Express is 'hemorrhaging cash' even as investors gobble up its stock: report

Retail Dive
After Express' stock price nearly quadrupled from Friday to Monday, analysts at Wedbush threw cold water on the fervor in an emailed research note that said the company is "hemorrhaging cash." . . more

Walmart announces overhaul of ad business

Retail Dive
Walmart rebranded its media network from Walmart Media Group to Walmart Connect, part of a larger overhaul the retailer is enacting as it looks to scale the offering into a top-10 advertising platform, according to a company announcement. . . more

Occupancy costs plagued non-essential retail tenants in 2020

CSA
For retail renters and landlords in 2020, there was little middle. Grocery and essentials providers like Walmart, Lowe’s, and CVS grew their businesses during the pandemic and widened their distribution channels on the web and in parking lots. Fitness, apparel, and cinema chains, meanwhile, struggled to pay the rent. . . more

Tropical Smoothie Café on track to hit store milestone

CSA
The pandemic didn’t stop Tropical Smoothie Café from having a record-breaking year in 2020. . . more

5Qs for Joe Coradino on Malls in the 21st Century

CSA
What mall owners everywhere started doing during the pandemic—replacing lost anchors with health care facilities, adding experiential tenants, giving failing properties back to the bank—Joe Coradino began doing almost 10 years ago at PREIT. . . . more

Kelly’s Roast Beef Plans Expansion to The Granite State

RestaurantNew.com
Boston’s famous Kelly’s Roast Beef wants to expand the brand to neighboring New Hampshire, across New England and beyond. The beloved staple which has been in Boston for over 70 years has announced plans to develop new restaurants across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and now New Hampshire. The brand is announcing they want to open three new franchise locations in the Concord and Manchester areas of the state. . . more

Market Basket eyes major renovation for Stadium Plaza in Tewksbury, Lowell

Lowell Sun

Stadium Plaza in Tewksbury and Lowell may soon be getting a major face-lift. Officials from DSM Realty, a division of the DeMoulas Super Market company (also known as Market Basket), presented the Tewksbury Planning Board with a concept plan for a new and improved shopping center on Monday, an ambitious proposal that could breathe new life into the strip mall. . . . more

Small format 'Bloomies' to open this fall

Retail Dive
Macy's-owned Bloomingdale's is experimenting with a 22,000 square-foot store format dubbed "Bloomie's," a Bloomingdale's spokesperson said in an email. . . . more

Franchise Group acquires Pet Supplies Plus for $700M

Retail Dive
Pet Supplies Plus has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Franchise Group for around $700 million in cash, the company announced Tuesday. Pet Supplies Plus is currently owned by private equity firm Sentinel Capital Partners, which acquired the retailer just over two years ago. . . . more

Apple bites back to overtake Amazon as most valuable global brand

CSA
Apple has reclaimed its title as the world’s most valuable brand for the first time in five years, with Amazon coming in second. . . . more

Beauty retailer L'Occitane files Chapter 11

Retail Dive
The U.S. arm of beauty and wellness brand L'Occitane filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Tuesday in hopes of reducing its physical footprint. . . . more

Belk files for bankruptcy; looks to cut debt by about $450 million

CSA
Belk on Tuesday said it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with a plan to recapitalize its business and reduce its debt burden by approximately $450 million. . . more

CiCi’s Pizza Declares Bankruptcy

Plain Vanilla Shell
The 318-unit pizza chain agreed to sell itself to D&G Investors as part of a pre-packaged and expedited bankruptcy process. . . more

MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes Closes Out 2020 By Welcoming 18 Stores into the Million Dollar Club

Plain Vanilla Shell
Despite a year rife with challenges for the restaurant industry, fast-growing franchise MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes announced that 18 of its stores joined the franchise’s Million Dollar Club – a group of restaurants who have pulled in at least $1 million in sales – by the end of 2020. . . more

