REAL ESTATE

In this, the eighth installment in CSA's PizzaRev series, we’re featuring a Q&A that pools the expertise of several seasoned franchise operators to highlight the pros and cons of franchising with established brands and new concepts.

New York - RKF has arranged two leases totaling 2,680-sq.-ft. at 1200 Madison Ave. on the Upper East Side of Manhattan with beauty retailer Bluemercury and upscale Scotland-based knitwear company Brora. The new Bluemercury, scheduled to the week of Oct. 6, will occupy 1,705-sq.-ft. and will be the brand’s second location on the Upper East Side.

Dallas - AT&T's new store design focused on the customer's mobile lifestyle is now open in Worcester, Massachusetts. The new store concept is the result of more than two years of research centered on the design goal of creating a more interactive and inviting store environment.

Customers in Worcester will be among the first to experience the new store concept.

New York -- Nordstrom is searching for about 250,000 sq. ft. of space in which to open a full-line store in downtown Manhattan, Women’s Wear Daily reported. Saks Fifth Avenue recently announced it will open downtown, as an anchor in Brookfield Place.

Nordstrom is scheduled open its first full-line store in the Big Apple, on 57th Street between Broadway and Seventh Avenue, in 2018.

Dublin, Calif. - Ross Dress for Less will open two new stores in Illinois on Oct. 11. The stores are located in Hickory Point Mall in Decatur and Times Square Mall in Mount Vernon.  

These new openings are part of the retailer’s 2014 expansion program, totaling approximately 75 new locations during the year. 

Toronto -- Slate Retail REIT announced that it has entered into a binding agreement to purchase Stonefield Square, a 90,991-sq.-ft. grocery-anchored shopping center located in Louisville, Kentucky, for $12.6 million ($138 per square foot). The property is anchored by The Fresh Market.

The acquisition is expected to be completed in fourth quarter 2014 and remains subject to customary closing conditions.

Pittsburgh – Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. is opening three remodeled stores on Oct. 12. The stores are located in Toledo, Ohio, Gaithersburg, Maryland, and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

The Toledo Store measures 50,000 sq. ft. The Gaithersburg store is located in Washingtonian Center and measures more than 100,000 sq. ft. The Wilkes-Barre store is located in Arena Hub Plaza and measures 45,000 sq. ft.

Dublin, Calif. -- Ross Dress for Less will open two new stores in Illinois on Oct. 11. The stores are located in Hickory Point Mall in Decatur and Times Square Mall in Mount Vernon.  

The new openings are part of the retailer’s 2014 expansion program, totaling approximately 75 new locations during the year.  

Together, Ross Dress for Less and dd’s Discounts currently operate over 1,300 off-price apparel and home fashion stores in 33 states, the District of Columbia and Guam.