REAL ESTATE

Country Club Hills, Ill. -- Midwestern shopping center owner/developer Tucker Development announced that Le Club has signed a lease at Country Club Plaza, located in the southern portion of Country Club Hills, Ill.

The woman’s apparel retailer, which operates four locations throughout the Chicago metropolitan area, will occupy a 2,500-sq.-ft. inline space at the 450,000-sq.-ft. center. According to Tucker’s VP leasing Adam Moschin, approximately 5,600 sq. ft. of space remains available for lease.

Plano, Texas -- Charlotte, N.C.-based Versona Accessories said it will open a new store on May 24, in Plano, Texas, at Preston Park Village.

The jewelry and accessories retailer is a Cato Corp., concept.
 

Dallas -- SRS Real Estate Partners announced that it has named Dafna Nadulek as a senior associate in the company’s South Florida office.

She will focus on developing SRS Urban and tenant representation.

For a decade prior to joining SRS, Nadulek owned and operated her own shoe and accessory boutiques in New York City.

New Haven, Conn. -- RHYS Commercial said that Harbor Freight Tools is opening three Connecticut locations – in New Haven (17,000 sq. ft.), Bridgeport (14,284 sq. ft.) and Waterbury (16,813 sq. ft.).

The tool and equipment retailer’s location in New Haven opened April 27; construction is underway on the other two outlets.
 

Indianapolis -- Simon Property Group announced that Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th will open a total of seven new stores in the next two years in its Premium Outlets division, including new centers and existing centers.

Yorkville, Ill. -- Tucker Development Corp. said that Athens Gyros & Kebabs will open a location at Yorkville Marketplace, located in Yorkville, Ill.

The Middle Eastern restaurant signed a lease to occupy a 1,258-sq.-ft. space within the 145,000-sq.-ft. shopping center anchored by Jewel-Osco and OfficeMax.

Purchase, N.Y. -- National Realty & Development Corp. said it has been chosen to receive the New Jersey Future 2012 Smart Growth Award for the redevelopment of CooperTowne Center in Somerdale, N.J.

The award recognizes the best development or redevelopment projects around the state that embrace sustainable growth and environmental preservation. CooperTowne Center was classified as a greyfields project, one of the first in the state, by the New Jersey Office of Smart Growth.

New York -- RKF announced the opening of a Chicago office as part of its ongoing expansion into key urban markets nationwide. This is the firm’s seventh office; others include its New York headquarters, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Northern New Jersey, and San Francisco.

“The opening of our Chicago office is a crucial part of our national strategy to expand RKF’s on-the-ground presence in key urban markets in the U.S.,” said RKF chairman & CEO Robert Futterman.