News Briefs

KnitWell Group has announced a new partnership that will bring its Talbots apparel brand to Mexico.

The holding company, which is comprised of Ann Taylor, Chico’s, Lane Bryant and more,  will work with Liverpool, a leading department store in Mexico, to bring Talbots to the country through a shop-in-shop partnership. This marks the first expansion of the brand outside the United States and Canada.

“The KnitWell Group has widely known brands with incredibly loyal customers that generate strong results," said Deirdre FitzGerald, president of international for KnitWell Group. "We know there is an even greater runway for growth by expanding our reach internationally and our partnership with Liverpool is an important first step. Mexico is a very influential market that knows the Talbots brand well and we are grateful to have Liverpool, a best-in-class organization and business partner, to navigate this new opportunity.”

Liverpool will open ten Talbots shop-in-shop locations within their stores in and around Mexico City this month. Each location will showcase the brand's women’s apparel with curated assortments for the Mexican consumer featuring dresses, sportswear pieces and more.

“We are thrilled to partner with KnitWell Group to bring Talbots to the Mexican market and exclusively for the Liverpool customer,” said Daniela Hernandez, commercial buying director for Liverpool. “For more than 175 years, we have been committed to providing our customers with exceptional products and experiences. Talbots has a long history of doing the same and we cannot wait to bring the Talbots brand to life for our customers in our stores.”

Founded in 1947, Talbots operates more than 500 stores in North America.

Publix Super Markets is expanding in its home state.

The grocer will open six stores in Florida in April, along with a location in Alabama. The new stores (locations at end of article) will range in size from 25,740 sq. ft. to 54.964 sq. ft.

Publix kicked off 2024 by entering its eighth state, Kentucky, opening  a 55,701-sq.-ft. store at the Terra Crossing Shopping Center in Louisville. Five additional Publix stores in the Bluegrass State are in the works.

In other news, Publix said its board declared a quarterly dividend of 10.75 cents per share on its common stock. It will be paid on May 1, 2024.

For its fiscal year ended Dec. 30, 2023, Publix reported net earnings of $4.3 billion, compared to $2.9 billion in 2022. Sales rose 4.7% to $57.1 billion.

Here is the list of Publix’s April store openings.

April 4 

Sarasota, Fla. (Fruitville Farms)

Homstead, Fla. (Valencial Center)

April 11

Wellington, Fla. (Wellington Green Square)

April 18 

Oviedo, Fla. (Alafaya Square)

Estero, Fla, (The Shoppes at Verdana Village)

Melbourne, Fla. (Addison Center at Viera)

April 24

Gulf Shores, Ala. (Paradise Isle Shopping Center)

Publix is the largest employee-owned company in the U.S. with more than 250,000 employees. It currently operates 1,361 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky.

Three retailers accounted for more than 50% of home improvement spending in the U.S. in 2023.

Leading the pack was The Home Depot, which captured 28.1% of spending, followed by rival Lowe’s, at 17.3%, according to a new Numerator study that provides quarterly insight into omnichannel consumer buying behavior in select home improvement categories. Amazon ranked third, capturing 15.8% of spending.

Categories that saw growth in household penetration in 2023 were household cleaners & cleaning tools (98.6% household penetration), lawn and garden (86.4%), painting supplies and wall treatments (64%) and hand tools  (50.4%).

Kitchen and bathroom, power tools and outdoor power equipment all experienced declines in household penetration and buy rate, suggesting consumers were pulling back on bigger ticket items, according to Numerator.

Other highlights from the Numerator Home Improvement Tracker are below.

•Consumer reasons for purchasing from a specific retailer included convenient location (44.2%),  best prices (43.9%) and product options/availability (36.1%).

•While most home improvement categories are still dominated by name brand products, private label brands see the largest share in hand tools (40.1%), lawn and garden (22.5%) and kitchen and bathroom (22.5%). 

•Consumers that purchased home improvement items in the past three months said they purchased items because they needed supplies for a small DIY project (33.5%), were replacing a damaged/broken item (14%) or just wanted the item (13.5%).