Restaurants succeed in raising guest sentiment in December, despite downturn in sales and traffic

Nation's Restaurant News
The fourth quarter was not good for restaurant sales; each month posted worse same-store sales growth than the previous month. . . . more

Stewart’s Outlines Plans for Express Stores

CStore Decisions
There will soon be five Stewart’s Express locations in the Capital Region and Baldwinsville, N.Y. . . more

Subway to bring branded products to food retail

Restaurant Dive
Subway is working with Broad Street Licensing Group, a global brand licensing agency, as it looks to expand beyond its own retail and bring branded licensed products to grocery stores, according to a press release. . . more

Godiva closing all its US chocolate shops as pandemic slumps sales

Fox Business

It was sweet while it lasted. Belgian chocolatier Godiva will sell or close all 128 of its North American shops within the next few months, the company said this week. . . . more

This Popular Clothing Store Is Closing at Least 200 Locations

Yahoo! Life
The economic effects of the COVID pandemic are continuing to wreak havoc on some of the biggest names in retail, and the latest one to suffer is American Eagle. . . . more

Entrepreneur Magazine Ranks Pearle Vision No. 1 Eye Care Franchise on Franchise 500® List

Franchising.com
Pearle Vision has again been ranked the nation’s top Eye Care franchise on Entrepreneur magazine’s prestigious Franchise 500® list. The magazine’s annual rankings are based on outstanding performance in areas such as unit growth, financial strength and stability, and brand power. . . more

Francesca’s to Close Half of Store Fleet Following Bankruptcy Sale Approval

Footwear News
Francesca’s Holdings Corp. will permanently shutter about half of its brick-and-mortar fleet as it exits bankruptcy proceedings. . . more

Still-rising New Hampshire mega-center molds itself for life after COVID-19

CSA
In the third quarter of 2019, Boston’s apartment vacancy rate was zero. One year later, it was nearly 5%. September unemployment rolls in New England’s premier market listed the names of 306,000 more workers than it did in February and the town’s 9.8% unemployment rate was three times higher than it was before the pandemic. . . more

Report: Belk in talks with top lenders to avoid bankruptcy filing

CSA
The major lenders of Belk are in discussions with the department store chain to keep it out of bankruptcy, reported The Wall Street Journal. . . . more

PepsiCo Q&A: CPG companies must digitally connect with customers

CSA

PepsiCo and other CPG brands are finding opportunity in the COVID-19 crisis to increase digital sales through omnichannel engagement. . . . more

uBreakiFix Rounds Out 2020 With 611 Locations, Lands #18 Spot on 2021 Franchise 500® List

Plain Vanilla Shell
uBreakiFix, a leading franchise in the tech repair industry, announced substantial growth in the fourth quarter of 2020 with 22 new locations, bringing the brand’s total footprint to 611 stores across North America. . . . more

Vaccination megasites pop up in empty malls

CNN Business
Now that Covid-19 vaccination efforts are ramping up, local health officials are on the hunt for locations that can quickly be converted into vaccination clinics, and malls across the country, battered by declines in in-person shopping, are starting to play a role. . . . more

Costco is (finally) testing out curbside pickup for groceries

CNN Business
Costco has held off on offering curbside pickup for groceries for years. Now, in a shift, it's trying it out at three stores in Albuquerque, New Mexico. . . . more

Chick-fil-A scores highest 'brand intimacy' marks among QSRs during the pandemic

Restaurant Dive
Chick-fil-A scored the strongest brand intimacy marks among quick-service restaurants, according to MBLM's Brand Intimacy COVID study, followed by McDonald's, Starbucks, KFC, Dunkin', Domino's, Pizza Hut, Subway and Wendy's. . . . more

Fashion apparel makes a comeback, focus on digital deepens, and other 2021 predictions

Retail Dive
After a year that unfolded unlike anybody's predictions, the retail industry and its analysts are trying to game out what 2021 could look like as COVID-19 continues to surge, vaccines against the disease roll out and anxious consumers pine for life after lockdown. . . . more

