Smoothie King ramps up store expansion

CSA
Smoothie King is poised for nationwide expansion in both new and existing markets. . . . more

Walmart updates select flagships with new, stylish look

CSA
Walmart has introduced some store changes in select locations. . . . more

5 more Bed Bath & Beyond stores in Massachusetts set to close

CBS Boston
Struggling retailer Bed Bath & Beyond said this week it is closing 87 more stores, including five in Massachusetts. . . . more

Report: Amazon Fresh to charge Prime members for some grocery deliveries

CSA
Starting at the end of February, not all Amazon Fresh grocery orders will be delivered free of charge. . . . more

Bed Bath & Beyond to close its Harmon chain — and 87 more stores

CSA
Bed Bath & Beyond continues to shrink its store footprint. . . . more

How Lego transformed after the pandemic

Retail Dive
Over nearly a century, Lego has built a deeply loyal fan base brick by brick. . . . more

Meijer opens smaller format grocery store concept

CSA
Meijer Grocery has made its debut. . . . more

Discounter Aldi Opened the Most Grocery Stores Last Year, But Not the Most Space

CoStar
Discounter Aldi led the industry in the most grocery store openings across the United States last year, but rivals H-E-B and Publix Super Markets bested the German chain in terms of the amount of new space occupied as part of the expansion of that type of property, according to a report by real estate firm JLL. . . . more

Ahold Delhaize USA pulls back the curtain on data

Grocery Dive
From conversational AI software for associates to wearable robotic “exosuits” for its distribution center workers, Ahold Delhaize’s U.S. business doesn’t shy away from embracing new technologies. . . . more

New Costco Design With Apartments Overhead Has Property Brokers Buzzing

CoStar
Costco, a retail chain known for cavernous buildings full of stacked goods, is working on a deal in Los Angeles that would put apartments full of potential customers on top of a planned store. . . . more

Bed Bath & Beyond sounds bankruptcy warning — again

CSA
Bed Bath & Beyond doesn’t have enough cash to pay down its debts. . . . more

New Norwood, Massachusetts grocery store is pick-up only

WCVB
A company billing itself as the East Coast's first drive-up grocer launched Thursday in Norwood. . . . more

Walmart-owned Sam’s Club plans to open about 30 new stores over next five years

CNBC Business
Walmart-owned Sam’s Club on Thursday said it will open more than 30 new stores in the U.S., marking its most aggressive expansion in years. . . . more

Yankee Candle owner announces layoffs, closure of Massachusetts office

CBS Boston
Layoffs hitting Yankee Candle will have an effect on Massachusetts. . . . more

Dave & Buster’s streamlines transactions with in-store kiosks

CSA
Customers at Dave & Buster’s will have an easier time ordering and paying for food and drink and loading gaming credit. . . . more

CoStar In Talks To Pay $3B For Murdoch's Online Real Estate Business

Bisnow
CoStar Group is reportedly in talks for a potential $3B transaction with Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. in CoStar's latest attempt to expand its residential platform through acquisitions. . . . more

Lego to move from Connecticut to Boston starting in 2025

ABC News
The Lego Group announced Tuesday that it will move its North American headquarters from Enfield, Connecticut, to Boston, Massachusetts, by the end of 2026. . . . more

The top 25 franchises in the U.S. are …

CSA
Not surprisingly, quick-serve restaurant chains dominate the upper tier of an annual listing of the country’s top 500 franchises. . . . more

Guitar Center Opens 300th Store with 15,000-Square-Foot Location in Naples, Florida

Shopping Center Business
Guitar Center has opened a 15,000-square-foot store at the Gateway Shoppes in Naples, marking the 300th location for the brand. . . . more

Trader Joe’s Eyes New Locations

Progressive Grocer
Trader Joe’s is adding to its presence in Connecticut, readying its ninth store in that state. . . . more

Workout Anytime Wraps 2022 With 15 New Locations and 49 Signed Agreements

ClubIndustry.com
Workout Anytime, the 24-hour, seven-days-a-week fitness concept with nearly 200 units open across the U.S., has seen strong growth in 2022. With 15 new gyms opened, deals for 49 more signed, system-wide revenue increases and new markets broken into, the concept is a high-performing player in the industry. . . . more

Chili’s closes off-premise test unit 2 months after opening

Restaurant Dive
Chili’s has closed its delivery/carryout location near Southern Methodist University in Dallas, the company confirmed in an email to Restaurant Dive Thursday. . . . more

