San Francisco — Chargebee, a leading subscription and revenue growth management platform, has named Brian Clark as president of go-to-market and Andrew Sherwood as senior vice president of global sales. Clark and Sherwood will accelerate Chargebee’s go-to-market focus on helping companies capture the opportunity in the evolving market with Chargebee’s uniquely flexible and robust revenue growth management platform. Clark brings 20+ years of experience in executive leadership roles at industry-defining companies. Most recently, he served as chief revenue officer (CRO) at Vista-backed Work Management Software company Wrike. Sherwood will lead …
News
Charlotte, N.C. — Toastique, the vibrant, artisan toast and juice café, will open its first storefront in the state of North Carolina on July 20, 2024. Located in the popular South End neighborhood of Charlotte, N.C., the new location will be one of the few offering plant-based vegan soft serve. Known for its gourmet toast creations, smoothie bowls, nutrient-rich cold-pressed juices, espresso and coffee, and other convenient grab-and-go options, the Charlotte location will be operated by franchisees and husband-and-wife duo, Chris and Angela Bjorson. This is the first of 3 …
Minneapolis — Target Corporation plans to roll out a new generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tool to team members at all of its nearly 2,000 stores by August, becoming the first major retailer to share that it is bringing this technology to its store team members across the U.S. The tool, called Store Companion, is a GenAI-powered chatbot designed by Target that can answer on-the-job process questions, coach new team members, support store operations management and more. “We know technology will continue to play an outsized role in the future of …
Canton, Mass. — This Fourth of July, Dunkin’ is celebrating its 4,000th NextGen location now open in Jacksonville, Fla., operated by franchisee Rima & Raj, LLC. This marks a major milestone for the brand as Dunkin’ continues to open and remodel existing locations as innovative NextGen restaurants, offering guests a more modern design with premium beverages, creating an elevated in-restaurant and drive-thru experience. “NextGen is propelling the brand forward and continuing to exceed growth targets,” says Scott Murphy, chief brand officer of Inspire Brands, which acquired Dunkin’ in late 2020. …
Duluth, Ga. — National Vision Holdings, Inc. has appointed Mark Banner as the company’s new chief stores officer, effective July 8, 2024. He joins the company after a 7-year tenure at Sleep Number. Most recently, he served as senior vice president of retail and real estate. His extensive experience encompasses leading teams in sales, sales operations, digital, promotion and real estate. Before Sleep Number, Banner dedicated 18 years to Signet Jewelers, the world’s largest specialty retailer jeweler. He began his career at Signet as a store manager and rose through …
Los Angeles — FAT (Fresh. Authentic. Tasty.) Brands Inc. has hired Jordan Chirico as executive vice president and head of debt capital markets. He joins FAT Brands with nearly 20 years of Wall Street experience and will be focused on the company’s balance sheet including its $1.2 billion Whole Business Securitization portfolio, additional acquisition financings, preferred stock and other debt-related strategies. Chirico spent the first half of his career in structured finance at Bank of America, Robert W. Baird and Credit Suisse before pivoting to the asset management side of …
Grand Rapids, Mich. — Amidst the Great Depression in 1934, Hendrik Meijer, a local barber in Greenville, Mich., took a chance and opened Meijer’s Grocery with his wife Gezina and their children, 18-year-old Johanna and 14-year-old Fred, to take care of customers who visited Hendrik’s barbershop. Fast-forward to today and the family-owned retailer is celebrating its 90th anniversary with more than 500 Meijer supercenters, grocery stores, neighborhood markets, express locations and distribution and manufacturing facilities throughout six Midwest states. “We have built an incredible team here at Meijer that is …
Atlanta — Perkins Restaurant & Bakery is rebranding as Perkins American Food Co., where modern American hospitality is reimagined to both take you back and move you forward. The humble pancake house from 1958 in the heartland of the Midwest is now a leading family dining brand with nearly 300 locations across the United States and Canada. In addition to its new name, Perkins has a new logo, restaurant design and elevated services. “Our rebrand is way more than a new logo and descriptor,” says Toni Ronayne, president of Perkins …
Livonia, Mich. — Pet Supplies Plus and Wag N’ Wash report double-digit mid-year growth with 23 sold franchise agreements and 16 store openings. Collectively, the brands are projected to sell a total of 70 franchise units and open at least 45 stores by year-end. While each franchise has a unique offering, both legacy brand Pet Supplies Plus and emerging concept Wag N’ Wash have the billion-dollar backing of 30+ years of franchise and industry experience. As the largest pet retail franchise in North America, Pet Supplies Plus continues to be …
Atlanta — Adrian Villarreal, the founder of Rreal Tacos, has returned to the company he founded in Atlanta almost a decade ago, according to Rreal Tacos owners Damian Otero and Miguel Hernandez. Villarreal is back now as culinary director, a role he most recently held for Rye Restaurants since selling Rreal Tacos to Otero and Hernandez in 2021. Now, the trio is ready to continue growing the brand throughout metro Atlanta and the Southeast region together. “Adrian has been one of our biggest supporters as we put our vision for …