Development/Redevelopment

Construction is underway at a planned 185,000-sq.-ft. center that will bring a top-level roster of value retailers to the western Kentucky town of Hopkinsville. Thompson Thrift is the developer.   Hopkinsville Town Center, located just north of Clarksville on the Tennessee border, will count Hobby Lobby, TJ Maxx, Ross Dress for Less, Ulta, Burke’s Outlet, Hibbett Sporting Goods, and Rack Room Shoes among its tenants when it opens in late 2017 or early 2018.  

The retailer opened 11 new stores in the U.S. and Canada for the quarter ending Aug. 1, 2016. This adds to the 12 new stores it opened in the first quarter, bringing the total for the year to 23.    PetSmart is on track to achieve its goal of 80 net new stores in 2016.   The new stores average around 14,000 sq. ft., with service offerings such as grooming and pet training.  

Bonobos opened its fifth Manhattan store this week on Madison Avenue, surrounded by neighbors that include Porsche Design, Tourneau, Dino Baldini, and Lladro.   Called the Bonobos Guideshop NYC, the store inhabits a 1,725-sq.-ft. ground floor space with all-glass frontage on the southwest corner of 52nd Street in the shadow of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The deal was brokered by RKF.   

It houses one of the nation’s premier jazz performance centers, as well as Michelin-star restaurants, so New York’s Time Warner Center couldn’t have any old pop-up shops lining walkways with spectacular views of Central Park South.  

Bass Pro Shops has agreed to acquire Cabela’s in a deal that will allow the privately held Bass Pro to nearly double its store count.    Bass Pro plans to purchase Cabela’s for about $65.50 a share in cash, which represents a 19% premium over Friday’s closing price. The agreement will create an outdoor retail powerhouse that specializes in fishing, hunting and boating merchandise. Both companies are known for their elaborate, wilderness-themed store interiors.   

Wolf & Badger, a strong supporter of emerging fashion brands, is dropping anchor in the United States.   Founded in February 2010 by brothers Henry and George Graham, the British retailer will open a 2,500-sq.-ft. flagship in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood, in February. Although Wolf & Badger operates two stores in London, it is primarily an e-commerce player, with over 90% of its sales coming from online. But similar to many pure players, it feels a physical space is crucial to connecting with customers.  

What Trademark did north of Houston with Market Street Woodlands (above) it intends to do in West Houston with an 82-acre mixed-use town center at the junction of I-10 and Mason Road.   “We believe this site is the next great opportunity in the country to develop a premier regional, mixed-use town center,” said Terry Montesi, CEO, Trademark Property Co. “There is a tremendous retail void in West Houston.”  

JLL has been selected to manage retail leasing for Woodmore Towne Center in Glenarden, Maryland, which is being expanded into a 245-acre mixed-use development.   Under construction at the location east of Washington D.C. off the Capital Beltway are 1,100 residential units, two hotels, and a million sq. ft. of office space. Expansion of the retail space, which has drawn Nordstrom Rack to the center, will bring it to a total of 800,000 sq. ft.  

Pacific Commons, located in the famed Gold Rush town of Fremont, California, will be getting a refresh, said owner Vestar.   The 1.2 million-sq.-ft. lifestyle and power center will be refurbished with new indoor-outdoor dining areas, trellis-enhanced landscaping, stone and wood seat walls, a fountain, and a gathering area with fire pits.