Development/Redevelopment

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — The first of 39 former Zellers stores in Canada celebrated its grand opening as a Walmart store Friday.

According to Walmart Canada, the 69,000 sq. ft. store located in Newmarket, Ontario, will feature easy-to-navigate aisles with directional signage, and a bright interior colour palette, which help define the store's merchandise areas, and lower shelving throughout for an improved sightline. In addition, a pharmacy has been added to the store making it even easier for customers to find everything they need.

Seattle -- Nordstrom Inc. will open its outlet format Nordstrom Rack at The Newbury in Boston’s Back Bay area.

The two-level, 38,000-sq.-ft. store is scheduled to open in spring 2013. It will replace the former Filene’s Basement space.

Currently, Nordstrom opens four full-line stores and four Nordstrom Racks in the Boston market.
 

New York -- The store opening plans of retailers hit a four-year high in July, according to the August edition of the National Retailer Demand Monthly report from RBC Capital Markets and Retail Lease Trac.

Retailers in the RBC database currently plan to open 78,325 stores over the next 24 months, which represents an 11% increase over openings projected at the end of 2011, and a 0.6% increase over June’s level.

IRVING, Texas — Michaels Stores reported a second quarter same-store sales increase of 2.9% driven by a 3% increase in transactions and a positive impact of 0.9% from deferred custom framing revenue partially offset by a 1% decrease in average ticket.

Net sales for the quarter increased 4.1% to $892 million from $857 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2011.

Net income for the quarter increased 30% to $13 million, and as a percent of net sales increased 20 basis points to 1.4%.
   

New York -- H&M will open its largest store in the world, on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, Women’s Wear Daily reported.

The company will open a six-level, 57,000-sq.-ft. store on Fifth Avenue at the corner of 48th Street sometime next year, according to the report.
 

Gurnee, Ill. -- Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group said that Bed Bath & Beyond, along with Buy Buy Baby, will open this fall in a shared space at Gurnee Mills outlet center, in Gurnee, Ill.

The Bed Bath & Beyond/Buy Buy Baby prototype store will be located near Last Call by Neiman Marcus, The Gap Outlet and Build-a-Bear Workshop at the value center.
 

Cherry Hill, N.J. -- Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust said that Essensuals London will open a high-end salon – its first on the East Coast – at PREIT’s Cherry Hill (N.J.) Mall property.

The 1,530-sq.-ft. salon will be the third of its kind in the country, and will join recently opened Henri Bendel. Pottery Barn and The North Face are opening in the fall.


 

Minneapolis -- William & Friends, the company behind Lili Salon and Spa concept in Minnetonka, Minn., has opened a second location at Galleria Edina, in Minneapolis.

The company worked with Shea, a Minneapolis-based design and marketing firm, on the design of a 5,000-sq.-ft. space formerly occupied by Smith & Hawken.

Lili opened on Aug. 13.
 

Fort Worth, Texas -- Dallas-based Cypress Equities said that CD Ski & Sports will open its fifth Climate store, locating it at the West 7th mixed-use project in Fort Worth, Texas.

The new 4,221-sq.-ft. store is slated to open in late September.

Los Angeles -- Commercial builder Bernards said it has broken ground on a $105-million, mixed-use project at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and La Brea Avenue in the mid-city section of Los Angeles.  

Three years in pre-construction and scheduled for completion in April 2014, the project is being developed by BRE Properties, based in San Francisco.