Philadelphia — Architetra p.c., an architectural firm based in Paoli, Pa., has unveiled its design concept for Ventnor Burger Bar, a new restaurant and bar that shares a roof with the fully-gutted and renovated Ventnor Square Theater in Ventnor, N.J. Jersey Cape Partners has selected Architetra to design the Ventnor Square Theater restaurant because of a previous positive collaboration on Stewart’s Root Beer, an oceanfront, two-story franchise restaurant that opened on the Wildwood Boardwalk in New Jersey in 2007. Artist Julie Loren Webb has been commissioned to design the painting …
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Grants Pass, Ore. — Dutch Bros Coffee, the country’s largest privately held drive-thru coffee company, has named Charley Jemley chief financial officer. He joins the Dutch Bros family with extensive experience in retail finance and restaurant development, both in the U.S. and internationally. Most recently, he served as CFO of CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc., the operator of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. “Having dedicated the past 30 years to working with leading global brands in high-growth environments, I feel fortunate to have saved the best for last by joining the Dutch …
London — IKEA has purchased a West London shopping center, Kings Mall Shopping Centre in Hammersmith, where it will also debut its first UK small format store in spring 2021. The £170 million acquisition is part of IKEA’s strategy to develop mixed-use sites around urban stores. When it opens in 2021, the new Kings Mall store will mark the sixth London-area location for IKEA. Most recently, IKEA opened in the city in Greenwich last year. IKEA also launched two London planning studios in 2019 under its plan to develop new …
Philadelphia — America’s original fast-casual salad concept, Saladworks first opened in 1986 and launched its first franchised location in 2001. After opening its 100th location in Howard Park, Md., on January 6, 2020, Saladworks now plans to expand in Ohio. “The state of Ohio offers us a great opportunity for organic growth,” says Eric Lavinder, vice president of franchise development. “Not only does it provide an adjacent territory to our market in Pennsylvania, but Ohio is also an extremely business-friendly state with responsible rent, market rates and great minimum wage.” …
San Francisco — Gap Inc. no longer intends to separate Old Navy into a standalone public company. Additionally, the company has announced that Neil Fiske, president and CEO of Gap brand, will leave the company. “The plan to separate was rooted in our commitment to value creation from our portfolio of iconic brands,” says Robert Fisher, Gap Inc. interim president and chief executive officer. “While the objectives of the separation remain relevant, our board of directors has concluded that the cost and complexity of splitting into two companies, combined with …
Hudson, Wis. — Standex Refrigerated Solutions Group (RSG) recently named Erik Meyer vice president of finance, reporting directly to Kevin Fink, president of Standex RSG. In his new role, Meyer will be instrumental in leading the RSG finance team across the Master-Bilt and Nor-Lake brands within the Refrigerated Solutions Group. “We are confident that Erik will be an asset to RSG with 17 years of experience as a senior finance and supply chain executive,” Fink says. Meyer most recently worked as director of supply chain finance for Dessert Holdings and …
Bradenton, Fla. — Award-winning breakfast, brunch and lunch concept First Watch has hired Greg Barber as its new chief transformation officer. In this newly created role, Barber is responsible for leading strategy development and will partner with First Watch’s key functional leaders on the development and implementation of critical corporate initiatives. Prior to joining First Watch, Barber spent 9 years working for PepsiCo, Inc. in Purchase, N.Y., where he led strategy development for PepsiCo’s North American beverage division before ultimately leading the Fortune 50 company’s global business development in the …
Framingham, Mass. — Bose Corp. will close all of its 54 stores in the U.S., as well as many remaining locations in Australia, Japan and Europe in the coming months, totaling 119 brick-and-mortar locations. The Framingham, Mass.-based company, which specializes in audio engineering, said the closures are due to “dramatic” shifts to online shopping. Bose opened its first store in 1993 and currently has its biggest concentration of stores in the Northeast (10), Southern California (nine) and Florida (seven). “Originally, our retail stores gave people a way to experience, test and …
Toronto — Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) has appointed Iain Nairn as president, effective January 12, 2020. A highly accomplished retail executive, Nairn has a remarkable track record of driving profitable growth and transformational change at a wide variety of retailers, from specialty to department store formats. He reports directly to Helena Foulkes, CEO of HBC. “We took time to conduct a thorough, worldwide search to ensure we found the right person to lead the business and steward the Hudson’s Bay brand,” Foulkes says. “Iain brings strong leadership, sharp focus and …
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield to Redevelop Former Sears Store into Dining, Entertainment District
by Katie Lee
Los Angeles — Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield plans to redevelop the long-vacated former Sears department store in the Canoga Park neighborhood of Los Angeles into a new dining and entertainment district. The empty store is located in the Westfield Topanga & The Village shopping center. Slated to open in late 2021, the new district will feature a chef-driven food hall, sit-down restaurants, lounges, cocktail bars, interior and exterior boutiques, and entertainment and recreational activities, as well as landscaped indoor and outdoor public spaces and plazas. The renovation will also create a grand entrance …