WASHINGTON - The National Restaurant Association and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation announced their 2025 board officers, directors, and trustees.

Richard "Rich" Schneider, Chief Development Officer of Areas USA, will serve as Chair of the National Restaurant Association Board of Directors, and William "Bill" Kohl of Greenwood Hospitality Group, will serve as Chair of the NRAEF Board of Trustees.

Vice Chair Mike Axiotis, CEO and President of Lehigh Valley Restaurant Brands, and Treasurer Jeanne Cretella, Co-Founder and President of Landmark Hospitality, complete the Association's 2025 Board leadership.

"The restaurant industry is a $1.1 trillion driver of the U.S. economy. The opportunities for business and workforce growth within the restaurant industry have a significant impact on the strength of the U.S. economy," said Michelle Korsmo, President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association and CEO of the NRAEF. "The incoming leadership of our Association and Foundation Boards bring extensive experience in successful industry growth and passion for community connections that will ensure our Association and Foundation are indispensable partners to the restaurant industry in its success. Along with our new chairs, Rich and Bill, the newly elected Board members collective knowledge, experience, and passion for the restaurant industry will be critical as we advance a thriving restaurant and foodservice industry."

Other NRAEF officers include Vice Chair Carrie Leishman, President and CEO of the Delaware Restaurant Association, and Treasurer Susannah Ryan, Head of Sales, National Restaurants for PepsiCo Foodservice.

"With jobs for more than 15.5 million Americans, the restaurant industry is America's training ground and a source of long-term career opportunities. I look forward to working with Bill Kohl and the entire 2025 Board of Trustees to utilize the strength of our industry to build the restaurant workforce now and into the future," said Rob Gifford, President of the NRAEF.

Each of the officers serves a one-year term, a press release explained.

Click here to view a list of 2025 Association and NRAEF Leadership, along with new Board Directors and Trustees.

CHICAGO & NEW YORK - Grubhub, a leading U.S. food ordering and delivery marketplace, and Olo, a leading restaurant technology provider, have expanded their partnership to integrate Grubhub with Olo Dispatch. With Dispatch, restaurants can outsource delivery for orders generated through their own website and apps leveraging a network of third-party delivery service providers, now including Grubhub. This integration builds on Grubhub and Olo's existing relationship where Grubhub orders are directly sent to restaurants' point-of-sale system via Olo Rails.

Olo Dispatch seamlessly selects service providers, including in-house couriers, based on optimal price, timing, availability, and other criteria, a press release stated. Olo's automated matching technology enables restaurants to get orders out the door and into the hands of customers faster and in the most cost-efficient way. With Dispatch, brands can quickly deploy delivery at a national scale with integration into their POS and kitchen production systems. This allows brands to strengthen direct relationships with their customers while offering a convenient and branded delivery experience through their own channels.

"As demand for digital ordering and delivery grows across third-party and owned channels, we're proud to expand how we support our merchant partners and create more earning opportunities for Grubhub's delivery partners," said Kyle Emmett, Senior Director of Retail Media and Merchant Solutions at Grubhub. "With our nationwide delivery network, we help merchants manage their delivery operations, reduce costs, and better meet customer demands."

"At Olo, we always strive to do what's best for our customers, and adding a great partner like Grubhub to our Dispatch network is a perfect example," said Kacie Gonzalez, Vice President of Product Partnerships at Olo. "Giving restaurant brands more delivery service provider options gives them more flexibility, reliability, and competitive pricing, while allowing them to grow their direct ordering channels and own their guest relationships."

This integration with Olo Dispatch joins Grubhub's On-Demand Delivery and Supplemental Delivery services that help restaurants easily scale up their delivery operations when it's needed most. For more information on Grubhub's delivery services, visit here.

TEXAS - As H-E-B continues to expand its store network across the DFW Metroplex, the retailer is excited to announce the purchase of property in the city of Dallas.

The site is a nearly 10-acre property at the southeast corner of Hillcrest Road and LBJ Freeway, inside the loop in Dallas. Now that the purchase of the property is complete, H-E-B will work closely with neighbors and city officials on rezoning and planning efforts for the retailer’s preliminary plans to bring its first H-E-B format store in the city of Dallas to that site.

Additional details will be shared as the project develops, a press release explained.

“While we have a lot of work to do, we look forward to connecting with our neighbors, the city, and community stakeholders to ensure we create a destination that best supports this community,” said Mabrie Jackson, Public Affairs Managing Director for H-E-B and Central Market. “This is the first step in a long process, and we hope to share more details with our neighbors soon.”

A subsidiary of H-E-B purchased the property. The terms of the purchase were not disclosed.

ARLINGTON, VA - On your mark, get set... shop! Lidl is opening a new Lidl US location at 651 RT-17, Paramus, New Jersey, 07652, on Wednesday, February 12.

Make sure to get there early to fuel up with a freshly baked croissant and a cup of coffee before the fun begins! The retailer will start welcoming customers with the sunrise; the official ribbon-cutting ceremony will begin at 7:40 a.m.

If you miss the grand opening celebration, don’t worry—the new Paramus store will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

"We’re the Super-EST Market in town for a reason, delivering unique options and unbeatable savings to our communities. At Lidl US, shoppers experience a curated collection of private label picks, global imports, and everyday name brands," a press release read. "From imported cheeses to fresh meats and seafood, you’ll get to experience the quality we’re famous for in Europe—without using your passport."

