Hospitality

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. -- Walt Disney World Resort announced the multi-year transformation of Downtown Disney into Disney Springs, which will feature an eclectic and contemporary mix of stores, dining options and entertainment experiences  from Disney and other noteworthy brands.

Nokomis, Fla. -- The Sembler Co. announced that it is redeveloping the Nokomis Village Shopping Center, anchored by Publix and located in Nokomis, Sarasota County, Fla.
 
Publix will close on March 30, while other tenants including Anthony’s ladies apparel, Village Pharmacy, Ophelia’s Pasta restaurant, and Saltwater Café remain open during the construction of a new Publix store.

Miami Beach, Fla. -- Terranova Corp. announced that three new tenants will open at Shops at Marlins Park, a retail area at the entrance of the new Marlins Park in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood.

Café Rubio Sports Bar & Restaurant, a Caribbean restaurant, has signed a 10-year, 3,200-sq.-ft. lease, with plans to open in mid-summer 2013. Subway has signed a 10-year lease for a 1,400-sq.-ft. restaurant also opening summer 2013.

Cigar shop 100 Fires will open a 625-sq.-ft. store in winter 2014.

Prattville, Ala. -- Brentwood, Tenn.-based GBT Realty said that it is bringing Starbucks Coffee, Aspen Dental and Firehouse Subs to Cobbs Ford Village, a new, in-line shopping center located in Prattville, Ala., in the Montgomery MSA. 


Cobbs Ford Village is approximately 2.52 acres and will house several additional tenants that are now in the beginning stages of signing leases. Groundbreaking for the center will be this April, with an estimated opening date of spring 2014.

Waban, Mass. -- Chick-fil-A, Dunkin' Donuts, Sonic Drive-In, and Little Caesar's earned the top spots in the fast food sector of the 2013 Temkin Experience Ratings. At the other end of the spectrum, KFC and McDonalds were the lowest-rated fast food restaurants. The fast food industry earned the second highest average rating out of 19 industries, falling only behind the grocery sector.

Panama City Beach, Fla. -- Columbus, Ohio-based Casto said that its JV partners The St. Joe Co. and Strategic Retail Advisors, along with U.S. Bank, have closed on a $46 million construction loan that will finance The Pier Park North Shopping Center, a 360,000-sq.-ft. shopping center in Panama City Beach, Fla.

New York -- Network with peers from leading retail and restaurant companies at SPECS, the industry’s premier store development and facilities event.

Produced by Chain Store Age, the 49th annual SPECS conference will be held March 17-20, at the Hilton Anatole Hotel, Dallas. 

Click here to register. 

Wendy's is rolling out its updated image and new store environment to some 200 locations this year. Features include lounge seating, fireplaces and digital menuboards. The re-imaged restaurants have shown an average 25% increase in sales over the prior year.  Learn more.

Design and rebranding: Tesser, San Francisco