Deals

New York -- The Jones Group Inc. announced that its shareholders overwhelmingly voted to approve the company’s acquisition by Sycamore Partners.

Under the terms of the deal, Sycamore will acquire Jones for $15.00 per share in cash, or a total transaction value of approximately $2.2 billion.

Hamilton, Bermuda -- Signet Jewelers Limited and Zale Corporation have announced the expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, in connection with the proposed acquisition of Zale by Signet.

The expiration of the HSR Act waiting period satisfies one of the conditions to the closing of the proposed acquisition, which remains subject to approval by Zale’s stockholders and certain other customary closing conditions.

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.

Winnetka, Calif. — dd’s Discounts, a subsidiary of Ross Dress For Less, has opened a 25,600-sq.-ft. store at Sherman Plaza in Winnetka, Calif. Kennedy Wilson represented the landlord, Sherman Plaza, in the transaction.

Epsteen and Associates represented the tenant.

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.

New York — JLL has named Robert Gibson vice chairman of New York retail brokerage. He will be responsible for the growth of retail tenant and agency leasing in New York.

Most recently, vice chairman with Cushman & Wakefield Inc.’s Midtown Manhattan office, Gibson has more than 26 years of retail leasing experience in New York and nationally.

New York -- Discount supermarket operator Aldi has acquired a 55-acre site in Moreno Valley, Calif., on which it will build its Southern California regional headquarters. The planned 800,000-sq.-ft. facility would serve as Aldi’s West Coast regional office and distribution center as it looks to expand into the Southern California market.

In December, Aldi announced plans to open 650 stores in the United States during the next five years.