REAL ESTATE

Seattle -- REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) said Tuesday it will make its state debut in Kansas in fall 2013, with a new store in Overland Park, Kan., a suburb of Kansas City.

The 23,500-sq.-ft. REI Overland Park will be located at Prairiefire at Lionsgate. Approximately 50-60 new hires are planned.
 

Dallas – The Container Store said Tuesday it will open three Florida locations in 2013 – in Orlando, Tampa and Boca Raton – joining its two existing Sunshine State stores in Hallandale Beach and Miami.

The Orlando store is slated to open spring 2013 and occupy 25,000 sq. ft. in the Mall at Millenia. The Tampa store, also 25,000 sq. ft., will be located one block south of International Plaza Mall. An opening date is still to be determined.

New York -- The Dannon Co. on Monday made its first entry into the restaurant business with the opening of The Yogurt Culture Co., in Manhattan.

The restaurant is located at 125 Park Ave., between 41st and 42nd streets. It offers small-batch premium yogurt (as opposed to the company’s pre-packaged product that is sold in grocery stores) and fruit purees and other toppings.

Tucson, Ariz. -- Commercial Real Estate Advisors said that Rock’N Babies has relocated its store to Plaza Sonora, located in Tucson, Ariz.

The new 1,800-sq.-ft. resale boutique opened July 1.

 

Fort Worth, Texas -- Dallas-based Cypress Equities said that drycleaner The Laundry will open at the mixed-use development West 7th, located in Fort Worth, Texas.

The 963-sq.-ft. shop is slated to open later this year.

West 7th’s retail and office components are being developed by a Cypress Equities company and the residential component by Columbus Realty Partners.
 

Inland Diversified Real Estate Services said it has launched a new mobile application designed to enhance customer engagement and retention and interaction with retailers at University Town Center, a neighborhood shopping center in Norman, Okla., that is owned by Inland Diversified Real Estate Trust.

Greenwich, Conn. -- Private investment firm Starwood Capital Group announced that an affiliate of Starwood has completed its acquisition of a 90% majority interest in seven U.S. shopping centers from the Westfield Group.

Westfield retained a 10% minority interest in the portfolio.

Starwood also announced that it has formed a new subsidiary, Starwood Retail Partners, to be based in Chicago, to oversee the management of the newly acquired assets and has named Scott Wolstein, co-founder of DDR, as its CEO. 

Moorestown, N.J. -- Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust said that video game retailer Play N Trade has opened a 1,712-sq.-ft. store at Moorestown Mall, located in Moorestown, N.J.

Moorestown Mall is a 1 million-sq.-ft. enclosed regional shopping mall anchored by Macy’s, Lord & Taylor, Sears and Boscov’s.