Quick service restaurants (QSR) are experimenting with next-gen concepts as consumers increasingly prioritize convenience, value, and experience and as business demands new models to address rising labor and food costs. This week, we showcase three concepts by Raising Cane’s, Whataburger, and McDonald’s. Each location differs…
Whole Foods Market announced plans to introduce a new “quick-shop store format” named Whole Foods Daily Shop, with the first location slated to open later this year on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. Ranging between 7,000-14,000 square feet in size, the new small format…
McMillanDoolittle recently visited Aldi’s first-of-its-kind automated checkout store in the Chicago suburb of Aurora, IL. Located about 8 miles away from company’s U.S. headquarters in Batavia, IL, the store is adorned with signage inside and outside promoting the trial of its new automated checkout technology,…
McDonald’s officially opened the first-of-its-kind spinoff concept CosMc’s (pronounced “cosmics”) this week in the Chicago suburb of Bolingbrook, IL. Named after an alien mascot used in McDonald’s advertising in the 1980’s, CosMc’s is a small-format, beverage-led concept that offers bold, customizable drinks and tasty snacks…
McMillanDoolittle has kept an eye on the trending categories of 2023, and we have you covered on the brands to watch in the new year. Consider this blog a resource for your holiday gift list, with great options geared toward a range of ages and…
Wegmans opened its first Manhattan store to much fanfare from the island’s residents late this fall. The 87,500 square foot store, located at Astor Place in the former Kmart space, offers robust grab-and-go options alongside a traditional grocery assortment. The store will soon feature a…
As consumer shopping preferences have begun to normalize in a post-COVID retail marketplace, an increasing number of retailers and consumer brands have come to recognize that eCommerce and legacy brick & mortar retail are increasingly becoming complementary platforms to serve and engage shoppers rather than…
This is the second part of a two-part blog series covering the Kroger-Albertsons merger and associated sale to C&S Wholesale Grocers. Check out part one here, which covers what the acquisitions would mean for the companies involved and how it would impact the broader grocery…
Newest Sweetgreen Concept Partially Automates Food Prep Yesterday Sweetgreen debuted their Infinite Kitchen Concept in Naperville, Illinois, in the heart of the busy downtown of this Chicago suburb. We visited during the late morning on its second day open to the public, and the location…
We are pleased to announce the release of Retail Innovations 2023, our annual publication highlighting the leading edge of global retail. For almost two decades, McMillanDoolittle has been tracking innovative retail trends and concepts in collaboration with our Ebeltoft Group partners, a consortium of leading…
