Apparel

Washington, D.C. -- Unexpectedly strong retail sales in the month of October point to a good holiday sales season ahead. According to the National Retail Federation, October retail sales, excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants, increased 2.5% seasonally adjusted over September, and 4.2% unadjusted from 2012.

When the new Nordstrom Rack opened at Mercato in Naples, Fla., in early November, 500 people somehow got into the store within the first five minutes. No kidding.

Nordstrom Rack replaced Books-A-Million in a 30,000 sq. ft. space in the center, joining several other new tenants including The Wine Loft, The Counter, MASA, Kelly Chase Couture and Mark Loren Designs, Le Macaron, Salon Zen AVEDA, Second Cup and TAPS Bar & Lounge.

The Sembler Company completed two major redevelopments during 2013. The company redeveloped the Nokomis Village Shopping Center in Nokomis, Fla., and Park 66 in Pinellas Park, Fla.

Anchored by a redeveloped Publix, which re-opened in mid-November, and Anthony’s Ladies Apparel, improvements to the 143,697-sq.-ft. Nokomis Village include building façade upgrades and landscaping. Inline tenants include Saltwater Café, New China Restaurant, Hot Nails, Ophelia’s Pasta and Subway.

Dallas — Jared, The Galleria of Jewelry, has signed leases for new locations in Lubbock, Corpus Christi and Midland, Texas, according to Venture Commercial Real Estate, which represented Jared in the transactions. All locations are under construction and expected to open soon.

Philadelphia — Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust has completed the sale of Chambersburg Mall in Chambersburg, Pa., for $8.8 million.The sale marks another step in PREIT’s continuing effort to improve the quality of its portfolio through the sale of non-core assets. Net proceeds from the transaction totaled approximately $8.4 million.

New York -- Dollar Tree and Dressbarn have named Charter Realty and Development as the exclusive broker in Connecticut.

Dollar Tree, a Fortune 500 company with approximately 4,700 stores looks for 8,000- to 12,000-sq.-ft. spaces. Dollar Tree is also looking for locations in freestanding strip malls and power centers.

Franklin Township, N.J. — La Perle Spa and Salon has leased 1,802 sq. ft. at Rutgers Plaza in Franklin Township, N.J., according to Levin Management, the exclusive leasing and managing agent for the 266,650-sq. -ft. center.

Co-anchored by a 74,000-sq.-ft. Stop & shop and a 98,684-sq.-ft. Kmart, Rutgers Plaza tenants include Office Depot, Dollar Tree, RadioShack, GameStop, Dressbarn, Chase Bank, Plaza Cleaners, Anthony’s Pizza, Venus Jewelers and Burger King.

Columbus, Ohio — Steiner + Associates, The Georgetown Co. and Limited Brands have broken ground on Easton Gateway, a 54-acre addition to Easton Town Center.

Nearly 15 years after Easton Town Center opened, Easton Gateway will introduce a number of noteworthy additions to the master-planned community, including new brands and big box retail.

Johor, Malaysia — Genting Simon, a joint venture between Genting Group and Simon Property Group, has announced the opening of the second phase of Johor Premium Outlets in Johor, Malaysia.

The expansion has added 40 new stores and 100,000 sq. ft. to the center, bringing the store total to 120.

Greensboro, N.C. — Tanger Outlets National Harbor will celebrate its grand opening on Nov. 22. The outlet store line up includes: White House | Black Market, Calvin Klein, Gap, Halston Heritage, American Eagle Outfitters, Tommy Hilfiger, Banana Republic, Theory, Elie Tahari, Brooks Brothers, Aeropostale, Coach, Hugo Boss, J. Crew, Peter Millar, Diane von Furstenberg, Le Creuset and more.

The 340,000-sq. ft. center is located just minutes from the U.S. Capital.