News Briefs

Rally House had a busy August, opening 16 locations during the dog days of summer.

The Kansas-based,  family-owned specialty sports retailer opened five new stores during the weekend of Aug. 26. Four of the stores were in new markets, including Pennsylvania (Chambersburg Crossing, Chambersburg); Kentucky (Hamburg Pavilion, Lexington); Texas (Cumberland Park, Tyler); and  and Tempe, Arizona (Tempe Marketplace).  The fifth was at L Street Marketplace, in Omaha, Neb.

August has been a month of expansion  for Rally House, which started the month by opening seven stores in one weekend. (See list at end of article.)

Rally House stores feature products from national brands such as New Era, Mitchell & Ness, Nike, Adidas and others along with localized assortments of popular colleges and pro teams.

 No two Rally Stores are identical. They each carry merchandise customized and tailored to the specific collegiate and professional teams in that area. In additional to team apparel, Rally House offers a wide selection of local styles and its own exclusive line of branded merchandise.

"Rally House is excited to continue amplifying its presence across the country with another remarkable number of new stores in one weekend," CEO Aaron Liebert describes. "We're proud to be the trusted sports and merchandise retailer for dedicated fans everywhere, and it's all possible because of the hard work of our team members and incredible customers."

Here are the seven locations that Rally House opened earlier this month.

Baytowne Square, Champaign, Ill.;

Fox Valley Mall, Aurora, Ill.;

St. Clair Square, Fairview Heights, Ill.;

Coralville, Iowa;

Manhattan, Kan.;

Sooner Mall, Norman, Okla.; and

Arizona Mills, Tempe, Ariz.

Based in Lenexa, Kan., Rally House operates more than 170 locations across 17 states.

 

A  family-owned convenience store chain that was founded 63 years ago has been acquired. 

Maverik – Adventure’s First Stop, together with its parent company, FJ Management, has completed the acquisition of Kum & Go and Solar Transport from Krause Group. The closing of the deal, which was announced in April, creates a c-store network across the Midwest and Rocky Mountain regions, growing Maverik’s footprint to over 800 stores in 20 states with approximately 14,000 employees.

Chuck Maggelet, CEO of Maverick, will lead the newly combined organization. Tanner Krause, who has served for six years as president and CEO of Kum & Go., will transition out of the company.  

“Together over four generations — from my grandfather Tony and my dad Bill to me and my son Tanner — we built these businesses over 64 years through shared vision, collective entrepreneurship, and teamwork,” said Kyle Krause, founder and CEO, Krause Group. “We’ve run the businesses and differentiated ourselves by putting people first and making days better in all we do. Over the last six years, Tanner’s leadership was at the core of these efforts, resulting in a tremendous impact on Kum & Go. I’m confident Kum & Go and Solar Transport are set up for future success with Maverik.”

In appreciation of Maverik’s Des Moines based team and the local community, Maverik will donate $50,000 to The Des Moines Public Schools Foundation. As a longstanding supporter of helping fight hunger in its local communities, Maverik’s donation will provide fresh fruits, vegetables, and toiletries at Des Moines Public Schools 53 food pantries in schools across the district.

 

Three people were killed in what authorities say was an anti-Black hate crime on Saturday, Aug. 26, at a Dollar General store in  Jacksonville, Fla.

Three Black people were killed when a gunman wearing a tactical vest and mask and armed with an AR-15-style rifle and a Glock handgun opened fire at the store.  The victims included 19-year-old store employee Anolt Laguerre, Jr., along with  Angela Carr, 52, and Jerrald De'Shaun Gallion, 29, reported CNN. 

The gunman, identified as 21-year-old Ryan Palmeter, shot Carr as she sat in her car outside the Dollar General. He then entered the store, shooting and killing Laguerre. The gunman then exited, but returned and fatally shot Gallion.  He also chased and shot Gallion’s girlfriend, but missed.  

Police officers entered the store 11 minutes from the start of the shooting and heard one gunshot,  presumed to be when the gunman shot and killed himself.

