Real Estate

New York City -- Footwear designer Jean-Michel Cazabat said he will open his first U.S. store on Oct. 8 in New York City's West Village.

Sarasota, Fla. -- According to Brixmor Property Group, which owns the community shopping center, Publix is expanding from a 36,960-sq.-ft. store, open since 1972, and has redesigned and expanded in conjunction with the redevelopment of the center.

The opening of the new Publix store marks the completion of the redevelopment at Sarasota Village, which included improvements to the building façade for the retailers surrounding Publix, along with new landscaping, lighting, and an improved parking field.
 

Atlanta -- Aaron's announced that it has reached an agreement to purchase 11.5% of Perfect Home Holdings Limited, a privately-held U.K. rent-to-own company, which operates under the PerfectHome brand.

PerfectHome currently has 45 stores open throughout England and has plans to approximately double the number of stores over the next several years.

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Department Stores’ new store prototype has achieved LEED Gold precertification using the LEED for Retail: New Construction rating system, making Kohl’s the first U.S. company to achieve this designation in the LEED Volume Program. The program, administered by the United States Green Building Council, launched in November 2010.

New York City -- Brixmor Property Group announced Tuesday a series of corporate and regional enhancements to its leasing and redevelopment capabilities as it re-focuses on growing portfolio occupancy, strengthening retailer relationships and ramping-up redevelopment efforts.

Timothy J. Bruce has been appointed executive VP, leasing and redevelopment and as a member of the company’s Management Committee.  

New York City -- Saks Fifth Avenue will close its store in downtown Pittsburgh in 2012, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported. The news follows negotiations between the retailer, the store’s landlord and city officials over funding for renovations to the building.

Paraiso Town Center in the Thousand Oaks, Calif., master-planned community of Dos Vientos Ranch is being renamed The Village at Dos Vientos Ranch, announced Peter Cohen, president of Paradise Capital Group, which acquired the 50,000-sq.-ft. mixed-used retail and office complex in June 2010.

A new name was very important toward rebranding and marketing the property, said Cohen. “We wanted to give the center a fresh start with a new name that was easy to pronounce and remember,” he said.

Atlanta -- Jones Lang LaSalle announced Wednesday two new hires in the Southeast Region.

Andrea Kenney and John Lambert have joined the firm to provide strategic planning and evaluation of the positioning, merchandising and development of shopping centers as owners continue to look for ways to enhance their real estate operations and maximize tenancy.