Corporate Governance

New York -- Johnny Rockets has been acquired by an affiliate of private-equity group Sun Capital Partners Inc. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Johnny Rockets operates about 300 corporate and franchise-owned hamburger restaurants in 30 states and 16 countries, including 17 Six Flags amusement park locations and 11 Royal Caribbean cruise ships.

ABC Fine Wine & Spirits is showing off a new, modern store concept in Ocala, Fla. The contemporary design reflects the retailer’s evolution from the corner liquor store and bar to a 150-plus-store purveyor of fine wine and spirits. It’s also more in sync with the brand’s shifting customer base, which has grown more upscale and increased from 30% to 55% female.

Washington, D.C. -- Retailers and consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies are increasingly using technology to better connect with customers and drive profits, according to a new study from the Grocery Manufacturers Association and PwC US.

Results of “Growth Strategies: Unlocking the Power of the Consumer” indicate that despite generally slowing retail net sales growth in 2012, food, beverage and household products companies experienced positive net sales growth of 7%t, 5.5% and 3.2%, respectively.

Burlington, N.J. -- Burlington Coat Factory credited the unusually cold winter experienced by many parts of the country, which dampened the first quarter results of many retailers, for helping to drive its strong financial performance during the first quarter.

The retailer reported net income of $11.1 million, a substantial improvement from $842,000 in the first quarter of the prior year, primarily driven by sales growth and improved gross margin rate which was in turn partially offset by increased selling and administrative expenses.

Seattle -- Starbucks Coffee Company will start including calorie information on menu boards in all U.S.-based corporate and licensed stores on June 25. The retailer will post calorie counts to accompany each beverage listed on the menu boards, as well as on tags to accompany food in the bakery case. All calorie counts will reflect the item as made by standard recipe and will not include potential extra calories resulting from whipped cream, different types of milk or sweetener, or other customer options.

West Chester, Pa. -- QVC has named Mustafa El-Rafey to the position of senior VP talent management and rewards. In this role El-Rafey will report to Beth Rubino, executive VP of HR and workplace services, and will lead the development and implementation of a talent management and rewards strategy for QVC. Specifically, he will focus on attracting and retaining key talent, promoting development, performance and accountability, building leadership capabilities, and supporting careers.

Los Angeles -- Regency Centers Corp. has broken ground on Juanita Tate Marketplace, a $21 million grocery-anchored shopping center in underserved South Central Los Angeles.

Anchors include a 42,500-sq.-ft. Northgate Gonzalez Market and a 14,576-sq.-ft. CVS/pharmacy. The remaining space will include small shops, quick-service restaurants and a 1050-sq.-ft. educational community center operated by Concerned Citizens of South Central Los Angeles, a community revitalization group once led by Juanita Tate, who died in 2004.

Atlanta -- Shenandoah Plaza, a 146,121-sq.-ft. neighborhood center in Newnan, Ga., has been sold to the Georgia Capital Group by RCG-Newnan. Big Lots, Goodwill and Dollar General anchor the center.

The Atlanta office of SRS Real Estate Partners represented RCG-Newnan in the transaction.
 

St. Petersburg, Fla. -- The Sembler Co. has added nearly 900,000 sq. ft. to its portfolio of third-party management and leasing assignments through the end of the year’s second quarter.

New assignments include co-managing 672,259 sq. ft. of retail properties across Florida and Georgia with Community Reinvestment Partners II. Sembler will handle leasing for most of the properties.

Toronto -- Hudson's Bay Co. said Tuesday it has changed the structure of its senior management, giving two highly regarded veteran retailers greater responsibilities. The company is moving current president Bonnie Brooks to the vice chairman seat and putting in Liz Rodbell – recently minted executive VP and chief merchant – as president.  Both Brooks and Rodbell are highly regarded retail