The evolution of the shopping mall: What consumers want

Retail Dive
On Cyber Monday, the retail industry achieved a new milestone — the single largest e-commerce day on record with $10.8 billion in sales. According to a report from Creditntell, this represented over a 200% increase from 2016 Cyber Monday sales. Sensormatic Solutions shared that physical store traffic declined 49% for the four-day holiday weekend. Black Friday weekend confirmed that traditional brick-and-mortar retailers face an uphill battle as they enter the new year. . . . more

Boston Market's New Owner Is On Pace To Open Two Restaurants Per Week

Plain Vanilla Shell
The chain recently launched a scaled-down, express model. The units do not have dining rooms and are about 1,500- to 1,800-square feet, less than half the size of a traditional Boston Market. . . . more

American Eagle Outfitters’ new strategy focused on Aerie growth

CSA
American Eagle Outfitters is focused on growing its Aerie banner as it plans for the future. . . . more

Brick and Mortar Isn’t Dying — It’s Evolving in COVID Times

Footwear News
2020 was a year marked by a record number of store closures as the coronavirus pandemic slammed retail and rapidly drove consumers online. Although 2021 — amid a surge in COVID-19 cases — is expected to see more of the same bruising in the retail sector, some experts are painting a more hopeful picture for the year ahead. . . . more

Considering rampant spread of COVID-19, December mall traffic was surprisingly high

CSA
Traffic statistics at American malls in the early days of this year’s expanded holiday shopping season fell in step with the volume of COVID-19 cases being reported—except during gift-buying crunch time in December. . . . more

Wawa opens its first drive-thru only store

CSA
Convenience store operator Wawa continues to test new store formats with the unveiling of its first-ever drive-thru only location. . . . more

Done Deal: Friendly’s Restaurants acquired

CSA
Amici Partners Group has expanded its growing restaurant portfolio. . . . more

Checkers & Rally to debut ‘restaurant of the future’ design

CSA
Checkers & Rally's iconic drive-thru restaurants are getting a design update. . . . more

Mobile ad spending surged 26% in 2020 as pandemic fueled demand: report

CSA
Mobile engagement soared in 2020 as consumers across generations spent more time on the channel during the coronavirus pandemic, according to App Annie's latest State of Mobile report. The surge was reflected in marketing as mobile advertising spend grew 26% year over year to $240 billion.. . . more

Hudson Nonstop to Debut Amazon ‘Just Walk Out’ Tech

CStore Decisions
Hudson announced the next phase in its digital transformation journey with an agreement to use Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology in select travel convenience stores. Hudson Nonstop — the first Hudson store to implement Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology— will open in the first quarter of 2021 at Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL), with additional rollouts planned for 2021. . . . more

Exclusive Q&A: Michaels evolves omnichannel for COVID-19 and beyond

CSA
The Michaels Cos. has been launching new omnichannel services in response to the pandemic, and will maintain its digital focus throughout recovery. . . . more

Office Depot snubs Staples for $2.1B deal: Report

Fox Business
Just days after Staples announced its intention to acquire competitor Office Depot, the company rejected the offer, but said it would be open to another alternative, according to media reports. . . . more

Sears is dying a quiet, invisible death

CNN Business
Sears has made it through another holiday shopping season. Just barely. . . . more

Macy's opens second Market by Macy's strip center location

Retail Dive
Macy's on Friday will open its second Market by Macy's location, a smaller format (about 20,000 square feet) in an off-mall strip center that is part of a real estate strategy unveiled last February. . . . more

Shake Shack to open first drive-thru location

CSA

Another restaurant chain is emphasizing its drive-thru business. . . . more

Corlex Capital Buys 10 Wingstop Locations, Plans to Open 13 More

Plain Vanilla Shell
Corlex Capital, a minority-owned private equity and consulting firm, announced that its affiliate, in partnership with Prospect Capital Restaurants, has acquired 10 Wingstop restaurants in two markets and signed an agreement with Wingstop Inc. to develop or acquire an additional 13 restaurants. . . . more

