Deals

CLEVELAND — American Greetings announced that it has agreed to be taken private by a group led by some of its top executives for about $602 million.

The executive group was formed by the Weiss family — including chairman Morry Weiss; CEO Zev Weiss; director, president and COO Jeffrey Weiss and others — and will buy the shares of the company they don't already own for $18.20 a piece in cash. This amounts to a 13% premium to American Greetings' closing price of $16.10 last Thursday.

Myrtle Beach, S.C. -- Jones Lang LaSalle said Thursday it has closed the sale of Windy Hill Shopping Center and North Village Center on behalf of Equity One.

America’s Realty purchased the two adjacent shopping centers totaling 128,821 sq. ft. and anchored by Roses, Goodwill, Dollar General and Cititrends.
 

Burlington, Mass. -- KeyPoint Partners said it has added three Massachusetts retail properties to its portfolio that include property management and leasing assignments.

The firm has been awarded property management contracts for 1080 Route 28, South Yarmouth and 978 Boylston Street, Newton; and property management and leasing contracts for Treble Cove Plaza, Billerica. Marathon Realty awarded the contract.

Nashville, Tenn. -- GBT Realty Corp. said Wednesday it has closed on the purchase of approximately 20 acres along Pooler Parkway in Pooler, Ga., for the development of the Village on Pooler Parkway. The development will consist of more than 143,000 sq. ft. when completed in the first quarter of 2014.
 

Houston — Sprouts Farmers Market, an independent natural foods grocery store chain, opened its first Houston-area store today.

The 25,300-sq.-ft. store opened at the southwest corner of Cinco Ranch Boulevard and Peek Road in Katy, Texas. The store will sell farm-fresh produce and thousands of natural, organic and mainstream food items at an affordable price point.

New York -- Wegmans is looking to open its first location in Boston, according to a report on Boston.com.

The company reportedly is seeking to open at the Landmark Center, an office and retail complex that is being redeveloped. Wegmans anticipates that an agreement for the site will be reached “in the near future,” the report said.

Dallas -- 7-Eleven will rebrand convenience stores in Ohio’s Cuyahoga and Lorain counties as part of a 19-store lease from Allentown, Pa.-based Lehigh Gas Partners LP.

The effective date of the leases will vary, but all leases are expected to be in place by March 31, 2013.

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. -- Mid-America Asset Management said it has signed three furniture/home décor stores to retail locations in Chicago’s suburbs of Oak Brook and McHenry as well as downstate in Bloomington, Ill.

Ashley Furniture signed a lease for 31,573 sq. ft. at Colonial Plaza in Bloomington, Ill., with plans to open in spring 2013. Ashley Furniture will co-anchor the 236,460-sq.-ft. center along with Kmart and OfficeMax.