Hospitality

Highland Village, Texas -- Jacksonville, Fla.-based Regency Centers said it has leased retail space in Highland Village, Texas, at The Shops at Highland Village to The Lash Lounge.

The Lash Lounge has leased 2,000 sq. ft. and is slated to open this summer.

The 352,000-sq.-ft. mixed-use lifestyle center is anchored by AMC 12 Theaters and Barnes & Noble Booksellers alongside national retailers such as Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Bath & Body Works and Potbelly Sandwich Works.

Cincinnati -- Jacksonville, Fla.-based Regency Centers said it has leased restaurant space to Arirang Japanese Bistro at Sycamore Plaza in Cincinnati.

The Japanese Hibachi steak house and sushi restaurant leased 7,600 sq. ft. and is slated to open in the fall. The dining establishment is taking the space formerly occupied by Max & Erma’s restaurant. 

Atlanta -- A report released Monday by First Data Corp., which tracks year-over-year same-merchant activations, redemptions and reloads of merchant-branded prepaid cards in the United States, including spending, gift, incentive and promotional cards, revealed that delayed post-holiday redemptions and incentives drove activations in first quarter 2011.

The nation’s leading retail and restaurant chains came together to share ideas, discuss opportunities and find new solutions at Chain Store Age’s 47th annual SPECS conference, in Grapevine, Texas. Reflecting a renewed sense of optimism in the industry, overall attendance was up significantly, among retailers as well as exhibitors. All segments of the industry were in attendance, from discounters and specialty stores to supermarkets and home-improvement outlets to casual-dining restaurants.

By Dwayne Shackelford, [email protected]

Proposed new lease accounting rule changes will have a significant impact on many retail and restaurant companies. The good news is that rent will no longer appear on the income statement; the bad news is that it will be replaced by amortization and interest charges, which will generally be larger in the first years of a lease and lower in the latter years.

New York City -- Fitch North America said it was awarded branding and retail work from Buffalo Wild Wings, one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in the nation.

In addition, Sports Authority has also signed on Fitch. And H&M appointed Fitch as the lead architect for the Southwest region, managing up to nine large outlets per year.

Dallas -- Davaco a provider of retail and restaurant services, announced that the company is partnering with their clients to execute safety audits across stores and restaurants, nationwide.

Las Vegas -- Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino said it has added over 50,000 sq. ft. of new and remodeled tenants to the center throughout 2011.

Multiple new merchants totaling 17,300 sq. ft. are set to open at Miracle Mile Shops, including Guess (June), Pandora (May) and Chinese Laundry (April). Additionally, nine merchants totaling 34,422 sq. ft. such as Victoria’s Secret, Lucky Brand Jeans and Bebe are remodeling existing locations.