News Briefs

The town of Bonita Springs, Fla., is busy with clean-up efforts following Hurricane Milton, and Midtown at Bonita Springs continues to line up tenants.

The under-construction mixed-use development being built by The Zuckerman Group a quarter of a mile east of I-75 on Bonita Beach Road has announced the signing of leases with eight brands that include Chipotle Mexican Grill, Panera Bread, Club Pilates, Noire the Nail Bar, and Bonita Beach Wine & Spirits

Other future occupants at Midtown include:

• The Hangry Bison, whose bison burgers have been honored with Foodie Awards by the Orlando Sentinel for Orlando’s Best Burger;
• Jeff’s Bagel Run, crowned one of America’s Best Bagels at NYC Bagelfest in 2023, and
• Good Vets, a full-service veterinary clinic that provides urgent care, surgical services for cats and dogs in a luxurious environment.

“Retailers are bullish on the market because they see an opportunity to fill a gap in the available choices,” said Scott Sherman, principal of Torose Equities, the retail partners for Midtown at Bonita Springs. “We are seeing strong interest from local, regional, and national retailers.”

The 68-acre project will contain 315,000 sq. ft of retail, 400 residential units, 165 hotel rooms and is scheduled to open in 2026.

Walmart’s head of revenue will now be pulling double duty in the C-suite.

Seth Dallaire, who has served as Walmart’s chief revenue officer since 2021 after serving in the same position at Instacart, is now assuming the newly created position of chief growth officer of Walmart U.S.

In a post on his official LinkedIn profile, Dallaire said Walmart continues to “accelerate (its) transformation into a fully integrated omnichannel business.”

"This opportunity is about driving growth across all facets of our business and further enhancing how we serve our customers with value, convenience, and innovation—meeting their needs however, whenever, and wherever they shop," Dallaire said in the LinkedIn post. "The results we’ve seen already are truly exciting — and I look forward to what we’ll accomplish together in this next phase of growth."

While at Walmart, Dallaire has led the Walmart Connect, Walmart Data Ventures and Walmart+ teams. He has also previously held the title of VP of global advertising sales at Amazon, where he launched the company’s retail media business, as well as sales executive roles at Yahoo and Microsoft.

[READ MORE: Amazon a growing power in advertising]

According to Pymnts, Walmart CEO John Furnier announced Dallaire’s new title in an internal corporate memo distributed internally Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. In the memo, Furnier reportedly said Dallaire helped Walmart transform from a “store business to a 'people-led, tech-powered, omnichannel business,'” and also announced that Jon Alferness, chief product officer of Walmart U.S., will serve the remainder of the year in an advisory role before leaving the company.

Read more Pymnts coverage here.

Kroger is looking to hire more than 25,000 workers ahead of the holiday season.

The grocer says it aims to fill a variety of positions, including cashiers, baggers, deli and bakery clerks, pharmacy technicians, delivery drivers and more. Kroger currently employs more than 420,000 associates who support its more than 2,800 stores under a variety of banners across the U.S.

"As we gear up for a memorable and festive holiday season for our customers, we are seeking to hire new associates excited to deliver exceptional service and demonstrate our core values, both for the season and their career," said Tim Massa, senior VP and chief people officer at Kroger. "We are committed to offering all associates a culture of opportunity, growth and a career with purpose. While many may join our team in pursuit of a job, we are so inspired to see every associate discover a fulfilling career."

[READ MORE: Here's what Kroger holiday shoppers want]

Kroger is touting competitive pay, benefits and flexible scheduling as part of its pitch to attract seasonal workers. The grocer joins the list of major retailers looking to grow their workforce ahead of the holiday season, including Amazon, Macy’s, JCPenney and Target.

[Editor’s Note: Kroger is in the midst of legal proceedings regarding a proposed $25 billion merger with fellow grocery giant Albertsons Companies. Kroger recently filed a motion for a preliminary injunction against a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) challenge to the merger proposal.]

Harry & David food gifts are coming to select Macy’s locations via in-store pop-ups this holiday season.

Starting in October 2024 and running through early January 2025, the pop-ups will offer what 1-800-Flowers.com banner Harry & David calls a "festive, in-person setting" with a "carefully curated" product assortment.

