REAL ESTATE

Dallas -- Corner Bakery Café is expanding in Pennsylvania with the addition of eight stores throughout northern Pittsburgh. A group of franchisees with extensive real estate and retail experience is opening the new stores.

Corner Bakery Café is also targeting southern Pittsburgh for franchise growth. The retailer has more than 190 company-owned and franchise stores currently open, and franchise agreements representing commitments for 398 units.
 

New York -- The storefront of Century 21 Department Stores’ flagship in lower Manhattan has been given a stunning makeover to honor the city and in remembrance of the 9/11 terrorist attack.

The off-price retailer has partnered once again with internally famous street artist Thierry Guetta (commonly referred to as Mr. Brainwash), who has painted a vibrant mural on a 65-sq.-ft. by 225-sq.-ft. wall on the flagship’s façade. The store is in the financial district and close to where the World Trade Center once stood.   

New York -- Department store retailer Bealls Inc. has taken the wraps off its new specialty concept targeted at millennials.

Called Bunulu, the new format made its debut at Coconut Point Mall in Estero, Florida. Two additional locations — at St. Johns Town Center, Jacksonville, Florida, and The Garden Mall, Palm Beach, Florida — are set to open by the end of this year.

New York -- Fast-fashion giant H&M is expanding its upscale store brand, Cos, in the United States.

Cos, known for its minimalist-styled fashions, will open its first store in Boston, on Newbury Street on Sept. 25. The new space, the brand’s third location in the United States, will offer womenswear and menswear collections with 2,960 sq. ft. of sales area, spread across two floors.

Philadelphia – Five Below is opening its largest location to date, in its home city of Philadelphia.
 
The extreme-value retailer, which targets tweens and teens with goods priced at $5 or less, will open a two-story, 13,000-sq.-ft. store next to its headquarters on Thursday, Sept. 10.

North Plainfield, N.J. -- Levin Management announced it has been named the exclusive leasing agent for two New Jersey properties: Whiting Town Center in Whiting Township and Fords Shopping Center in Woodbridge Township.

Whiting Town Center is a 118,000 sq. ft. grocery-anchored property with a mix of retail, restaurant and service tenants. Earlier this year Levin was retained by new ownership to continue its role as managing agent for Whiting Town Center.  

Photo: The Cordish Companies and the City of Norfolk (Virginia) broke ground recently on Waterside District, a redevelopment of the waterfront.

Plainfield, Ind. -- Mid-America Real Estate Group announced that its corporate investment sales team recently brokered the sale of The Shops at Metropolis located in Plainfield, Indiana. Chicago-based Core Equities purchased the 131,195-sq.-ft. center anchored by Burlington Coat Factory and The Room Place.

Joe Girardi and Rick Drogosz of Mid-America Real Estate Corporation were the brokers in the transaction on behalf of Dallas-based Tabani Group.