Convenience Stores

PizzaRev, a build-your-own fast-casual pizza concept, began its expansion into Tennessee this week with the opening of a Memphis location. The grand opening at 6450 Poplar Avenue was celebrated with an all-day fundraiser for Le Bonheur Children’s Research Hospital.   Two additional locations are under construction in Memphis, and another is underway in Nashville. PizzaRev currently franchises and operates 47 stores and has more than 200 others under development in 17 states, Washington, D.C., and Mexico.  

Starbucks Corp. is living up to its reputation as one of the nation’s most socially progressive retailers.    On the heels of President Donald Trump's indefinite suspension of Syrian refugees and temporary travel bans that apply to seven predominantly Muslim countries, the coffee giant pledged to hire 10,000 refugees to work at its stores around the world during the next five years.  

In an abrupt move, Shoes.com pulled the plug on its operations on Friday, Jan. 27.   The company, which said in September it was preparing for its next phase of growth, took its three e-commerce businesses, Shoes.com, ShoeMe.ca and OnlineShoes.com, offline, and closed the doors to two brick-and-mortar locations in Vancouver and Toronto.  

Starbucks is further evolving its digital customer experience.    Staring Monday, Jan. 30, Starbucks is launching a beta test for a voice messaging service that enables guests to place and pre-pay for their food and beverage orders “on command” via the Starbucks mobile iOS app and the Amazon Alexa platform. The new “My Starbucks barista” feature is an extension of Starbucks Mobile Order & Pay service, which allows customers to order and pay for their items before arriving at their store.  

Neil Saunders, CEO of retail research and consulting firm Conlumino, comments on Starbucks’ first quarter results in the remarks below.    

Soaring customer expectations are creating an increasingly challenging environment for brands seeking engagement.   That’s according to the 22nd annual Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index, which recognizes the brands that receive the highest loyalty and engagement assessments and surpass competitors for "delighting" customers.  

With the deadline for the deal set to expire Friday, Jan. 27, Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Stefano Pessina told shareholders attending the Walgreens Boots Alliance annual meeting Thursday morning that the board of directors for both Walgreens and Rite Aid were in "active" discussions toward getting the deal approved even as the Federal Trade Commission continues to deliberate over the proposed retail pharmacy merger.  

Kimco’s $18 million renovation of Wilde Lake in Columbia, Maryland, has been completed and the mixed-use development is welcoming three new retail tenants.   Starbucks will open both a café and a drive-thru this year and Salons by JC plans a fall opening. Dynamic Dental Care opened in December. Wilde Lake has 230 residential units, 30,000 sq. ft. of office space, and 41,000 sq. ft. of retail.