Development/Redevelopment

Covington, La. -- Stirling Properties has added two people to its growing Asset Management division. Charles Barclay joined Stirling Properties as Assistant Asset Manager on a variety of retail and office properties in the Greater New Orleans area.

Barclay’s office is in the company’s corporate headquarters in Covington. Before moving to New Orleans, he worked for CW Capital Asset Management in Bethesda, Maryland.

Dallas -- The Woodmont Co. represented Firehouse Subs in the food chain’s continued expansion in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The fast-casual restaurant chain retained Woodmont to identify four strategic locations which have now been secured. The spaces range in size from 1,800 sq. ft. to 2,025 sq. ft., and the first of the four new restaurants opened in late January 2015, with the remainder opening as early as April 2015.

Grant Gary and Joseph Williams of The Woodmont Co. represented Firehouse Subs in all four transactions.

Center City, Pa. -- X Team International, an international alliance of retail real estate advisors, announced that partner MSC Retail has completed a lease transaction with New Balance Experience Store at 1615 Walnut Street in Center City.

The new 2,200-sq.-ft. ground-floor retail space is located on Philadelphia’s leading high street, and will sit alongside The Apple Store, Urban Outfitters and Free People. It opened on April 1.

Albuquerque, N.M. -- Heslin Holdings, Inc. announced the acquisition of West Central Plaza Shopping Center, a retail property located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The firm plans to invest more than $12 million -- for both the acquisition and to redevelop and re-tenant the property -- as part of a value-add investment strategy.
 

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – In its latest move to capitalize on the value of its real estate and raise more cash, Sears Holdings Corp. has formed a joint venture with Simon Property Group whereby Simon will take ownership of 10 Sears stores in Simon malls and lease them back to Sears, who will continue operating Sears stores in the venture. The stores include properties Sears has leased to other entities.

Saks Off 5th is joining the likes of Nordstrom Rack, Marshalls and Old Navy as the newest tenant at a Southern California shopping center that serves by value conscious residents of a community synonymous with celebrity and glamour.

Sears Holdings will eventually need to sell more stuff to shoppers to remain viable as a retailer, but in the meantime the company has shown itself to be more adept at generating cash through complex real estate deals that unlock the value of an increasingly less productive store base.

Las Vegas -- Ikea has broken ground for its future Las Vegas store.

The 351,000-sq.-ft. store will be built on 26 acres along the northern side of Interstate-215 at Durango Drive, near Sunset Road. Ikea has contracted with R&O Construction to build the project, and store plans reflect the same unique architectural design for which Ikea stores are known worldwide.