Deals

NEW YORK — Walmart confirmed in an op-ed in the Washington Post that if the D.C. Council passes a bill setting a higher minimum wage for large retailers, it will pull the plug on three planned stores in the Washington, D.C., area. 

Purchase, N.Y. -- Chipotle Mexican Grill has opened at Orange Plaza, an 815,000-sq.-ft. Middletown, N.Y. power-center owned by National Realty & Development Corp.

Orange Plaza’s anchors include a Wal-Mart Supercenter, The Home Depot, Kohl’s Department Store, Burlington Coat Factory, Marshalls, Bed Bath & Beyond and Staples.

The center draws shoppers from a 12-mile radius with a population of more than 157,000. Approximately 20,000 of the 46,000 vehicles passing the center every day are shopping center destination trips.

New York -- Jones Group Inc. has tapped Citigroup Inc. to explore a possible sale, according to Reuters.
 
In April, Jones Group said that it would close 170 stores and cut 8% of its workforce after first-quarter profit was less than analysts’ estimates. The news comes just months after activist hedge fund

The company, whose brands include Stuart Weitzman, Jones New York, Easy Spirit, and Nine West, had a market value of about $1.2 billion as of July 5.

New York -- Belle Foods plans to close 13 stores by Aug. 3, including six in Alabama, according to a report by the Birmingham Business Journal. The shutters are part of a reorganization following the chain’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

Of the 13 store closures, 12 are Food Worlds and one is a Piggly Wiggly.

Cincinnati, Ohio -- Phillips Edison-ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc. has announced the acquisition of Sunset Center, a 164,797-sq.-ft. shopping center anchored by a 54,971-sq.-ft. Safeway.

The acquisition brings the Phillips Edison-ARC portfolio to 41 properties in 16 states with an aggregate purchase price of approximately $518.5 million.

San Bernardino, Calif. -- Stater Bros. has announced an agreement to purchase the recently closed Albertsons in Moreno Valley, Calif.

The 43,670-sq.-ft. supermarket will be the fourth location for Stater Bros. in Moreno Valley.
 

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. -- Mid-America Real Estate Corp. has brokered the sale of Danada Square East, a 202,036-sq.-ft. grocery anchored shopping center in the Chicago suburb of Wheaton, Ill. Dominick’s anchors the center.

Newport Capital Fund I purchased the property for $31,625,000 from CBRE Global Investors.

Warrendale, Pa. -- Rue21 Inc. said Wednesday that the “go-shop” period that would have allowed it to be sold to an alternate buyer has expired, edging the specialty apparel and accessories chain closer to a deal with Apax Partners.
 
In May, Rue21 reached a deal to sell itself to Apax for nearly $1 billion; terms allowed the retailer to shop competing bids until July 2. Although 60 potential buyers were contacted, none submitted a competing bid to acquire the company.