Pave America has established a new national sales division called Pave America National Services.

The company, a leading provider of asphalt and concrete maintenance services, said the expansion aims to provide coast-to-coast coverage for clients seeking high-quality self-perform asphalt and concrete maintenance solutions across the United States.

Pave America National Services is led by new CEO Chuck Jeffries, formerly CEO of Kansas Asphalt. Jeffries brings decades of executive leadership experience and a proven track record of success in the asphalt industry. His vision and strategic insights will drive the National Sales division forward, ensuring sustained growth and operational excellence, the company said.

"We are excited to launch our National Sales division and expand our footprint across the nation," said Tom York, CEO of Pave America. "With Chuck at the helm, we are confident in our ability to deliver exceptional service and become the preferred choice for asphalt and concrete maintenance solutions nationwide."

Pave America's National Sales division will offer a comprehensive range of services, including asphalt and concrete repair, maintenance and installation. By leveraging cutting-edge technology, innovative solutions, and a commitment to quality craftsmanship, the division aims to deliver superior results and lasting value to clients in diverse industries.

"Our goal is to become the premier choice for clients seeking reliable and comprehensive asphalt and concrete maintenance solutions on a national scale," said Jeffries. “With our talented team and commitment to excellence, we are poised to make a significant impact in the industry."

For more information about Pave America and its National Sales division, please visit paveamerica.com.

Customers at Tim Hortons restaurants in Canada can now purchase surplus baked goods through a partnership aimed at curbing food waste.

The coffee chain said that more than half of its nearly 4,000 stores in Canada are now utilizing the Too Good To Go app. Guests can use the app to purchase a selection of surplus assorted baked goods with a retail value of $15 or more for just $4.99. A Too Good To Go selection from Tim Hortons could include donuts, Timbits, bagels, cookies, muffins and other baked goods.

Founded in 2015, Too Good To Go has 90 million registered users and 215,000 active partners in 17 countries across Europe and North America. The company says it has helped to save over 311 million meals from going to waste.

The app is now available to use at stores in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and more, with additional Tim Hortons restaurants in St. John's, N.L., Halifax, Charlottetown, Fredericton, Moncton and Saint John, N.B. launching on Too Good to Go this week.

"One of the goals in our Tims For Good platform is to reduce food waste as much as possible and we're excited by the progress and learnings we've developed through working with Too Good To Go so far and we're looking forward to expanding to more Tims restaurants soon,” said Paul Yang, senior director of sustainability, procurement and packaging for Tim Hortons.

Founded in 1964, Tim Hortons operates more than 5,7000 restaurants in Canada, the United States and elsewhere.

Netflix is inching closer to making its brick-and-mortar debut.

The streaming giant is looking to open its first physical retail and entertainment destination — dubbed Netflix House — at Simon’s King of Prussia mall in King of Prussia, Pa., in a vacant two-story space that was formerly home to Lord & Taylor, reported Globe Street. 

The renovated 120,000-sq.-ft. space will offer customers an immersive experience of their favorite Netflix shows with related merchandise, food and themed live events. It is expected to be completed in time for a late 2025 opening, according to the report.

In fall 2023, Bloomberg broke the news about Netflix’s planned entry into brick-and-mortar, noting that the locations would be where fans could “play, shop and eat.” 

In preliminary plans, the King of Prussia location will reportedly feature a first floor of two large experience rooms and a 250-seat theatre. The second floor will include two smaller experience rooms and a marketplace for food and drinks.

Netflix House would not be Netflix’s first entry into retail — or dining. In 2021, the company launched an online merchandise store that sells merchandise related to its shows. And in 2022, Netflix announced it was opening in-store Netflex hubs in more than 2,400 Walmart stores nationwide. The company has also launched temporary pop-up experiences. 

In July 2023, Netflix opened its first-ever pop-up restaurant, in the La Brea neighborhood of Los Angeles. Called Netflix Bites, the temporary venue offered “an elevated dining experience” from several well-known chefs from shows on its platform.