News Briefs

REI Co-op is continuing what has become one of its most signature traditions as it goes dark on one of the biggest shopping days of the year.

The outdoor retailer will once again close its doors on Black Friday, which falls on Nov. 27 this year. In addition to its stores, all REI distribution centers, call centers and headquarters will be closed on that day.

Launched in 2015, REI’s “Opt Outside” program was made permanent in 2022, ensuring employees would continue to have the day off each year. Customers can continue to browse and place orders online on Black Friday, with order processing and fulfillment resuming the following day.

“Since its launch, Opt Outside has inspired millions of people and hundreds of organizations to rethink how they spend Black Friday,” REI stated. "What began as an invitation to skip the shopping crowds has become a celebration of the many ways time outdoors brings people together.”

Headquartered near Seattle, REI has a community of 26 million members.

Family-owned rural lifestyle retailer Rural King is enhancing its rewards offering with exclusive savings, special offers and everyday benefits.

Rural King is building on the “Hot Deals” rewards experience launched in September at participating stores in Florida, Alabama and Georgia. Hot Deals offered members discounts on 10 everyday essentials, including pet food, livestock feed, household supplies and automotive products. 

The initiative focused on delivering savings on products customers regularly purchase, with prices at least 25% below normal market prices. Positive response helped shape Rural King's revamp of its loyalty program, extending the emphasis on everyday value beyond a select group of stores and products.

Under the refreshed Rural King Rewards program, members will receive several enhanced benefits, including:

• Exclusive opportunities to save on products throughout the store.
• Birthday and membership anniversary rewards.
• Early access to sales and events.
• A more convenient shopping experience with simplified access to purchase records.

As part of the transition, members will no longer earn points on eligible purchases under the base Rural King Rewards loyalty program. Any remaining points that have not been converted into rewards will expire, while previously issued rewards will remain valid for 60 days from their issuance dates and can be redeemed in stores or online. Rural King Visa cardholders will continue to earn points through the Rural King Visa Rewards program.

[READ MORE: Survey: Consumers' favorite loyalty programs include...]

In addition, the Hot Deals program will be available at Rural King stores nationwide, with additional benefits rolling out in phases. Rural King Rewards is free to join. 

Rural King, also known as RK Holdings, LLP, was founded in Mattoon, Ill., in 1960 and now operates more than 160 stores in 18 states: Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Chicken Salad Chick has reached a milestone store opening with many more locations in the works.

The fast-casual chicken salad restaurant chain has opened its 350th location, following a “record breaking” 2025 in which the company opened 42 locations across 14 states.

The chain is trending towards record growth in 2026 as well. Chicken Salad Chick says it has awarded more than 100 franchise units so far this year, and has opened its first restaurants in five new states, including Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah and West Virginia.

Looking ahead, Chicken Salad Chick says it has nearly 350 locations in its development pipeline, and is actively seeking franchise partners across the Northeast, with territories remaining in New Jersey, New York and central Pennsylvania.

"Surpassing 350 restaurants is a proud milestone, but what excites us most is who is helping us get there," said Mark Verges, VP of franchise development at Chicken Salad Chick. "Every new state we enter is led by owners who share our mission to ‘Spread Joy, Enrich Lives, and Serve Others.’ That commitment is what allows us to grow at this pace without losing sight of the hospitality that has defined Chicken Salad Chick since day one."

[READ MORE: Chicken Salad Chick expands footprint in three states — here's where]

Founded in Auburn, Ala., in 2008, Chicken Salad Chick operates 350 locations in 27 states. The chain is known for its dozen-plus variety of made-from-scratch chicken salad flavors, fresh sides, soups, signature sandwiches and desserts.

Sur La Table is partnering with Affirm to give customers more flexibility in how they pay for online purchases.

In an announcement exclusively emailed to Chain Store Age, Sur La Table said it is now allowing eligible customers to pay over time for most items shipped from its e-commerce site. The premium kitchenware retailer is offering biweekly or monthly payment options starting at 0% annual percentage rate (APR) in collaboration with payment network provider Affirm.

