REAL ESTATE

New York -- Hammacher Schlemmer iconic midtown Manhattan store will undergo an extensive floor-to-ceiling renovation. It will reopen May 16.

The renovation of Hammacher Schlemmer's landmark store will include new lighting, more modern display cases, and a new floor consisting of solid stone and hardwoods. The new store layout will provide more square footage for customers to peruse the latest gadgets and problem-solving products.

Dallas – Blockbuster will shutter about 300 of its stores in the United States in the coming weeks. The closures will result in the loss of about 3,000 jobs and leave the chain with some 500 U.S. locations, according to a spokesman for Blockbuster parent company Dish Network Corp.

The closures will affect underperforming stores or those nearing the end of their lease. Specific locations have not yet been announced.

Orlando, Fla. -- Architects Cuhaci & Peterson said Monday they have completed a new design for Publix Supermarket, unveiled at its new store in the Lake Nona Plaza in Southeast Orlando, Fla.   

Total square footage for the supermarket is 54,000 sq. ft., and there is another 23,000 sq. ft. ready for build-out that will eventually accommodate retail shops at the center.

Miami Beach, Fla. -- Terranova Corp. said Friday that Epicure Gourmet Market & Cafe will open a 24,000-sq.-ft., ground-floor location at Gables Ponce, a mixed-use project located in Coral Gables, Fla.
 
Epicure, based in Miami Beach, will anchor the ground-floor retail of the 248-unit residential project being built by Gables Urban.
 

Delhi, India -- A Monday report by Bloomberg said that Ikea has received the go-ahead from the Indian government to open outlets in the country, making it perhaps the first major foreign retailer to set up its own stores in the region.

The Swedish furniture retailer was cleared by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board, according to a statement by Commerce Minister Anand Sharma. The approval is a turnaround for the Indian government which last year barred Ikea from operating cafes and limited retail wares it could sell in stores.

New York -- Winick Realty Group announced that a new high-end wine and spirits shop has signed a lease at 1287 First Avenue, between East 69th and East 70th Streets.

The building owners recently renovated the entire façade of the building and leased out all of the ground-floor retail space. The 1,932-sq.-ft. wine shop features marble and hardwood floors, and is slated to open spring 2013. Co-tenants include Starbucks, Papyrus and Val El Salon and Spa.

New York -- Macy’s January announcement that it would close some stores in 2013 seems to have generated a disproportionate amount of scrutiny. Is it business as usual for the department store retailer, or is the news representative of something more far-reaching?  

Click here for our exclusive coverage.

San Jose, Calif. -- Sandwich chain Togo's Eateries Inc. announced Monday it is in development on 30 new Togo’s units, as the company executed as many franchise agreements in 2012 in order to add to its West Coast presence.