New York City — In a move to streamline its North American operations and adapt to an evolving retail landscape that has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, PVH Corp. announced on July 14, 2020 that it will close all of its 162 Heritage Brands outlet stores and reduce its office workforce by approximately 450 positions, or 12%. PVH’s Heritage Brands include Van Heusen, Izod, Arrow, Warner’s, Olga and Geoffrey Beene. The Heritage Brands retail locations are expected to operate through mid-2021. The workforce reductions, which are spread across all …
COVID-19
Atlanta — The Home Depot® will require shoppers to wear masks or facial coverings while inside all U.S. stores, beginning July 22. Small children or those who have a valid medical condition will not be required to wear a mask. Currently, about 85% of Home Depot stores already require facial masks in compliance with local and state regulations, and all Home Depot associates are required to wear masks in stores, distribution centers and other locations. “We appreciate all of our associates who have been working so hard to serve our customers with …
Atlanta — Tropical Smoothie Cafe, a leading national fast-casual cafe franchise known for both its better-for-you smoothies and food with a tropical twist, has seen strong growth year-to-date in 2020 including the signing of 103 new franchise agreements, including 49 signed since March 1 — of which, 67% are with existing franchisees. In addition, the company also opened 43 new restaurants in 2020 with 35 cafes opening since March 1. Franchise agreements and cafe openings targeted growth in 25 states, propelling franchise development efforts in target markets across the country. …
Memphis, Tenn. — ServiceMaster Brands, a leading provider of essential cleaning and disinfecting services to homes and businesses, has entered into an exclusive agreement with Goldshield Technologies, maker of proprietary antiseptic and anti-microbial products that actively kill microorganisms on surfaces for up to 90 days. This new service offering is the next generation of infection prevention and will be available to all 1,200 ServiceMaster Restore and ServiceMaster Clean franchises nationwide. Goldshield products are EPA-approved for a wide variety of applications, including hospitals, daycares, schools, senior living facilities, gyms, salons and …
— By Mark Beeston — Why UV-C sanitizing solutions will save stores and restaurants as they reopen. COVID-19 has impacted every industry, especially restaurants and retail stores. In March, 44% of U.S. restaurants were temporarily closed and the sales rate for retail and food service declined 8.7%, the steepest since it began being tracked in 1992. Now, as lockdowns are eased throughout the country and businesses are allowed to reopen, companies are faced with a new normal that requires social distancing and constant cleaning in industries that are …
Boca Raton, Fla. — Office Depot, a wholly owned subsidiary of The ODP Corporation, a leading provider of business services, products and digital workplace technology solutions through an integrated B2B distribution platform, is providing $1.5 million to Feeding America®, the largest domestic hunger-relief organization in the country, in support of its COVID-19 Response Fund to help local food banks across the country distribute more than 1.3 billion pounds of food to communities in need. “We are proud to support the Feeding America network of food banks as it works tirelessly …
Seattle — In its continued effort in prioritizing the health and well-being of partners (employees) and customers, Starbucks has announced that, beginning on July 15, it will be requiring customers to wear facial coverings while visiting all company-owned café locations in the U.S. At select locations where a local government mandate is not in place, customers that may not be wearing a facial covering will have various options to order their Starbucks, including ordering at the drive-thru, curbside pickup through the Starbucks app or placing an order for delivery through …
Deerfield, Ill. — In its fiscal 2020 third-quarter results, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. said its performance was “significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” causing sales to be roughly $700 million to $750 million lower. The decline is largely attributed to its international stores. In April, sales at Walgreens stores in the United Kingdom were down 85%. Deerfield-based Walgreens says that pharmacy volume was impacted globally by a drop in doctor visits and hospital patient admissions. Profits were also hurt by a shift to low-margin items and higher supply chain and …
— By Peter Teska — With heightened expectations around hygiene, consider these best practices when you reopen. In many countries, restaurants were among the first to feel the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Bookings disappeared almost overnight, followed by long imposed periods of closure and staff inactivity. The onset of coronavirus hasn’t diminished the hard work you have put into your business, but the subsequent rapid change of circumstances and focus mean that you are in effect at ground zero. Putting effective cleaning procedures in place is crucial …
Union, N.J. — Bed Bath & Beyond plans to close 200 stores over the next 2 years. The Union, N.J.-based company made the announcement during its earnings statement for its fiscal first quarter, which runs from March through May. The report shows sales plummeted in the quarter due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and subsequent shutdowns affecting non-essential retailers. For the 3-month period, net sales were approximately $1.3 billion, a 49% year-over-year decrease. Bed Bath & Beyond reports that 90% of its physical locations were closed for the majority of …