News Briefs

A Southwestern supermarket operator is teaming up with a platform for omnichannel made-to-order food purchases.

HAC Inc. is deploying the Local Express Made-to-Order solution across its 36 Homeland Stores and 11 United grocery locations in Oklahoma and Texas in an effort to modernize its prepared foods, catering and food services offerings. 

Homeland shoppers can now place customizable online orders such as holiday family meals, party trays, vegetable and seafood trays, and butcher bundles. The Local Express system also integrates with the existing Homeland Stores POS system and enables the retailer to optimize inventory and labor resources used to fill custom orders.

"Partnering with Local Express allows us to offer a user-friendly digital solution that enhances convenience for both our guests and store teams," said Tom Dahlen, CEO of HAC, Inc. "Customers can easily schedule pickups, customize orders, and receive personalized recommendations. With e-commerce, curbside pickup, delivery, and made-to-order catering, we’re committed to providing unmatched ease and service in our market." 

Local Express is providing on location comprehensive training to store staff to help ensure a seamless transition from Homeland Stores’ current e-commerce platform. Homeland Stores also hopes to improve the speed and accuracy of order taking.

"Homeland Stores is a great example of an innovative supermarket operator that sees the importance of foodservice as a critical point of competitive differentiation," said Bagrat Safarian, CEO of Local Express. "Our Made-to-Order omnichannel solution allows the chain’s customers to order and customize prepared foods online without any friction."

[READ MORE: Homeland speeds up queues, enables social distancing via self-checkout]

HAC Inc. is Oklahoma’s largest employee-owned grocery chain, operating 74 locations nationwide, including 36 Homeland Stores and 11 United locations in Oklahoma and Texas. 

Revolve has decided to turn a holiday pop-up into a permanent store.

The millennial- and Gen Z-focused online fashion retailer is turning its temporary Revolve Holiday Shop at The Grove in Los Angeles into a permanent location. The store will temporarily close for renovations and is set to reopen with a fresh look in fall 2025. It will be Revolve's second permanent physical store.

Spanning 8,450 sq. ft., the two-story space will  showcase customer-favorite Revolve brands, a curated selection from FWRD and exclusive vintage and rare handbags from FWRD Renew. The product assortment will include women's and men's apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty and home.

Originally launched as a temporary winter destination in November 2024, the Revolve Holiday Shop hosted events and brand activations and served as a hub for exclusive customer experiences.

"Expanding our physical presence is a natural evolution of our retail strategy,” said Michael Mente, co-founder and co-CEO, Revolve Group Inc. "After years of successful pop-ups and activations — including incredible success in Aspen — establishing a store in Los Angeles allows us to bring Revolve and FWRD to life in a dynamic, real-world setting. This space will transcend traditional shopping, bringing our digital-native brand to life by seamlessly blending fashion, discovery and experience."

A rapidly growing quick-service chicken franchise is launching its first-ever catering program with some technological assistance.

Dave’s Hot Chicken is utilizing the ezCater platform, which is designed to help restaurants get incremental catering orders with customer service support, to offer catering at more than 200 locations. A majority of Dave’s Hot Chicken locations are also leveraging the ezCater ezDispatch solution, which connects them with local delivery partners in their area.

“Partnering with ezCater allows Dave’s Hot Chicken to tap into high-value workplace customers like never before,” said Jim Bitticks, president and COO, Dave’s Hot Chicken. “This partnership will help us capitalize on the growing demand in workplace catering while also opening up a new revenue stream for our franchise owners.”

The average order value for Dave’s Hot Chicken orders on ezCater exceeds $500, and the retailer expects catering to represent as much as 10% of its business within a year.

Dave’s Hot Chicken has created a catering menu that includes individually packaged boxes and trays. The menu has been optimized for large-group orders, featuring hot chicken tenders, sliders, and sides.

“Dave’s Hot Chicken is a favorite brand our customers will be thrilled to find on our platform,” said Michelle Smart, chief customer care officer, ezCater. “With many options for both boxed lunches and trays, their menu is perfect for large groups at work.”