Just Like Its Menu Options, Saladworks Franchise Expansion Showed Endless Possibilities in 2020

Plain Vanilla Shell
Saladworks has grown by more than 40 restaurant locations in 2020. Showing creativity in the process, Saladworks not only entered more traditional restaurant franchises, but it also expanded into non-traditional retail presences such as grocery, universities, ghost kitchens, combo kitchens and coming soon, Military bases. It’s also using REEF Technology’s food vessels, primarily as parking lot-based mobile ecosystems, as a means to accommodate a larger number and wider area of delivery orders.  Finally, Saladworks is testing “Sally” the world’s first salad robot for use in hospitals and other vending-related foodservice locations. . . . more

Domino’s Wants to Become the ‘Dominant No. 1’ Pizza Brand

Plain Vanilla Shell
From a revenue standpoint, Domino's is the No. 1 pizza chain in America, but the brand isn't satisfied with that position. . . . more

Nordstrom Saw Digital Gains Over the Holidays As COVID Hurt Brick-and-Mortar Business

Footwear News

Sales at Nordstrom Inc. took a tumble during the holiday shopping season, but the retailer’s digital business continues to pick up more shoppers. . . . more

Watch out, Chewy. This 55-year-old pet store is coming for you

CNN Business
Petco is hoping the third time is the charm. . . . more

U.S. convenience store counts stands at 150,274; state with most c-stores is…

CSA
There are plenty of convenience stores in the U.S., but not as many as there were a year ago. . . . more

Ten retailers among 100 best places to work in 2021 — two made the top 10

CSA
Lululemon Athletica and H-E-B are in the top 10 of an annual ranking of the 100 best places to work in the U.S., coming in at No. 8 and No.10 respectively. . . . more

Target’s Explosive Holiday Sales Growth Was Driven By Curbside Pickup & These Same-Day Services

Footwear News
It was a stellar holiday season for Target Corp., whose sales both online and in stores surged even as the COVID-19 health crisis gripped the country. . . . more

Christopher & Banks files for bankruptcy; in talks with buyers

CSA
Christopher & Banks Corp. may close all its stores. . . . more

GameStop stock whips skeptics with surge of up to 94%

Fox Business
GameStop Corp. shares soared to their highest level in more than five years Wednesday as short-sellers betting against the stock scrambled for the exit. . . . more

Costco is shutting down all of its photo centers

CNN Business
Costco is closing its photo centers at all of its roughly 800 stores next month, ending a number of services that have a decidedly retro vibe. . . . more

Noodles & Company, Fat Brands plan ghost kitchen openings in 2021

Restaurant Dive
Noodles & Company plans to open a ghost kitchen operation during Q1 2021 in addition to new units that would be company-owned and just offering off-premise, Dave Boennighausen, CEO at Noodles & Company, said during an ICR presentation on Monday. . . . more

Kitchen United to open 16 centers this year

Restaurant Dive
Kitchen United expects to grow its total kitchen centers from four currently to 20 by the end of the year, representing 500% growth in total units, Michael Montagano, Kitchen United CEO, said during an ICR presentation on Wednesday. . . . more

Macy’s opening second location of new, smaller format

CSA
Macy’s is returning to Texas with its off-mall concept. . . . more

Citi Trends to open at least 100 new stores by end of fiscal 2023

CSA
Citi Trends is bullish on store growth amid strong holiday sales. . . . more

Walgreens to launch credit card, prepaid debit card

CSA
Walgreens is expanding into financial services as it looks to drive loyalty. . . . more

Wawa Opens First Standalone Drive-Through Location

CStore Decisions

Wawa announced the opening of its first standalone drive-through store, located in Morrisville, Pa. . . . more