In case you don’t believe us yet…

• There's something for everyone at the new Lidl US—the company prides itself on its unique specialty items, ranging from authentic specialty sauces, cured meats, and more
• You never know what you can find in the Midl of Lidl aisle, where merchandise changes each week, providing shoppers with limited-time offers and surprisingly delightful finds
• Break out your best fruit and veggie salad recipes because it gets fresh produce from its suppliers daily
• Smell that? It’s Lidl's sweet, freshly baked breads and pastries constantly refilled throughout the day
• No endless mazes here: Lidl offers an easy-to-shop layout for a faster and more convenient shop for customers
• The MyLidl app offers exclusive app-only deals, including a welcome coupon and Super Shopper rewards program
• Lidl delivers on its promises with its Lidl Love It Guarantee, a logo that guarantees customer satisfaction. If shoppers don’t love the product they buy, they’re entitled to a refund and a replacement

Keep reading ANUK for the latest retail updates.

WILMINGTON, MA - Symbotic Inc., a leader in A.I.-enabled robotics technology for the supply chain, announced it has agreed to acquire the Advanced Systems and Robotics business from Walmart. This transaction expands the long-standing relationship between Walmart and Symbotic with the aim of developing an integrated automated supply chain.

Walmart has chosen Symbotic to develop, build, and deploy an advanced solution leveraging Symbotic’s A.I.-enabled robotics platform to offer Walmart customers greater shopping convenience through accelerated online pickup and delivery options at stores. Symbotic will engage in a development program funded by Walmart to enhance current online pickup and delivery fulfillment systems as well as to design new systems to meet the needs of current and future customers. If performance criteria are achieved, Walmart is committed to purchasing and deploying systems for 400 APDs at stores over a multi-year period, with Walmart’s option to add additional APDs in the coming years. Associated with the development program, Walmart will pay Symbotic a total of $520 million, including $230 million at closing.

The transaction and new agreements could increase Symbotic’s future backlog by more than $5 billion and adds a micro-fulfillment solution that expands its addressable market by more than $300 billion in the United States alone, a press release stated.

Total consideration for the acquisition is $200 million in cash at close, subject to customary adjustments, and up to $350 million in additional contingent consideration in future periods dependent upon the quantity of APD systems ordered.

“This is a highly strategic transaction for Symbotic as we expand upon our long-term relationship with Walmart and broaden our product offering beyond the traditional warehouse to eCommerce settings for last mile delivery,” said Rick Cohen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Symbotic.

Symbotic has played a critical role in enabling Walmart to automate its vast supply chain since 2017 and is currently deploying its software and robotics platform across all 42 of Walmart’s regional distribution centers in the U.S. Bringing Symbotic’s expertise and technology platform to the APD is a natural extension of this work and allows Walmart to utilize its stores to fulfill eCommerce orders through pickup and delivery more efficiently, economically, and accurately. Approximately 90 percent of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles of Walmart’s more than 4,600 stores. Walmart’s store-fulfilled deliveries grew nearly 50 percent year-over-year, surpassing a $2.5 billion monthly run rate, during its quarter ended October 31, 2024.

“We’re excited about what this means for our customers. We anticipate the synergy between Symbotic’s expertise and our nearly decade-long relationship in innovating the supply chain technologies to elevate customer service and rapidly advance our in-store Accelerated Pickup and Delivery capabilities,” said Greg Cathey, Senior Vice President of Transformation and Innovation at Walmart.

The acquisition is anticipated to close in Symbotic’s fiscal second quarter of 2025.

Citi served as financial advisor to Symbotic.

BOCA RATON, FL - Whole Foods Market will open a new 35,000-square-foot store located at 9560 Glades Road, Boca Raton, Florida, on February 11.

A press release explained that the store will open at 9:00 a.m. on opening day, and regular store hours will be 8:00 a.m.—10:00 p.m. daily. The new location’s product assortment features more than 700 local items from Florida, sourced with the help of Dustin Kennedy, Forager for Local & Emerging Brands at Whole Foods Market.

Features of the new Boca Raton store include:

• Full-service seafood counter featuring only sustainable wild-caught or Responsibly Farmed seafood and a selection of ready-to-cook seafood. Local seafood options with fresh catches daily include American red snapper and grouper from Greg Abrams Seafood, Inc., and tilefish and pompano from Halperns’ Steak and Seafood
• An array of certified organic, conventional, and Sourced for Goodproduce, including collard greens and kale from Lady Moon Farms, tomatoes from Pacific Tomato Growers, and grapefruit from Florida Classic Growers
• Specialty department dedicated to celebrating cheesemakers and artisan producers. Local items include mozzarella from Mozzarita, jams from Gables Delight, and dark chocolate bars from 5150 Chocolate Co. The cheese counter is overseen by trained cheesemongers who can offer recommendations for any occasion
• Curated grocery section filled with private label favorites from 365 by Whole Foods Market and local products, including fresh juices from Natalie’s Juice Company and 305 Squeezed, and gelato bars from Gelaty’s
• Full-service meat counter, with butcher offering custom cuts of steak and poultry. Features include dry-aged beef, sausage made in-house, as well as beef from local supplier Adam’s Ranch Natural Beef

For more information, click here.