Finance & Capital Management

New York -- Manhattan-based ATCO Properties & Management said it has acquired a Whole Foods retail location in Mill Valley, Calif., for $17.3 million.

Situated within the Alto Shopping Center on Mill Valley’s North side, the 23,200-sq.-ft. store opened a year ago and has established itself as one of the chain’s best performers, according to ATCO senior VP Damon Hemmerdinger.

Indianapolis -- Simon Property Group announced that Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th will open a total of seven new stores in the next two years in its Premium Outlets division, including new centers and existing centers.

Chicago -- A recent report from Jones Lang LaSalle showed that the current state of real estate markets suggests a temporary deceleration in the on-going global real estate market recovery.

According to JLL’s latest Global Market Perspective report, sentiment is, however, recovering and full-year 2012 commercial real estate volumes are expected to match the robust levels seen in 2011.

Houston -- Francesca's Holdings Corp. fired its CFO Gene Morphis after an internal investigation found that he had “improperly” communicated company information through social media. The company said it began an investigation after discovering his activity on May 11.

As retail real estate professionals from around the world prepare for the annual RECon convention in Las Vegas, it seems pretty clear to me that the anticipation for this year’s event is on the rise. This is a noticeable change from some recent years, where the recession eliminated any enthusiasm we once saw in the “glory days.”

Las Vegas -- Irvine, Calif.-based Passco Cos., said it has negotiated a $25.8 million loan to refinance Silver City Plaza, a 41,583-sq.-ft. neighborhood shopping center in Las Vegas.

The new loan was arranged with Cantor Commercial Real Estate, an affiliate of Cantor Fitzgerald, and was uniquely structured to accommodate a challenged market.

Toronto -- Golf Town, Canada's largest specialty golf retailer, will acquire Golfsmith International Holdings Inc. for approximately $97.2 million. The Canadian company will pay $6.10 per share in cash, which represents a 30% premium over the Austin, Texas-based Golfsmith’s Friday closing stock price of $4.71.

Golfsmith operates 85 stores in the United States.

As part of Chain Store Age’s lead-up coverage to RECon 2012, to be held May 20-23 in Las Vegas, we talked with Forest City’s Joseph Boehm about what his expectations are for the big real estate show. Visit Forest City’s booth at RECon, Central Hall, C10 Union Street.

What are your expectations for RECon 2012 in terms of activity, attitude, priorities?