Pump It Up! C-Store Innovations & News
The convenience store (C-store) is a MULO (multi-location) retailer we often take for granted. Most of us have stopped along the road for a hygiene break, a fuel refill (gas or electric), coffee, and perhaps even a snack and frosty beverage. Urban and suburban dwellers often rely on their neighborhood 24-hour MULO store for late-night […]
The Robot in Your Dressing Room
Walmart and Amazon are leading the charge in launching new technologies that use AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) to enable prospective shoppers to “try on” everything from cosmetics to eyewear to fashion. Called “the next step in retail evolution,” virtual try-on technology: May reduce online shopping returns because consumers can better understand how an […]
Cookie Plug: Baking With a New Recipe in a Crowded Space
Last year, the global cookie market generated approximately $40B. That’s a lot of dough! But “oven racks” (number of brands) is growing! Enter Todd Saperstein, a Phoenix-area franchisee of a relatively new cookie brand, Cookie Plug. He’s not new to running a franchise brand, having owned five Dickey’s Barbeque Pits in Oregon for ten years. He […]
5 MULO Retail & Food Brands Who Are Trend-Spotting and Innovating
The most successful MULO (multi-location) retail and food brands are often those that know their core customers and are continuously innovating to meet their needs. However, the winners usually stay on top of (and ahead of) consumer trends and develop products, offers, and services that meet the needs of new segments without losing brand fans. […]
The MULO Dozen: May Brands in Review
The biggest news for the month of May is the announcement of the return of Street Fight LIVE! More than a decade ago, it’s original founders created this highly interactive leadership event as the place to be for brands, agencies, and technology providers. They knew that the screen (large and small) would be the gateway to […]
Will “Sneakerheads” Dash to Foot Locker’s New Store Concept?
The average American owns about 12 pairs of shoes. Many of those are sneakers. Sneakers represent about $80B in sales worldwide, and that spending appears to be on the upswing. Once reserved primarily for athletes, sneakers are now a wardrobe staple and are selected based on purpose, comfort, fashion statement, and various other factors. Foot […]
How Can IHOP Become an International House of Profit?
Fluffy pancakes are not the only thing being served at IHOP these days. Formerly known as International House of Pancakes, the MULO (multi-location) brand, run by California-based Dine Brands Global, Inc., has about 1,800 restaurants worldwide, including outposts in all 50 states, two U.S. territories, and 13 countries outside the U.S. The parent company also […]
Do Stores Need Walls? Wayfair Seems to Think So!
While some retail brands (like Lord & Taylor and Bed Bath & Beyond) have transitioned to online-only models, others are heading in the other direction, building physical locations. The latest example is Wayfair, which will open its first store later this month in Edens Plaza in Wilmette, Illinois. The 150,000-square-foot outpost will take a page […]
What’s New at The Cheesecake Factory?
We’re not talking menu items (although that ahi tuna salad looks pretty amazing). The company had a great first quarter ($891.2 million compared to $866.1 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2023). Fortune also named the Cheesecake Factory a “best company to work for” for the 11th year running. Cheesecake Factory’s performance is especially […]
Weight Loss Centers Firm Up
The weight management industry in the U.S. generated $90B in revenue in 2023. Fed by demand for weight loss drugs (contributing close to $12B in sales), trimming down seems timeless, although brick-and-mortar centers have evolved over the years. Weight Watchers was founded in 1963 by Jean Nidetch and grew to thousands of locations worldwide. In 2018, […]
“Momentjacking” is the New Holiday Promotion
You may have heard of “newsjacking.” It simply means that brands and influencers plan their social media posting and content around current events and consumer trends. However, as the world (and social media feeds) move faster than ever before and people jump on a wide range of “fauxlidays” (contrived holidays meant mostly for marketing purposes), reality […]
Pizza Industry Tech
“Let’s order a couple of pies!” … “Let’s grab a slice!” … Those suggestions are alive and well, as evidenced by Americans eating an average of 156 slices each year. The pizza industry is estimated at $46B. Local single-location pizza shops still exist, but the MULO (multi-location) giant Domino’s tops the list in terms of […]
MULO Outposts are In Vogue
What do we mean by a MULO (multi-location) outpost? It’s a brand that’s located within a “non-traditional” venue. For example, Hudson News is a standard airport tenant that sells magazines, treats, and travel-related incidentals for travelers to grab en route. They have more than 1,000 stores now in 37 states. Imagine this writer’s surprise when […]
Who is Today’s Franchisee?
The answer is, “It could be anyone!” Among the new breed of franchisee (in addition to celebrities and private equity firms) are what we call “corporate refugees.” Experienced business professionals are burning out and aging out of big businesses and seeking autonomy, ownership, and creativity; they seek ways to operate and scale businesses without some […]
Is Bankruptcy the New Normal for MULO Brands?
Over the past year, we’ve featured many articles about multi-location (MULO) brands that declared bankruptcy (BUSTs). But we’ve also seen brands emerge from bankruptcy, become part of other companies (like Bed Bath & Beyond and Overstock), and/or change their business model to be online-only (as Lord & Taylor did with its iconic brand). Some other […]
BUST: No-Booze Retailers
Although the alcohol-free cocktail market is on the upswing (over $162B in revenue this year), MULO (multi-location) retailers devoted to booze-free beverages seem to be struggling. Boisson was founded in Brooklyn in 2021 and expanded to Miami and Los Angeles. Although the company was planning on international expansion, it recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy […]
Flying Fries: Autonomous Delivery Takes Off!
Imagine this… You use your phone to order your pizza or burger (or perhaps a t-shirt because you didn’t pack properly for the weather) from a remote location. Within the hour, a drone, driverless car, or other autonomous “thing” brings you your food and beverage or fashion statement. What was considered sci-fi a mere few […]
The MULO Dozen: April Brands in Review
Another April …another 12 innovations, booms, busts, and leadership changes in the MULO (multi-location) world. Retailers and restaurants are always scaling, shrinking, and experimenting with new innovation, footprints, business models, and technologies. In addition to covering many of them throughout the month, these end-of-month wrap-ups are designed to give you even more news and ideas. Speaking […]
BUST: A Timeless Ice Cream Brand Melts
Oberweis Ice Cream and Dairy was founded in 1927 and is an iconic Midwest retail brand. It recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and is in the process of reorganizing. The company operates 43 locations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Missouri. While other ice cream brands thrive, Oberweis owes about $4 million to 20 creditors […]
Self-Checkout Grows Up (and Sometimes Phases Out)
As the cost of labor skyrockets (especially in California) and the size of the qualified talent pool shrinks for MULO (multi-location) brands, retailers and restaurants are looking for ways to automate and streamline all aspects of their operations. Self-checkout was introduced in the 1980s but didn’t take off and proliferate until 2001. Since their mass roll-out, […]