Retail

Charlotte, N.C. — Divaris Real Estate has arranged two leases totaling approximately 9,000 sq. ft. of retail space at the Westfield Eastridge Mall in Gastonia, N.C. Divaris represented the landlord, WEA Eastridge LP.

Los Arcos, a family owned Mexican restaurant, leased a 6,183-sq.-ft. outparcel building. Creations, a gift card shop, renewed its lease for 2,669 sq. ft.

Belk, J.C. Penney, Sears and Dillard’s anchor the mall, which is leased exclusively by Divaris.

New York -- Ann Inc. reported that its second quarter net income rose a better-than-expected 16% to $35.6 million, with strong performances from both its Ann Taylor and Loft banners. Similar to many other retailers in recent weeks, the chain trimmed its full-year revenue forecast.

Revenue for the period ended Aug. 3 increased 7% to $638.2 million.
 
Same-store sales rose 2.8%, with a 3.1% rise at Ann Taylor and a 2.5% lift at Loft.

Chesterfield, Mo. — Simon Property Group has announced the opening of Phase I of St. Louis Premium Outlets in Chesterfield, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis.

The 350,000-sq.-ft. Phase I features 90 outlets and is 100% leased. Designer and name branded outlet shops include Armani, Kate Spade New York, Michael Kors, Nike, Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th and Under Armour.

The center is a joint venture between Simon Property Group and Woodmont Outlets, an affiliate of The Woodmont Company, a retail shopping center developer and operator.

Honolulu — With 42 million visitors per year, the two million-sq.-ft. Ala Moana Center in Honolulu boasts sales per square foot of $1,300. At the beginning of the year, owner General Growth Properties began a massive $572 million redevelopment of Ala Moana — the world’s largest open-air shopping mall. The goal is to add 650,000 sq. ft. of new retail space.

In advance of the Walmart-led U.S. Manufacturing Summit held in Orlando, Walmart U.S. president and CEO Bill Simon wrote an op-ed piece for the Huffington Post titled, "Reviving U.S. Manufacturing Key to Rebuilding the Middle Class." In it, Simon alludes to the vanishing middle class — which found themselves jobless as products once produced in the U.S.

Sweet! Hollywood, at the Hollywood & Highland Center, in Hollywood, Calif., is sure to appeal to anyone in need of a sugar rush. The candy megastore features more than 200 types of gummy candies, 140 flavors of chewing gum, 250 types of lollipops, 300 different chocolate bars and more.

Lakeland, Fla. -- Publix Super Markets on Friday announced it will enter the Winston-Salem market and add a third location in Mecklenburg

The Winston-Salem store will measure 49,000 sq. ft. and is slated to open in 2015. The Cornelius store, located in Mecklenburg County, will also encompass 49,000 sq. ft. and will feature a drive-thru pharmacy. Opening is planned for late 2014.

Publix continues to aggressively look for additional locations throughout the state of North Carolina, the grocer said.

Jacksonville, Fla. — Madison Hawk will conduct a real estate auction on Sept. 18 for a free standing retail building just east of downtown Jacksonville, Fla. The building is part of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding.

Located at 1220 University Avenue, the 1.72-acre property contains a 15,070-sq.-ft. Walgreens Pharmacy that generates about $302,000 in net income annually. The Walgreens Co. lease is Double Net (NN) with the initial term running through 2019.