Development/Redevelopment

The number of Sephora shops inside J.C. Penney stores is about to increase.

The department store retailer announced it will open 60 additional Sephora shops in Penney stores, including a flagship set to open in November.

East Coast Wings & Grill’s ambitious growth plans are poised to benefit from a data-driven approach to site selection made possible by the Buxton Analytics Platform.

The casual dining chain currently has 31 locations and has signed agreements to add 80 new restaurants across the country within the next five years. To ensure those restaurants are in the optimal locations, East Coast Wings & Grill partnered with customer analytics firm Buxton.

Wireless provider T-Mobile is launching a major retail expansion drive this year.

The company plans to open 400 of its own branded stores this year, according to a report by Fortune.

“We always just follow what the customer really wants,” T-Mobile’s chief operating officer Mike Sievert told Fortune, and customers, he added, have been “very clear” that “they prefer to do business at a fully branded store.”

While generally steady post-recessionary economic performance has led to an extended period of retail growth, retailers and retail real estate professionals around the country have begun openly wondering about just how high rental rates can continue to climb. In the last few years, occupancy costs are up significantly virtually across the board; most dramatically in dense urban locations in larger markets.

Sears Holdings will shutter its apparel design office in New York City.

The struggling retailer will shutter the 154-employee office in July, reported the New York Post, which cited a Department of Labor filing.

Sears will move approximately 40 positions to an existing site in San Francisco, with the remainder positions to be cut, according to the report.

Pre-leasing has begun on a $100 million mixed-use complex developed by Forest City Realty Trust that offers retailers an interesting opportunity to serve the bustling Chinatown area of Los Angeles.

The project, named Blossom Plaza, will feature 237 apartments and 19,000-sq.-ft. of commercial space on a two acre tract at the intersection of Broadway and College Street. Leasing the space on behalf of Forest City will be JLL VP Lorena Tomb and associate Danielle Cornwell.

Cross-border expansion is on the rise and an extensive new study from JLL identifies the top 50 major cities worldwide that offer the top growth prospects.

Shopper center operators have a new ally in their efforts to drive traffic called Cowboys Saloon: American Bar & Grill.

Cowboys is a new food and entertainment concept billed as a destination restaurant and country-western venue that is looking to grow rapidly the next few years. Founded six years ago, Cowboys is on a growth trajectory to operate more than 20 locations by 2018, up from the seven locations that will be open by year end.