Save A Lot to shutter two distribution centers

Supermarket News
Discount store chain Save A Lot will be closing two distribution centers and reducing staff at its St. Louis support center. . . . more

Batteries Plus touts record expansion in 2022 — with more to come

CSA
Batteries Plus saw record expansion in 2022, with both organic growth and existing franchisees. . . . more

N.J.-based Party City files for bankruptcy protection, stores remain open

NJ.com
New Jersey-based Party City filed has for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after struggling with rising prices and a pullback in customer spending. . . . more

Whole Foods will now accept Zappos returns

Supermarket News
Whole Foods Market is expanding its role as a drop-off location for consumers looking to return purchases to its sister retailers. . . . more

Starbucks going national with new delivery partnership

CSA
Starbucks Coffee Company is building on a collaborative partnership with an on-demand delivery service. . . . more

Olympia Sports’ intellectual property headed to auction

Retail Dive
Olympia Sports’ intellectual property is up for sale after the Maine-based sporting goods retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September, according to a news release shared with Retail Dive. . . . more

Target opened 23 stores in 2023 — here is strategy behind them and the locations

CSA
For Target Corp., it’s all about the community when opening a new store. . . . more

US Shopping Centers Saw Lowest Vacancy Rate in 15 Years in 2022

Commercial Observer
Shopping centers across the U.S. are seeing their lowest vacancy rate since 2007, largely because there is not enough new retail space in some parts of the country, according to a new fourth-quarter report from Cushman & Wakefield. . . . more

Dairy dominated in 2022

Supermarket News
Dairy staples like milk, yogurt, and cheese continued to dominate the dairy segment in 2022, though numbers aren’t at pre-pandemic levels yet. . . . more

New Lands’ End CEO wants to grow customer base, open stores

Retail Dive
When outgoing CEO Jerome Griffith joined Lands’ End in 2017, the brand had a big problem: “the database for our core customer was shrinking.” . . . more

Taco John's Announces Smaller Drive-Thru Prototype

QSR
Taco John’s International Inc., the iconic quick-serve Mexican franchise, announced it is going “Back to the Future” with the revival of its concept, the Drive Thru Olé. . . . more

Subway reportedly mulling $10B sale

Restaurant Dive
Subway has hired advisers to consider a sale that could value the sandwich chain at over $10 billion, The Wall Street Journal first reported Wednesday. Subway wrote in an email to Restaurant Dive that it doesn’t “comment on ownership structure and business plans.” . . . more

Burlington Selects Brovitz Community Planning & Design for Mall Road Rezoning Initiative

Boston Real Estate Times
Burlington is advancing the development of a new regulatory framework for the area’s largest commercial district. . . . more

Shake Shack expects to open up to 70 units in 2023

Restaurant Dive
Shake Shack expects to open 65 to 70 restaurants this year, Shake Shack CFO Katie Fogertey said Tuesday during the ICR Conference. Forty of those locations would be domestic units, and 25 to 30 will be licensed. . . . more

Five Below to open 200-plus stores, convert 400 locations to higher-price format

CSA
Five Below has laid out ambitious store plans for 2023. . . . more

U.S. convenience store count reverses four-year decline

CSA
The number of convenience stores in the United States inched up in 2022. . . . more

In-N-Out brings 'animal style' to Tennessee with plans to expand further in the U.S.

NPR
In-N-Out Burger is "double-doubling" down on growing its business, announcing it would open new locations in Tennessee, the farthest east the company has ever gone. . . . more

Babies R Us to open flagship store

Retail Dive
Babies R Us will open a flagship store at the American Dream Mall in Bergen County, New Jersey, this summer. . . . more

Is Froyo Ready for its Second Act?

QSR
Frozen yogurt shops are the millennial equivalent to the soda fountains that served as social hubs for teenage Baby Boomers. . . . more

Craft soft drinks have growing appeal at restaurants

NRN
By many accounts, alcohol consumption spiked at the onset of the pandemic. But now, as consumers are settling into a somewhat new way of life that includes a greater focus on health, they’re seeking beverages that are better for them, or at least free of alcohol. . . . more

Blaze Pizza Hires Ex-Focus Brands President Beto Guajardo as CEO

QSR
Blaze Pizza announced Wednesday that former Focus Brands executive Beto Guajardo was appointed as new CEO. . . . more

‘Sip and Stroll’ law takes effect at Arizona shopping centers

CSA
Arizona is out to make shopping an inebriating experience thanks to a new law that goes into effect next week. . . . more

Makeup brand Morphe closing all stores

CSA
A former high-flying brand that was once valued at some $2 billion is pivoting to e-commerce and wholesale. . . . more

