Real Estate

Editor’s note: Chain Store Age’s 23rd annual survey of Fastest-Growing Acquirers measured retail square footage purchased during the 2011 calendar year.

For some companies, being among the top acquirers of shopping centers almost is business as usual — top-ranked Inland Real Estate is a perennial leader, largely through avidly scouring daily for possible deals, while Kimco maintained its focus on top projects in top markets.

New York -- Gregorys Coffee said Thursday it has executed a new lease at 878 6th Avenue (Between 31st and 32nd St.) in Herald Square, as part of the expansion efforts of the coffee shop chain throughout Manhattan.

The new site is scheduled to open its doors in June.

The two-story location will feature 1,000 sq. ft. on the second floor, set up as a training center.
 

Fort Worth, Texas -- Trademark Property said Wednesday it has purchased two retail centers located directly across from La Palmera mall in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The 15.5-acre Staples Center, built in the 1980s, and the 3.8-acre Mt. Vernon Center, built in the 1940s, will undergo rebranding along with a major redesign and renovation, scheduled to begin late 2012 with completion slated for 2013.

The redeveloped center, to be named The Shops at La Palmera, will total approximately 200,000 sq. ft.

Dallas -- Dave & Buster's Inc. named John Mulleady as senior VP development, responsible for leading the company's expansion strategy into new and under-penetrated markets. He most recently served as VP real estate and construction at BJ's Wholesale Club.

"Dave & Buster's has big plans for expansion, and we needed a leader with experience opening a large number of new stores. John's background in developing large-format brands makes him the ideal person to lead this charge,” said Steve King, CEO of Dave & Buster's.
 

Plymouth Meeting, Pa. -- Fameco Real Estate said that Buffalo Wild Wings has signed a 6,200-sq.-ft. lease at the Kennedy Mall in Brick Township, N.J.

The AntSul Group, doing business as Buffalo Wild Wings in the region, currently has two locations open; one in North Brunswick and one in Bridgewater. The location at Kennedy Mall will be the group’s third and it is expected to open in late May.
 

New York -- Prudential Douglas Elliman's Retail Group said it has orchestrated a long-term lease for the first Armani Junior standalone flagship in the United States at 1225 Madison Avenue, on the northeast corner at 88th Street in Manhattan.      

Neighboring retailers along the corridor include Brooks Brothers, Ankasa, Jacadi, Rachel Riley, J.Crew, Buckhouse, Jack Rogers, Joie, Koos, Intimacy, Ann Crabtree, Rose Pope Maternity and The Shoe Box.

Hingham, Mass. -- Talbots Inc.’s fourth-quarter loss widened to $53.2 million for the period ended Jan. 28, not as bad as analysts expected, compared to a loss  of $2.8 million in the year ago. Its results were pressured by restructuring and executive retirement costs, as well as increased mark-downs and promotions. The chain also forecast first-quarter revenue that missed analysts' expectations. Revenue for the quarter slipped 1% to $289.4 million from $292.6 million, but beat Wall Street's estimate of $267.9 million. Same-store sales were flat.

New York City -- Dallas-based SRS Real Estate Partners said that Sugar and Plumm - Purveyors of Yumm has leased 1,050 sq. ft. at the northwest corner of Bleecker and Cornelia Streets in the West Village area of Manhattan.

Sugar and Plumm opened its first location last summer at Bergen Town Center in Paramus, N.J., and will open its first Manhattan location on the Upper West Side this spring. A third location is under development in Downtown Brooklyn.