“There is no place for hate at Dollar General or in the communities we serve,” the company said in a statement. “Right now, we are focused on providing support, counseling and resources to our teams and their loved ones, and we are evaluating how we can best support and stand with the greater Jacksonville community during this sad and difficult time.”

Palmeter had bought the guns legally. He had no criminal record, but he was was the subject of a 2017 law enforcement call under Florida’s Baker Act, which allows people to be involuntarily detained and subject to an examination for up to 72 hours during a mental health crisis, CNN reported.

 

Dollar Tree has made an addition to its executive leadership team.

 The retailer said that Jonathan Leiken has joined the company as executive VP, chief legal officer and secretary. 

Leiken, who has more than 20 years of legal experience, most recently served as executive VP, chief legal officer and secretary of global technology company Diebold Nixdorf. Prior to that, he was a partner at global law firm Jones Day and an assistant United States Attorney in the United States Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (Criminal Division).

“Jon is a seasoned attorney and business leader with proven expertise across a number of industries, including the retail and financial sectors. said Rick Dreiling, chairman and CEO of Dollar Tree. “His credentials ranging from corporate governance and law, to regulatory compliance and commercial litigation make him uniquely suited for this role.”

Leiken holds a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Brandeis University. Among many civic endeavors, he is the president of The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland and teaches as an adjunct professor of law at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.

Dollar Tree operated 16,476 stores across 48 states and five Canadian provinces as of July 29, 2023. Stores operate under the brands of Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree Canada. 

Lowe’s customers who work in the home improvement industry can use their mobile devices to ease in-store purchases and pick-ups.

In an email to Chain Store Age, the home improvement retailer said it is introducing purchase authorization for MVPs Pro Rewards and Partnership Program members in the Lowe’s app. Lowe’s initially launched the Lowe's MVPs Pro Rewards and Partnership Program in February 2022.

The new feature enables MVP Pro account holders to provide a QR code to a designated runner for in-store purchases and pick-ups, with set time and spending limits. Lowe’s intends to create a fast and seamless in-store checkout process, with no more credit card handoffs or confirmation phone calls needed. 

During the company’s recent second quarter 2023 earnings call, Joe McFarland, Lowe’s executive VP of stores, said that “(T)his solution addresses a pain point for many Pro customers and our Pro desk associates and leapfrogs the competition. And we're encouraged to see that our suite of online tools [has] resonated with Pros and adoption is already exceeding our expectations.” 

Lowe’s also recently expanded a same-day delivery pilot it initiated in select markets with omnichannel fulfillment solution OneRail in 2022 to all of its stores across the 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Two iconic and storied Swiss watch brands are joining forces.

In a move that caught the sector by surprise, Rolex said that it would buy luxury watch and jewelry retailer Bucherer for an undisclosed amount. In a statement, Rolex said that Bucherer, which has more than 100 stores worldwide, will keep its name and continue to operate independently under its current management team.

Rolex said it decided to buy the retailer after third-generation owner, 86-year-old Jörg Bucherer, in the absence of direct descendants to take the reins, decided to sell his company’s business.  (In 2019, Bucherer acquired acquired luxury watch brand Tourneau from an affiliate of Leonard Green & Partners.)

“This move reflects the Geneva-based brand's desire to perpetuate the success of Bucherer and preserve the close partnershp ties that have linked both companies since 1924,” Rolex said in a statement. “For more than 90 years, the two businesses have worked alongside one another and have each contributed to the other's achievements and growth.”

Fiftty-three of Bucherer stores are authorized Rolex dealers. And 48 Bucherer stores also distribute the Tudor brand, which is also owned by Rolex. Rolex itself does not operate any physical stores.

“The Rolex group is convinced that this acquisition is the best solution not only for its own brands but also for all the watch and jewelry partner brands, as well as for all the employees of the Bucherer group,” Rolex stated.

The company noted that its “fruitful collaboration” with other official retailers in its sales network will remain unchanged.

The acquisition requires the approval of Swiss competition authorities.