Development/Redevelopment

Boston -- WS Development announced that Aldi will open a new store at Stateline Shopping Center, located in Salem, N.H.

The new store, the grocer’s first in the state, will join a newly opened Lowe’s anchor, as well as Sovereign Bank and NAMCO at the recently redeveloped 232,000-sq.-ft. shopping center.

Somerdale, N.J. -- Purchase, N.Y.-based National Realty & Development Corp. said Tuesday that Applebee’s will open a new restaurant at the 385,000-sq.-ft. CooperTowne Center in Somerdale, N.J.

Applebee’s will occupy 7,029 sq. ft. of this redevelopment project and will join anchor tenants Walmart Supercenter, Cinemark Theatres and LA Fitness.

Denver -- Centro Properties Group US announced Tuesday that Dollar Tree has opened a new store in Denver.

The 8,460-sq.-ft. Dollar Tree store opened at Villa Monaco, which is owned by New York City-based Centro Properties Group.

New York City -- Saks said Tuesday it will open a licensed Saks Fifth Avenue store in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in August 2012.

The full-line department store, which will tailor its merchandise to the region, will open in Esentai Shopping Mall, which is part of a new mixed-use development featuring residential, office and hospitality components.

The three-story, 91,000-sq.-ft. store will showcase a three-story-high, state-of-the-art digital video screen on the building’s facade. 

Columbia, S.C. -- Shopping center owner and developer Edens & Avant said Friday that Whole Foods Market will open a new store -- its third in South Carolina -- in the company’s Cross Hill Market retail center in Columbia, S.C.

The new store will be Whole Foods’ first in the capital city and will occupy approximately 37,876 sq. ft. in the 74,326-sq.-ft. development.

In his newest column, Retail Rap with Jeff Green, Chain Store Age columnist Green examines the early uptick in medical users in retail centers and questions why the trend has apparently stalled.

Click here to read his latest editorial. 

Houston -- Greensboro, N.C.-based Tanger Factory Outlet Centers and Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group announced Thursday that they have entered into a 50/50 joint venture agreement to develop a Tanger Outlet Center south of Houston, in Texas City.

Phase I is slated for 350,000 sq. ft. of brand name and designer outlet stores; the 55-acre site is expected to accommodate future expansion of about 120,000 sq. ft.

Tenant announcements and ground breaking ceremonies are slated for July; the center is scheduled to open in summer 2012.

Las Vegas -- Nike announced Thursday that its new 30,000-sq.-ft. concept store, an expanded iteration of the original, will open in July at The Forum Shops at Caesars, in Las Vegas.

The expanded location will deliver new customer experiences, market-tailored products, community resources and the introduction of team customization services, according to Nike.

Back in late 2009-early 2010, I started seeing an uptick in medical users setting up shop in retail centers. I thought, “This is going to be a trend!” I was convinced we’d be seeing more and more outpatient and urgent care facilities moving in next to the Rite Aids and Ann Taylor Lofts of the world. For some reason, though, this “trend” is not evolving. And, to be honest, that’s a little more than surprising to me; it’s puzzling!

SAN FRANCISCO — Gap Inc. announced that it plans to open its first Gap store in Egypt this July and its first Gap and Banana Republic stores in Morocco this October. These store openings will mark the company’s first entry into Africa.

As part of an existing franchise agreement with The Fawaz Al Hokair Group, Gap will open its first Egyptian store in the Mall of Arabia in the capital city of Cairo. Two additional Gap stores will open at Cairo’s City Stars Mall and Sun City Mall this October.