Supermarket/Grocery

Atlanta — Jones Lang LaSalle has closed the sale of a portfolio of four grocery-anchored centers on behalf of Regency Partners II. Publix Supermarkets acquired the properties for $37.5 million.

The portfolio of shopping center includes:

City of Commerce, Calif. — 99¢ Only Stores will celebrate the grand opening of its new store in Menifee, Calif., by selling Westinghouse 40-inch flat-screen TVs for just 99 cents to the first nine customers in line.

The 18,000-sq.-ft. store will feature a perishable food department with produce, dairy and frozen foods. 99¢ Only Stores currently operates 335 stores in California, Texas, Arizona and Nevada.

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.

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.

In a broader view, October retail sales released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau, which include non-general merchandise categories such as automobiles, gasoline stations, and restaurants, increased 0.4% seasonally adjusted month-to-month, and 3.9% adjusted year-over-year.

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.

Walnut Creek, Calif. – Retail merchandisers are expressing a pragmatic need for speed in future merchandising applications. According to a new study from RSR Research, “Merchandising Today: Benchmark 2013, 28%” top-performing retail “winners” are already investigating simplifying their IT environments with cloud-based merchandising technology.

Fairway Market has launched a new mobile app designed to provide an enriched experience for its shoppers who love to cook. It is available on the iPhone App Store, and can be downloaded in any Fairway location since the stores all offer free Wi-Fi.

App users can create individual food profiles by choosing dietary preferences, and then explore beautifully photographed products along with step-by-step gourmet recipes curated by Fairway experts.

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.