Oak Brook, Ill. — Let’s Pave, LLC, a leading national provider of specialized paving services and solutions, has hired veteran industry executive Jeff Lax to join the company as president and partner. Lax was most recently president and CEO of GemSeal Pavement Products, a leader in the production and distribution of high-quality pavement products. At Let’s Pave, Lax will work alongside C.B. Kuzlik, founder and CEO, to develop and execute the strategic plan for continued, aggressive growth of the company. Lax will also help lead the day-to-day activities of Let’s …
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Parsippany, N.J., and San Francisco — Tru Kids Brands, the proud parent of the Toys“R”Us ® brand, and b8ta, the software-powered experiential retailer, have entered into a joint venture to bring Toys“R”Us stores back to the United States. The new store experience will be a highly immersive, smaller-format space. The first two new Toys“R”Us stores will open this holiday season, located in The Galleria in Houston, a Simon Mall, and in Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, N.J. Brand partners and experiences will be announced in the coming weeks. “We …
Romano’s Macaroni Grill Reduces Food Costs with CrunchTime! Restaurant Operations Platform
by Katie Lee
Boston — CrunchTime! Information Systems, Inc., the restaurant industry’s leading back-of-house operations platform provider, has partnered with Romano’s Macaroni Grill to implement CrunchTime’s Restaurant Management Platform across all locations, and in doing so reduced its food cost variance to below 2%. In 3 months, Macaroni Grill deployed the CrunchTime Platform with full integration to the restaurant’s POS system, vendors and accounting, trained all of its managers and staff, and quickly began to streamline the brand’s operations. Macaroni Grill began a business transformation several years ago. To ensure the brand’s continued …
Charlotte, N.C. — Take 5 Oil Change, a drive-thru quick lube franchise under the Driven Brands family, will open its 400th location in September. Last year, the brand celebrated its 300th-store milestone and has rapidly grown its footprint nationwide by opening 100 locations in only a year. Additionally, during the first half of 2019, Take 5 signed area development agreements to open 58 new franchised locations and also acquired Advance Kwik Lube, a 25-unit quick lube and automotive service chain in Texas. “2019 has proved to be the strongest year …
Emeryville, Calif. — Alloy LED, a California-based manufacturer and distributor of LED lighting, has expanded its operations to the East Coast with a new distribution center in North Carolina. The center currently serves its customers in the southeastern United States. The company plans to expand the service territory to the Northeast and Upper Midwest, as well as the eastern provinces of Canada, by the end of this year. The warehouse enhances the company’s supply chain capabilities to maintain its competitive edge in the fast-moving LED lighting sector. The company began …
Louisville, Ky. — Papa John’s International, Inc. has appointed restaurant industry veteran Jim Norberg as its chief restaurant operations officer. He will oversee the operations of Papa John’s corporate and franchise restaurants in North America. Norberg, a QSR industry veteran, spent more than 30 years of his career at McDonald’s. His most recent role was executive vice president and chief operating officer, where he managed operations for 14,000 U.S. restaurants. During his time at McDonald’s, Norberg’s leadership was instrumental in unifying company and franchise operations around the brand’s messaging and …
Kansas City, Mo. — Service Management Group (SMG), a global customer experience management, employee experience and brand research partner to more than 500 brands, has established a new partnership with global beauty products retailer Sally Beauty. The specialty retailer chose SMG for the actionable insights delivered through its technology platform and industry-leading professional services. With more than 3,700 Sally Beauty stores and 1,300 stores in the Beauty Systems Group network, Sally Beauty services both retail consumers and salon professionals with up to 10,000 products. Seeking to better understand and act …
Plano, Texas — At Home Group Inc., The Home Décor Superstore, has opened its 200th store, in San Diego. This milestone comes after At Home’s recent expansion into California, where the home décor retailer currently operates two stores with the potential to grow to more than 80 stores. “We are thrilled to announce that we have expanded our footprint to 200 stores in 40 states. With our long term goal of opening more than 600 stores nationwide, we continue to be excited about the significant whitespace in front of us,” …
Atlanta — Cinnaholic, the gourmet cinnamon roll bakery acclaimed for serving innovative plant-based cinnamon roll creations, has opened 10 franchise locations since January in new markets including New Jersey, Houston, Phoenix and Ottawa, Ontario, bringing its total location count to 38 units. The brand hopes to reach 50 locations by year end, and 75 by the end of 2020. “Our franchise model has proven successful time and time again, and the fact that many of our existing franchisees are opening additional locations is a true indicator of our products resonating …
Houston — Charming Charlie, a women’s fashion and beauty chain based in Houston, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 11, 2019. It is the second time the retailer known for its colorful displays of jewelry, handbags, apparel and beauty products has filed for bankruptcy in less than 2 years. The company now plans to close all 261 of its remaining stores across 38 states. The retailer’s first filing was in December 2017, and the financial restructuring was completed the following April. However, the company continued to struggle following the …