REAL ESTATE

Melting Pot takes on the world
Tampa, Fla. – The U.S. is known as a melting pot, and now a major U.S. casual dining chain wants to turn the world into a melting pot of consumers of its food. The Melting Pot Restaurants Inc. has partnered with commercial real estate advisory firm Newmark Grubb Knight Frank (NGKF) to support a long-term domestic and international expansion strategy.
Ross opens 27 stores, has bigger plans
Dublin, Calif. - Ross Stores has some big plans when it comes to opening new stores. Ross is opening of 19 Ross Dress for Less and eight dd's Discounts stores across 15 different states in July.

These new locations are part of the off-price retailer's 2015 expansion plans to add a total of approximately 90 stores during the year, including 70 Ross and 20 dd's Discounts. Ultimately, the retailer believes Ross Dress for Less can grow to 2,000 locations and dd's Discounts can become a chain of 500 stores

Mid-America brokers shopping center sale in greater Minneapolis

Lakeville, Minn. - Mid-America Real Estate Corp.’s investment sales team recently brokered the sale of Heritage Commons in Lakeville, Minnesota (part of the Minneapolis metropolitan statistical area) to Austin, Texas-based Epic Real Estate Partners. Epic purchased the 138,690-sq.-ft. grocery-anchored neighborhood center.

Heritage Commons is anchored by Cub Foods and is complemented by national and local tenants including Subway, Papa Murphy’s, Great Clips and American Dental.
Dunkin’ Donuts seeks gold with California expansion

Canton, Mass. – “California, I’ll be knocking on the golden door.” Dunkin’ Donuts executives may find themselves singing these words from the Grateful Dead classic “Estimated Prophet” as the coffee retailer pursues a massive expansion strategy in the most populated U.S. state.
Woodfield Mall adds stores, updates interior

Schaumburg, Ill. — Woodfield Mall, a Simon-owned and operated center with nearly 300 retail, dining and entertainment options, is adding new stores and updating its interior.

New retailers added in 2015 include Flight 23 at Footaction, Fly Zone at Kids Foot Locker, rue21 and the first-in-state location for SIX:02.

The center also announced the future addition of ivivva athletica, coming this summer, as well as Zara and Timberland, both scheduled to open this fall.
Inland Securities Corporation names CEO

Oak Brook, Ill. - Inland Securities Corporation, the exclusive dealer-manager and placement agent for real estate investment programs sponsored by Inland Real Estate Investment Corp. (“Inland Investments”) and Inland Private Capital Corp., announced that Michael T. Ezzell II has joined the company as CEO.
Closing time for iconic New York City retailer

New York -- One of the nation’s most well-known toy stores welcomed its last shoppers on Wednesday.

FAO Schwarz closed its store on Manhattan’s 5th Avenue, a victim of rising rents. Shoppers flooded the store in its final hours. For more, click here.
Mall of America to unwrap big new attraction

Bloomington, Minn. -- Mall of America is adding a big experiential retail destination.

Crayola plans to open an interactive attraction that combines retail and entertainment in the nation’s largest shopping mall. The 60,000-sq.-ft. Crayola Experience is slated to open at the Bloomington, Minnesota, mega-mall in the summer of 2016. It will be the third location for the format, which recently opened in the Florida Mall, in Orlando, Florida. (The original Crayola Experience is in the company’s home town of Easton, Pennsylvania.)
Target opens its second smallest store yet

Highland Park, Minn. -- Target is going small — really small.

The world’s second smallest Target, a TargetExpress store, is set to open in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul, Minn.

The 16,000-sq.-ft. store, which opens July 22, will feature a pharmacy and cater to a community of families, empty nesters and college students, the Grand Forks Herald reports.
Online beauty retailer Birchbox delving deeper into offline

New York -- Online beauty subscription retailer Birchbox is plunging deeper into brick-and-mortar retailing — and it is seeking customer input to help guide its decision.