REAL ESTATE

Lowe’s plans 3 new Canadian stores
Mooresville, N.C. – Lowe’s Companies Inc. will open three new stores in Canada, starting with a 94,500-sq.-ft. store in Lethbridge, Alberta in spring 2015. Lowe’s also plans to open an 86,000-sq.-ft. store in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and a 75,000-sq.-ft. store in Saulte Ste. Marie, Ontario.
Men’s Wearhouse to open first-ever Joseph Abboud freestanding store
Fremont, Calif. - Men's Wearhouse will open the first-ever Joseph Abboud retail store in midtown Manhattan in spring 2015. The store follows the launch of JosephAbboud.com in early November.

Restoration Hardware opens Atlanta gallery

Corte Madera, Calif. – Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc. has opened RH, The Gallery at the Estate in Buckhead, Georgia. Featuring six floors and nearly 70,000 total interior and exterior square feet, the new retail concept features dramatic interior and exterior installations of home furnishings in a gallery setting.
Esplanade mixed-use property to undergo major renovation

Phoenix - The Esplanade mixed-use development on E. Camelback Road in Phoenix will under significant renovations beginning in first quarter of 2015, according to third-party manager CBRE.
Top five priciest retail rents in the world go to…

New York - Manhattan’s high-profile Fifth Avenue, at a whopping $3,550 per sq. ft., and Hong Kong’s Queen’s Road Central, at $2,073 per sq. ft., stand out as the most expensive retail rents in the world, according to Colliers International. Rounding out the top five are Hong Kong’s Canton Road, Manhattan’s Madison Avenue and Paris’ Champs Elysees. (See end of story for a more complete list.)
Fred’s turns red in Q3, will close 47 stores

Memphis, Tenn. – Fred’s Inc. swung to a net loss of $10.4 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2014, compared to net income of $7.3 million in the same quarter a year earlier. Costs associated with closing five underperforming stores in the third quarter, and an anticipated 47 stores in the fourth quarter, contributed to the loss, which exceeded Wall Street projections. However Fred’s beat the Street with third quarter sales of$476.2 million, up 3% from $460.5 million. Same-store sales rose 0.3%.
HomeGoods joins Whole Foods in the Mayfair Collection

Chicago - HSA Commercial Real Estate announced that the firm has executed a 22,454-sq.-ft. lease with HomeGoods for the second phase of The Mayfair Collection, which is now under construction in Wauwatosa (Milwaukee), Wisconsin. HomeGoods will occupy the northern end cap of a building to be anchored by a 45,150-sq.-ft. Whole Foods Market.
Charming Charlie coming to the Big Apple; names Victoria’s Secret exec as head of merchandising

New York - The fast-growing accessories retailer Charming Charlie is entering the New York City market in spring 2015.
On the Rebound

Northeast retail real estate benefits from region’s improving economy

The country as a whole has weathered some difficult economic times in the past several years, with the Northeast among the hardest-hit regions.
Sports Authority rolls out updated format in Las Vegas area

Englewood, Col. - Sports Authority continues to roll out its enhanced store environment in both existing stores and new locations nationwide. Most recently, the retailer completed the remodel of an existing store and also opened two new units in the Las Vegas area.