Richardson, Texas — Fossil Group, Inc. continues to build on its industry-leading transformation to a digital-first retailer with the appointment of Holly Briedis to the company’s executive leadership team as executive vice president, chief digital officer. “The digital footprint of consumers continues to grow, and brands leaning into this evolution are the ones driving growth,” says Kosta Kartsotis, Fossil Group’s chairman and CEO. “Holly’s extensive leadership and expertise in driving customer-centered digital transformations for retail brands during her time with McKinsey & Company will help Fossil Group cement itself as …
software/technology
Cincinnati — The Point of Sale Cloud, an easy-to-use, fully integrated cloud platform for multi-unit restaurants, recently launched as a new competitive advantage for the restaurant industry. The Point of Sale Cloud allows restaurants to take control of their technology while streamlining the way restaurateurs manage all aspects of their business including customer facing transactions and back-of-the-house operations. As a response to the challenges faced by the restaurant industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Point of Sale Cloud assists restaurants in deploying their own guest service experience for dine-in, delivery …
Louisville, Ky., and Perth, Australia — Yum! Brands, Inc. and Dragontail Systems Limited, an innovative provider of technology solutions for the food industry, have entered into a binding agreement under which Yum! Brands would acquire Dragontail for A$93.5 million in cash. The proposed acquisition is expected to close by the end of third quarter 2021. If successfully implemented, the addition of Dragontail to Yum! Brands’ growing technology portfolio is intended to give Yum! Brands the ability to scale Dragontail’s artificial intelligence (AI) kitchen order management and delivery technology globally. Australia-based …
Dallas — Tango, the leader in Store Lifecycle Management (SLM) and Integrated Workplace Management System (IWMS) software solutions, has extended its partnership with Big Lots for 3 additional years. Big Lots, a national neighborhood discount retailer with 1,414 stores, is now a full lifecycle customer, utilizing all products in the Tango Retail suite including Predictive Analytics, Real Estate, Projects, Lease and Maintenance. “With the adoption of Tango Predictive Analytics, we now have a complete end-to-end solution to support our location and development strategy,” says Shannon Letts, senior vice president, real …
— By Pranav Tyagi — Enhancing your store location strategy with technology. Retailers and restaurants live and die by the addresses they call home. Yet, over the last few years, rapid digital transformations have all but forced some retailers and restaurants to re-think their physical store strategies and embrace new consumer behaviors. This shift, however, also bent the other way. Brands with strong e-commerce and direct-to-consumer approaches, like Amazon and Warby Parker, also saw the value that comes with opening physical locations. Then COVID-19 happened, putting an even higher …
Boston — Toast, the cloud-based, end-to-end technology platform purpose-built for the entire restaurant community, has appointed Elena Gomez as chief financial officer, effective immediately. As CFO, Gomez will lead Toast’s finance organization and will be responsible for accounting, treasury, financial planning and analysis, and business operations. “I am thrilled to welcome Elena to our executive team,” says Chris Comparato, CEO of Toast. “She is a proven business leader and financial executive with more than two decades of experience leading the financial operations of businesses sitting at the intersection of technology, …
Ankeny, Iowa — Casey’s General Stores, Inc. has hired Paul Suarez as its chief information security officer. This is a newly created role that will lead the cybersecurity team at the fourth largest convenience retailer. Suarez will report to Adrian Butler, chief information officer. He joins the company from Walmart. “Paul’s longtime retailer experience paired with his cybersecurity expertise will take Casey’s security strategy to the next level,” says Butler. With 35 years of experience in cybersecurity, network operations and telecommunications, Suarez will provide strategic leadership and direction for Casey’s …
Boise, Idaho — Albertsons Companies, Inc. has hired Danielle Crop to join the company as senior vice president and chief data officer. Crop was most recently chief data officer at American Express. Crop will be responsible for building and executing a world-class central data strategy that delivers benefits for the customer regardless of whether they shop in store or on the company’s digital platforms. Crop’s work will use machine learning and advanced data science capabilities to enhance performance across our businesses and markets. “Today, excellence in delighting customers can be …
Kansas City, Mo. — Service Management Group (SMG), a global customer, patient and employee experience management partner to more than 500 brands, has launched a new customer experience management program with QDOBA Mexican Eats. The Mexican fast-casual chain is working with SMG to drive program adoption, increase guest satisfaction and advance its customer experience strategy. QDOBA has launched the SMG customer experience management program to capture guest feedback and uncover customer insights across its nearly 750 locations. With feedback from across the customer journey available in the smg360® platform, QDOBA …
Greensboro, N.C. — Rusty Everhart has been hired as the director of IT, enterprise applications, at Biscuitville Fresh Southern. His primary responsibility will be to oversee all technology systems that support Biscuitville’s operations. From point-of-sale to back-end digital platforms such as business intelligence and reporting tools, he will ensure that everything is running efficiently from both a workstream and a financial return perspective. Prior to Biscuitville, Everhart garnered vast IT experience, serving in technical leadership roles in the tobacco, software engineering, furniture manufacturing, IT consulting, and telecom industries. Headquartered in …