REAL ESTATE

Arlington, Texas -- Transwestern announced Tuesday that it has negotiated a new 9,994-sq.-ft. lease for Office Depot at Lincoln Square Shopping Center, located in Arlington, Texas.

The office supply retailer will open its smaller-footprint store – a 10,000-sq.-ft. prototype, downsized from the standard 20,000-sq.-ft. format.

Lincoln Square Shopping Center is a lifestyle shopping and dining center in North Arlington’s Entertainment District.

New York -- The latest data from Nielsen shows the number of U.S. convenience stores continues to expand and last year set a new record with 149,220 units.

That figures is up 1,094 units from the prior year so the increase amounts to only a 0.7% gain, according to the 2013 National Association of Convenience Stores/Nielsen Convenience Industry Store Count. Even so, the growth is noteworthy at a time when overall expansion of selling space in the broader retailer industry has remained stagnant even though the recession officially ended in 2009.

Valrico, Fla. -- Indianapolis-based Kite Realty Group said Wednesday that The Fresh Market has leased 18,091 sq. ft. at Lithia Crossing, located in Valrico, Fla.
 
The grocer will also open a store at Shops at Eagle Creek, in Naples, Fla. The new store will comprise 23,935 sq. ft.

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Regency Centers said Wednesday it has appointed Joanna Rotonde to lead the company’s acquisitions and dispositions activities in the northeastern U.S.

Rotonde will focus on the expansion markets of Boston, Philadelphia and metro New York, and is charged with identifying, evaluating and structuring profitable property acquisition and disposition opportunities within Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.  

Rotonde previously served as assistant VP for Urstadt Biddle Properties.

New York -- Wegmans has confirmed plans to open a store in Alexandria, Va., in 2014, according to Washington Business Journal.

The store will be located in Hilltop Village, which is being developed by Houston-based Weingarten Realty Investors. The project will feature some 250,000 sq. ft. of retail, anchored by the 143,000-sq.-ft. Wegmans, and 100,000 sq. ft. of office.

New York -- Dollar General Corp. will open 635 new stores in 2013, creating some 6,000 jobs. The chain will also relocate 550 stores this year.

With the addition of these jobs in 2013, Dollar General said it will have created approximately 30,000 jobs in the last six years.

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.