INDUSTRY NEWS
NEWS, NOTES & TRENDS...
AroundtheIndustry RETAIL Dick’s Sporting Goods The 100,000-square-foot Dick’s Sporting Goods recently opened in Eastview Mall in Victor, New York, features an indoor putting green, an outdoor track and a climbing wall. A second House of Sport location is scheduled to open in Knoxville, Tennessee later this year. Lowe’s Lowe’s will open an outlet store in part of a former full-service Lowe’s location to sell large kitchen and laundry appliances. The retailer has opened similar stores in markets, including Miami and Chicago. Target Stores Target appears to be on track to reach its goal of opening 30 to 40 stores this year with 12 new locations already operating, including a site along Hollywood’s Walk of Fame in Los Angeles and a small-format store near the University of Georgia campus. Foot Locker Foot Locker will convert about one-third of its 272 Footaction stores into Foot Locker locations and close the rest over the next two years as it focuses on its four higher-performing banners. The retailer plans to open 160 locations over the next year under its namesake, Kids Foot Locker, Eastbay and Champs banners. Google Google will open a retail store on the site of its corporate campus in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood this summer to sell the company’s gadgets. The store will give consumers a chance to try items like Google’s Pixel phones, Nest thermostats and Fitbit wearables before they buy them. The Container Store The Container Store is working on a smaller store format to debut next year and considering options for in-store shops to keep the momentum going after a year of strong sales fueled by home organizing trends. Stores will also put a greater focus on demonstrations and staff expertise to increase service offerings. Sotheby’s Sotheby’s has officially unveiled its new permanent retail store in New York City. The store named The Emporium is located within the lower level of the auction house’s very own galleries and is expected to be the latest expansion of the growing Buy Now online marketplace.
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COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 5, 2021
M&M Mall of America will be home to the sixth M&M’s store, as Mars Wrigley is returning to its roots with its new 24,000 square foot M&M’s store on the Bloomington megamall’s first floor (east side) near the Rotunda on Mall of America.
RESTAURANT Wendy’s Wendy’s is on a mission to grow from about 6,800 units to 8,000 global locations over the next few years and has expanded its store design options to cater to new consumer demands and franchisees’ needs. New formats include drive thru-only locations and mobile dark kitchens, and the chain has also created an incentive program for franchisees to encourage more multiunit operators. Panera Bread Panera Bread has unveiled a new store format that features updated ordering kiosks and a second drive-thru dedicated to order pickup. Other features of the new store design, which is scheduled to debut in Missouri later this year, include the ability to do contactless transactions for both dine-in and delivery. Saladworks Saladworks, which has seen success with its locations inside Kroger and ShopRite stores, plans to add 25 to 30 similar in-store sites this year and more than 100 in 2022, as it pivots to meet demand caused by the pandemic-related closings of salad bars and deli counters. The company also wants to expand its ghost kitchen sites from the 90 it now has mainly inside Walmart stores to more than 400. Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux Louisiana-based casual dining chain Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux will grow to 52 units this month and plans to open at least 20 new restaurants this year. The chain is developing smaller footprints in response to growing demand for off-premises dining during the pandemic. Blaze Pizza Blaze Pizza plans to grow from 340 locations to more than 800 by 2025 and has recently announced plans for 16 units in Florida, Texas and Tennessee.
