Massachusetts attorney general sues Grubhub for violating temporary fee cap

Restaurant Dive
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey sued Grubhub on Thursday over allegedly charging fees to restaurants that exceeded a 15% statutory fee cap that was put in place during the pandemic, according to a press release. The attorney general's office is seeking refunds for restaurants and civil penalties of $5,000 per violation, along with the costs of investigating and prosecuting the case. . . . more

What the delta variant already means for retail

Retail Dive

A change in mask-wearing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Tuesday — urging even vaccinated people to wear masks indoors in areas with "substantial or high transmission" — signaled fresh worry about a pandemic that earlier this year seemed to be on the wane in the U.S., thanks to the rapid development and distribution of vaccines. . . . more

Dollar General unveils its first store-in-store concept

CSA

Dollar General Corp. is taking its pOpshef retail format in house, to its larger format DG Market stores. . . . more

Tesla reportedly to exit malls

CSA

Higher-end malls may lose a retail tenant. . . . more

Bloomberg: Apple stores to require customers to mask up again

CSA
Shoppers in select Apple stores will once again have to wear masks — vaccinated or not. . . . more

Survey: Customers want to return to stores, safely

CSA

A new survey indicates the COVID-19 pandemic has permanently changed consumer shopping habits, including a number of new expectations for stores. . . . more

Wegmans to open its first store in Manhattan on site of recently closed Kmart

CSA

Wegmans Food Markets has signed a 30-year lease for its second store in the Big Apple, this time in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village neighborhood. . . . more

KeyPoint Partners Secures Four New Theater Sites For Apple Cinemas

BRET
KeyPoint Partners negotiated a new lease that secures four new locations for its expanding cinema client Apple Cinemas. Apple Cinemas will replace Cinemagic at two locations in Maine and two in New Hampshire. Vice President of Leasing/Tenant Rep Don Mace negotiated the transactions. . . . more

It’s all about the experience at Bed Bath & Beyond’s NYC flagship

CSA

Immersive experiences abound at Bed Bath & Beyond’s reimagined New York City flagship store. . . . more

Report: Foot traffic exceeding 2019 levels at some casual chains Published July 22, 2021

CSA
Foot traffic analysis from Placer.ai from the last three months shows that 28 of the top casual dining chains are returning to pre-COVID-19 levels. Monthly visits in April, May and June were down 10.4%, 7.8% and 3.8%, respectively, compared to the same period in 2019. Placer.ai notes that if this trajectory continues in the segment, casual dining visits will rebound fully as soon as the end of summer. . . . more

Home Depot extends cloud partnership with Google

CSA

The Home Depot is supporting digital transformation across its entire enterprise with Google Cloud technology. . . . more

Survey: Retailers prioritize back-to-school over holiday

CSA
Retailers have big hopes for the back-to-school season, with six in 10 saying it is more important than the upcoming holiday shopping period. . . . more

First Ulta Beauty in-store shops at Target to open in August — here’s where

CSA

Target Corp. and Ulta Beauty have revealed more details — including the brand lineup — about the Ulta Beauty at Target shop-in-shop initiative. . . . more

Wilson opens first store amid DTC expansion

CSA

Just a few months after the company revealed plans for a more direct-to-consumer strategy, Wilson Sporting Goods is opening its first store, in the Gold Coast neighborhood of Chicago. . . . more

Burlington poaches Ross exec to fill COO role

Retail Dive
Burlington Stores named Travis Marquette as its new president and chief operating officer to oversee the off-price retailer's stores, real estate, supply chain and information technology functions. . . . more

Retail sales solid in June

CSA

Retail sales edged up in most categories in June and were up across the board on a yearly basis. . . . more

Ross Stores opens 30 new locations

CSA

So far, it has been a summer of expansion for Ross Stores. . . . more

Nordstrom acquires stake in four fashion brands

CSA

It’s a first-of-its-kind deal for Nordstrom — and for a U.K. online giant. . . . more

Shein surpasses H&M, Zara in US fast fashion sales

Retail Dive

Amid the pandemic-induced surge in e-commerce spending, Shein has become the largest fast-fashion retailer in the U.S., according to a June report from Earnest Research. The company now has more app downloads in the U.S. than Amazon. . . . more

Malls may not even need anchors. Here's why.

