Restaurant

Chicago -- Ebay, Walmart and McDonalds are tops when it comes to in-store charity donations, according to a study by Cause Marketing Forum that ranked the largest consumer donations at the point-of-sale last year. More than $358 million was raised in 2012 through a total of 63 corporate-backed charity checkout campaigns identified by Cause Marketing.

Irvine, Calif. -- KTGY Group announced that Hutton Cos. has launched construction on La Verne Village, a 172-unit mixed-use residential and retail community in La Verne, Calif., located in the San Gabriel Valley, east of Los Angeles.

Situated on the site of a former automobile dealership on 7.69 acres, the La Verne Village luxury apartment homes are integrated within the village-center court, complete with more than 15,000 sq. ft. of integrated retail shopping and dining.

New York -- Elixir Juice Bar has leased two more stores in Manhattan, according to Winick Realty Group, which represented the brand in both of its recent New York leases.

Elixir will occupy 70 Greenwich Avenue, located between Seventh Avenue South and Sixth Avenue in the heart of the West Village. Elixir has also leased a location in the Upper East Side. The 500-sq.-ft. store is located at 1371 Third Avenue, between 78th and 79th Streets.

Foxborough, Mass. -- Ulta Beauty opened its newest location on May 24 at Patriot Place, in Foxborough, Mass. The 10,000-sq.-ft. store in Patriot Place’s South Marketplace is the beauty chain’s eighth Massachusetts location.
 

New York -- MPI has reported a significant increase in leasing volume within its core retail portfolio during the first four months of 2013 vs. the same period last year.

As of May 1, MPI has executed 23 new lease deals, many with new to the market tenants, representing a total of 113,900 sq. ft. throughout its national retail portfolio.  

On a year-over-year basis, the company has seen the number of new leases grow by 28%.
 

Melville, N.Y. -- Sbarro is expanding its international growth with plans to open 20 eateries in Ontario, Canada. This announcement is the latest in a series of franchise agreements that have recently expanded Sbarro's presence across Europe, the Middle East, South America, Asia and the Pacific.

CHICAGO — The International Foodservice Manufacturers Association honored ConAgra VP of strategic projects William J. Caskey with the trade association’s newly established Distinguished Foodservice Executive Award.

Caskey received the award for his dedication to the foodservice industry and his service on the IFMA board of directors during the National Restaurant Association Show week in Chicago, Ill.