Real Estate

DAVENPORT, Iowa — Von Mauer may not be a household name in the retail world, but the Davenport, Iowa-based department store chain must be doing something right with its online business.

Stockholm, Sweden -- Hennes & Mauritz AB reported Wednesday that profit for the second quarter rose 23% to $750 million, beating Wall Street estimates and marking the strongest profit increase in seven quarters for Europe’s second-largest apparel retailer.

H&M had announced on June 15 that sales for the quarter rose 15% to $4.5 billion, beating estimates and boosted by sales strength in the United States.
 

Garden City, N.Y. -- Starbucks Coffee Co. has appointed Sabre Real Estate Group LLC as its exclusive broker for northern New Jersey.

Sabre’s Scott Sher and Russel Helbling will spearhead the cafe chain’s site search in Bergen, Passaic, Essex, Union and Hudson Counties, where the chain currently has 52 locations.

New York -- The Home Depot plans to spend $1.3 billion on new technology and $700 million to build 36 new stores from 2013-15, according to a report by Investors Daily.

The report was based on remarks chain’s senior VP finance, Ted Decker, made Tuesday at Jefferies Global Consumer Conference.

Decker also said the company plans to build “new state-of-the-art distribution facilities” to leverage its stores.
 

New York -- Saks Fifth Avenue’s Off 5th plans to open its doors in Syracuse’s Carousel Center on June 21.

The 24,962-sq.-ft. store will be located in the center’s new expansion area called Destiny USA, which is the largest LEED certified commercial retail project in the country.

Norristown, Pa. -- As part of its continuing commitment to sustainability, USM Inc. has recently received LEED Silver CI (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Commercial Interiors) certification for its headquarters facility in Norristown, Pa. The facility opened in October 2011.
 
A national provider of interior and exterior facilities maintenance programs, USM is a subsidiary of EMCOR Group, a leader  in mechanical and electrical construction, energy infrastructure, and facilities services for a diverse range of businesses.

Charleston, S.C. -- Colonial Candle said it is opening its first retail and research boutique in Charleston, S.C. The 3,000-sq.-ft. flagship store is the 103-year-old candle company's first and only boutique.

Located in The Shops at Charleston Place, the Colonial Candle boutique joins Godiva, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Lacoste at the center.
 
The new store is slated to open in early fall 2012.

Houston -- Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services said it has hired Derek Hargrove as a senior associate in the Houston office.

In his new position, Hargrove will focus on the sale of multi-tenant shopping centers throughout southwest Texas. He also holds the title of associate director of Marcus & Millichap’s National Retail Group.