News Briefs

Teen apparel and accessories retailer Pacsun is welcoming a new chief financial officer.

Aina Konold is joining the retailer from home exercise equipment brand BowFlex Inc., where she served as CFO since December of 2019. Prior to that, Konold spent more than 11 years at Gap Inc. in a number of roles of increasing responsibility, including VP, CFO of Gap Inc. China and VP of strategy and finance.

Konold lived and worked in Shanghai as CFO of Gap Inc. China where she led the business through a "hyper growth phase." She helped open nearly 200 stores and established e-commerce businesses across Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

As CFO, she succeeds Russell Bowers, who was appointed chief operating officer of Pacsun last year. Konold will report directly to the company’s CEO Brie Olson, who was appointed to the role last year.

[READ MORE: Pacsun partners with Pinterest; unifies customer data for analysis]

“Aina’s energy and passion for the customer and for building teams are evident in all her professional endeavors,” said the retailer. “We are excited to welcome her to the Pacsun team.”

Spirit Halloween is going bigger than ever this year.

The seasonal retailer will open a record-breaking 1,525 locations this year in the United States and Canada, the majority of which (more than 1,100) are already open. Locations can be found here.

Spirit’s theme for this year’s Halloween season is “Spirit Carnevil,” which gives shoppers an in-store experience featuring a large carnival area with an archway, multiple booths and a funhouse.

Earlier this year, Spirit said it was looking to hire 50,000 seasonal sales associates and store managers to support its stores this year. Last year, the chain aimed to hire 40,000 workers for a similar number of stores.

"The Halloween fandom continues to grow, and our incredible team works year-round to create an unparalleled and unique in-store experience that will engage customers all season long," said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. "Visiting a Spirit Halloween store is more than just a shopping trip - it's entertainment, it's tradition, it's creating moments and memories with family and friends that bring the magic of Halloween to life, and we are thrilled to welcome fans back to the show."

[READ MORE: Big Lots to hold massive Halloween sale]

Founded in 1983, Spirit is a “one-stop destination” for all things Halloween. Stores offer an immersive and interactive experience for shoppers, complete with a wide assortment of costumes and accessories along with exclusive décor and animatronics.

Spirit Halloween and mall retailer Spencer’s Gifts are part of Egg Harbor Township, N.J.-based Spencer Spirit Holdings Inc.

Sprouts Farmers Market isn't letting up on expansion: It has over 100 approved new stores in the pipeline. 

The fresh, natural and organic foods grocer will also be busy between now and December, opening 21 stores during the next several months. (See list below) The openings are in line with Sprouts' previously announced goal of opening 35 new locations during its current fiscal year, with more than half of the remaining openings scheduled for the fourth quarter. 

“Despite the challenging development environment, the real estate team is doing a terrific job,” Sprouts CEO Jack Sinclair told analysts on the company’s second quarter earnings call in July. "Given the success of our new stores, we are dedicated to expanding our brand with over 110 approved new stores and more than 70 executed leases in the pipeline for the next few years.”

Here is a list of Sprouts’ upcoming openings.

Aug. 30

•Westminster, Md.

Sept. 6

•McKinney, Tex.

•Sarasota, Fla.

Sept. 13

•York, Pa.

Sept. 27

•Rio Rancho, N.M.

•Hayward, Calif.

•Greenville, S.C.

Oct. 4

•Gilbert, Ariz.

Oct. 11

•Long Beach, Calif.

Oct. 25

•Leesburg, Va.

•Avondale, Ariz.

Nov. 8

•Palm Springs, Calif.

Nov. 15

•Studio City, Calif. 

•Largo, Fla.

In addition to the above locations, which are listed on Sprouts' website, the grocer confirmed the following openings to CSA sister publication Progressive Grocer.

Nov. 22 

•Cheyanne, Wyo.

•Georgetown, Tex.

Dec. 6

•San Jose, Calif.

•Downey, Calif.

•Middletown, Del.

•Melbourne–Wickham, Fla.

•Madison, Tenn.

Sprouts Farmers Market operates more than 415 stores in 23 states nationwide.

