Real Estate

Miami Beach, Fla. -- Terranova Corp. announced that healthy fast-food chain Energy Kitchen will open a new 2,500-sq.-ft. restaurant at Suniland Shopping Center, located in Miami Beach, Fla.

The new store will be Energy Kitchen’s first in south Florida. The New York City-based chain operates 10 stores in the New York City area, with, according to Energy Kitchen, approximately 55 stores in development in Florida, Washington D.C., Boston, White Plains, Long Island and Maryland.

Whittier, Calif. -- Watt Commercial Properties said that it has signed Dollar Super Store to a five-year lease for 5,762 sq. ft. of space at Santa Fe Springs Marketplace, an 144,261-sq.-ft. retail center located in Whittier, Calif.

Santa Fe Springs Marketplace is 97% leased to several tenants including Food 4 Less, Rite Aid, O’Reilly and Frazee Paint.

New York City -- Jo-Ann Stores reported Wednesday that net income for the quarter ended Jan. 29 rose 8.9% to $40.4 million, compared with $37.1 million in the year-ago period.

Sales increased 3.6% to $624.1 million, just missing Wall Street’s expected $625.1 million. Same-store sales rose 2%.

Chairman and CEO Darrell Webb said the fabric and crafts retailer plans to open 55 to 60 new stores and remodel 60 more this year.

In the Feb. 24 edition of SiteTalk, we asked you about Borders'just-announced Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closures, and to what retailers you thought some of that prime real estate would go. Here is what two of our readers had to say:

"[I think they will go to] regional furniture chains [Value City] and regional electronics such as Hhgregg."
-- Joe Deckop
Columbus Consulting
Columbus, Ohio

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. -- Kohl’s Department Stores announced the grand opening of nine new stores across seven states, which the company said will create more than 1,200 jobs.

The new stores were opened Illinois, New York, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. In addition, Kohl's plans to open a total of approximately 40 new stores in 2011. The company said it also plans to remodel approximately 100 stores in 2011, an 18% increase from 2010.

Toronto — The Hudson's Bay Co. announced it has earned exclusive Canadian franchise rights for the United Kingdom’s Topshop and its male counterpart, Topman. The agreement includes the rights for both freestanding locations and in-store shops, expected to launch in The Bay in fall 2011.

New York — Walmart will next week start building its first smaller-format Express stores, according to building permits obtained by Bloomberg News.

The chain will begin construction March 16 on a 14,400-sq.-ft. store in Gentry, Ark., which is about 20 miles from the company’s Bentonville headquarters, according to the permits.

West Palm Beach, Fla. — Hurricane Grill & Wings announced it has signed seven new domestic development agreements, adding commitments for 233 new restaurants to its 42 existing locations.

The new development agreements will contribute to the company's accelerated growth plan with new locations in 15 states, including California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and District of Columbia.

New York — The sale of the financially-beleaguered furniture retailer Robb & Stucky to liquidation firm Hudson Capital Partners of Massachusetts was approved Tuesday at a bankruptcy hearing in Tampa, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.

Hudson Capital, in a joint venture with Hyperams LLC, offered the highest bid for the 96-year-old Fort Myers-based company, which operates 20 stores, mostly in Florida.

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Department Stores on Wednesday is celebrating  the grand opening of nine new stores across seven states: Illinois, New York, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.  The chain plans to open a total of approximately 40 stores in 2011.

In addition,  Kohl’s continues to invest in its existing store base, remodeling approximately 100 stores in 2011, an 18% increase from 2010.