Development/Redevelopment

New York City -- Brixmor Property Group announced Tuesday a series of corporate and regional enhancements to its leasing and redevelopment capabilities as it re-focuses on growing portfolio occupancy, strengthening retailer relationships and ramping-up redevelopment efforts.

Timothy J. Bruce has been appointed executive VP, leasing and redevelopment and as a member of the company’s Management Committee.  

Paraiso Town Center in the Thousand Oaks, Calif., master-planned community of Dos Vientos Ranch is being renamed The Village at Dos Vientos Ranch, announced Peter Cohen, president of Paradise Capital Group, which acquired the 50,000-sq.-ft. mixed-used retail and office complex in June 2010.

A new name was very important toward rebranding and marketing the property, said Cohen. “We wanted to give the center a fresh start with a new name that was easy to pronounce and remember,” he said.

New York City -- Marimekk, the Finnish textile and clothing design company, will open a flagship in New York City, on Oct. 6. Located on Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District, the store will act as a showcase for new products.

The NYC store is based on the same concept as the Marimekko flagship opened in Helsinki earlier this year. Both locations were designed by the Japanese architectural firm IMA in cooperation with Marimekko's own shop design team.

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Department Stores’ new store prototype has achieved LEED Gold precertification using the LEED for Retail: New Construction rating system, making Kohl’s the first U.S. company to achieve this designation in the LEED Volume Program. The program, administered by the United States Green Building Council, launched in November 2010.

Cherry Hill, N.J. — Noted fashion designer and retailer Michael Kors has opened a new store in Cherry Hill, N.J. — at the Cherry Hill Mall, a property owned by Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust.

The store opening is part of the mall’s $200 million complete renaissance, which includes the addition of white-linen restaurants, a new parking deck, the addition of an upscale retail wing, a redesigned and relocated food court now called Cherry Hill Cafés, and extensive interior and exterior renovations.

Dublin, Calif. - Ross Dress for Less will open four new locations in the greater Chicago area on March 8, 2014. These openings bring the total number of Chicago area stores to 35 for the retailer.  

New York — British apparel retailer Jack Wills is looking to nearly double its store count in the United States, according to various reports in the U.K. media.

The company, which specializes in preppy clothing for young men and women, currently operates 11 U.S. locations and has plans to add eight to 10 stores next year. It made its U.S. debut in 2010, in Massachusetts.

Ridgefield, Conn. — Spanish fast-fashion retail giant Zara has chosen Schimenti Construction Company to build its new flagship at 666 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. The 39,000-sq.-ft. store is located in the former home of the NBA Store.

“We have begun the first phase (demolition and structural work) of the project which has included lowering the second floor to provide a higher ceiling and installing new steel beams,” said project executive Joseph Schimenti.

New York City -- Centro Properties Group US announced it has officially changed its name to Brixmor Property Group, Inc., effective immediately. 

The name change follows the acquisition of the company in June by an affiliate of Blackstone Real Estate Partners VI L.P. 

Brixmor is the second largest owner of community and neighborhood shopping centers in the United States with 585 properties aggregating approximately 92 million sq. ft.

Madison, Wis. -- Lee & Associates’ Madison office said it has completed $2.8 million of leases at The Shoppes at Hartford; a 24,000-sq.-ft. retail center in Hartford, Wis. 

Located next to a new Wal-Mart Super Center, Lee Madison had the center 75% pre-leased before construction commenced and 100% leased before construction was finalized. Construction commenced April 1, and all tenants are expected to open before Christmas 2011.