Bankruptcy court approves By Chloe's plan to sell company

Restaurant Dive
A bankruptcy judge approved a plan submitted by BC Hospitality Group, parent company of By Chloe to sell the company on Thursday, according to a court filing. . . . more

Simply Mac to ramp up store expansion

CSA

A retailer whose locations must be approved in advance by Apple is growing its store footprint. . . . more

Restaurants like Olive Garden and Applebee's were in trouble even before the pandemic

CNN Business
If you grew up in the 1990s, you might remember a trip to Olive Garden or Applebee's as the highlight of your week. . . . more

Christopher & Banks inches closer to the brink as it defaults on multiple obligations

Retail Dive
Christopher & Banks disclosed on Thursday a cascade of defaults earlier this month on financial obligations, including key loans and the lease on its headquarters, according to a securities filing. . . . more

PREIT’S re-make of its mall platform will begin at Moorestown

CSA
The re-invention of its business platform that helped win PREIT a swift exit from Chapter 11 protection in December will see one of its first executions at Moorestown Mall in the Philadelphia metro area. . . . more

Furniture chain files for bankruptcy after less than a year in business

CSA

That didn’t take very long. Love’s Furniture and Mattresses has filed for bankruptcy protection several months after it opened its first round of stores. . . . more

Checkers & Rally's parent lands $20M in private equity funding

Restaurant Dive
Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, the parent company of Checkers & Rally's, has landed a $20 million capital injection from private equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners, according to a company release. The funds will be used to fuel the restaurant chain's five-year growth plan. . . . more

Ikea debuts new small store format

CSA

Ikea has unveiled its first store to open in the U.S. with a smaller format. . . . more

Staples moves to acquire Office Depot for $2.1B

Fox Business

Staples is at it again. On Monday, the Framingham, Mass.-based office-supply chain company said it intended to acquire its competitor, Office Depot, for $40 per share in cash, an 11% premium to Friday's closing price. . . . more

LVMH shakes up Tiffany ranks as the ink dries on $15.8B deal

Retail Dive
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton on Thursday announced the completed $15.8 billion acquisition of Tiffany & Co. and an immediate shakeup of the American jeweler's executive and creative leadership. . . . more

AlixPartners: Ten retail predictions for 2021

CSA

Consumers will be calling the shots. And operations will get a much-needed makeover. . . . more

Westfield sells Long Island mall for $30 million

CSA
Sunrise Mall, the first two-level mall in Long Island when it opened in 1972, was sold by Unibail Rodamco Westfield for $29.7 million. Westfield paid $140 million for the 1.2 million-sq. ft. property when it acquired it in 2005. . . . more

Covid Vaccinations Offer CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid a Chance to Showcase How Drugstores Have Changed

NECN
CVS Health, Walgreens and Rite Aid are getting ready to administer Covid vaccinations in the months ahead, and this effort will give the three largest drugstore chains a chance to show off the work that's been underway to revamp their businesses and respond to huge changes in consumer behavior. . . . more

NYC saw most chain store closures in over a decade in 2020: report

Retail Dive
Over 1,000 chain stores, or a little less than one in seven stores, in New York City permanently or temporarily closed last year, according to the Center for an Urban Future's annual report. . . . more

Pokeworks Unveils Prototype for Innovative Cruise-Thru Lane to Serve the Modern Consumer

Restaurant News
Pokeworks, the nation’s largest and fastest-growing poke franchise, has released a prototype for its first-ever Cruise-Thru™ Lane – a mobile order pick-up lane developed with ‘on-the-go’ guests in mind. . . . more

Mall of America is no longer delinquent on $1.4 billion mortgage

CNBC
Mall of America has modified the terms of its $1.4 billion mortgage and is current on the loan, after missing months of payments during the Covid crisis as stores shut temporarily and tenants failed to pay rent. . . . more

