Restaurant

Construction is currently underway at Jefferson Commons, a regional shopping center in a booming area of Louisville, Ky. Developed by GBT Realty Corp., based in Brentwood, Tenn., the 230,000-sq.-ft. Jefferson Commons will feature Academy Sports + Outdoors, Five Below, Mattress Firm, Mens Wearhouse, Hancock Fabrics and Avalon Nails.  

In announcing its new mobile ordering service, Starbucks referenced a "seismic shift in consumer behavior in which many traditional brick-and-mortar retailers experienced a decline in foot traffic compared with significant growth in online shopping" during the 2013 holiday season. Indeed, consumers are increasingly comfortable with bypassing physical stores and purchasing goods online, especially when facing the prospect of holiday crowds and traffic.  

New York -- Harvard Business Review released its annual list of the 100 best-performing CEOs in the world, and heading up the list is Amazon chief Jeff Bezos.    

Louisville, Ky. -- Brentwood, Tennessee-based GBT Realty Corp. announced an expanded tenant line-up that brings a Louisville, Kentucky, regional shopping center to over 90% leased.     Middletown Commons will see its first tenants opening in November; construction is currently underway.  

Richmond, Va. -- Employers in the hospitality industry will pay the highest average wage for holiday employees at $11.80 per hour, followed by retail at $10.30, and food service at $9.40, according to a survey by Snagajob, which provides recruitment and hiring solutions to the hourly industry.  

Sparks, Nev. -- BH Properties, a Los Angeles-based firm that specializes in acquiring and repositioning challenged or distressed real estate properties, has purchased Los Altos Crossing, a retail center located at Sparks Boulevard and Los Altos Parkway in Sparks, Nev., for $6 million.  

Scottsdale, Ariz. -- GE Capital’s Franchise Finance business announced its first financing for the Corner Bakery Café brand. It  comes in the form of a $5.6 million loan to Texas-based MX Restaurants and Bakeries, which already operates seven Corner Bakery restaurants in the Houston and South Texas markets. MX will use these funds to pay off short-term debt related to a recent acquisition and to develop four additional units.  

South Gate, Calif. -- Construction on the Nadel-designed Azalea Regional Shopping Center is now complete, bringing a new 32-acre retail hub to the city of South Gate, Calif. Located at 4635 Firestone Blvd., and owned by Primestor Development, Inc., the project includes more than 370,000 sq. ft. of retail space and 37 stores.