REAL ESTATE

REI bringing the outdoors to new markets
Seattle – Lovers of the great outdoors in the Cleveland and Philadelphia areas have something else to celebrate as Independence Day approaches.

Outdoor gear and apparel retailer announced it will open new stores in fall 2016 in Cleveland and in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
dd's Discounts brings Las Vegas store count to four
Dublin, Calif. -- dd’s Discounts, a division of Ross Stores, Inc., opened a new store in northeast Las Vegas on June 27. The 22,000-sq.-ft. store is located in Bonanza East Shopping Center at the intersection of North Eastern Avenue and East Bonanza Road, 1.5 miles northeast of downtown Las Vegas.

The newest location brings the retailer’s total store count in the Las Vegas area to four.

Warby Parker likes brick-and-mortar

New York -- Eyewear online retailer Warby Parker continues its brick-and-mortar expansion. With 12 stores now open, the company plans to open seven more locations by year end, according to fashionista.com.

Warby Parker’s next location is Kansas City, opening later this summer, followed by Scottsdale and San Diego. To read more, click here.
Germany’s discount grocer Lidl lays more tracks for U.S. debut

McLean, Va. – German discount grocer Lidl continues to lay the foundation for its store debut in the United States.

The company which is establishing a U.S. corporate headquarters, in Arlington County, Virginia, announced it will also open a regional headquarters and distribution center facility in Alamance County, North Carolina. The moves are part of Lidl’s early preparations to expand into the U.S. http://www.chainstoreage.com/article/german-grocer-lidl-prepares-us-expansion-open-headquarters-virginia
Michaels coming to Mill Creek Mall in New Jersey

New Rochelle, N.Y. – Welco Realty Inc. has leased 21,500-sq.-ft. of retailer space to Michaels Stores Inc. at The Mill Creek Mall at Harmon Meadow in Secaucus, N.J. Jerry Welkis, a principal of Welco Realty, represented the landlord, Hartz Mountain Industries.

The tenant was represented by Jamie Sackeim of The Dartmouth Company. Other tenants in the center are PetSmart and Marshall’s/Home Goods. Adjacent tenants include Bob’s Furniture, Sports Authority, T.J.Maxx, Toys / Babies R Us, and Kohl’s.
Outlet mall coming to Orange County in October

San Clemente, Calif. – The Outlets at San Clemente announces its grand opening coming in October. The lifestyle center will be designed in the style of a Spanish village and offer up to 70 retailers at opening.
Ikea on the move

St. Louis -- Ikea is expanding in the Midwest.

The chain will open a store in St. Louis on Sept. 30. It will be the Swedish company’s first store in Missouri, and 41st in the United States.

The 380,000-sq.-ft. St. Louis Ikea is being built on 21 acres along Interstate-64 at Vandeventer Avenue. It will house Missouri’s largest rooftop solar array, consistent with the Ikea renewable energy presence at 90% of its U.S. locations.
Corner Bakery Café taking off in airports

Dallas - Corner Bakery Cafe has found another route to help it reach its goal of doubling its national footprint in the next two years.

The company, which operates more than 185 company-owned and franchised locations around the country, said it plans to expand in the nation's busiest airports. The chain is basing the plans on success of its Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport location in Atlanta.
Bigger is better for this furniture retailer

Warren, Mich. -- At least one retailer is bucking the current smaller store trend by opening its biggest location to date.

Art Van Furniture will open a two-story, 112,000-sq.-ft. store showroom in Downers Grove, Ill., on July 30. It will not only be the largest Art Van Furniture store among the company's 90 Midwest locations, but also and the largest furniture store in Chicagoland.
Johnny Rockets sets course for Poland

Aliso Viejo, Calif. - Johnny Rockets is expanding into Poland, with its first Polish location expected in Warsaw in early 2016. The casual dining chain has reached a development agreement with HDS Polska Group to build and operate 10 Johnny Rockets restaurants during the next 10 years.
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HDS Polska Group is a subsidiary of publicly-traded company Lagardere Services that operates a network of more than 800 outlets in the Polish market including convenience stores, coffee shops and full service restaurants.