Hospitality

New York City -- Aeropostale announced that Arthur Rubinfeld, president - global development for Starbucks Coffee Co., has been appointed to the Aeropostale board of directors.

Rubinfeld helped build the foundation of Starbucks as senior VP real estate from 1992 to 2002, and returned to the company in his current position in 2008.
 

Tustin, Calif. -- Present Value Properties said it has represented Menchie's in six California lease transactions for the frozen yogurt purveyor.

A Menchie's franchisee signed a five-year lease for 1,637 sq. ft. in Orange, in a center anchored by Petco and Michaels. Menchie's will open in first quarter 2012.

In Whittier, Menchie’s will open a 1,250-sq.-ft. shop at Santa Fe Springs Plaza in early 2012. The center is anchored by Food For Less, and is currently undergoing a remodel.

Gritty and dry are not words normally associated with a delicious chocolate chip cookie, but that is how Consumer Reports described most of the cookies tested in its December issue, including Target’s Market Pantry and Archer Farm’s brands.

Wichita Falls, Texas -- Dallas-based Cypress Equities said Monday that Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches has signed a lease to occupy 1,710 sq. ft. at Kemp Crossing, located in Wichita Falls, Texas.

The new Jimmy John’s location will be operated by franchisee Balwanti Indra Dayaram.

Washington, D.C. -- Holiday shoppers are expected to spend $155.43 on average for gift cards this season, and total gift-card spending is projected to reach $27.8 billion, according to a survey released Friday by the National Retail Federation.

Every year, in December, Chain Store Age examines the northeastern region — New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and Rhode Island — and, in 2011, there appears to be some positive momentum.

Retail real estate executives will tell you that we’re not completely out of the woods yet, but the industry is certainly inching in the right direction.

An early November announcement that an area of downtown Atlanta would become the site of a multi-modal transit hub was welcome news to anyone who has ever sat in the southern city’s many traffic snarls.

Indianapolis -- Simon Property Group announced a joint venture with Woodmont Outlets and EWB Development to develop, lease and manage St. Louis Premium Outlets, a new upscale outlet center in Chesterfield, Mo. 

The new outlet center, which was announced in October as Spirit of St. Louis Outlets, will be comprised of 55 acres and will anchor Chesterfield Blue Valley, a mixed-use development to include office space, hotel, restaurant and entertainment venues.