Phenix Salon Suites Bolsters Multi-Unit Growth in 2020

Plain Vanilla Shell
Phenix Salon Suites, the leading suite rental franchise with 290+ locations, is wrapping up a monumental year with more than 30 new openings, 57 signed agreements and a robust pipeline for new growth slated for 2021. . . . more

NPC International agrees to $801M sale of its Wendy's, Pizza Hut assets

Restaurant Dive
NPC International and Flynn Restaurant Group entered into an asset purchase agreement on Thursday in which NPC’s Wendy’s restaurants in Salt Lake City, Central Maryland, North Baltimore and South Baltimore — about half of NPC's 393 Wendy's units — will be sold to Flynn, according to an SEC filing. Flynn will also acquire all of NPC’s roughly 925 Pizza Hut units and NPC’s shared service assets, according to a press release. This sale totals about $553 million, according to a court filing. . . . more

Sensormatic: Store traffic down 33.1% in six-week holiday period

CSA
Black Friday continued to live up to its reputation as the busiest shopping day despite the pandemic. . . . more

Report: Bed Bath & Beyond to close 43 stores by end of February

CSA
Bed Bath & Beyond is moving on its previously announced plans to close about 200 locations by 2022. . . more

Del Taco bulks up off-premise channels with new prototype

Restaurant Dive
Del Taco released a new "Fresh Flex" restaurant design on Tuesday that will improve restaurant accessibility, speed of service and brand transparency, according to a press release. . . . more

Burger King prioritizes digital with first rebrand in more than 20 years

Restaurant Dive
Burger King has introduced a new visual design that will roll out across all consumer touch points, according to details emailed to Marketing Dive. The update is the brand's first complete rebrand in more than 20 years. . . . more

As comfort clothing grows, Athleta launches into sleepwear

Retail Dive
Amid a consumer behavior shift toward comfortable clothing, Gap-owned Athleta on Tuesday launched its first sleepwear collection, according to a company press release. . . more

The new retailer-landlord relationship

Retail Dive
The retailer-landlord relationship may be entering not just a new year, but a new era. After a contentious 2020, many store tenants and landlords are reshaping their leases based on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. . . more

Family Video, the last video store chain in the U.S., is closing all 250 stores

Plain Vanilla Shell
Family Video, the last video store chain in the country, is closing all 250 of its locations. . . . more

Jewel-Osco pilots automated grocery pickup kiosk

CSA
An Albertsons banner is the first American grocer to let customers pick up online grocery orders at a contactless kiosk. . . . more

Victoria’s Secret parent reports robust holiday sales; offers upbeat guidance

CSA
L Brands reported holiday sales that beat its expectations, boosted by another strong performance from Bath & Body Works. . . more

Despite Store Closures, Prada Saw ‘Progressive Recovery’ in Sales to End 2020 on Positive Note

Footwear News
Prada ended the year 2020 on an a positive note, reporting on Tuesday that retail sales showed “a full recovery to 2019 levels” in the month of December. . . . more

Will Shopping Malls Make a Comeback in 2021?

Footwear News

Suffice it to say, 2020 was hardly anybody’s year. When it comes to business, shopping malls — with their enclosed spaces and classification as nonessential retail — are among the retail categories that faced the most pressure. . . . more

Walgreens in $6.5 billion deal to sell pharmacy wholesale operation

CSA
Walgreens Boots Alliance is selling the majority of its pharmacy wholesale operation in a move to help it grow its core pharmacy and healthcare businesses. . . . more

3 tips to win over millennials and Gen Z at checkout

Retail Dive
Today the consumer drives the retail world. With millennial (24-40 year olds) and Gen Z (18-23 year olds) shopping expectations and shopping power on the rise, it’s important to appeal to the requirements these shoppers set for retailers. Mainly, Gen Zers and millennials look for a seamless shopping experience according to Accenture. . . more

Macy’s to close 45 stores by mid-year as part of previously announced plan

CSA

Macy’s to close 45 stores by mid-year as part of previously announced plan. . . more