The third Jersey Mike’s Subs location in Canada is set to arrive, with hundreds more on the way.

The Aug. 28 opening of Jersey Mike’s in Markham, part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), marks the first major international expansion for the sandwich chain. The store is the first of 300 new Jersey Mike's restaurants Redberry Restaurants is bringing to Canada over the next 10 years.

Markham is the first of six Jersey Mike's locations planned for Ontario in 2024. By the end of the year, Redberry will open additional GTA locations in York Mills and Union Station, as well as three others in Brantford, Guelph and Pickering. The locations will employ nearly 100 crew members total.

Redberry’s planned expansion was first announced in January of this year. In addition to bringing 300 new Jersey Mike’s stores to Canada, the company planned to build almost 300 new Burger King and Taco Bell locations over the next eight years. 

"We are excited to bring ‘A Sub Above’ to the GTA," said Ken Otto, CEO of Redberry. "This is Redberry's first new Jersey Mike's location to open in Canada and we can't wait to share this iconic brand with our new neighbors."

[READ MORE: Jersey Mike’s Subs streamlines voice orders with AI]

To celebrate the grand opening, customers can download the Jersey Mike's app and earn a free regular sub after their first in-app sub purchase. The first 75 visitors on opening day will score a free Jersey Mike's camping chair.

Based in Manasquan, N.J., Jersey Mike’s operates more than 2,285 stores in the United States with nearly 300 new locations in development.

Chicken Salad Chick is continuing to expand its store count in the Lone Star State.

The fast-casual chicken salad chain is set to open its fourth location in San Antonio, Texas’ second-largest city. The new store will open at the Road Runner Creek shopping center, and feature dine-in and carry-out services, as well as a patio for outdoor dining.

As of the beginning of this year, Chicken Salad Chick operated 30 stores in Texas. The chain agreed in January to open 21 new stores in the state over five years through four multi-unit agreements.

"My partners and I have lived in the San Antonio area for the past 25 years and are excited to see it continuing to grow and support local small businesses like ours," said James Oberg, co-owner of the Chicken Salad Chick stores in San Antonio. "Guests at our Stone Oak, Westover Hills, and New Braunfels restaurants have been asking us to open more Chicken Salad Chicks closer to their neighborhoods. We love the opportunity to bring our made-from-scratch favorites and culture of service with heart to even more people in our community."

[READ MORE: Chicken Salad Chick to open first New Orleans locations]

To celebrate the grand opening on Aug. 28, the first guest in line will receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week for an entire year. The next 99 guests in line receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month for a year.

Founded in Auburn, Ala. in 2008, Chicken Salad Chick has grown to more than 260 restaurants in 19 states.

Nearly four-in-10 consumers return an item they purchased online at least once a month, according to a new survey.

Post-purchase intelligence platform Narvar’s 8th annual State of Returns Report found that 39% of consumers make monthly returns, and in 2023 alone, returned merchandise in the United States reached $744 billion. The report noted that 46% of consumers purchase items online once a week or more, and 87% do at least half of their shopping online.

Narvar also found that with growing returns, return fraud is becoming an increasingly severe issue. Nearly six-in-10 (57%) shoppers admitted to engaging in fraudulent returns at least once. This year, return fraud incidents rose 16 percentage points to 52%, making it a critical area for retailers to address.

[READ MORE: Adobe: Mobile shopping breaks records with $280 billion so far in 2024]

For retailers, Narvar's data shows that 60% of consumers are open to exchanges or store credit instead of full refunds if the process is quick and convenient. Younger consumers (ages 18-29) are more likely to favor instant refunds or exchanges, while older shoppers prioritize convenient and low cost return methods.

“The returns process is often overlooked, but it holds incredible potential for driving customer loyalty and lifetime value,” said Amit Sharma, CEO of Narvar. “As our research shows, retailers who invest in optimizing their returns experience can transform this traditionally costly and burdensome process into a significant growth opportunity."

The 2024 State of Returns Report is based on a randomized survey of 1,924 U.S. consumers between the ages of 18-75.