Manager – Brand Marketing - Burger King & Popeyes, International

De Rito Partners Development announces the hiring of Karen Gleason Parrott as Director of Development. BISWIRE/Aug. 27, 2026 - De Rito Partners Development Inc. is proud to announce the addition of Karen Gleason Parrott as Director of Development, effective Monday, August 24, 2026. A corporate real estate executive with more than 30 years of experience spanning commercial development, land acquisition, ground leasing, construction management, and brokerage, Gleason Parrott brings the strategic depth and national perspective to further expand De Rito's development platform across the Southwest. In her new role, Gleason Parrott will lead development projects from site identification and entitlement through construction delivery and occupancy, providing guidance on entitlement strategy, capital planning, ground lease structuring, and cross-functional project execution. She will work closely with De Rito's development, acquisition, leasing, and brokerage teams. "Karen has built and executed development strategy at a national scale, and she has done it while building teams that want to follow her," said Marty De Rito, CEO, De Rito Partners Development. "That combination - deep technical command of entitlements, ground leases, and capital planning paired with genuine leadership - is exactly what will drive our development platform forward." Gleason Parrott joins De Rito from Restaurant Brands International, where as Senior Real Estate Manager she advised 60 franchisees across 10 states on entitlements, site selection, lease negotiations, and new restaurant development. She spent the preceding 23 years with Starbucks Corporation, including a decade as Director of Development - Real Estate & Construction, where she oversaw a $1.5 billion portfolio with $62 million in annual capital expenditures, led one-, three-, and five-year growth strategies across 12 states, and served as the company's advisor and trainer on all ground lease projects in the United States. Earlier in her career, Gleason Parrott served as Director of Leasing for the western United States at Chico's FAS / White House Black Market and worked in tenant representation brokerage in San Diego. At Starbucks she was recognized as the only director in the North America division to post repeatable 100% scores on anonymous employee surveys - a reflection of the coaching and mentorship approach she brings to the teams she leads. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from St. Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana, is a licensed Arizona real estate professional, and is based in Scottsdale. "De Rito Partners has spent decades shaping retail across Arizona, and the opportunity to help grow that development platform was one I could not pass up," said Gleason Parrott. "I am looking forward to getting to work with this team and to delivering projects that serve these communities for the long term."

Wendy's stock jumps on report of potential takeover bid from Nelson Peltz's Trian Fund Management. Shares of Wendy's experienced a significant intraday gain following media reports that Trian Fund Management, led by investor Nelson Peltz, is developing a proposal to acquire the restaurant operator. The stock rose more than 14% on the news, with trading temporarily suspended due to volatility. As of the market close, the shares were up approximately 4% for the year. According to reporting citing unnamed sources, Trian is collaborating with additional investors on the potential acquisition, including BlueFive Capital and the Flynn Group, a substantial Wendy's franchisee operator. In response to the takeover speculation, Wendy's issued a statement indicating the board would evaluate any formal proposal while emphasizing its commitment to shareholder value maximization. The company noted that under new Chief Executive Officer Bob Wright, leadership has identified strategic priorities aimed at improving operational performance and executing a business turnaround. The takeover interest comes at a challenging time for Wendy's, which reported its sixth consecutive quarter of declining same-store sales. This persistent weakness has allowed Restaurant Brands International's Burger King to surpass Wendy's as the second-largest burger chain in the United States when measured by system sales. Industry analysts attribute some of the company's difficulties to leadership instability, with multiple chief executive changes over a three-year period creating strategic uncertainty. Trian has previously expressed interest in taking Wendy's private, exploring such a transaction in 2022 before deciding against proceeding. Trian currently holds a 7.85% equity stake in Wendy's, while Peltz maintains a 16.24% personal interest based on a regulatory filing from February that characterized the stock as undervalued. Peltz's involvement with Wendy's spans more than two decades, beginning with an activist investor campaign, and he recently transitioned to chairman emeritus status following 17 years on the board. Two Trian-affiliated representatives remain as board members. Article summary produced by Claude AI

Restaurant Brands International reported mixed second-quarter results, with Burger King's strong performance offset by struggles at its other chains. Burger King posted 8.6% same-store sales growth in the US and Canada, surpassing analyst expectations of 6.2%, whilst delivering a 13% increase in adjusted operating income. The parent company's overall operating income rose 7%, beating forecasts by 3 cents per share on earnings of $1.04. However, Tim Hortons achieved only 0.1% comparable sales growth, and Popeyes saw a 5.2% decline, marking its fifth consecutive quarterly contraction. The divergent brand performance caused Restaurant Brands shares to fall 2% following the earnings release. Management attributed Burger King's success to menu improvements, including a revamped Whopper, store refreshes, and value-focused offerings. The company returned $435 million to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases during the quarter.