company-owned units for approximately $89.4 million in gross proceeds. The sale of eight additional restaurants under one of the transactions is expected to close by the end of Red Robin’s 2026 fiscal year and generate approximately $6.6 million, bringing the total proceeds across all three transactions to approximately $96 million from the sale of 116 restaurants, consistent …

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construction and designNewsretailers

Eyemart Express to Debut in Houston with 4 New Stores

by Katie Lee

Houston — Eyemart Express, one of the nation’s largest optical retailers, is entering the Greater Houston market for the first time, with a store opening in Conroe, Texas, on Sept. 8. This is the first of four stores the company will open in the area by year’s end. The Houston openings build on Eyemart Express’ established presence across Texas, where the company already operates 42 stores. Each new location will hire a team of opticians, lab technicians and retail associates. Eyemart Express operates a lens lab inside every store, along …

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Hungry Howie’s Modernizes Delivery Operations with Cartwheel

by Katie Lee

Los Angeles — Cartwheel, an AI-powered delivery platform for restaurants, has teamed up with Hungry Howie’s Pizza to modernize delivery operations. The top 10 U.S. pizza chain is adopting Cartwheel’s Hybrid Delivery technology, following a successful pilot, that will implement a phased rollout across its nearly 500-location system, with all locations targeted to be live by second quarter 2027. Cartwheel’s Hybrid Delivery gives franchisees a single view of in-house and third-party delivery, with fulfillment powered by DoorDash Drive. Hybrid Delivery prioritizes in-house fleets based on configurable factors such as proximity …

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Academy Sports + Outdoors Names Executive Appointment

by Katie Lee

Katy, Texas — Academy Sports + Outdoors has appointed Matthew (Matt) M. Pasch to the role of executive vice president and chief people officer. In this position, he will oversee Academy’s talent strategy, human resources and communications functions supporting the company’s corporate, distribution centers and retail initiatives. Most recently, Pasch served as executive vice president, chief human resources officer at Burlington. He also held the roles of senior vice president of human resources, merchandising, marketing and strategy as well as senior vice president of human resources, corporate support, distribution and …

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Parts Town Unlimited Opens Global Fulfillment Center to Serve the Southeast

by Katie Lee

Chicago — Parts Town Unlimited, a global leader in the high-tech distribution of genuine OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts for commercial foodservice, residential appliances and HVAC equipment, has signed a full building lease in Pendergrass, Ga. Parts Town Unlimited will occupy the 538,450-square-foot facility by the end of this year. The new facility will expand the company’s global fulfillment network to the Southeast, joining existing global fulfillment centers in Chicago, Phoenix and Munich (Germany). Additionally, this facility is the company’s first LEED-certified global fulfillment center. LEED is a globally recognized …

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Yum! Brands Completes Sale of Pizza Hut to LongRange Capital

by Katie Lee

Louisville, Ky., and Stamford, Conn. — Yum! Brands, Inc. has completed the sale of Pizza Hut — excluding Mainland China — to LongRange Capital for approximately $1.5 billion, with the opportunity for Yum! to receive an additional earn-out of $75 million by 2030 based on future performance. LongRange Capital is a Stamford, Conn.-based private equity firm. Together with the previously announced sale of Pizza Hut in Mainland China to Yum China Holdings, Inc., which closed on August 7, 2026, the LongRange transaction completes Yum!’s sale of Pizza Hut through two …

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Ace Hardware Reaches 100th New Store Opening of 2026

by Katie Lee

Oak Brook, Ill. — Ace Hardware, the world’s largest hardware cooperative, has marked its 100th new store opening of 2026 and remains on pace to open more than 170 new stores by year-end. The growth reflects strong demand from existing Ace retailers expanding their businesses, independent operators converting to the Ace brand and new entrepreneurs joining the cooperative. “There is a special pride that comes with owning an Ace Hardware store because a great hardware store is more than a place to buy products. It’s part of the fabric of …

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