REAL ESTATE

At a time when sluggish-to-modest industry numbers have seemingly become the norm, and a protracted economic recovery inches forward, the recent spate of seemingly good retail and economic news has industry analysts and observers like myself raising a collective eyebrow.

Seattle -- Starbucks Coffee Company is expanding its presence in Latin America, with plans to open locations in Colombia, Bolivia and Panama.

Starbucks said it is on track to open its first store in Colombia, in the city of Bogota, in mid-summer 2014 through a joint venture between two of its longest-term business partners in the Latin America region – Alsea and Grupo Nutresa. During the next five years, the joint venture plans to expand aggressively in Bogota and to other major cities in Colombia.

San Antonio – Convenience store operator CST Brands plans to open 38 new stores in North America during fiscal 2014. That includes 30 new stores in the U.S. and eight in Canada.

Sioux Falls, S.D. – A retail center is being planned for Sioux Falls, South Dakota. According to the Argus Leader, preliminary plans for the Market at Canyon Creek Development include two 17,000-sq.-ft. retail buildings and include a drug store, three restaurants and a bank.

Owner RMB Associates hopes to have the site developed by 2016. A Get N Go convenience store is also planned for the northeast corner of the site, which is owned by Olson Oil Co.

 

St. Petersburg, Fla. — On the eve of RECon 2014, The Sembler Co. is gunning its development, property management and acquisition motors. The company has more than 2.8 million sq. ft. in various stages of ground-up development. Its leasing and retention rates are at the highest levels in years. And the company’s acquisition program is active as well.

On the development side, Sembler and partner Lennar Commercial are in the predevelopment stage of an 800,000-sq.-ft. regional shopping center called Town Madison in Madison, Alabama.

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Seattle -- Outdoor garments and accessories outfitter C.C. Filson Co. has opened its first retail store on the East Coast, in downtown Manhattan.

The approximately 1,800 sq.-ft. store sells the company’s signature luggage, leather accessories, apparel and iconic outerwear, and also is the first Filson location to offer its new line of camera bags, developed in collaboration with Magnum Photos.

 

Bialow Real Estate is a full-service real estate consulting firm dedicated to servicing the needs of retailers — local, regional and national retailers. Bialow provides all of the traditional functions of an internal real estate department including strategic planning, market analysis, site selection, lease negotiations and coordination of the fit out or construction process on through to store opening.