The MULO Dozen: February in Review
The MULO (multi-location) ecosystem is continuously re-inventing, expanding and shrinking, and enhancing the consumer experience with a wide range of new products, technologies, and ways to buy. Here are the trends of the month. Have news to share? Please e-mail [email protected] and join us in September for our Street Fight LIVE 2025 gathering, which will highlight the phygital (physical + digital) world.
- Kudos to one of the fantastic tech companies supporting the MULO world. SOCi earned a spot on G2’s 2025 Best Software Awards for Best Global Software Companies (LEADERSHIP)
- Brick-and-mortar is alive and well in the beauty space. And a beautiful store can lead to more spending. Sephora is redesigning its entire 700-store fleet. (BOOM)
- But while shoppers are busy getting beautiful, things have gotten ugly for Joann’s. The struggling crafts giant just announced that it’s closing all of its 800 stores. Sew sad! (BUST)
- The convenience store (C-store) sector continues to thrive and innovate. Loves is remodeling its travel centers and adding Whataburger to a location in Texas. (INNOVATION)
- White Castle is a family-owned business but is now set to scale by bringing someone in from the outside to help run the iconic burger brand. (LEADERS)
- Walmart debuts its new sustainable, high-tech Arkansas headquarters. Corporations have struggled with bringing people back to the office, but having attractive and functional “digs” is one way to attract talent. (INNOVATION)
- The department store is evolving but is still very much alive and well. Fortnum & Mason tops the list of world’s top 10 ‘best department stores’ (CONSUMER VOICES)
- Back-of-the-house technology and AI can help make team members’ jobs easier and reduce operating expenses and waste. Here’s how Honeygrow is tackling rising costs with AI automation (INNOVATION)
- Chili’s is heating up! The chain more than doubled its same-store sales growth quarter over quarter in Q2 2025. (BOOM)
- The MULO ecosystem is filled with deals. Sun Holdings acquired Uncle Julio’s (BOOM)
- Consumers still love frozen treats. Yogurtland reports strong performance. The chain is adding stores and amping up its digital capabilities. (CONSUMER VOICES)
- The robots are coming! And they are learning to break eggs, which will hatches a new era in the breakfast industry. Egg Breakers USA announced its first-ever automatic countertop egg breaking machine. Now, we just have to work on the egg shortage! (INNOVATION)
