Hospitality

San Juan -- The Mall of San Juan, the first upscale shopping center in Puerto Rico, officially opened its doors on March 26. The 650,000-sq.-ft. shopping center, developed through a partnership between Taubman and New Century Development, has a retail line-up includes the Caribbean's only Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue. Sixty percent of the tenants are unique to the market.

Atlanta -- GBT Realty Corporation acquired a 1.7-acre site in East Cobb County, Atlanta, at the intersection of Roswell Road and East Cobb Drive near Johnson Ferry Road. Currently the site of a 10,240-sq.-ft. building occupied by Chuck E. Cheese’s, the firm plans to redevelop the parcel with demolition slated this spring.  

GBT acquired the site from Empress Theatres for $1.65 million. No additional terms were disclosed.

New York -- Thor Equities has signed a contract to acquire a prime retail and office property at 102 Avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris. “102 Avenue des Champs-Elysees is at the center of one of the most desirable locations in the world, just blocks from the Arc de Triomphe and Place Charles de Gaulle,” said Joseph Sitt, CEO of Thor Equities.  “We continue to believe strongly in the Paris retail market, in particular prime shopping and tourist destinations such as the Champs-Elysees and Boulevard Haussmann.”
 

Canton, Mass. - Jack Clare, 44, has been promoted to the newly created position of chief information and strategy officer (CISO) of Dunkin’ Brands. Clare, who has served as the company's CIO for the past three years, will be a member of the Dunkin' Brands leadership team and will continue to report to Paul Carbone, CFO.

Clare will continue to oversee Dunkin' Brands' global information technology resources, and additionally, will now focus on developing the strategies that will drive the company's future success.

San Francisco - OpenTable, a provider of online restaurant reservations and part of The Priceline Group is making its Pay with OpenTable mobile payments feature available for Android. To pay with OpenTable, diners who book at participating restaurants add a credit card in the OpenTable Android app before they dine and can then view and pay their check with a few taps.  

New York -- Global Visual Group (GVG) has appointed 30-year retailing veteran Tony Mancini as CEO. Mancini has held significant senior executive leadership positions, including  Las Vegas Sands Corp., MGM Mirage Design Group and Walt Disney Parks & Resorts/Walt Disney Imagineering, leading its global capital development portfolios worldwide.
   

Alpharetta, Ga. - McAlister's Deli is targeting Phoenix for franchise growth. The fast-casual dining chain is seeking experienced multi-unit restaurant operators to help expand McAlister's presence in the market through multi-unit development agreements in areas such as Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale and Goodyear.

Vancouver, Wash. – Pizza retailer Papa Murphy's Holdings Inc. plans to strengthen and grow its presence in the Southeast.

The company, which currently has more than 1,400 locations in 38 states, recently completed acquisitions of existing Papa Murphy's franchise stores in Jacksonville, Forida, as a springboard for further expansion throughout the Southeast.