Strategy

Atlanta -- Columbia, S.C.-based Edens & Avant said that Seed Kitchen & Bar will open at its Merchant’s Walk retail redevelopment, located in the East Cobb area of Atlanta.

Baltimore -- Power Plant Live! and The Cordish Cos. announced that entertainment concepts PBR Baltimore and The Baltimore Comedy Factory will host grand openings the first two weekends in March.

These latest downtown destinations join the recently opened Tatu Asian Grill in what will be a series of high-profile additions to Power Plant Live!, part of a multi-million dollar renovation and expansion of the project (going on its 12th year of operations).

Watchung, N.J. -- RAS Brokerage announced that it has secured a lease for Buffalo Wild Wings at BJ’s Shopping Center, located in Watchung, N.J.

Buffalo Wild Wings has signed a lease for a 5,856-sq.-ft. end-cap at the Vornado Realty Trust-owned center.

AMPAL Restaurant group d.b.a. Buffalo Wild Wings opened its first unit at the Monmouth Mall in 2010. The Watchung store will be its second and will open on March 7. 

RAS Brokerage is the restaurant division of Plymouth Meeting, Pa.-based Fameco Real Estate, LP.

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Woolbright Development announced that it has appointed Geoff Higginbotham as director of accounting.

Higginbotham is responsible for the monthly, quarterly and annual financial reporting for the company’s wholly owned assets and partnerships. He was previously corporate controller for Turnberry Associates in Aventura, Fla.

By Akhilesh Srivastava, [email protected]
According to NRF Retail Horizons Benchmark Report, two key initiatives to keep retailers competitive in 2010 were optimization and streamlining of their internal operations to reduce operating costs and improving their customer centricity to win the share of wallet.

Woonsocket, R.I. -- CVS Caremark Corp. announced Tuesday that Larry J. Merlo has assumed the role of chief executive. Merlo, now president and CEO of CVS Caremark, succeeds Thomas M. Ryan who will remain non-executive chairman until his retirement at the company's annual meeting in May.

Merlo, a pharmacist by training with over 30 years in pharmacy health, joined CVS/pharmacy in 1990 through the company's acquisition of Peoples Drug.

Pittsburgh -- General Nutrition Centers said Tuesday that Sam's Club will start selling a few of its products this month.

About 400 Sam's Club locations will start by selling two products, a 2-pound container of GNC Pro Performance whey protein for $18.09 and a 1.7-pound bottle of GNC Total LeanT Lean ShakeT for $22.98. Sam's Club will rotate other products onto shelves throughout the year.

GNC said it will work with Sam's Club to develop products specific to Sam's Club members.

Retailer demand for new locations is up across the board, according to ChainLinks Retail Advisors’ just-released National Retailer and Restaurant Expansion Guide. The report details the current expansion plans for hundreds of the largest U.S. retail and restaurant chains.

“As 2010 came to a close, growth plans were up 30% from the levels we recorded last year,” said ChainLinks’ research director, Garrick Brown,/ Right now, expansion plans are up 40% over last year’s levels.”

New York City -- Retailer demand for new locations is up across the board, according to ChainLinks Retail Advisors’ just-released National Retailer and Restaurant Expansion Guide. The report details the current expansion plans for hundreds of the largest U.S. retail and restaurant chains.

If Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2010 numbers were any indication, retail may well be prepping for some measurable bounce in 2011.

But the road to recovery isn’t going to be without frustrations, according to Chicago-based Jones Lang LaSalle’s North America Retail Outlook report, released in November.

The inaugural report examined retail real estate fundamentals such as vacancy levels, rental rates and investment sales volumes -- and drew the conclusion that 2011 would see a “slow and arduous retail sector recovery.”