Finance & Capital Management

Friendswood, Texas — The 1.2-million-sq.-ft. Baybrook Mall in Houston is getting another 550,000 sq. ft. The mall owner, General Growth Properties, and the landowner, a CDC Houston-managed entity, have formed a joint venture to carry out he project. Work will begin in early May and completed by the 2015 holiday season.

Merrimack, N.H. -- Specialty retailer Brookstone Holdings Corp. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, with a plan to sell itself to Spencer Spirit Holdings, owner of the Spencer’s retail chain, for about $147 million. The purchase price comprises $120 million in cash, $7.5 million in new notes and about $18.5 million of assumed liabilities.

Under the agreement with Spencer Spirit, Brookstone would continue to operate its stores in malls and airports, along with its catalog, website and wholesale business, under the Brookstone brand.

Toronto -- Hudson’s Bay Company’s net profit for the fourth quarter fell to $29.1 million from $86.8 million in the year ago period, amid higher expenses.

The company’s sales for the quarter, ended Feb.1, rose 74% to $2.41 billion, largely driven by the inclusion of Saks, which it acquired in November 2013. Same-store sales rose 6.6%, with an increase of 5.2% at its namesake stores, a 3.1% increase at Saks, and a decline of 1.3% at Lord & Taylor.

Columbus, Ohio — DSW Inc., Designer Shoe Warehouse has announced the opening of a new store in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on April 10. As of April 10, DSW will operate 407 stores in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

DSW also operates an e-commerce site at DSW.com. In addition, the company supplies footwear to 357 leased locations in the United States under the Affiliated Business Group.

Dallas — Cypress Equities has acquired Brookwood Village, a mixed-use development in the affluent Mountain Brook area of Birmingham, Ala.  A fund managed by Cypress’s real estate investment management group carried out the transaction.

The 816,000-sq.-ft. center consists of a 604,000-sq.-ft., two-level enclosed mall, a 41,900-sq.-ft. grocery-anchored retail component and a nine-story 170,000-sq.-ft. Class A office building.  

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. — Mid-America Real Estate Corp. recently signed Wes Koontz, CCIM, as director of net lease investment sales. He will work in tandem with Kevin Conway, also director of net lease investment sales.

Washington, D.C. -- Retail employment increased 18,200 in March and 229,000 year-over-year, according to the National Retail Federation. The increase is consistent with recent positive economic indicator reports and bodes well for income and consumer confidence as the industry enters into the busy spring selling season.

New York -- Xcel Brands announced that it has acquired fine jewelry and watch brand Judith Ripka for approximately $22.5 million.

Xcel currently owns Isaac Mizrahi New York and has an interest in the Liz Claiborne New York brand.

Aliso Viejo, Calif. – Johnny Rockets has opened its second restaurant in Galerias Merida, Mexico. The 1,798-sq.-ft. location is situated in an upscale two-story shopping mall.

Galerias Merida is the fourth Johnny Rockets location for Johnny Rockets Guadalajara Group, who also operate three franchises in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Two additional Johnny Rockets locations are scheduled to open in Mexico later this year, one in Chihuahua and another in Mexico City.  

Fredericton, Canada -- Plaza Retail REIT plans six new Canadian retail projects: four new re-developments and two new ground-up development projects. Four projects are located in Quebec, one in Atlantic Canada and one in Ontario.

In all, Plaza will be investing approximately $24 million for its share of these six new projects and will add approximately 155,000-sq.-ft. to its portfolio of retail properties (at Plaza's ownership percentage). The Ontario project and three Quebec projects are being developed with joint venture partners.