Real Estate Roundup: June update
June had its fair share of retail real estate development news, tenant updates, property acquisitions and more.
Here are some of the biggest real estate news stories from the month (starting with the most recent).
•Federal Realty names a digital innovation director The operator of innovative mixed-use projects such as Assembly Row outside of Boston, has announced the hiring of a prominent real estate technologist to “accelerate innovation and AI across the business. Paige Pitcher — who previously led technological strategy globally at Hines and introduced tech adoption at some of the nation’s largest REITs — now takes her practice to Federal Realty as its first senior VP of digital innovation.
•Redwood West acquires Long Beach waterfront lifestyle center Real estate investment firm Redwood West, in partnership with development company Panattoni, has acquired The Pike in Long Beach, Calif. Built in 2003, the 394,616-sq.-ft. lifestyle center has long served as a gathering place for residents, tourists and the surrounding community, and is currently 91% leased.
•Historic Maryland brickworks to be the site of a mixed-use development The Frederick Brick Works in Frederick, Md., which was known for its Frederick Reds bricks in the 19th century, is going to be resuscitated. Baltimore-based Greenberg Gibbons has closed on the property and announced that it will begin construction there on a $450 million, 65-acre mixed-use project, which will include some 100,000 square feet of retail space.
•Miniso, Garage, Studs among Ala Moana Center's new additions Hawaii’s largest open-air shopping center is welcoming a slate of new retail and dining tenants. Coming soon to Honolulu's Ala Moana Center are wellness studio BB Wellness, Chinese value retailer Miniso and accessories brand Studs. Garage, L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, Supreme Dumplings and The Cookie Corner have recently opened at Ala Moana, further enhancing the center’s “diverse mix” of shopping and dining experiences, according to the property.
•New Jersey center sees 40% surge in visits following redevelopment After Levin Management Corp. (LMC) moved the Blue Star Shopping Center’s Marshalls into a larger 27,000-sq.-ft. in some of the space left behind by ShopRite and added an additional 23,000-sq.-ft. of leases signed by new tenants, visits to the property are surging. LMC released Placer.ai data showing that Blue Star drew 3.8 million visitors in the first year of its renovation — a remarkable 40% lift in visitations in a single year.
•T&T plans largest California store yet at NewPark Mall Canada’s largest Asian grocer will open its fourth Bay Area location and first East Bay store at the super-regional NewPark Mall in Newark, Calif., in winter 2027. The 72,600-sq-ft. store will occupy the former Macy's anchor space, which has been vacant since March 2025, making it T&T's largest California location to date.
•South Korean entertainment company to open flagship K-pop space in NYC Newmark Retail has arranged a lease for South Korea-based global entertainment technology company Dear U International at 24 Union Square East in Manhattan. The 9,932-sq.-ft. location will debut Dear U's Bubble House New York, an experiential concept that blends K-pop merchandise, exclusive activations and fan engagement experiences designed to “connect artists and fans in a physical setting.”
•Enclosed Tennessee center CoolSprings Galleria to add 360 residential units CBL has closed on the sale of a 5.35-acre parcel of land in the northeast corner of CoolSprings Galleria in Franklin, Tenn., an affluent Nashville suburb, to Greystar, a developer, owner and operator of rental housing. Construction on a 361-unit community with 15,000 square feet of ground floor retail and service will commence later this month, and is expected to last approximately two years.
•Wayfair to expand Northeast footprint with New Jersey store The online home furnishings retailer will open a 135,000-sq.-ft. store at Nassau Park Pavilion, a 760,000-sq.-ft. retail center in Princeton, N.J., owned and managed by Bridge33 Capital. Expected to open in 2027, Wayfair says the store will serve customers throughout New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
•The Village at Meridian to welcome new fashion, lifestyle tenants amid expansion CenterCal Properties LLC has announced new retail and dining tenants coming to Phase II of The Village at Meridian, a 846,000-sq.-ft. mixed-use retail and lifestyle property in Meridian, Idaho. Fashion, lifestyle and wellness retail additions include Vuori, Alo, Kendra Scott, Tecovas, Gorjana and Tempur-Pedic, expanding the center's mix of leading national brands.
•Bass Pro Shops acquires top Florida fishing resort Bass Pro Shops has acquired the Cheeca Lodge & Spa in Islamorada, Fla., — a luxury hospitality location situated on the Overseas Highway (U.S. 1) between Key Largo and Key West. The sale price was not revealed. Northwood Hospitality will continue to operate the 27-acre, 254-room resort.
•First Look: Muji opens 10th NYC store at mixed-use Queens mall Muji, which sells a variety of products including household goods, apparel items, wellness products and more, has made its Queens debut with the opening of a new store at Tangram in the Flushing neighborhood on June 12. Spanning 12,000 square feet, the store will anchor the two-level, 1.2 million-sq.-ft. mixed-use retail center.
•CBL lands Cheesecake Factory and Pop Mart at St. Louis mall CBL Properties has announced that construction has begun on a Cheesecake Factory with an opening set at West County Center in Des Peres, Mo. In early May, Pop Mart opened its first Missouri location at the center.
