Real Estate

New York -- Chute Gerdeman, a global strategic brand and design firm, has opened an office in New York City.

“Our clients increasingly have sought our presence in New York,” said Chute Gerdeman chairman Denny Gerdeman. “As our business and client base have grown and evolved, having a base in this retail hub became a clear necessity.”

Dallas -- Corner Bakery Café in 2013 signed 12 new area development agreements with franchisees, adding commitments for more than 120 new locations and raising the total to more than 300 cafes under development as the company moves forward on its goal to double its U.S. footprint in the next three years. Currently, Corner Bakery has more than 160 company-owned and franchised locations in 17 states and Washington, D.C.

Covington, La. — Stirling Properties has inked a deal to provide comprehensive leasing, sales, property and construction management services for Perkins Rowe, a mixed-use development in Baton Rouge, La.

St. Petersburg, Fla. — Forge Real Estate Partners III, co-sponsored by the Sembler Company and Forge Capital, has formed a joint venture with East Coast Acquisitions and acquired Tarrymore Square in North Raleigh, N.C.

Tarrymore Square is a 256,805-sq.-ft. shopping center with a 65% occupancy rate. Existing tenants include Walgreens, Rugged Warehouse, Surplus Warehouse, Rainbow Fashions, Rent-A-Center and Miller-Motte Technical College.

New York --  Sam’s Club will open two new clubs on Thursday, January 23, one in Warwick, R.I., and another in Mooresville, N.C.

The 136,000-sq.-ft. Warwick club has created 140 new jobs. Also 136,000 sq. ft., the Mooresville club has created 160 new jobs.

Both clubs will feature a variety of members-only amenities, including a fresh bakery, a tire and battery center, a café and a fuel station.

Walgreens is gearing up for the official grand re-opening of its newest 24/7 flagship store, located in Union Square, Manhattan. The store, which will open at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, originally opened in 2001 and has now been renovated to feature the new Well Experience format.

Nordstrom plans to open its third fulfillment center at Conewago Industrial Park in Elizabethtown, Pa., in summer 2015. The approximately 672,000-sq.-ft. building, with an additional 470,000-sq.-ft. mezzanine, will enable faster delivery for Nordstrom.com, Nordstrom mobile app and Nordstrom catalog orders.

New York -- Mexico's Grupo Gigante expects to raise up to 4.954 billion pesos ($374.14 million) in its initial public offering of Office Depot de Mexico shares, Reuters reported.

The company plans to sell up to 291 million shares, local filings revealed.

The listing is provisionally set to price on Feb. 5, the report said.

In June, Grupo Gigante, acquired the 50% stake in the office supplies chain that it did not already own.
 

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart Stores has reportedly registered a new company called “Wal-Mart India Private Ltd.” in India, setting the stage for entering the Indian grocery market with a new local partner. According to the Free Press Journal, an Indian publication, Wal-Mart registered the company on Jan. 15, 2014 with the Indian Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

Cincinnati – The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has granted early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (HSR) with respect to the pending merger transaction between The Kroger Co. and Harris-Teeter Supermarkets, Inc. The early termination of the HSR waiting period satisfies one of the conditions to the closing of the pending merger, which remains subject to other customary closing conditions.