Sales & Marketing

Miramar Beach, Fla. -- New Balance announced that it opened its first factory store in Northwest Florida at Silver Sands Factory Stores on Thursday.

The 4,825-sq.-ft. store offers New Balance shoes and apparel for women, men and children. New Balance Factory Store is located near Swarovski at the east part of the center.

“We chose Silver Sands because we wanted to open in a high-performing center that has a great portfolio of brands,” said Stephen Dix, general manager of retail operations for New Balance.

Detroit -- X Team, an international alliance of retail real estate advisors, has announced a partnership between Detroit X Team Partner Stokas Realty Advisors and Detroit-based Bieri Co., resulting in the formation of Stokas Bieri Real Estate.

SBRE specializes in site selection for retailers nationwide and offers additional services, including project leasing, disposition of excess properties, restructuring, market analysis and legal services. 

Beachwood, Ohio -- Developers Diversified Realty Corp. announced that the company's joint venture in Brazil, Sonae Sierra Brasil, has opened a nearly 60,000-sq.-ft. expansion at Parque Dom Pedro Shopping, now a 1.3 million-sq.-ft. enclosed mall in Campinas, Brazil.

Barcelona, Spain -- Tommy Hilfiger Europe has selected an electronic invoicing software from IBM to reduce the cost of cross-border and domestic trading by automating its electronic invoicing processes.

Northbrook, Ill. -- Pine Tree Commercial Realty announced it has acquired Loch Leven Plaza in the Orlando, Fla. suburbs, expanding Pine Tree’s portfolio to include the state of Florida.

The company purchased the Publix-anchored shopping center in Mt. Dora, Fla., on Nov. 5. Pine Tree will be handling the property management and leasing for the center.

Publix occupies 54,340 sq. ft. at the new plaza and opened last May. The center, which was completed in March, is 99% leased.

Santa Barbara, Calif. -- Investec announced it has raised $130 million for acquisition of grocery- and drug-anchored centers located in the coastal region of California.

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney reported a better-than-expected increase in third-quarter profit Friday, crediting controlled costs and positive response to its newest exclusive brands, which include Liz Claiborne and MNG by Mango, and its Sephora in-store cosmetic boutiques.

The chain posted a profit of $44 million in the period ended Oct. 30, compared with $27 million a year ago. Total sales increased 0.2% to $4.19 billion, up from $4.18 billion in the third quarter last year. Same-store sales rose 1.9%.