Deals

Columbia, S.C. -- Edens & Avant announced Friday that its CEO Terry S. Brown has been named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2011 Carolinas Award winner.

The awards program recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Brown was selected as the winner in the real estate category from nearly 100 nominations across the Carolinas.

Kansas City, Mo. -- Block Real Estate Services said it has opened an office in Atlanta, to provide asset, property, and construction management services to its current portfolio of commercial properties located in the Atlanta-metropolitan area.

Bert Calvert will oversee the operations for BRES in Atlanta.  
 

Greeley, Colo. -- Jacksonville, Fla.-based Regency Centers said it has leased retail space in Greeley, Colo., to T.J. Maxx, which will open a 25,000-sq.-ft. store at Centerplace of Greeley III shopping center.

The 119,000-sq.-ft. shopping center is anchored by a 42,000-sq.-ft. Sports Authority and a 30,000-sq.-ft. Best Buy.

New York City -- Two private equity firms are teaming up to make a bid to purchase BJ’s Wholesale Club, the New York Post reported.

Leonard Green & Partners and CVC Capital Partners are reportedly set to offer $2.8 billion to purchase the club retailer, according to the Post.

Rumors that BJ's Wholesale could be sold have been circulating for months. In March, the chain revealed in an SEC filing that it entered into a "confidentiality agreement" with Leonard Green to evaluate a possible purchase.

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Borders Group said Thursday that it is faced with closing dozens of its best-performing stores due to a requirement of its bankruptcy financing if their landlords don't agree to extend a lease-negotiation period.

Borders, which filed for bankruptcy protection in February, has extension agreements for 365 stores. But the book seller said in a court filing Thursday that it is still negotiating extensions for 51 stores, many of which are among its top-selling stores, including one near Penn Station in New York.

New York City -- According to a Wednesday filing with the SEC, major Barnes & Noble shareholder, Aletheia Research & Management, has cut its stake in the bookseller from 10.6% to 8.65%.

Aletheia was accused by Barnes & Noble of teaming with activist investor billionaire Ron Burkle during a proxy fight last year.

The reduction comes about two weeks after Liberty Media made a $1 billion offer for Barnes & Noble.

San Francisco -- At an investor conference on Thursday, Gap CEO Glenn Murphy announced the company will close 200 of its 900 U.S. namesake stores even as it expands its outlet presence.

While the company did not identify which stores will close, Gap said the 200 Gap brand closures over the next two years will be accompanied by a push to expand its Gap Outlet and Banana Republic factory chains.

As part three of our ongoing coverage of RECon, the annual retail real estate convention conducted by the International Council of Shopping Centers and held May 22-25 in Las Vegas, Chain Store Age talked with Joe Boehm, senior VP, retail leasing, of Cleveland-based Forest City Enterprises, regarding his impressions of RECon 2011 and what Forest City projects garnered the most attention at the show.

What impression of the state of the industry were you left with by the end of RECon 2011?