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.

Macy’s Inc. has reportedly selected two nameplate stores in Massachusetts to be part of a larger strategic trimming of its store footprint.

According to the Patriot Ledger, Macy’s has sold its 150,000-sq.-ft. box store and 15.2-acre parcel of land to the owners of the Kingston Collection shopping center in Kingston, Mass. where the store is located. As a result, the store will close in early 2025.

"As part of our new strategy to return Macy’s, Inc. to profitable growth and enhance the customer experience, Macy’s has sold its Macy’s Kingston Collection store in Kingston, Mass.," a Macy’s spokesperson told the Patriot Ledger.

Macy’s is also said to be planning to close nameplate stores in the southeastern Massachusetts community of Hanover. The retailer currently operates 16 locations in Massachusetts.

Read more coverage from the Patriot Ledger here.  

In February 2024, the department store giant said it is “focusing resources” by closing approximately 150 underproductive Macy’s locations, including some 50 by the end of 2024, and prioritizing investment in approximately 350 “go-forward” nameplate locations and the continued expansion of small-format stores. 

In October 2023, Macy’s said it would open up to 30 small-format, off-mall stores through fall 2025, starting in fall 2024.

[READ MORE: Macy’s to close 150 nameplate stores; expand off-mall and luxury formats]

As part of its strategy, dubbed "A Bold New Chapter," the company plans to focus more on luxury goods by opening about 15 Bloomingdale’s stores and at least 30 Bluemercury stores during the next three years. It also expects to remodel about 30 Bluemercury locations during that time. Bloomingdale's and Bluemercury have both outperformed Macy's. 

Smoothie King is expanding its footprint in the Centennial State.

The world’s largest smoothie chain is continuing its expansion in Colorado with two new store openings and six new store commitments within the state. The expansion comes on the heels of the company opening five new locations in Colorado in 2023. 

The two new franchise-owned stores opened earlier this fall in Longmont, while the second just opened in Glendale. Smoothie King’s footprint in Colorado previously included 14 stores, and with the addition of these two new stores and six future openings, the smoothie brand will expand its presence in the state by nearly 60%. The six future stores will open within the next three years, all within the following cities in the Denver metro area: Lafayette, Highlands Ranch, Wheat Ridge, Lakewood, Englewood and Parker. 

[READ MORE: Smoothie King opens 18 stores, gets 34 commitments in Q2]

"We are thrilled to expand our footprint not only in the Denver area, a key market for Smoothie King, but more broadly throughout Colorado, a state where we still have plenty of growth opportunity for new and existing franchisees," said Chris Bremer, chief development officer at Smoothie King. "We’re proud to show up in so many of Colorado’s communities, that like Smoothie King, are passionate about living healthy and active lifestyles.”

Smoothie King's growth in Colorado follows plans for new stores in other large markets including Las Vegas and Grand Rapids, Mich. Earlier this year, the chain said it was aiming for 100 new store openings in 2024.

Founded in 1973, Dallas-based Smoothie King operates more than 1,300 units worldwide.

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]