Mergers & Acquisitions

Office Depot has appointed Michael A. Steele as VP of investor relations. Steele, who most recently served as VP of investor relations for OfficeMax, where he had been employed since July 2007, will report to Stephen E. Hare, EVP and CFO.

Steele will develop and execute Office Depot’s investor relations strategy, serving as the primary interface for management with the financial community. He plans to relocate to the Office Depot corporate headquarters in Boca Raton.

Chattanooga, Tenn. — CBL & Associates Properties has announced future redevelopment and replacement plans for J.C. Penney anchor locations in the CBL portfolio that are expected to close this year.

J.C. Penney intends to close four locations in the CBL portfolio. They include stores at Hickory Point Mall in Forsyth, Ill., Janesville Mall in Janesville, Wis., Wausau Center in Wausau, Wis., and Northgate Mall in Chattanooga, Tenn. CBL anticipates the closures to occur in the second quarter of this year.

Purchase, N.Y. — National Realty & Development Corp. (www.nrdc.com) has promoted Dovid M. Spector and Greg A. Oshins have been promoted to the executive team.

Spector has been promoted to senior VP, leasing. He began his career with NRDC in 2002 as a leasing representative and served as Director of Retail Leasing for the pat six years. Prior to joining NRDC, Spector worked in the Real Estate Business Development division of Morgan Stanley.

Boca Raton, Fla. – Office Depot has named Michael A. Steele as VP, investor relations, effective immediately. Steele reports to Stephen E. Hare, executive VP and CFO.

Steele will develop and execute Office Depot’s investor relations strategy, serving as the primary interface for management with the financial community. He plans to relocate to the Office Depot corporate headquarters in Boca Raton in the coming months.

Tejon Ranch, Calif. — Swedish fashion retailer H&M has taken a 22,000-sq.-ft. space in the Outlets at Tejon, which is under construction along Interstate 5 in a trade area stretching from Northwest Los Angeles County to Bakersfield.

Established in 1947 in Sweden, H&M has 3,000 stores in 53 countries around the world.

Tejon Ranch Co. and The Rockefeller Group are developing the 320,000-sq.-ft outlet center.

Conshohocken, Pa. — CBRE and FAMECO joined forces in 2013. Together, the new entity’s all-retail service lines include retailer representation, owner representation, property management and investment sales.

CBRE | FAMECO combines the power of CBRE’s global platform with the specialized retail expertise of FAMECO to create a one-stop source for retail occupiers, owners and developers throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond.

Houston — Fuddruckers has opened its first Dominican Republic restaurant in Santo Domingo through a partnership with franchisee Eduardo J. Gadala-Maria and Giancarlo Bonarelli.

The 3,500-sq.-ft. unit opened in Galeria 360, one of several new shopping malls in the city. Galeria 360 features 120 stores and restaurants plus a large movie theater.

CHICAGO — Jewel-Osco president William Emmons is retiring less than a year after taking the helm at the grocery chain, which is now part of New Albertsons Inc., according to a Chicago Tribute report.