Finance & Capital Management

Winston-Salem, N.C. -- Krispy Kreme has signed a development agreement with Dulce Restaurants, LLC, to develop 10 new Krispy Kreme shops in Houston over the next five years.

Dulce Restaurants, LLC, a subsidiary of Dallas-based Sun Holdings, LLC, currently operates three Krispy Kreme locations in Dallas, and has plans to open an additional 15 Dallas shops through 2018.

While owners and developers are redeveloping, expanding and beginning to plan new developments across the Northeast, property surpluses created by the recession remain. Where are these surpluses? How will they be disposed of? Chain Store Age asked Andy Graiser, co-president of A&G Realty Partners, to talk about disposition today in the Northeast. Graiser is a property disposition expert with more than 25 years of experience with retail real estate.

Characterize surplus retail real estate in the Northeast.

Disposition firm: A&G Realty Partners

Number of properties: 600

Locations: 95% in strip centers, with the balance in middle market malls across the United States

Status: A&G successfully terminated more than 300 leases. The balance had natural lease expirations.

Location: Thornwood, N.Y., in Westchester County    

Size: 20,175 sq. ft. 

Developer: DLC Management Corp.    

Major tenants: Walgreens    

Status: Complete    

Location: Ashburn, Va. 

Size: Approximately 100,000 sq. ft.    

Developer: Regency Centers 

Major tenants: Whole Foods Market will anchor the project. Regency is currently negotiating with prospective specialty retail, restaurant and health and wellness tenants.

Status: Proposed start is spring 2014, with completion planned for fall 2014.    

Developers in the Northeast are renovating, redeveloping and raising rents

What are retail shopping center developers up to in the vibrant northeastern region of the United States?

All across the Northeast — in which we include Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the traditional northeastern states to the north — developers are renovating, redeveloping, raising rents, welcoming tenants and starting to get back to normal.

Data center retrofit cuts cooling costs by 93%

Retailers are constantly on the hunt for energy savings, and data centers offer huge potential: By 2020, data centers could consume 10% of all U.S. power, according to some experts. Here’s how outdoor gear and apparel retailer Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) is working to reduce energy costs and its environmental footprint in this critical area of operations.

Family Dollar cuts loss with chainwide rollout of RF-based EAS technology

Shrink is an unavoidable fact of life for retailers. But by leveraging electronic article surveillance (EAS) technology that places security tags on items, retailers can minimize the frequency and financial impact of shrink.

Steady as she goes. That old nautical phrase, urging a firm hand on the wheel and an unwavering eye on the compass, seems apt for today’s retailers. While economic waters remain troubled, an improved economic forecast promises retailers a smoother route to profitability in 2014.