Real Estate

Washington, D.C. -- Grosvenor Americas and Skanska USA Commercial Development have announced plans for a mixed-use project of more than 650,000 sq. ft. directly north of the new Washington Nationals ballpark in the Capitol Riverfront district of Washington, DC.
     

Commerce, Calif. -- Discounter 99 Cents Only said Tuesday it has launched an official search for a retail property on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Calif., to open its first store on the iconic street.

"We are confident a Rodeo Drive store will be successful because our stores do well in affluent areas,” said Eric Schiffer, CEO. “In fact, our highest sales volume store is located only a few blocks from Beverly Hills on Wilshire Boulevard.”

Of its 303 extreme-value stores in the U.S., 222 are in California.

New York -- Garrison Investment Group said Tuesday it has acquired a 13-property portfolio totaling 1.7 million sq. ft. of neighborhood and community shopping centers in Ohio and Indiana. The seller is Kimco Realty Corp.

The 13 properties feature retailers such as T.J. Maxx, Giant Eagle, Kroger, Bed Bath & Beyond and Home Depot.

Garrison engaged Cincinnati-based Select Strategies Realty manage and lease the properties.

NEW YORK — H&M will cement its place in New York City with the opening of its 13th store in Times Square.

The retailer has announced the lease signing for a 42,500 sq. ft. space that will become part of the NYC skyline, complete with 70 ft. by 70 ft. signage at the top of the store.

The store will feature three floors housing collections for ladies, men and children.

San Antonio, Texas -- Steak n Shake said Tuesday it has signed its first international development agreement, which will bring the concept to the Middle East.

Steak n Shake has signed an exclusive area development agreement with the Saleh Bin Lahej Group to open 40 restaurants throughout the United Arab Emirates. This agreement represents the initial expansion of the brand outside the continental United States.

Seattle -- Nordstrom Inc. said Tuesday that it has opened a second Cleveland Nordstrom Rack store – at the Promenade in Crocker Park, owned and managed by Stark Enterprises.

The 34,000-sq.-ft. store is slated to open fall 2013 in a former Border’s space at the lifestyle shopping center located in Westlake, Ohio, and tenanted by Bed Bath & Beyond, H&M, Trader Joe’s, Victoria’s Secret and The Cheesecake Factory.

COMMERCE, Calif. — Rodeo Drive is the place where Julia Roberts got the last laugh in "Pretty Woman" and the home to some of the most sought-after fashions in the world. But perhaps there is room on the iconic street for a more inclusive retail destination.

In that vain, 99 Cents Only Stores has issued a press release announcing its search for retail property on Rodeo Drive and is encouraging anyone with information on available retail space on Rodeo Drive is to contact its real estate department.

I’m sure I wasn’t the only person in the industry to raise an eyebrow when the S&P Retail Index notched an all-time high last month. Closing at $669.26 on September 14th to reach that milestone, the index has continued to creep up even further the last couple of weeks. A closer look at the stock market performance of the retail sector shows that both REITs and many individual retailers are continuing a strong positive trend—which makes sense, of course, because REITs will perform better in a strong retail environment when retailers are doing well.