Retail Dive

In the mid-20th century, when malls were retail's fresh new idea, department stores moved into the suburbs with confidence. That has been shaken, and many malls are now looking for their replacements. . . . more

Chipotle hides giveaway codes in NBA Finals ads for a 'game within the game'

CSA

Chipotle is running a series of TV ads during the NBA Finals that include special codes that reward attentive basketball fans with free burritos, according to a news release. . . . more

Bonchon says 72% of stores planned for 2021 will be fast casual

Restaurant Dive
Korean fried chicken chain Bonchon plans to accelerate openings of its new fast casual model after debuting two such restaurants earlier this year, according to a press release. . . . more

Panera tailors swimwear collection to those who eat soup in hot weather

Restuarant Dive
Panera Bread released a limited-edition swimwear collection that is available via a dedicated e-commerce site and designed for customers who eat soup even in hot weather, the company confirmed in an email.  . . . more

Last call for L Brands

CSA

L Brands is changing its name in connection with the separation of its two businesses. . . . more

Costco sales strong in June; drops senior hours

CSA

Costco Wholesale Corp.’s winning streak continued in June, with the retailer reporting a 16.9% increase in sales and strong e-commerce growth. . . . more

Salt Life expanding in brick-and-mortar

CSA

Salt Life is committed to growing its physical footprint. . . . more

Back-to-school shopping could reach nearly $33B: Deloitte

Retail Dive
Despite an unpredictable back-to-school environment, overall back-to-school spending is expected to increase by 16% year-over-year to $32.5 billion for K-12 students, according to Deloitte's Back-to-School survey emailed to Retail Dive. . . . more

Walmart focuses on renewable energy, inclusion, COVID-19

CSA

Walmart’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) activities include climate action, inclusive hiring and promotions, and COVID-19 remediation. . . . more

Big Y Foods to launch telemedicine service

Supermarket News
Regional grocer Big Y Foods plans to offer telehealth services under a distribution agreement with Bonum Health. . . . more

Top 50 retailers by store count

Supermarket News
The SN Top 50 Retailers report is compiled in partnership between Supermarket News and IGD, a leading UK-based analysis and insight organization for the food and consumer goods industry.  . . . more

Men's Wearhouse, Jos. A. Bank expand contactless fit tech to 650 locations

Retail Dive
Amid a digital push, Tailored Brands is expanding its partnership with Bold Metrics by integrating its artificial intelligence fitting technology into more than 650 Men's Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank stores, according to a press release emailed to Retail Dive. . . . more

Authentic Brands, co-owner of Brooks Brothers, Forever 21 and others, to go public

CSA

Authentic Brands Group, which has amassed an extensive retail portfolio by acquiring struggling brands, has filed for an initial public offering. . . . more

Save A Lot to remodel all its 1,000 stores

CSA

Save A Lot is ramping up investment in its stores as part of the company’s ongoing modernization efforts. . . . more

Report: Malls are within striking distance of 2019 traffic levels

CSA

Placer.ai’s latest mall index—the sample for which has been doubled to 100 U.S. properties—indicates that traffic in enclosed shopping centers during June was only eight percentage points off June 2019. . . . more

Dollar General makes push into health care

CSA

Dollar General Corp. is looking to become a health care destination for its customers. . . . more

Rothy’s expands store footprint

CSA

A digitally native, eco-friendly footwear company that makes shoes and bags out of recycled and sustainable materials has opened its first Midwest location. . . . more

Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran sizes up state of grocery post-pandemic

Supermarket News

Increased consumer digital engagement, e-commerce usage and food-at-home purchases likely won’t shrink back to pre-pandemic levels as COVID-19 abates, Albertsons Cos. President and CEO Vivek Sankaran said this week at the FMI Midsummer Strategic Executive Exchange. . . . more

Report: 47% of diners use at least one loyalty program

Restaurant Dive
Forty-seven percent of diners now use at least one loyalty program, according to a new report from Paytronix and PYMNTS. . . . more

Owner of Fatburger, Johnny Rockets makes $442.5 million acquisition

CSA

Fat Brands is making an acquisition that will more than double its footprint. . . . more

Panera Bread sells Au Bon Pain chain

CSA

A franchisee of more than 400 quick-serve restaurants and convenience stores has assumed the role of franchisor for the first time in its 16-year history. . . . more

Analyst: Gap’s Yeezy brand with Kanye West could total $1 billion in sales next year

CSA

If initial sales are any indication, Gap’s collaboration with rapper-designer Kanye West will more than live up to the hype. . . . more