Real Estate Roundup: July update
July had its fair share of retail real estate development news, tenant updates, acquisitions and more.
Here are some of the biggest real estate news stories from June (starting with the most recent).
- CBL buys four regional malls from Washington Prime Group CBL Properties, one of the nation’s biggest owner-operators of regional malls, continues to re-make its portfolio. The company has acquired four malls for a total of $178.9 million, including Mesa Mall (Colorado), Ashland Town Center (Kentucky), Paddock Mall (Florida) and Southgate Mall (Montana).
- Study: Extreme discounters, off-price retailers lead planned 2025 store growth A new report from Coresight Research reveals that, when it comes to store openings, the discount sector is flourishing, with planned openings at roughly 1,253 stores in 2025, marking nearly a third (30%) of all total openings. Dollar General and Dollar Tree contribute nearly 79% of the total store openings in the discount stores sector.
- Buyer pays a near-billion dollars for 119 JCPenney stores Copper Property CTL, a pass-through trust established to acquire 160 JCPenney stores and six distribution centers as part of the brand’s 2020 Chapter 11 filing, has found a buyer for 119 of them. Copper Property has made a purchase and sale agreement with an unnamed affiliate of Onyx Partners, a Needham, Mass., investment collaboration firm, to purchase all 119 properties for $947 million in cash.
- Chase Properties acquires four Texas, Arkansas centers The Ohio-based real estate investment firm has acquired a four-property retail portfolio totaling 514,983 sq. ft. with two centers in Texas and two in Arkansas. This strategic transaction marks Chase Properties' entry into both states, expanding the company's growing footprint into four new markets.
- Del Taco to reopen 17 Colorado locations The nation’s second-largest quick-serve Mexican restaurant chain is returning to a key market. Del Taco is in the process of a phased reopening of 17 corporate-owned locations across Colorado. The rollout began June 21 and will continue throughout the next several months.
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- Placer.ai: Joann’s departure solidifies Michaels' category leadership Since the closures of Joann locations, other crafting retailers, including Michaels, Hobby Lobby and Blick Art Materials, have all seen a boost in foot traffic, according to a recent report from Placer.ai. One of the biggest beneficiaries of Joann’s demise has been its longtime competitor Michaels, whose store traffic rose 9.2% year over year in June.
- Commercial construction materials prices up 44.6% since February 2020 Construction input prices rose in June, with big increases in two energy categories. Construction input (includes energy, materials and equipment) prices increased 0.2% in June compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). Commercial construction prices were 3.1% higher year over year and up a whopping 44.6% since February 2020.
- Placer.ai: Aldi, Trader Joe's, Lidl store visits outperforming wider grocery segment Three grocers are outpacing the broader category when it comes to store visits. According to Placer.ai, Aldi, Trader Joe’s and Lidl outpaced the broader grocery segment in the first six months of 2025, with year-over-year visit increases of 7.1%, 11.9% and 4.9%, respectively. Overall, the grocery category has seen a 1.5% increase in the first half of the year compared to 2024.
- Big V Property Group names construction VP A leading open-air shopping center owner and developer has added to its leadership team. Charlotte, N.C.-based Big V Property Group announced that Josh Binkley has been named VP of construction, and will oversee the planning, execution, and delivery of capital projects across the company’s national retail portfolio.
- Syracuse lands Upstate New York’s first Ikea store Ikea will open its 53rd U.S. store at Pyramid Management Group’s Destiny USA in Syracuse, N.Y., some 300 miles away from its nearest sister location in Stoughton, Mass. The retailer will do a complete renovation of a former 88,500-sq.-ft. At Home space at Destiny USA. The design features a central planning area where customers design and order home furnishing solutions for specific spaces in their homes.
- Fatburger adds 40 stores to Florida pipeline The fast-casual burger chain announced a new development deal with existing franchisee Whole Factor Inc. to open 40 additional Fatburger locations across Florida over the next 10 years, including new areas such as Jacksonville. Since 2021, Whole Factor Inc. has been steadily growing the Fatburger brand across the state.
