Development/Redevelopment

Target Corp. is bringing its small-format store to the heart of Manhattan.   The discounter plans to open its first location in mid-town Manhattan, a 43,000-sq.-ft. store in Herald Square, just west of the 34th Street and Broadway intersection, and one block from Penn Station — and across the street from the Macy’s flagship.  

Hammer & Nails Grooming Shop for Guys, a new franchise that bills itself as the lone male grooming option, is set to open its first 50 locations in Texas.  Dallas and Houston shops are due by summer, and eight more are expected to be operating in the state by year’s end.  

Despite the growth of online shopping, brick and mortar stores are still critical to retail success.   “Retail stores are not dead,” said Shelley E. Kohan, VP of retail consulting at RetailNext Inc. “The retailers who continue to embrace change in their business models will be well positioned for today and in the future."  

Apple will be busy on March 25.    The company will open three new stores on that day,  including a flagship at Brickell City Center, a new mixed-use development  in downtown Miami.  It will be Apple’s fifth location in the Miami area.    The new Miami store will have  13-foot floor-to-ceiling windows, and a forum space with an oversized video display, according to TechCrunch.  

The Lone Star State and Golden State are ripe areas for grocery store expansion.    In 2016, more than 440 grocery stores opened in the United States, adding 18.8 million sq. ft. of space. And 27% of those stores opened in two states: Texas and California.   That’s according to JLL’s latest Grocery Tracker JLL’s latest Grocery explores four trends transforming the grocery shopping sector.    

Men’s grooming is one of the fastest-growing segments in beauty, and Hammer & Nails Grooming Shop for Guys is looking to tap into the rising consumer demand. The company, which provides hand and foot care, haircuts and shaves in what it bills as a "man cave nirvana,” plans to open 50 locations in Texas during the next five years.

Malls and shopping centers are not endangered, but evolving species, International Council of Shopping Centers CEO Thomas McGee told the Miami Herald this week.   “There is stress in the department store segment and closures. When you look at those stores as a percentage of retail square footage, it’s small,” McGee said in a wide-ranging interview with the paper. “But those spaces are big and prominent and they need to be handled in a systematic way.”  

Destination XL is expanding its presence in North America.   The male apparel retailer is opening its first Canadian store in Ajax, Ontario. The 5,028-sq.-ft. location features more than 100 brands and thousands of styles from top designers, including Michael Kors, Polo Ralph Lauren, Buffalo Jeans, Nautica, Levi’s and Cole Haan, as well as exclusive brands, such as Brooks Brothers and Lacoste. Private-label brands Harbor Bay, 28 Degrees, Oak Hill and True Nation, round out the assortment, DXL said.