Red Lobster to Remodel Entire Fleet by 2014 … And More Industry News

MANAGEMENT CHANGES

The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC, New York) named Rachel McGreevy vp of state and local government relations. In her new role, McGreevy will continue to develop and manage the ICSC government relations program, which operates in the U.S. and Canada.

Fixture manufacturer Boston Retail (Medford, Mass.) promoted Russell Rubin to president and ceo. Rubin previously served as managing director of the company’s European division and as group marketing and strategy director.

STORE OPENINGS

Red Lobster plans to remodel 33 percent of it restaurants by June 2011, with the rest of its fleet getting an overhaul by the end of 2014. The Orlando-based seafood restaurant chain has already remodeled 14 Tampa Bay-area restaurants. Updated exterior features include a stone tower, ship lanterns and Adirondack-style chairs, while interior updates include new booths, wood paneling, softer lighting and nautical decor. New signage features a contemporized logo.

Upscale Italian restaurant chain Brio Tuscan Grille (Columbus, Ohio) opened its second Las Vegas location at Tivoli Village. Owned by Bravo Brio Restaurant Group Inc., this is the second restaurant opening in 2011 for the company that operates 88 restaurants, including Bravo! Cucina Italiana.
Fashion retailer H&M (Stockholm, Sweden) expects to open a 23,000-square -foot location at the Fashion Place mall in Murray, Utah – the first-ever H&M for the state. The new store is part of General Growth Properties’ second major redevelopment effort in recent years, adding 100,000-square-feet of new retail space to the mall.

BUSINESS BRIEFS

Frank Mayer & Associates (Milwaukee) introduced KEO, an interactive kiosk, at the Customer Engagement Technology World show in San Francisco, April 27 – 28. The kiosk, which has been installed in select Hudson News (East Rutherford, N.J.) stores, provides free phone charging and updatable video content, including travel tips, entertainment, seasonal guides and product recommendations.

Lighting Science Group (Satellite Beach, Fla.) partnered with automotive manufacturer Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corp.-USA (Shanghai, China) to serve as the exclusive agent for LED infrastructure products in the Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces.