Development/Redevelopment

Amazon.com is continuing its rapid pace of distribution infrastructure expansion with a planned new center in Houston.   The 855,000-sq.-ft. fulfillment center will employ more than 1,000 full-time workers. Employees will pick, pack and ship smaller customer items, such as books, electronics and toys.  

A brand known for its low, low prices and high volume has opened its fifth U.S. store.   Primark has opened at PREIT’s Willow Grove Park Mall in the Philadelphia suburb of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. This is the second Primark location in the Philadelphia region. The store occupies 58,300 sq. ft. of space previously occupied by Sears on the second and third floors of the southwest side of the mall.  It features 59 fitting rooms and 47 registers, recharge areas, as well as a fashion "trend room.”  

HCW has named Bayer Properties to manage Branson Landing, the 95-acre mixed-use development in Branson, Missouri, that is home to the town’s convention center, Hilton Hotel, and in excess of 450,000 sq. ft. of retail and entertainment space.   Branson Landing is situated on 1.5 miles of Lake Taneycomo waterfront and its boardwalk, live entertainment, and nightly fire and water show are a big draw for the 8 million or so tourists who visit the town annually.  

With home prices on the rise, consumers are once again investing in remodeling and repair projects.

Alex and Ani is ramping up its store growth.   The Cranston, Rhode Island-based retailer plans to open 27 new locations in North America by the end of 2016, giving it a total of some 90 stores.     With the majority of its stores located on the East Coast, Alex and Ani, which is privately held, is now looking further afield. It will make its Southern California debut this fall, in Orange County.    

The surge in health-conscious retailers is evident wherever one shops. In the space of a few years, the likes of Lululemon, Fresh Market, and Orangetheory Fitness have proliferated in shopping centers. But Whole Foods, arguably a chief driver of the trend, has transformed its own business as well as that of centers.  

Restaurants now dominate retail for 15% of all sales, a point ahead of grocery for the top area of expenditure. Now it’s time for the special conditions of retail leasing to dominate the minds of shopping centers owners and managers, according to CBRE experts.  

The 26-acre property of the Imperial Sugar Refinery in Sugar Land, Texas, has been purchased by a developer that intends to transform it into a mixed-use facility comprising a hotel, apartments, and a 290,000 sq. ft. retail and entertainment center.