Real Estate

New York -- Dylan's Candy Bar will open its first West Coast location in Los Angeles, this summer. The 2,500-sq.-ft. store will be located in a historic landmark: the Original Farmers Market on the corner of Third and Fairfax.

“We opened our first store 10 years ago in NYC fulfilling a childhood dream of mine to create the largest, most magical candy store,” said Dylan Lauren, founder and CEO of Dylan's Candy Bar. “Now I'm thrilled to bring my love of color, design and the joy of candy from coast to coast!”

Dallas -- Cypress Equities said it has hired Steven Hrbek as property manager for The Streets of Woodfield, located in Schaumburg, Ill.

Hrbek will be responsible for onsite management and operation of the open-air, core retail center featuring more than 700,000 sq. ft. of retail space. He was previously senior real estate manager for CB Richard Ellis in Downers Grove, Ill.
 

As part of Chain Store Age’s lead-up coverage to RECon 2012, to be held May 20-23 in Las Vegas, we talked with DLC’s Daniel Taub about what his expectations are for the big real estate show. Visit DLC’s booth at RECon, Upper South Hall, S2235.

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Regency Centers, a national owner, operator and developer of grocery-anchored and community shopping centers, announced that buildings at two of its shopping centers in North Carolina and Illinois have received LEED Silver established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

This is not your father’s (or my father’s) RECon. True, the conference wasn’t called that back then, but it is clear to me that this influential annual event is evolving. I see three relatively new RECon trends/developments that I think are significant beyond the conference itself; indicating bigger-picture changes within the broader retail real estate industry:

Stronger international presence

Derby, Conn. -- DLC Management Corp. and Hutensky Capital Partners have announced a joint-venture acquisition of Walmart Plaza, a 199,393-sq.-ft. shopping center in Derby, Conn.

Anchored by Walmart, Adams Hometown Market and CVS, the center adds to DLC’s Connecticut holdings of nine shopping centers and 1.4 million sq. ft.
 

Gurnee, Ill. -- Construction has begun on a 140,000-sq.-ft. full-line Macy’s that will anchor a new full-price wing at Gurnee Mills, in Gurnee, Ill.

With the addition of the department store, which is expected to open in late summer 2013, Gurnee Mills said it will be distinguished as the first hybrid shopping destination of its kind, combining full-price, outlet and value retail all under one roof.

New York -- RKF announced the opening of a Chicago office as part of its ongoing expansion into key urban markets nationwide. This is the firm’s seventh office; others include its New York headquarters, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Northern New Jersey, and San Francisco.

“The opening of our Chicago office is a crucial part of our national strategy to expand RKF’s on-the-ground presence in key urban markets in the U.S.,” said RKF chairman & CEO Robert Futterman.