REAL ESTATE

Mount Vernon, Ill. — Big Lots has signed a lease for 32,022 sq. ft. at Times Square Mall in Mount Vernon, Ill., about 80 miles east of St. Louis. The store is slated to open in the first quarter of 2014.

Canton, Mass. -- Dunkin’ Donuts announced that it has signed agreements with two franchise groups to begin developing Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in the United Kingdom. The two agreements call for the development of 50 Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in Greater London over the next five years, with an initial focus on North London and East London.

Pittsburgh — Dick’s Sporting Goods has announced the grand opening weekend of its new location in Oakwood Center in Gretna, La., beginning Sept. 13.

The Gretna location will be the retailer’s fifth store in Louisiana and its 530th nationwide.

Davenport, Iowa -- Von Maur Department Stores will open its first location in the Northeast, at Eastview Mall in Victor, N.Y., which is located just outside of Rochester. The two-level, 140,000-sq.-ft. store is scheduled to open on Oct. 26.

Located at the mall's former Bon Ton location, the store underwent a complete reconstruction by local contractor LaChase Construction to achieve Von Maur's signature exterior brick façade with arching entryways accented by a copper roof and cupolas.

Ocean City, Md. — Fractured Prune Doughnuts has announced a national expansion projecting 50 new store agreements in the next six months. The next Fractured Prune www.fracturedprune.com will open in St. George, Utah, on Sept. 24.

The brightly colored doughnut shops promote always hot doughnuts, available all ways and offers 15 glazes and 15 toppings.

Old Bridge, N.J. — The retail vacancy rate along central New Jersey’s major shopping corridors increased to 9.8% this summer, according to R.J. Brunelli & Co.’s 24th annual study of the central New Jersey market.

The disappointing upward spike follows a major decline from a 10-year high of 10.5% to 9.1% between 2011 and 2012. R.J. Brunelli attributed the change to growing closures of smaller ships overcoming progress in re-tenanting big-box spaces larger than 20,000 sq. ft.

New York -- Schurman Retail Group, owners of Papyrus North America, announced the opening of the first Niquead.D flagship in New York City. It is the brand’s second location to date, with the first opening in December 2012 in Danville, Calif. A second Manhattan location is scheduled to open later this fall, and will be the first to share an entryway with a full-sized Papyrus store.

Cincinnati — Phillips Edison-ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc. www.phillipsedison-arc.com has announced the acquisition of two grocery-anchored shopping centers: Stockbridge Commons in Fort Mill, S.C., a suburb of Charlotte, and Dyer Crossing in Dyer Indiana, about 30 miles south of Chicago.

Anchored by a Harris Teeter grocery store, the 99,473-sq.-ft. Stockbridge Commons is currently 96% leased.