Commercial Construction & Renovation

Payless closed all of its US stores after filing for bankruptcy protection last year, and now it is emerging from bankruptcy with plans to focus on Latin America and other global markets instead of the US. Read the Glossy story here

Despite what seems like a massive influx of independent hotels in recent years, about 80% of the current global pipeline comprises branded properties from six major companies, with limited-service properties taking a key role. Read the Hotel News Now story here

Hotel gyms have come a long way. In the past, a hotel may consider the gym an afterthought in its otherwise grand plans. Even supremely luxurious hospitality brands wouldn’t commit to much more than windowless rooms that might have a smattering of weights to complement a couple of treadmills. Read the Fortune story here

Driven by requests from locals and visitors, California's Stater Bros. Markets has revamped its store in the popular tourist spot of Big Bear by adding new full-service departments with a focus on freshness in all areas. The upgrades in Big Bear are the latest in a series for the grocer, which finished more than a dozen store renovations last year. Read the Winsight Grocery Business story here

Dunkin' was No. 1 on Entrepreneur's list of the top 500 franchises, with Taco Bell and McDonald's in the top three. Food remained the largest category but did shrink slightly, and maintenance was the second largest. Read the Entrepreneur online story here

Paris, Spain's second-tier cities and Baku in Azerbaijan are among Europe's anticipated hot markets in the coming five years, according to a deep dive into hotel development in several areas. Barcelona and Amsterdam, on the other hand, are suffering from over-tourism. Read the Hotel News Now story here

The popularity of e-commerce has led Bose to close 119 stores in North America, Europe, Australia and Japan, though it is keeping 130 stores in the Middle East and Asia. The electronics company opened its first store in 1993 with the idea of giving people a chance "to experience, test, and talk to us about multi-component, CD and DVD-based home entertainment systems." Read The Verge story here

Although Amazon has declined to comment, there is mounting evidence that the company is planning to open a small grocer in Washington, D.C. A permit was issued for Amazon to build out an 8,000-square-foot store in a mixed-use project on 14th Street NW, and the site plan indicates the brick-and-mortar building will house a grocer, an Amazon Go convenience store or possibly a combination of the two. Read The Business Journals story here

CVS Health will remodel about 12 stores every week to end the year with 600 HealthHUB locations by year's end. HealthHUB stores feature more services and health-related products and the small number of locations that have been transformed so far are seeing higher traffic. Read the CNBC story here

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers outlined turnaround plans this week for the Colorado-based chain, including streamlining the menu and improving the quality of its core food and beverage offerings. The chain will also expand a partnership with Donatos Pizza, offering the pizza for dine-in and delivery at 100 restaurants. Read the Nation's Restaurant News story here