Real Estate

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- A report released Monday by the Associated Press said that Sears Holdings Corp. would be spinning off its Hometown and Outlet stores, along with some hardware stores, into a separate, publicly traded company.

Earlier this year, Sears had revealed it would split the companies but had not indicated the new organization would be a separate public entity.

There are approximately 1,238 Hometown, Outlet and hardware stores. Five Hometown stores have been closed, along with eight hardware stores and one Outlet unit.

Specialty retailer Express expects to have its first stores in Latin America open by year end.

Columbus, Ohio -- Express said Friday that one of its subsidiaries has entered into a franchise agreement with Fastco Commercial S.A., a retail franchise operator, to open more than 30 Express stores over a five-year period in Panama, Peru, Costa Rica, Colombia, The Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Seattle -- Bartell Drugs is moving its headquarters, the Seattle-based retail pharmacy chain said Thursday.

Bartell's, which operates 58 stores in and around Washington State’s largest city, said it would move its headquarters to the West Seattle Corporate Center in October. Its present headquarters is in Georgetown, a neighborhood south of downtown Seattle. The new, 32,000-sq.-ft. headquarters was built in 1991 as the headquarters for Services Group of America.

Houston -- Real estate brokerage Baker Katz, an X Team International partner, announced it has acquired 310 West 19th Street in The Heights neighborhood of Houston.

The freestanding building has 4,120 sq. ft. of space and is currently occupied by Southern Dental.

St. Louis -- Discount grocer Save-A-Lot announced the openings of two grocery stores, one in Orange Park, Fla., and the other in Waveland, Miss.

The Orange Park store opened on Aug. 2, and the Waveland store opened Aug. 5.

Save-A-Lot Food Stores is a subsidiary of Supervalu Inc.

Costa Mesa, Calif. -- Donahue Schriber announced the acquisition of its third grocery-anchored shopping center in the last two months. The company reported the close of escrow on Del Mar Heights Village Center in San Diego County, Calif., which follows the acquisitions of Four Corners Shopping Center in Washington State and Bonita Centre, also in San Diego County.

Dallas -- SRS Real Estate Partners announced two new hires in the Houston office.

Scott Gardner and Chris Pitts have both joined the team as VPs.Both joined SRS from UCR Moody Rambin Page.