Weekly Perl: A Commercial Real Estate News Recap
Rite Aid To Close All Stores: See Full List of Locations
Rite Aid Corporation, one of the nation's largest pharmacy chains, is preparing to close all of its remaining stores as part of ongoing bankruptcy proceedings. The closures mark the final phase in a process that began with the company filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October 2023, amid mounting debt and hundreds of lawsuits over its alleged role in the opioid crisis...
Panda Express, Off Another Solid Growth Year, Appears Ready for More
Given its heavy corporate footprint and family-owned roots, Panda Express has long been one of the category’s under-the-radar growth stories. But that’s been steadily ramping up in recent years, with plans to hit another level in 2025.
The 1983-founded brand grew by a net 89 restaurants last year to reach 2,502, according to its recent FDD. That was a material step-up from 61 in 2023 and 53 the year prior...
Bob’s Discount Furniture to open 20 new stores in 2025 — here’s where
Bob’s Discount Furniture is expanding into the Southeast as part of its 2025 growth strategy.
The fast-growing furniture retailer plans to open 20 new stores this year as it continues to expand its footprint. The locations will include six stores in North Carolina, marking Bob’s entry into the Southeast. The North Carolina expansion will include Bob’s 200th store....
Rite Aid blames latest bankruptcy on retail operations
For its 2023 bankruptcy, which ended last fall, Rite Aid blamed macroeconomic factors and business challenges arising from the pandemic. For its 2025 bankruptcy, which commercial Monday, the drugstore chain says its front-of-store retail operations are largely at fault.
In a letter sent to vendors this week, the company said it has “generally stopped purchasing goods and services,” except those that will get it through its latest bankruptcy...
Skechers to go private in $9.4B deal
3G Capital is paying $63 per share in cash, which analysts say represents a bet that the footwear sector will be profitable in the long term despite tariffs.
Dive Brief:
- Skechers has agreed to be acquired by 3G Capital and will cease trading on the New York Stock Exchange upon completion of the deal, according to a press release Monday...
McDonald’s to Test CosMc’s Beverages in Existing Restaurants
When McDonald’s debuted its beverage spin-off CosMc’s in December 2023 to lines four hours deep, it always felt like a larger play could be at work. There wasn’t a ton of mystery for why McDonald’s made a drinks-focused move—the specialty beverage category was tagged a $100 billion opportunity, and one cracked open in recent years by cold innovation. And just from a demographic tilt, per Circana, Gen Z made nearly 5 billion restaurant visits in the 12 months ending July 2022. About 4.3 billion of those went to quick service. The group hasn’t exactly lost spending power since...
Yum! Brands Rides Taco Bell Value Wins, Accelerates Brand Spinoffs
In a time when many quick-service chains are feeling the strain of a punishing consumer environment, Taco Bell is seemingly stronger than ever. U.S. same-store sales rose 9 percent in the latest quarter, the chain’s best performance in two years. International comps were up 3 percent.
“I know this is a tough operating environment for everybody else in the industry. It’s just probably an environment that favors Taco Bell,” CEO David Gibbs said on Wednesday’s earnings call....
As academics argue over minimum wage impact, business owners say the cost is wearing them down
Controversy continues to swirl around California’s minimum wage requirements with a recent study prompting a counter study from academic circles and business owners doubling down on criticism of the rules as destructive to their industry.
While economist Christopher Thornberg's March 2025 analysis claimed the Fast Act resulted in over 23,100 lost jobs across the industry, a new academic study is challenging those findings and suggesting the law's impact has been minimal...
Restaurants Fuel Retail Boom with Nearly 3,000 New Openings
A Big Appetite For Dining Out
Restaurants are the leading force behind retail store openings so far this year, comprising almost 40% of the 7,770 announced US retail locations, reports Globe St.
Quick service chains like McDonald’s, Chipotle, Wingstop, and Dutch Bros are among the top contributors to this surge, signaling a robust consumer preference for fast and casual dining options...
Walgreens Is Closing 1,200 Stores – Here’s How to Check If Yours Is on the Shutdown List
Walgreens, one of the nation’s largest pharmacy chains, is set to close 1,200 stores across the U.S. over the next three years. This sweeping move affects about 13% of its total locations and marks one of the biggest pharmacy closures in recent memory.
It’s all part of a broader restructuring strategy aimed at boosting profitability and adapting to shifting consumer habits. Walgreens leadership cited financial pressure and changing market trends as the key reasons behind the decision...
Chicken Salad Chick hits 300 locations as expansion continues
Chicken Salad Chick has reached a new store count milestone.
The fast-casual chicken salad chain opened its 300th restaurant with a new location in Melbourne, Fla., a city on the state’s Atlantic coast. The opening follows robust growth for Chicken Salad Chicken, which opened 37 new locations in 2024, followed by 21 so far in 2025. It plans to open 47 locations in total this year...
