Development/Redevelopment

Frenchtown Township, Mich. -- Youngstown, Ohio-based Cafaro Co. said Monday that rue21 will open a new store at Mall of Monroe, located in Frenchtown Township, Mich.

The 5,700-sq.-ft. store is slated to open June 2013 in the mall’s south concourse, and will be the only rue21 location in Monroe County.

Cafaro also said that The Monroe Expo Center opened Feb. 4, converted from a former retail use to a 51,000-sq.-ft. event space.

Fort Worth, Texas -- Trademark Property Co. said Tuesday that Dick’s Sporting Goods and Corner Bakery Café will open this year at The Shops at La Palmera in Corpus Christi, Texas. The 61,233-sq.-ft. Dick’s store will anchor the 200,000-sq.-ft. redeveloped and rebranded center, located across from La Palmera mall. Construction on Dick’s is set to begin in February with opening slated for fall 2013.

Scheduled to open in May is a 4,166-sq.-ft. Corner Bakery Café, adding to its 140 locations across the country.

New York -- Fidelity, the Boston-based investment firm, has bought a 10% stake in C. Wonder, according to Women’s Wear Daily. Founded by Christopher Burch in 2011, the company has since expanded to 10 locations and also operates pop-up stores.

Burch has big plans for C.Wonder, which sells a mix of apparel, accessories and home goods, all under its own label. According to previous reports, he plans to expand it to 50 to 100 stores by the end of 2014, including locations abroad.

Canton, Mass. -- Dunkin’ Donuts announced the signing of multi-unit store development agreements with two franchise groups to develop 11 restaurants throughout New Orleans.

The two franchise groups and their development plans include:

Boston -- No Rest for Bridget, based in Irvine, Calif., will make its East Coast debut in mid-March, opening a 1,300-sq.-ft. location on Boston’s Newbury Street.

The fast-fashion retailer specializes in affordable women’s clothing and accessories to 20- to 39-year-olds.

The store’s build-out is being handled by A&O Danner Companies, Plymouth, Mass., which is working with D2 Construction of Costa Mesa, Calif.

New York -- OfficeMax has become the latest retailer with a smaller-store, urban format either open or in the wings.
 
The retailer will unveil its smaller concept sometime in 2013, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. The new format will range between 5,000 sq. ft. and 15,000 sq. ft., the report said.

Walmart’s efforts to gain share in California’s grocery market continued this week with the opening of another Neighborhood Market in San Jose.

The 41,000-sq.-ft. store is Walmart’s second Neighborhood Market in San Jose and third in the San Francisco area and could be a sign of more to come. Since opening it first Neighborhood Market in California last summer, the format has quickly grown to approximately 20 locations. And there are likely more to come as Walmart looks to accelerated expansion of smaller format stores nationwide in the coming years.

Matthews, N.C. -- Harris Teeter Supermarkets Inc. reported that its fiscal first-quarter net income rose nearly 67%. The company earned $22.8 million for the quarter that ended Jan. 1, up from $13.7 million in the same quarter last year. The prior year's results included an $18 million cost to settle some pension liabilities and employee benefits in connection with the sale of its industrial thread manufacturing company.
    

New York -- Starbucks Coffee Co. on Friday opened its first location in Vietnam, following an expanded long-term relationship with Hong Kong Maxim’s Group.
 
The two-level flagship store has been designed to reflect Starbucks’ signature coffee heritage, while embracing Vietnam’s distinctive local traditions and coffee culture. It is located the bustling neighborhood of Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1.

New York -- Australian import Lorna Jane will open the largest store in its U.S. portfolio, a 3,000-sq.-ft. unit in San Francisco, in February.
 
The retailer, which specializes in fashionable yoga clothing, opened 10 stores in Southern California in 2012, and is now expanding into the Bay Area. Lorna Jane is also looking at locations in Corte Madera, San Jose, Palo Alto and Walnut Creek, as it looks to open 15 more stores by the end of this year, the report said.