News Briefs

A Montreal-based online furniture brand is expanding in brick and mortar. 

Cozey will open a pop-up in Los Angeles, the company's second-largest consumer market. The temporary 5,000-sq.-ft. Venice Beach showroom will be open from April 8 through December, and include all of Cozey's newest and most-popular products, including its signature modular sofa options, washable rugs and new outdoor collection.

Cozey’s L.A. pop-up follows two recent permanent store openings in major Canadian cities, Vancouver and Calgary, with more growth planned for this year. The brand will open permanent stores in Montreal and New York City in 2026 following successful pop-up runs in each market. Including its debut location in Toronto, Cozey currently operates three permanent brick-and-mortar stores.

The brand, which was founded in 2020, says physical retail remains a key growth driver for the brand, alongside new product launches. International expansion is also on the horizon, as Cozey plans to launch in Australia later this year.

[READ MORE: Lspace debuts Miami Beach pop-up store]

"This opening is another exciting milestone in Cozey's retail journey," said Cozey CEO and founder Frédéric Aubé. "Since launching our U.S. e-commerce offering in late 2023, the market has become a significant driver of growth for the business, and our pop-up retail model has helped us learn how important a physical presence is for our customers. Los Angeles is now our second-largest U.S. market making it a natural destination in our brick-and-mortar retail roadmap."

Ahold Delhaize USA is trying to make the workday easier for its associates via mobile technology.

The U.S. subsidiary of Dutch supermarket conglomerate Ahold Delhaize is introducing ADUSA Connect, a new associate app. In a post on the official Ahold Delhaize USA LinkedIn page, the retailer said the app is designed to “streamline internal communication and deliver important updates, resources and connections directly to our teams, wherever they are.”

The app, which is currently only available to Ahold Delhaize USA Services associates who work to support Ahold Delhaize USA banners, provides mobile access to curated news, organization-specific links and associate resource offerings.

Associates can also utilize the app to share pictures and comment and react to posts from other employees across the company on an internal social wall.

"The recent launch of the ADUSA Connect app is an exciting step forward in delivering a modern, omnichannel associate experience that allows associates to choose how they consume information," Christy Phillips-Brown, VP of communications & omnichannel service center, Ahold Delhaize USA, said in an emailed statement to Chain Store Age. “The app reinforces our commitment to communication and collaboration as we continue to enhance the connected and engaged culture we have at Ahold Delhaize USA.”

[READ MORE: Ahold Delhaize USA rolls out digital platform across banners]

Ahold Delhaize USA, a division of global food retailer Ahold Delhaize, includes Food Lion, The Giant Company, Giant Food, Hannaford and Stop & Shop. 

(Image: Ahold Delhaize USA LinkedIn page)

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A multi-billion dollar mixed-use Miami development is selling its retail and entertainment district.

A joint venture led by Falcone Group with partners ROK Acquisitions, Andrew Mirmelli, The Davis Companies and Jamestown will purchase Miami Worldcenter’s 300,000 square feet of retail, dining and entertainment space, along with 100,000 square feet of public space. Falcone – one of the project’s founding partners – will retain a majority stake and lead operations.

Miami Worldcenter’s retail space is now 97% occupied, and home to a lineup of top global brands including Apple, Savage X Fenty, Lululemon, Sephora, Ray-Ban, Timeluxe, Lucid Motors and more. The $6 billion, 27-acre master-planned development in Downtown Miami is the second-largest mixed-use project in the U.S., and opened its doors last year after being approved in 2014.

“The coming to life of Miami Worldcenter has been a two-decade journey that began with the belief that Downtown Miami was poised to become a true global destination,” said Falcone Group CEO and Miami Worldcenter Associates founding partner Art Falcone. “What was once a stretch of vacant lots is now a vibrant, walkable neighborhood that reflects the energy, diversity, and ambition of our city. When CIM Group joined the partnership it provided momentum, enabling the team to realize our shared vision for Miami Worldcenter, and as the new owners, we’re committed to sustaining the property’s success well into the future.”

[READ MORE: Atlanta’s CNN Center to be reopened as The CTR]

Supporting Miami Worldcenter’s retail tenants are several residential towers, along with the CitizenM World Center hotel, with additional hotel concepts set to debut in future phases. The property is located adjacent to Brightline’s MiamiCentral Station, a high-speed rail hub linking Downtown Miami to major cities across Florida, and is also located near the Tri-Rail, Metrorail, Metromover, and the Brickell/Biscayne transportation systems.

A California-based convenience retailer is streamlining in-store workflows for associates with help from next-gen artificial intelligence.

Loop Neighborhood Markets is deploying the Tote Genie store associate AI agent. The agentic AI tool assists associates with handling tasks such as customer service inquiries, POS operations, maintenance and payments. 

The retailer also leverages Genie to shorten training time, ensure compliance to corporate procedures, and eliminate the need for store managers to answer routine questions from associates. Loop reports that since deployment, there have been zero escalations and 100% first-contact resolution of all issues that employees have handled using Genie.

"We're not interested in AI that just looks good in a pitch,” said Varish Goyal, president and CEO, Loop Neighborhood Markets. “Tote's Genie agent works in our stores, gives our associates the answers they need in the moment, and delivers results from day one. This is just the beginning of what agentic technology can do for our business.” 

[READ MORE: Walmart equips store associates with mobile AI tools]

Genie is available around the clock, supports multiple languages, and works via voice and chat, so every associate gets answers whenever or however they need them. Loop deployed Genie independently of its POS system using its modular design, bringing AI-native associate support to stores without having to overhaul the existing store technology infrastructure.

"Loop is exactly the kind of operator that makes this work,” said Shyam Rao, founder and CEO, Tote. “Deploying with zero escalations and 100% first-contact resolution from day one is not a beta result. That is a production result, and it reflects what AI in convenience retail can actually deliver.”

Headquartered in Fremont, Calif., Loop Neighborhood Markets operates more than 50 locations across the Bay Area, Sacramento, and Southern California.

A quick-serve burger giant is making a massive hiring push.

Burger King has launched a nationwide hiring search with the goal of adding up to 60,000 new team members to work at its nearly 6,500 U.S. restaurants. The positions range from entry-level roles to management positions.

Burger King says the hiring push follows a “transformative period,” and reflects the strength of the brand as well as the “collective investment of its franchise community” through its workforce.

[READ MORE: Burger King equips associates with ‘Patty’ AI voice assistant]

"We've done the important work of strengthening our operations, modernizing our restaurants, and listening to our guests, and it's paying off," said Tom Curtis, president of Burger King U.S. & Canada. "Now we need great people to help us keep that momentum going – people who are passionate, hardworking, and genuinely friendly. A warm welcome goes a long way, and the team members who bring that energy every day are at the heart of what makes the Burger King experience special.”

Earlier this year, Restaurant Brands International (RBI), the parent company of Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs, outlined plans to open approximately 1,800 net new restaurants per year by 2028, including between 300 and 400 net new restaurants per year in the United States and Canada.

The Burger King system operates more than 19,000 locations in more than 120 countries and U.S. territories. Headquartered in Miami, RBI operates approximately 32,000 restaurants in more than 120 countries and territories.