Overland Park, Kan., and Deerfield, Ill. — Walgreens and Sprint plan to expand the collaboration they had announced earlier this year, which will include 80 new locations. All of the new Sprint Express at Walgreens stores will be throughout Chicagoland and the Dallas-Ft. Worth metropolitan area, and are planned to open by the end of the year.
retailers
Huntsville, Ala. — REI Co-op will open its first location in the state of Alabama at MidCity Huntsville in fall 2019. With more than 150 stores across the U.S., REI will join a growing list of world-class brands at RCP Companies’ $500 million experiential, midtown district.
Austin, Texas — Austin, Texas-based fashion and lifestyle brand Kendra Scott opened its newest store location and East Coast flagship on September 5 in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood. After years of successful pop-ups and shop-in-shop retailer experiences, the new two-story, 1700-square-foot store is the brand’s first brick-and-mortar location in New York City.
Pittsburgh — DICK’S Sporting Goods has named Vidya Jwala as chief e-commerce and supply chain officer. In this role, Jwala will be responsible for the company’s digital integration of e-commerce and supply chain efforts, and will report to Lauren Hobart, president of DICK’S Sporting Goods.
Cincinnati — The Kroger Co. will phase out single-use plastic bags and transition to reusable bags across its family of stores by 2025. Seattle-based QFC will be the company’s first retail division to phase out single-use plastic bags. The company expects QFC’s transition to be completed in 2019.
Plano, Texas — At Home Group Inc.’s CFO, Judd Nystrom, will be leaving the home décor superstore after a transition period. The company is naming Jeffrey R. Knudson, currently senior vice president, finance and retail controller at CVS Health, as his successor.
Greensboro, N.C. — Publix Super Markets Inc. plans to build a refrigerated distribution center in Greensboro, N.C., as part of a multi-phase project. The company plans to invest up to $300 million in the first phase of the project, which is scheduled for completion by 2022.
Grand Rapid, Mich. — On August 27, 2018, Meijer opened a newly-designed convenience store and gas station adjacent to the retailer’s Grand Rapids, Mich.-based headquarters. The new 5,500-square-foot convenience store is the first Meijer gas station to include a separate full-service Starbucks. The store also includes an expanded assortment of fresh produce and protein-based snacks, wraps, fruit and organic items, as well as grab-and-go meals prepared locally by Superior Foods.