Rite Aid CEO out

CSA
Rite Aid Corp. has appointed a board member as interim chief executive following the departure of Heyward Donigan. . . . more

Plum Market expands to Florida

Supermarket News
Natural and organic retailer Plum Market has opened its first Florida full-service grocery store as the company gradually expands its national presence. . . . more

Macy’s to shutter 4 full-line stores

Retail Dive
Macy’s on Thursday said by email that it will close four mall-based stores, in Los Angeles; Fort Collins, Colorado; Oahu, Hawaii; and Gaithersburg, Maryland. . . . more

The Next Wave of On-Demand Restaurant Delivery

QSR
The dust seems to have settled on the shiny new toy of the restaurant industry: the ghost kitchen. . . . more

Chipotle to encourage healthy living via augmented reality

CSA
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. intends to help customers follow their New Year’s health resolutions – using a popular augmented reality (AR) platform. . . . more

Simon comes to aid of mall shoppers whose phone die mid-trip

CSA
Malls are now coming to the aid of shoppers whose visits are cut short when their cell phones conk out. . . . more

Hand & Stone Massage And Facial Spa Grows Executive Leadership Team

Franchising.com
Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa, North America’s leading luxury massage and facial spa franchise has announced new additions to their executive leadership team which includes two new hires and two notable promotions. The brand has named Jennifer Durham as Chief Development Officer and Jeanine Linehan as General Counsel, in addition to advancing Lisa Rossman to Senior Vice President of Service and Product and Meghan Lally as Senior Vice President of Franchise Operations. As these seasoned women step into their new roles, they will be responsible for leading effective cross-functional teams that align with Hand & Stone’s strategic business goals, future franchise expansion, as well as brand growth. . . . more

Sprinkles launches into 2023 with new franchising program and products

NRN
While the softball-sized cupcakes craze hit its peak in the 2000s and has since dwindled, the Austin, Texas-based cupcake bakery Sprinkles is still going strong, and just opened its first franchised location in Dec. 2022 in Utah, with plans to grow from 23 bakeries and 50 iconic pink cupcake ATMS to more than 100 U.S. franchise locations and 100 international locations over the next three years. . . . more

Bed Bath & Beyond shares plummet after company warns of potential bankruptcy

CNBC Business
Bed Bath & Beyond warned Thursday it’s running out of cash and is considering bankruptcy. . . . more

Chicken Salad Chick continues to expand into new markets

CSA
Chicken Salad Chick remains on the fast track when it comes to expansion. . . . more

QSR’s Breakout Brand of 2022: The Sizzling Rise of Dave’s Hot Chicken

QSR
When Dave’s Hot Chicken COO and president Jim Bitticks joined the company, he admittedly knew little about the chain’s humble upbringing. . . . more

R.H. Foster Acquires 6 Leadbetter’s C-Stores in Maine

CSP
R.H. Foster Energy LLC has acquired six Leadbetter’s convenience stores in the Bangor, Maine, market, including three locations in Bangor, two in Holden, Maine, and one in Bucksport, Maine. . . . more

Luxury luggage brand Tumi to debut new concept store

CSA
Tumi will unveil a new retail concept this spring in New York City. . . . more

Mastercard Spending Pulse: Holiday sales grew 7.6%

CSA
Consumer spending held up during a holiday season that began back in October and saw plenty of deals and promotions, according to one early report. . . . more

What lies ahead for grocery?

Supermarket News
Kroger and Albertsons. Two names we’ve all had in our mouths for months now. . . . more

Why restaurant chains are investing in robots and what it means for workers

CNBC Business
Chipotle Mexican Grill is testing whether a robot can make tortilla chips in stores. Sweetgreen plans to automate salad making in at least two locations. . . . more

Woburn Strega Italiano Closes Permanently

Patch
Strega Italiano in Woburn has opted to permanently close, according to an announcement on the restaurant’s website as of Friday morning. . . . more

Sbarro opens over 100 restaurants worldwide in 2022 with major development plans ahead

PR Newswire
Sbarro is pleased to announce that with the opening of its two newest restaurants in the Philippines and in Missouri on Thursday, December 22nd, it has exceeded 100 new restaurant openings in 2022, the most in one year in their 65-year history. . . . more

Mace of KeyPoint Ptrs. negotiates 1,990 s/f lease to Jersey Mike’s

NEREJ
KeyPoint Partners negotiated a lease with Jersey Mike’s Subs for a 1,990 s/f space at Bourne Bridge Crossing. . . . more