Development/Redevelopment

Gander Mountain has promoted Mike Owens to the position of president and COO. Owens was the company’s EVP and COO since joining in 2009.
 
“This is an exciting time for Gander Mountain, and we are very optimistic about our future,” said chairman of the board and CEO David Pratt, who has overseen a sizeable expansion in the past 18 months. “In Mike we have a true leader in driving further growth and success for Gander Mountain across our network of stores. I offer my personal congratulations to Mike on a well-deserved promotion.”

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Appliance & Hardware has debuted a smaller, neighborhood model format that will become a company standard for all new locations going forward. The new store, in Dallas, is also the first brand new Sears Appliance & Hardware store to open in the past ten years.

Fort Worth, Texas -- Tandy Leather Factory announced plans to open a store in Atlanta, in November. It’s the second Tandy store in the Atlanta area, and the company’s 79th overall.  

The new store is located in the Westfork Business Center and will open on Nov. 18.

Miami — The Cheese Course, a European-style cheese shop and bistro, has leased 1,500 sq. ft. in the plaza of Miami’s Southeast Financial Center, Florida’s tallest and largest office tower and plaza, totaling 1.225 million sq. ft.

The newest tenant joins other South Florida dining favorites including Spris, and The Newsstand Café by Books & Books.

Chicago — Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa has leased 3,200 sq. ft. at Heritage Plaza in Carol Stream, Ill. This is the fourth Hand & Stone location in the Chicagoland area as the company continues to expand in the region.

Heritage Plaza is a 128,871-sq.-ft. shopping center anchored by Jewel Osco. CBRE www.cbre.com represented the management company, Inland American Retail Management LLC. Baum Realty Group represented Hand & Stone.

Chicago — Athletic shoe and apparel retailer ASICS has signed a 5,254-sq.-ft. lease in Chicago’s Bucktown area. According to RKF, who represented the landlord, 1630 Damen LLC c/o Jenel Management Corporation in negotiations for the long-term lease, this will be Asics’ first store in the Midwest and third in the United States when it opens early next year.  

Blatteis & Schnur represented Windsor Financial Group, an independent licensee of AsicsAmerica in negotiations.

The opening of a new Sears Appliance & Hardware store in Dallas, Texas, marks two milestones for the hardware subsidiary operating under Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores. It is the debut of the smaller, neighborhood model that will become a company standard for all new locations and the first brand new Sears Appliance & Hardware store to open in the past 10 years.

Seattle -- Nordstrom announced that it plans to open a Nordstrom Rack at Gateway Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The approximately 33,000-sq.-ft. store is scheduled to open in fall 2014. Gateway Center is owned and managed by Related Companies.  

When it opens, the Gateway Center Nordstrom Rack will be the company's second Brooklyn location. The first Brooklyn Rack is set to open on Fulton Street in spring 2014.

San Francisco – PBTeen, a Williams-Sonoma retail brand, will open a new store in Huntington, N.Y., on Nov. 7. It will be the first PBTeen location on Long Island, the 16th in the U.S., and also the first combined location of PBTeen, Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids, with pass-through access to all three stores.

Salisbury, N.C. -- Bottom Dollar Food will open two new stores on Thursday, Oct. 31, one in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, and one in Ambler, Pa., bringing the market total for the discount grocery chain to 43 stores.

The two new stores add approximately 100 jobs to the greater Philadelphia economy. With the addition of the two new locations, Bottom Dollar Food now operates 62 stores in New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Each store is approximately 18,000 sq. ft.