AroundtheIndustry

Uniqlo

Plans are in progress for a Uniqlo in downtown Seattle. The store will fill the ground floor of the historic Bon Marche and former Macy’s building. That space has stood empty for more than two years, since Macy’s closed in February of 2020.

Meta

Meta, formerly Facebook, has opened a brick-and-mortar store on its Burlingame, California campus to introduce consumers to devices including the Quest 2 virtual reality headset and Ray-Ban Stories smart sunglasses. Shoppers will be able to try out the gadgets and learn how they can be used to explore the metaverse, and they’ll be able to make purchases in the store or online.

The Container Store

Home organization retailer The Container Store released a new logo, tagline and campaign on, which it calls “the last most organized day of the century.” The retailer is taking a more emotional approach with these elements as it seeks to “transform lives through the power of organization.”

IKEA

Ikea-owned Ingka Group’s investment arm, Ingka Investments, is spending $373 million to develop nine solar parks in Spain and Germany to make its store and warehouse operations in the two countries carbon neutral. Construction is scheduled to begin later this year.

Burrow

Direct-to-consumer furniture brand Burrow will roll out 10 new brickand-mortar stores over the next couple years, in formats that will work with the brand’s e-commerce platform. Customers will be able to access both virtual and in-person consultations, and stores will showcase new products ahead of their rollout for online sales.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings

BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings will open four new stores this year, one of which will serve as an innovation lab for testing new assortments, product demonstrations and convenience strategies. The innovationfocused store in Warwick, Rhode Island will have a smaller format and go by the name BJ’s Market, while the remaining three clubs, planned for Lady Lake, Florida; Canton, Michigan; and Greenburgh, New York, will be traditional warehouse clubs.

Restaurants

Noodles & Co.

Noodles & Co.’s expansion plans include franchise development and more restaurants in states such as Texas, North Carolina, New Mexico and Alabama.

Freebirds World Burrito

Texas-based fast-casual chain Freebirds World Burrito has partnered with Now Cuisine to create robotic burrito bowl kiosks called Takeout Stations, which will test in Dallas-area office buildings and multifamily spaces. Each machine will be able to serve up to 150 meals before it needs restocking and the companies aim to ultimately expand the kiosks to hotels, airports, college campuses, and other nontraditional spaces.

Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A has launched its “Little Blue Menu” delivery-only operation in Nashville, Tennessee, with three distinct concepts: Flock & Farm, Garden Day, and Outfox Wings. Customers can order from Chick-fil-A’s familiar menu, and input from the one-city rollout will help the chain tweak the program before it debuts in more markets.

HipCityVeg

Philadelphia-based HipCityVeg made its New York City as part of a push to double in size to 15 locations by early this year. The plantbased fast-casual chain’s plans include two more New York City units that will be delivery-only “Go Kitchens,” as well as two new eateries each in Philadelphia and Washington, DC.

Panera Bread

Panera Bread will power half its restaurants with renewable energy sources by 2025, shift to 100% sustainable packaging and boost sales of eco-friendly “Cool Food Meals” as part of the chain’s plan to become “climate positive.” In a step up from carbon-neutrality, Panera’s plans call for its operations to remove more carbon from the atmosphere than they emit by 2050.

Burger King

Burger King will trim some menu items in the US to speed up drive-thru times, which have slowed over the past year amid surging demand for off-premises dining. The chain will also improve menu designs to make ordering easier for customers and simplify food preparation processes for faster order fulfillment.

East Coast Wings + Grill

East Coast Wings + Grill is in growth mode with plans for fast-casual and smaller-format locations that give prospective franchisees more options.

Ghost Kitchen Brands

Canada-based Ghost Kitchen Brands has opened the first of 30 planned US locations in partnership with Walmart. The location at a Walmart store in Rochester, New York enables customers to order takeout or delivery via in-store kiosks or a mobile app from 25 restaurant and packaged food brands, including Quiznos, Saladworks and Kraft.

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