Deals

New York -- Winick Realty Group announced that it is exclusively representing Chipotle Mexican Grill in its leasing efforts throughout Northern New Jersey, Long Island and all five boroughs of New York City.

The Winick team is seeking 1,600-sq.-ft. to 2,300-sq.-ft. sites in these markets. Since opening its first Manhattan location in 2003, Chipotle has grown to 60+ locations in New York City, Long Island and Northern New Jersey.

Las Vegas -- MGM Resorts International CEO Jim Murren said Wednesday that the company is considering selling parts of its $8.5 billion CityCenter project on the Las Vegas Strip, including the Crystals Mall.

The sell-off would be a move to reduce CityCenter’s $1.85 billion in debt, which has been paid down from $2.5 billion last year.

CityCenter also houses the 4,000 Arai hotel casino which, said Mullen, is not part of any potential sale.

North Bergen, N.J. -- The Vitamin Shoppe announced that it has closed on the previously announced purchase of Super Supplements, a specialty retailer of vitamins, minerals and supplements for approximately $50 million. The acquisition was funded with available cash. 

The transaction was structured as a purchase of Super Supplements' assets by a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Vitamin Shoppe. Super Supplements is headquartered in Seattle, Washington and operates 31 stores in the Pacific Northwest.
 

New York -- A Friday report by Bloomberg said that Office Depot is considering selling the remaining 50% of its Mexican unit to Grupo Gigante SAB, which currently owns the other half.

Citing unnamed sources, Bloomberg reported that Grupo Gigante is in talks with local banks to fund the acquisition of Office Depot de Mexico.
 

New York -- Richard Schulze, founder of Best Buy Co., may abandon a buyout bid and instead line up investors to take a minority position in the electronics retailer, Reuters reported.
 
Schulze informed the Best Buy board in August that he was interested in partnering with private equity partners to buy the struggling consumer electronics company. But he has been unable to get enough support from banks to finance a deal that would allow him to take it private, the report said.

Dallas -- Corner Bakery Cafe announced plans to open 16 restaurants in six counties in the greater New York City area as part of a recent multi-unit agreement with CBCWSNY. The group of restaurant operators plans to open its first restaurant in 2013 and the remaining sites over the next six years.

Corner Bakery Cafe opened 20 new cafes and signed another 125 cafes in 2012, raising the total to 147 open cafes and 288 cafes under development, as the company moves forward on its goal to double its U.S. footprint by the end of 2015.

New York -- A Tuesday report by the Wall Street Journal said that Harris Teeter Supermarkets is considering putting itself up for sale.

Citing unnamed sources, WSJ reported that the grocer is working with J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. to pursue strategic options.

No one from Harris Teeter has commented yet.

New York -- A&G Realty Partners said Tuesday it has been retained by Bakers Footwear Group Inc. to handle the liquidation of its remaining 56 mall stores.

According to A&G, an auction for the store leases is slated for Feb. 18, with a deadline to submit bids to A&G Realty by Feb. 21.