A Chicago-based fast-casual chain has tapped a new executive to oversee its future store expansion. Portillo’s has named Jennifer Pecoraro-Striepling as its chief development officer. In this role, she will lead Portillo’s restaurant development strategy, including real estate and site selection, prototype design and construction, and will play a “key role” in advancing long-term expansion. A Chicago native, Pecoraro-Striepling most recently served as chief development officer for Miller’s Ale House for the past year, where she was responsible for driving the development and expansion strategies.

In 2025, online sales beat expectations for retailers during Thanksgiving and the four days that follow, which together make up the Cyber 5. Altogether, U.S. consumers spent $44.2 billion online during the five-day period, according to data and analysis from Adobe Analytics. The Cyber 5 also includes Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. The results show Black Friday’s online relevance continuing to rise. As they did, Cyber Monday still continued to be the dominant day for digital sales. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence (AI) and buy now, pay later (BNPL) apps drove more activity than they did during the equivalent days in 2024.

The Container Store and multiple other retailers have revamped customer marketing strategies, with many adding shopping consumer priorities and loyalty programs, but the major hook now being thrown into the pond is a focus on emotions. Brands want to connect with consumers emotionally. Conducted online with third-party research firm YouGov, the study published by parcelLab, an operations experience management platform, shows certain shopping experiences trigger a stronger emotional response. About 1,185 U.S. adults who have shopped online participated in the survey, which was conducted from January 13-14, 2022.