Supermarket/Grocery

Restaurant retail is in the midst of a revolution.    According to the Urban Land Institute, one of the key factors driving traffic at retail is the rise of new food concepts, which account for nearly 50% of shopping center growth nationally. The first volleys of this revolution were fired by a spate of new fast-casual concepts, but as the movement gains momentum, it is evolving from fast-casual to fresh-casual.   

With the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention reporting more than 1,000 forborne outbreaks annually, Walmart is taking a proactive stance.  

Retailers finally have their reprieve. Late yesterday afternoon, a federal court in the Eastern District of Texas granted a nationwide injunction blocking the enforcement of the FLSA overtime rule. Employers are no longer required to meet the Dec. 1 deadline.  

Kimco Realty Corp. takes the top spot in Chain Store Age’s 12th annual Top Redevelopers survey, with 2,669,999 sq. ft. redeveloped. Kimco’s redevelopment reach in 2015-2016 spanned 19 states and Canada, as the company touched 39 projects in all.   (The survey analyzed redevelopment work from mid-year to mid-year in the 12-month period from June 2015 to June 2016.)       Vestar claimed the #2 spot, with 1,930,000 sq. ft. developed, followed by Westfield, with 1, 743 sq. ft. 

Among cities with more than 250,000 residents, Plano, Texas, has the highest median income in the land at $104,000. It’s also one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities, so Eden’s Preston Towne Crossing and Berkeley Square in Plano have expanded and upgraded their food and beverage options in kind.   Recently opened at Preston Towne Crossing are SusieCakes Bakery, a specialist in old-fashioned sweets, cookies, and cakes, and Vom Fass, a purveyor of cask-aged vinegars, oils, wines, and spirits.  

Paid Sick Leave laws have spread like wildfire across several states and cities, each with their own unique requirements.     Employers in California may find themselves navigating a web of requirements. The state of California’s paid sick leave statute went into effect in July 2015, and there are also local ordinances in the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Emeryville, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and San Diego.    

Neptune/6th, a redevelopment of the former site of Trump Village Shopping Center and the Royal Palace Baths in Brooklyn’s Coney Island section, has secured leases from CVS and Apple Bank as it looks toward a summer 2017 opening of its first phase. Cammeby’s is the developer.   That phase will include 161,000 sq. ft. of retail, office, and parking in a standalone space across from the old Trump Village site. Three further phases will add 165,000 sq. ft. of retail and parking and a 575-unit residential tower.  

The first phase of Fairfield Town Center in northwest Houston is nearing completion and should be fully operational by Black Friday, promises owner Washington Prime Group, formerly WP Glimcher.   Already open and operating at the 600,000-sq.-ft. development are HEB, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Chick-fil-A, and McDonalds, among several others. The fully populated center will include Marshalls/Homegoods, Ulta, Chipotle, and Dress Barn.