Deals

New York -- Whole Foods Market has inked a deal for a new location in the Bryant Park area of Manhattan – on Sixth Avenue between 41st and 42nd Streets.

A Wall Street Journal report, which cited unnamed sources, said that the grocer has agreed to take 10,000 sq. ft. on the ground floor and 22,000 sq. ft. on the second floor at 1095 Sixth Ave., a building owned by a Blackstone Group fund.

Indianapolis — Simon Property Group has announced a plan to spin off all of its strip center business along with its smaller enclosed malls into an independent publicly traded REIT called SpinCo.

New York — Nearly 7,600 attendees packed into the International Council of Shopping Centers New York National Conference and Deal Making, a 9.6% spike over last year and the largest year-on-year increase since 2009.

“The New York Conference acts as a strong bellwether for industry growth in the year to come,” said Michael P. Kercheval, president and CEO of ICSC. “When the conference sees an increase in attendance, the industry grows the following year; if attendance contracts, so too does the industry.”

Columbus, Ohio — Glimcher Realty Trust has announced that its Board of Trustees has elected Yvette McGee Brown, Esq. and Nancy J. Kramer to serve as trustees on the Board, effective Dec. 12. McGee Brown and Kramer are eligible to be nominated for re-election to the Board at the company’s 2014 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

The recession took a major toll on the retail real estate sector but, despite waffling consumer confidence, the sector continues to improve. Retail now accounts for 19% of total U.S. investment volume year-to-date 2013.

Retail experts from Jones Lang LaSalle predict four key forces that will drive an increase in the retail transaction market during 2014:

1. Strengthening Fundamentals  

Houston — Exceptional job growth, population gains and improved retail fundamentals have significantly elevated the sales prices for shopping centers in Texas over the last year, according to Deal Sikes & Associates, a Houston-based real estate valuation and counseling firm.

Some retail properties have increased in value more than 20 percent in 2013, compared to last year, added Matthew Deal, principal at Deal Sikes & Associates.

New York — Sarah’s Kitchen has signed a lease for a 9,150-sq.-ft. space at 270 Madison Ave., between East 39th and East 40th Streets in Midtown Manhattan. Expected to open in third quarter 2014, the eatery will occupy approximately 6,350 sq. ft. on the ground floor and 2,800 sq. ft. in a mezzanine.

PD Properties represented Sarah’s Kitchen, which is part of the same restaurant group that operates Delmonico’s Gourmet Food Market. Winick Realty Group represented the landlord, ABS Partners in the transaction.