"The holidays are all about creating connections, and there’s no better way to connect with our customers than by offering an in-store experience," said Joseph Rowland, group president, gourmet foods & gift baskets, Harry & David. "By teaming up with Macy’s, we’re bringing the joy of gourmet gifting directly to our customers in a way that captures the magic of the season."

The six Macy’s stores featuring the Harry & David pop-ups are:

• Glendale Galleria, Glendale, Calif. (currently open), 
• South Coast Plaza Home, Costa Mesa, Calif. (currently open), 
• Sherman Oaks Fashion Square, Sherman Oaks, Calif. (opens Oct. 16)
• Roosevelt Field, Garden City, N.Y. (opens Oct. 23), 
• Queens Center, Queens, N.Y. (opens Oct. 26),
• Herald Square, New York City (opens Oct. 30).  

Customers can sample products and consult with in-store experts to make holiday purchases.

"We are excited to join forces with Harry & David this holiday season and offer our customers this unique experience," said Tom Leuer, VP, foods and toys at Macy’s. "Macy’s is your guide to all things holiday and these curated gourmet sets are the perfect gifts for all the foodies on your shopping list."

Other Macy’s store-in-store partnerships have included collaborations with It’Sugar and Toys ’R’ Us. The department store retailer also activated Zero10 virtual try-on technology at the Disney Princess Shop in its Herald Square flagship.

[READ MORE: CSA Q&A: Macy’s enables virtual AR try-on at in-store Disney shop]

Just Eat Takeaway.com, the global online food delivery platform whose portfolio includes Grubhub, is providing targeted ads to customers at checkout.

Through a Just Eat Takeaway.com partnership with AI- and ML-based personalization technology provider Rokt, Grubhub in the U.S. will enable endemic and non-endemic (brands whose products and services are not sold or delivered via Grubhub) advertisers to offer relevant messages to customers on the order confirmation and order tracking pages of its app and website.

"Rokt is a respected global leader with well over a decade of experience helping brands and marketplaces like ours unlock new revenues and drive customer satisfaction and loyalty," said Rachel Gómez, director of retail media at Just Eat Takeaway.com. "We're excited to leverage Rokt's technology as we expand our retail media program to the checkout page and enable endemic and non-endemic advertising partners to share compelling messages that contribute to our mission to empower everyday convenience for our customers."

Grubhub also recently added several new features to its consumer app, including cross-sell recommendations, priority delivery, live activity tracking, homepage personalization and a digital wallet.

[READ MORE: Grubhub streamlines enterprise communications and operations]

"We're delighted to partner with Just Eat Takeaway.com and provide our growing global network of advertisers with access to the company's portfolio of brands that reaches a massive consumer audience across 19 countries," said Marc Allsop, head of EMEA at Rokt. "Over the past three years, Rokt has experienced exponential growth in the UK and Europe, with the number of transactions we power more than tripling year over year."

Atlanta-based Zaxbys is entering a new state on the East Coast.

The quick-serve chain known for its chicken fingers and wings will soon open its first stores in Maryland. Franchise co-owners Curtis and Teresa Snyder, along with Teresa's father, Thomas Mitchell, have signed a territory agreement to open three locations along Maryland's Eastern Shore. The first Zaxbys in Maryland is slated to open in Cambridge in late 2025, with additional locations in Easton and West Ocean City/Berlin to follow.

"We are thrilled to expand Zaxbys into Maryland with Curtis, Teresa and Thomas leading the charge,” said Mike Mettler, Zaxbys’ chief development officer. “Their commitment to their community and dedication to delivering a high-quality experience for customers perfectly aligns with Zaxbys values. We look forward to seeing them grow the brand on the Eastern Shore."

The first Maryland Zaxbys location will be built near a Walmart in Cambridge, with a modern farmhouse design. Another location is planned near a new hospital development in Easton, and the third will be located in the West Ocean City/Berlin area. In the long term, the family says they aim to expand further into Maryland, with potential plans for future locations in Salisbury.

[READ MORE: Fast-casual restaurants, on-site segments lead industry growth in 2024]

"We've always wanted to bring something special to the Eastern Shore, and Zaxbys is the perfect fit,” said Curtis Snyder. “The quality of the product, combined with the brand's growth strategy, convinced us this was the right move. Maryland residents, along with travelers from Baltimore and D.C. heading to the shore, are going to love it." 

Founded in 1990, Zaxbys operates more than 950 locations in 17 states.