New York City — NEOM Wellbeing, the UK’s award-winning wellbeing brand renowned for its 100% natural fragrances, has officially opened its first U.S. retail store in New York City. The debut “Wellbeing Hub” is located on Bleecker Street in the West Village. Expanding from its UK roots, as well as across a portfolio of freestanding Wellbeing Hubs, the British-born brand will add the ‘city that never sleeps’ to its growing roster. The 481-square-foot Wellbeing Hub, located at 395 Bleecker St., has been designed as a sanctuary to escape the city, …
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Boise, Idaho — Marco’s Pizza, one of the nation’s fastest-growing pizza brands, recently debuted its new store design near Boise in Meridian, Idaho. The new look features aesthetic updates in addition to operational enhancements. The prototype is set to fuel the brand’s continued nationwide growth and performance, while enhancing the guest experience. The Meridian corporate-owned store opened on July 23, 2024. Earlier this year, Marco’s announced its development plan to bring four new locations to the Boise market, using it as a test bed for forward-thinking innovations. Updates include: • …
Philadelphia — Extreme value retailer Five Below, Inc. has appointed Kenneth Bull as interim president and chief executive officer, effective immediately, following the resignation of Joel Anderson. Anderson has stepped down from his roles of president and CEO, and from the board of directors, to pursue other interests. Thomas Vellios, co-founder, non-executive chairman and former CEO, is assuming the role of executive chairman on an interim basis to support Bull and the executive leadership team in the transition while the board conducts a comprehensive search for a permanent CEO. “I …
Eatontown, N.J. — New Jersey-based HVAC, electrical and plumbing services provider Total Comfort Group (TCG) has completed three new hires at the executive level. Jana Coyle, Christopher Soto and Timothy Bruton have joined the company as senior business development manager, northeast service manager and manager of strategic partnerships, respectively. Coyle’s tenure in the industry includes experience in facility maintenance, construction and remodeling services, with business-to-business (B2B) sales experience in Fortune 500 companies. Soto, overseeing comprehensive operations throughout the Northeast region in his new role, will focus on responsive service, streamlined maintenance …
South Portland, Maine — South Portland-based lobster roll concept Cousins Maine Lobster has announced plans for a multi-state food truck tour throughout the Midwest to introduce the brand to new markets. Franchisee Chris Papp — whose portfolio includes two restaurants and four food trucks — will lead the tour. Scheduled for Aug. 7-16, the tour will stop at breweries and festivals in South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri.
Hudson, Ohio — Ohio-based retailer JOANN has appointed Ann Aber as executive vice president and chief legal and human resources officer. Aber joined the company in 2019 as vice president, general counsel and secretary and was promoted to senior vice president in 2021. In addition to her existing responsibilities, she will now oversee human resources and corporate communications for JOANN. Aber will also be responsible for the brand’s risk management, charitable giving, diversity and inclusion and corporate responsibility functions.
Dallas — Dallas-based food-and-beverage franchising company BRIX Holdings LLC has entered into an agreement with franchise owner Richard Stassi to open four new units in Arizona and Missouri. Stassi will open three Smoothie Factory + Kitchen and Red Mango co-branded shops within the next three years in metro Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona. The first of the units is scheduled to open in early 2025. Franchisee Gary Patel signed the fourth deal with Stassi and will open a Red Mango store in Kansas City, Missouri, in early 2025, marking the first entry …
Roswell, Ga. — Hardware retail chain Ace Hardware has opened its 5,000th domestic store. Dubbed Fixit Ace Hardware, the store is located in Roswell, roughly 20 miles north of Atlanta. Additionally, the retailer opened its 100th new store of the year in Henderson, Nevada, last month. Ace, which operates more than 5,800 outposts globally, plans to open an additional 200 stores by the end of this year, which marks 100 years of business for the brand.
Austin, Texas and Orlando, Fla. — Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI) has agreed to acquire Chuy’s Holdings (NASDAQ: CHUY) for $605 million in an all-cash transaction. The Tex-Mex restaurant chain — which owns and operates 101 full-service restaurants across 15 states — will join Darden’s existing restaurant portfolio, which includes Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse and Ruth’s Chris Steak House, among others. Under terms of the merger agreement, Orlando-based Darden will acquire all outstanding shares of Chuy’s at $37.50 per share. The purchase price represents a 40 percent premium to the Austin-based company’s …
London — Joshua Schulman has been appointed to replace Jonathan Akeroyd as the chief executive officer of London-based luxury retail brand Burberry. Schulman will assume his new role on July 17, leading the executive committee and reporting to Chair Gerry Murphy and the Board of Directors. Akeroyd’s departure comes following the publication of the company’s earnings release earlier this week. In the press release issued by Burberry, the brand’s first quarter performance is described as “disappointing” by Murphy, with sales declining 20 percent on a year-over-year basis. CNN reports that Burberry has …