Before they buy, customers see their full payment schedule and total cost, including any interest. Affirm never charges late fees, hidden fees or compounding interest.

“People do not build a kitchen all at once. They build it over years, one pan and one knife at a time, and the pieces they keep are the ones that were worth buying in the first place,” said Elton Graham, chief marketing officer at Sur La Table. “We have offered customers flexibility in how they pay for a while now. Affirm gives people cost certainty, with no late fees and nothing buried in the fine print.”

Sur La Table is timing this new flexible payment method to arrive as the holiday hosting season begins. The retailer also recently began offering on-demand or scheduled delivery from all its stores nationwide through the Uber Eats marketplace, with o-demand delivery fulfilled in as a little as 25 minutes.

[READ MORE: Sur La Table provides ultra-fast delivery with Uber Eats]

“Sur La Table has built its reputation on helping people find the right pieces for their kitchens,” said Wayne Pommen, chief revenue officer at Affirm. “Affirm is a natural fit for that experience, giving customers more choice and control over their purchases, with clear payment terms upfront and no financial surprises after checkout.” 

Sur La Table operates approximately 60 locations across 24 states.

Cyber Week is a critical part of the holiday shopping season, but new data from Acoustic shows retailers may view it differently than their customers.

Nearly three-quarters of U.S. consumers who made at least one purchase between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday in 2025 surveyed by AI marketing platform Acoustic did most of their seasonal buying outside that five-day period, yet 69% of surveyed retail marketers say they build their holiday plans around promotional Cyber Week dates and offers.

[READ MORE: Bain: Consumers will spend over $85B during Cyber Week]

The Acoustic “2026 Cyber 5 Gap Report” also reveals 68% of consumer respondents did wait for a Cyber Five deal on at least one item, but only 22% of consumer respondents who received holiday messages said most of the messages they received were relevant. In contrast, 46% of marketer respondents said most of their own Cyber Week messages were relevant.

Other findings

• Among consumer respondents who received holiday messages, 54% unsubscribed, opted out or took another action to cut off at least one brand. Of those shoppers, 53% cited too many messages as the main reason.
• Among consumer respondents who encountered a holiday sellout, 28% bought the desired item from another retailer.
• Nearly three-quarters of retailer respondents changed a promotion during Cyber Week.

The study also notes that across the Acoustic sender base from August through September 2026, behavior-triggered emails recorded a 5.5% click-through rate, compared with 1.42% for scheduled emails, a 3.9x difference in click-throughs.

The “2026 Cyber 5 Gap Report” combines Acoustic’s proprietary research among 1,048 U.S. online shoppers and 295 in-house retail marketers in September and October 2026, with observed email performance data from Acoustic’s platform. 

(Image: Alexander Limbach)

The nation’s largest chain of neighborhood centers has partnered with Hendricks Commercial to revive a 330,000-sq.-ft. mixed-use center in Kentucky.

Kimco Realty will now assume the operation of Fritz Farm in Lexington with $104 million in financing funds provided by Blackstone. Opened in 2017 on 36 acres, the center’s premium tenants include Apple, Sephora, Nike, Lululemon, Kendra Scott and William Sonoma, and is 92% occupied.

”Fritz Farm is Lexington’s premier mixed-use project, drawing customers from throughout Kentucky,” said Conor Lalor, president of Newmark, which arranged the financing. “The partnership between Hendricks Commercial and Kimco Realty is a win-win, not only for the partners, but also for the community of Lexington that will benefit from excellent long-term stewardship of its flagship retail destination.”

Located at the intersection of Nicholasville Road and Man O’ War Boulevard, Fritz Farm is anchored by Whole Foods Market. The center benefits from strong tenant sales, according to Newmark, and has six acres available for future retail and residential development. 

Lexington is the home of the University of Kentucky and is the center of the region’s renowned bourbon and equine industries. Newmark claims that Fritz Farm is the state’s most-visited lifestyle center.