[READ MORE: Dave's Hot Chicken boosts customer reviews with video data]

Based in Los Angeles, Dave’s Hot Chicken has sold the rights to more than 1,000 franchise locations in the United States, Middle East, U.K., Ireland, and Canada and plans to open 70-plus locations this year.

The Kroger Co. is helping its customers adjust to daylight savings with a limited run of free private label products.

The grocery giant is offering guests an “Hour Back Box” to help them catch up to an hour less of sleep on March 9 when the clocks are moved forward. A limited-run of Kroger Hour Back Boxes will be available for free – first come, first served – starting March 4 at 12 p.m. EST, and will feature Private Selection Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate, Simple Truth Oatmilk Creamer and Kroger Frozen Breakfast Sandwiches to provide a “much-needed morning pick-me up.” Customers can visit Kroger.com/HourBack to claim an exclusive box, while supplies last.

Customers who miss their chance to grab a Kroger Hour Back Box can claim one of thousands of free breakfast items instead. Starting March 7 at 12 p.m. EST, customers can visit Kroger.com/HourBack to choose from one of 39,000 free private label breakfast items by downloading a limited-time, single-use digital coupon – redeemable at any Kroger location or Kroger.com while supplies last.

[READ MORE: PepsiCo Europe CFO named finance leader of Kroger]

“Losing an hour of sleep during daylight saving can challenge parents and their family’s schedule,” said Tom Duncan, VP, head of Marketing at Kroger. “We created the Kroger Hour Back boxes to make daylight saving a little easier, helping parents and their families jump start the day with customer-favorite, morning time foods – from a much needed cup of coffee to a filling breakfast sandwich.”

E-commerce helped drive the beauty sector to new heights around the world in 2024.

New data from consumer intelligence company NielsenIQ (NIQ) shows that the global beauty industry witnessed a solid 7.3 % increase in year-over-year value last year, with a large portion (41%) of sales in the United States driven by online shopping. Over the past four years, platforms like Amazon have gained 7.3 share points by offering competitive pricing, fast shipping, and a wide selection, while in-store shopping for beauty needs has largely stayed the same.

The Latin American (+19.1%) and the Africa-Middle East (+27.1%) regions lead with the biggest growth, while North America and Western Europe had growth rates of +7.8% and +7.7%, respectively.

[READ MORE: Cosmetics brand Laura Mercier opens DTC site to Prime shoppers]

Social commerce is a global trend, especially for beauty products, with 68% of purchases on these platforms driven by impulse. The TikTok Shop has risen to be the eighth-largest e-commerce health & beauty retailer in the U.S., achieving $1billion in beauty sales​. More than 12% of U.S. e-commerce shoppers have made a health and beauty purchase through the app, with many returning for repeat purchases. 

“In the rapidly changing beauty industry, success in 2025 is a delicate balance,” Tara James Taylor, senior VP beauty & personal care at NIQ. “The dynamics between innovation and tradition, affordability and luxury, sustainability and scalability, and personalization and inclusivity are reshaping the market for beauty manufacturers and retailers. Finding the right balance will be crucial for those aiming to thrive in the $1 trillion global beauty market.”

Another casual-dining chain is having a hard time of it.

Hooters of America is considering filing for bankruptcy and is working with Ropes & Gray law firm to assist with the filing process, reported Bloomberg. The report comes as the Atlanta-based sports bar/restaurant chain — which has about 300 locations — has been struggling financially amid traffic declines.

Hooters has struggled to pay its suppliers on time during the last 12 months, taking about four times longer than other restaurant chains to pay, according to financial analysis data from Creditsafe. The delay has led to outstanding bills, often up to 91-plus days late.

Hooters, which is known for the super tight T-shirts and shorts its waitresses wear, closed select underperforming locations nationwide in 2024 as it looked to manage its debt. Various media outlets reported that some 40 sites went dark.

If it files for bankruptcy, Hooters would join several other casual-dining chains that have have do during the past 12 months, including TGI Fridays and Red Lobster, amid a shift to fast-casual options.