News Briefs

T&T Supermarket, the largest Asian grocery retailer in Canada, has added a new location to its slate of upcoming U.S. stores.

The grocer, which is owned by The Loblaw Cos., will open a store on Geary Blvd in San Francisco in winter 2026. T&T opened its first U.S. location last December, in Bellevue, Wash. It has also announced plans to open at Lynnwood Crossroads Shopping Center in Lynnwood, Wash., and at Westgate Center in San Jose, Calif.

The San Francisco store will serve neighborhoods that include Pacific Heights and the Richmond District. The Kaiser Permanente Medical Center and the University of San Francisco are also close by.

"The city offers a unique and eclectic food scene, and the neighborhood we've chosen is a vibrant retail hub,” said Tina Lee, CEO of T&T Supermarkets. “We're looking forward to serving food-loving San Franciscans with our fresh foods, delicious meals, and baked goods.”

T&T offers a wide variety of food options including 200 T&T private label products along with authentic Asian dishes offered at the in-store restaurant and prepared foods areas. The bakery will feature more than 150 varieties of freshly-baked bread and more than 50 desserts and pastries.

"We are thrilled to welcome T&T Supermarkets to San Francisco as part of our ongoing commitment to bringing diverse, high-quality retail to the heart of this vibrant city,” said Kenneth Bernstein, CEO of T&T's landlord, Acadia Realty Trust.

T&T Supermarkets operates more than 38 stores in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Washington. T&T Supermarkets was founded in Vancouver in 1993 and is now led by second-generation successor and CEO, Tina Lee.  The company is headquartered in Richmond, BC.

Rising concerns about inflation and unemployment took a big bite out of consumer sentiment in March, which fell for the third straight month.

Consumer sentiment declined 11.9% to 57.0 in March, its lowest level since November 2022 and down from 64.7 in February, according to The University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Index. The measure is down 28.2% year-over-year and has lost more than 30% since November 2024. 

The decline in March reflects a clear consensus across all demographic and political affiliations, according to Joanne Hsu, director, surveys of consumers, University of Michigan.

“Republicans joined independents and Democrats in expressing worsening expectations since February for their personal finances, business conditions, unemployment, and inflation,” she said. “Consumers continue to worry about the potential for pain amid ongoing economic policy developments.”

With regard to current economic conditions, the index fell 2.9% to 63.8, and is down 22.7 year-over-year. Looking ahead, the index of consumer expectations fell 17.8% to 52.6. It’s down 32% year-over-year.

Inflation

Year-ahead inflation expectations jumped up from 4.3% last month to 5.0% this month, the highest reading since November 2022 and marking three consecutive months of unusually large increases of 0.5 percentage points or more, noted Hsu. Long-run inflation expectations surged from 3.5% in February to 4.1% in March.

Unemployment

Notably, two-thirds of consumers expect unemployment to rise in the year ahead, the highest reading since 2009.

“This trend reveals a key vulnerability for consumers, given that strong labor markets and incomes have been the primary source of strength supporting consumer spending in recent years,” said Hsu.

[READ MORE: Century 21 NYC overhauls legacy ERP infrastructure]

Century 21 NYC is an off-price fashion retailer offering men's, women's and children's apparel, footwear, outerwear and more.

Rego Restaurant Group has a new chief executive.

The parent company of quick-serve sandwich chain Quiznos and fast-casual Mexican chain Taco del Mar has tapped Neel Patel as CEO. Previously, Patel served as senior VP of strategy and growth at Church’s Texas Chicken, where he played a “key role” in the brand’s recent growth, leading commercial strategy, revenue management, and global expansion efforts. He spent more than two and half years with the quick-serve chain in total.

“Both Quiznos and Taco del Mar are well-positioned for expansion and accelerated growth, and we are confident that Neel is the ideal leader to drive that momentum,” said Coady Smith, a board member of Rego Restaurant Group and principal at High Bluff Capital Partners. “His deep expertise in driving unit-level profitability, optimizing operations, and delivering data-driven business transformations will be instrumental as we continue to expand our brands and deliver exceptional value to our customers and franchisee partners.”

Previous to Church’s, Patel spent more than six years at McKinsey & Company, advising businesses across industries on enterprise strategy, commercial optimization, data & analytics, and value creation.

[READ MORE: Panera Brands names new CEO]

"I'm thrilled to join Rego and lead both Quiznos and Taco Del Mar into their exciting next chapter of growth," said Patel. “Both brands possess powerful legacies and immense untapped potential. I'm eager to collaborate closely with our dedicated team and valued franchisees to innovate, grow, and deliver exceptional experiences for our guests and communities globally."

Denver-based Rego Restaurant Group operates nearly 450 restaurants in 11 countries.

Liquidation sales are underway at all Forever 21 stores as the chain is set to end operations.

The fashion retailer of women's, men's, and children's apparel and accessories, is holding going-out-of-business sales at all of the chain’s roughly 360 stores in the United States, as well as online. Earlier this month, F21 OpCo (Forever 21’s operator) filed for bankruptcy protection, citing strong competition from online retailers Shein and Temu. It was the chain's second filing in six years.

[READ MORE: Forever 21 files for bankruptcy, to wind down operations]

All Forever 21 inventory is significantly discounted, offering savings of up to 60% off the lowest marked prices. Store fixtures and equipment are also available for purchase. Hilco Consumer-Retail is managing these sales in a joint venture with Gordon Brothers and SB360.

RCS Real Estate Advisors has been retained by Forever 21 to market and sell its U.S. lease portfolio, which includes approximately 360 store leases across major markets. Store sizes range from 4,000 to 150,000 sq. ft., with an average size of approximately 21,000 sq. ft.

Forever 21 filed for bankruptcy in 2019 and was acquired by a consortium of parties including Authentic Brands Group, Simon Property Group and Brookfield Property Partners.  

One of the pioneers of fast-fashion, the chain was founded in Los Angeles in 1984 by South Korean immigrants. By 2016, it was operating around 800 stores globally, including about 500 in the U.S.

Uniqlo is offering customers more than apparel at its New York City flagship.

The global apparel retailer, part of Japan’s Fast Retailing Co., has opened a coffee shop inside its store on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue. It’s Uniqlo’s first in-store coffee shop in North America, with several other locations open across the world.

Uniqlo Coffee New York's menu includes coffee drinks, espresso and other beverages along with “sweet treats.”

[READ MORE: Uniqlo plans slate of new Canadian stores]

The retailer said it is potentially looking into opening more coffee shop locations in the U.S., but will first listen to customers and collect their feedback to ensure it can meet their expectations in the 5th Avenue location.