News Briefs

Waffle House is now offering all-night delivery between the hours of 9 p.m. and 8 a.m. in a new exclusive partnership with DoorDash that is timed for its 70th anniversary and National Waffle Week. The diner chain is utilizing the DoorDash Drive on-Demand solution, which lets it offer delivery through its own app and website with fulfillment by DoorDash drivers for a flat fee per delivery.

[READ MORE: Waffle House debuts delivery program]

1-800-Flowers Inc. is expanding two of its retail brands for the holidays. 

Harry & David and Things Remembered will open a series of pop-up stores for the holiday shopping season. The expansion includes Things Remembered’s return to the retail landscape, with a pop-up (complete with live engraving stations) at Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, Calif.  

Harry & David’s holiday pop-ups are located at the following locations:

• California: Westfield Galleria at Roseville, Roseville;  Westfield Century City, Los Angeles (both opened on Sept. 5)
• New Jersey: Westfield Garden State Plaza, Paramus; (opened Sept. 5); The Mall at Short Hills, Short Hills (opening Oct. 4)
• Virginia: Tysons Corner Center, Tysons (opening Oct. 8)

Harry & David will also return to select Macy's locations with holiday pop-ups at South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, Calif. (Sept. 29); Del Amo Fashion Center, Torrance, Calif. (Oct. 3); and the flagship Herald Square store in New York City (Oct. 31). This is in an addition to Harry & David’s existing retail locations in Long Island, New York, and Oregon.

“There's something magical that happens when consumers can touch, smell, and truly experience our products in person," said Adolfo Villagomez, CEO, 1-800-Flowers.com. “The new retail locations are another way for us to meet consumers exactly where they are in their moment and help them express what matters most."

[READ MORE: 1-800-Flowers taps former Home Depot exec as CEO]

A leading office supplies chain is debuting a new speedy pickup option for its customers. 

Called the “15-Minute Pickup Promise,” the service allows customers to pick up qualifying online or mobile orders in-store or curbside in just 15 minutes. It is now available at Office Depot and OfficeMax stores (both banners of The ODP Corp.) nationwide. 

To use the new option, customers place a qualifying order at officedepot.com or via the Office Depot mobile app and select "In-Store or Curbside Pickup" at least one hour before closing. If the order isn’t ready in 15 minutes, they will receive a $15 coupon for your next qualifying purchase within 72 hours.

The new program compliments Office Depot’s other shopping and fulfillment services, including buy now, pay later with PayPal, same-day delivery and same-day printing services.

“At Office Depot, we’re committed to providing the fastest and easiest shopping experience in the nation for our customers, whether they’re wrapping up back-to-school lists or running their own small business,” said Kevin Moffitt, president of Office Depot. “Our 15-Minute Pickup Promise is designed to deliver convenience and peace of mind so that customers can get what they need – when they need it – and focus on what matters most.”

[READ MORE: Office Depot launches business services program]

Headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla., Office Depot Inc. operates approximately 1,400 stores through its banner brands Office Depot, OfficeMax, CompuCom and Grand&Toy banners, along with an online presence.

Bath & Body Works is gearing up for the holiday season with its annual hiring surge.

The personal care and home fragrance retailer has announced plans to hire more than 30,000 seasonal associates across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico to support its nearly 1,900 North American stores, along with more than 2,000 full-time roles at its five Ohio-based distribution centers. Bath & Body Works says the seasonal expansion is designed to ensure stores and logistics teams are “fully staffed to support increased consumer demand and deliver exceptional customer experiences.”

The figure is down slightly from last year, when the company shared plans to hire approximately 33,000 new seasonal associates for its busiest sales season.

Bath & Body Works is offering a wide range of benefits to its seasonal hires, including 40% discount at Bath & Body Works stores, competitive wages and flexible scheduling, access to earned wages before payday via DailyPay, and climate-controlled facilities and paid holidays for full-time distribution center associates.

[READ MORE: Bath & Body Works in a college first]

“The holiday season is when our brand, products and strong teams shine brightest,” said Bath & Body Works CEO Daniel Heaf, who took the reins of the company in May after serving as chief strategy and transformation officer for Nike. “It’s our peak season and delivering excellence for our customers starts with the incredible people in our stores and distribution centers. We’re proud to create jobs for thousands of associates who will help us meet the moment and deliver a world-class experience for every customer.”

As of Aug. 2, 2025, Bath & Body Works operated 1,904 locations in the U.S. and Canada, along with 537 international franchised locations and an online storefront.

Tariffs and other economic uncertainties have been a boon for secondhand and thrift stores.

That’s according to a new report from foot traffic analytics firm Placer.ai, which found that during the third quarter of 2025 (between July 1 and August 22), overall visits to thrift stores rose 10.1% year over year. Average visits per location rose 9.6.

In other insights, during the second quarter of this year visits to thrift stores were up 39.5% compared to the second quarter of 2019 — far exceeding the 9.5% growth seen across the broader clothing industry, noted the report.

“This visit growth advantage reflects a mix of factors, including heightened economic pressures and sustainability concerns,” the report stated. “In addition, while much apparel shopping has shifted online — and digital resale platforms like ThredUp are gaining traction — thrifting remains inherently experiential and in-person.

Other insights from Placer.ai’s “Thrift Store Visit Growth Outpaces Apparel as Tariffs Loom” report are below:

• The median household income of areas feeding visits to thrift stores has risen steadily since 2019, reflecting a significant broadening of these stores' customer base beyond their traditional lower-income demographic. The median household income of areas feeding visits to thrift stores rising to $75,500 during the first half of 2025  — up from $73,300 during the first half of 2019.
• Geographically, thrift shopping has also expanded beyond its urban roots. The share of visits from rural, semi-rural, and suburban communities has climbed consistently over the past six years.

According to 13th annual “2025 Resale Report” from online resale platform ThredUp, The U.S. secondhand apparel market (includes online and in-store resale as well as the donation/thrift sector) grew 14% in 2024, which marked its strongest annual growth since 2021 and outpacing the broader retail clothing market by five times.

Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers has changed hands.

Investment funds affiliated with global private equity firm Rhône have acquired the Wichita, Kan.-based hamburger chain from Thompson Street Capital Partners. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. 

Freddy’s was acquired by Thompson Street Capital Partners in March 2021. Founded in 2002, the chain currently operates over 550 locations across the United States and Canada and generated more than $1 billion in system wide sales in the past year. In January, Freddy's said its goal is to reach 800 restaurants by 2026.

The chain is known for cooked-to-order steakburgers, shoestring fries, freshly-churned frozen custard treats and more.

“Rhône looks forward to bringing its experience with global consumer brands to its most recent investment in Freddy’s as the company expands its footprint and further improves its guest experience,” said Lucas Flynn, a managing director at Rhône. “We see a compelling opportunity to partner with Chris and the rest of the leadership team to help bring the unique Freddy’s offering to more customers around the world and support the company in this next chapter of growth.”

[READ MORE: Freddy's makes Canadian debut with Winnipeg store]

Following the acquisition, the Freddy’s executive team will remain unchanged, with Chris Dull continuing to lead the charge as president & CEO. The chain says it “remains committed” to providing the same quality food guests have come to enjoy, while “positioning itself to expand into new markets.”

“This acquisition marks a pivotal moment for Freddy’s,” said Dull. “Over the last few years, we’ve seen steady growth and surpassed many milestones for our brand, while simultaneously strengthening our franchise system and building a loyal guest following. We’re excited to take our success to the next level with this new partnership with Rhône. Together, we look forward to unlocking even greater opportunities for the Freddy’s franchise family.”