Tuesday Morning exits Chapter 11 with reduced store footprint

CSA
Tuesday Morning has completed its financial and operational reorganization and emerged from bankruptcy protection. . . more

Not Your Average Joe’s Closes 4 Massachusetts Restaurants For The Winter

CBS Boston
Not Your Average Joe’s, a chain restaurant based in Milton, has closed four Massachusetts restaurants for the winter, a company executive tells WBZ-TV. Locations in Arlington, Burlington, Methuen and Randolph were in the process of shutting down on Monday. . . more

Ex-Simon Outlets chief Yalof takes the helm of Tanger Outlets

CSA
Stephen Yalof, who directed Simon’s Premium Outlets division for six years before joining Tanger Factory Outlets as COO, has transitioned into the CEO spot at the company. He replaces Stephen B. Tanger, now chairman of Tanger’s board of directors. . . more

Epic Games to convert North Carolina shopping mall into new global headquarters by 2024

Fox Business
Epic Games has reached an agreement with Turnbridge Equities and Denali Properties to purchase North Carolina's Cary Towne Center. . . more

6 restaurant trends that will shape 2021

Restaurant Dive
Though 2020 has been a year of incredible disruption and instability, the trends that dominated the restaurant space were already in motion long before the pandemic struck. With no end in sight for widespread dining room restrictions or consumer wariness of traditional restaurant experiences, analysts expect these trends to further crystallize in 2021. . . more

Applebee's franchisee pilots drive-thru

Restaurant Dive
An Applebee's franchisee is adding a drive-thru pickup window to an existing restaurant in Texarkana, Texas, early this year. The franchisee will gauge feedback from guests and operators to inform future store design, Nation's Restaurant News reports. . . more

Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop to Acquire Wing Zone

Plain Vanilla Shell
Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop announced Monday that it has acquired 67-unit fast casual Wing Zone. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. . . . more

Holidays in review: What defined the season in 2020

Retail Dive
As with everything else this year, the pandemic upset the holidays for retailers, forcing them to adjust to changing consumer behavior and safety demands. In a year that was heavily focused online, that meant taking many mainstays of the holiday season virtual and introducing more convenient (and touch-free) pickup options for wary consumers. . . . more

Northeast fast-casual chain adds cloud to store operations recipe

CSA
Hale & Hearty Soups is streamlining and centralizing store management and analytics with a new cloud-based POS system. . . more

CSA Exclusive: Spotlight on store sanitization

CSA
The pandemic forced retailers to rethink how to sanitize shared spaces. Committed to supporting employee and customer health, retailers are creating new health policies and procedures, and adopting new equipment, such as innovative air filters, to deliver safer shopping environments. . . more

AMC aims to sell $125M in stock due to coronavirus pandemic, say SEC filings

Fox Business
AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc is going to sell up to 50 million additional shares to try to survive the coronavirus pandemic. . . more

This extremely intense gym is expanding even as Covid cases soar

CNN Business
During the depths of the pandemic, all 1,400 Orangetheory Fitness studios around the world went dark. The future looked bleak for this fitness brand known for its intense indoor workout classes, along with the entire gym industry. . . . more

Chuck E. Cheese parent emerges from bankruptcy protection

Restaurant Dive
CEC Entertainment announced on Dec. 30 that the company emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and reduced debt obligations by about $705 million. This marks the completion of the company's financial restructuring process, and CEC has over $100 million of liquidity to fund operations and growth plans. The company also has a new seven-member board of directors. . . more

Save A Lot sells 51 stores to Fresh Encounter

CSA
Save A Lot continues its transformation to a wholesaler. . . more

Simon’s Taubman acquisition is made final

CSA
Simon Property Group has completed its purchase of 80% of Taubman Realty Group. . . more

Home Depot completes $8 billion acquisition

CSA

The Home Depot has completed its acquisition of a business it sold some 13 years ago. . . . more