Dunkin’ plans to return to Canada — and in a big way.  Dunkin’ parent company Inspire Brands has signed a master franchising agreement with Foodtastic, one of Canada’s leading restaurant operators, to open hundreds of Dunkin’ locations across Canada. The iconic coffee and donut chain, which once had a big presence in the country, left the market in 2018 under competition from Tim Hortons and problems with a group of its Canadian franchisees.  Under the terms of the new agreement, Foodtastic will have exclusive rights to develop the Dunkin’ brand nationally through both corporate and franchise-operated locations. The first Dunkin’ location in Canada is expected to open in late 2026 or early 2027.

Learning technology company HMH today announced that its leadership consulting organization, the Center for Model Schools, and AASA, The School Superintendents Association, are partnering to support superintendents and school system leaders as they work to transform their communities, improve teaching and learning and advance equity. The Center and AASA will provide opportunities for ongoing leadership collaboration throughout the year to deepen connections and support student success. Through the new Superintendents Teaching and Learning Network supported by both organizations, district leaders will engage in a multi-year effort to develop and refine their transformation strategies with experts and peers and apply their learning within their communities. Additionally, the Center’s Model Schools Conference, which brings together 5,000 educators annually, will become a milestone event for AASA’s educational leadership initiative, AASA Learning 2025.

U.S. e-commerce continues to drive growth in the retail sector, as nonstore sales jumped 11.5% in July, the U.S. Commerce Department reported today. Total retail sales increased 4.3% year over year. In the first month of the third quarter, nonstore sales adjusted for seasonal variations totaled $52.74 billion, compared with $47.31 in July 2016. The 11.5% jump in July is a significant acceleration from June, during which nonstore sales increased 9.3% over the same month last year. Nonstore sales mainly take place online, but also include other sales that take place outside of stores, including mail and telephone orders, door-to-door sales and sales through vending machines. Click Read More below for more of the story.