REAL ESTATE

Las Vegas -- Irvine, Calif.-based Passco Cos., said it has negotiated a $25.8 million loan to refinance Silver City Plaza, a 41,583-sq.-ft. neighborhood shopping center in Las Vegas.

The new loan was arranged with Cantor Commercial Real Estate, an affiliate of Cantor Fitzgerald, and was uniquely structured to accommodate a challenged market.

Orlando, Fla. -- Jones Lang LaSalle announced that it was selected for two retail assignments in Florida: management and leasing for the Galleria at Fort Lauderdale in Ft. Lauderdale and management for Vero Beach Outlets in Vero Beach.

The Galleria at Fort Lauderdale is a 964,423-sq.-ft. super-regional mall in South Florida, anchored by Neiman Marcus, Macy’s and Dillard’s.

Chicago -- A recent report from Jones Lang LaSalle showed that the current state of real estate markets suggests a temporary deceleration in the on-going global real estate market recovery.

According to JLL’s latest Global Market Perspective report, sentiment is, however, recovering and full-year 2012 commercial real estate volumes are expected to match the robust levels seen in 2011.

Woonsocket, R.I. -- MinuteClinic announced on Thursday the debut of two walk-in medical clinics inside CVS/pharmacy stores located in San Antonio,Texas.

The retail clinic operator, which opened its doors in the Lone Star state in 2006, now operates 45 clinics inside select CVS/pharmacy stores in Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth and San Antonio markets. In addition to the two clinics, a third is slated to open later this year.
 

New York -- Chocolatier Lindt said Thursday it has opened its new flagship Lindt Chocolate boutique in the landmark Rolex building on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

The 1,245-sq.-ft. store features a comprehensive chocolate selection, as well as Lindt Chocolate Advisors to educate and guide customers through the full experience.

The new store represents Lindt's second Fifth Avenue location and heralds a period of growth and expansion for the company's direct to consumer business.

San Francisco -- Online retailer Piperlime, a division of Gap Inc., will open its first retail store this fall, in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City.

The 4,000-sq.-ft. Piperlime store will offer a similar curated assortment as online, and be styled as a boutique. It will feature a range of brands, from Fryle to Citizens of Humanity, along with upcoming, lesser-known ones, such as Tinley Road and Maison Scotch.

New York -- British lifestyle brand Superdry USA on May 9 debuted its largest North American retail destination to date, a two-story, 14,000-sq-ft. store in New York City's Times Square. It is the brand’s third Big Apple location.

New York -- As plus-size apparel retailer Avenue Stores emerges from bankruptcy under new ownership, it will do so with a much streamlined store presence.

Paul Halpern, chief investment officer of Versa Capital Management, which bought the chain out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February for $32 million, said the current store count of 415 to 420 will be reduced to about 300 to assure profitability.