REAL ESTATE

Yonkers, N.Y. — Forest City Ratner Cos. has joined Yonkers Partners in Education to create Ridge Hill Academy, a pilot program in which local businesses teach local students about the “behind the scenes” operations of retail management.

Twenty-five students selected from local high schools have just begun the pilot’s third of five 10-week sessions, which take place at Westchester’s Ridge Hill shopping, dining and entertainment center.

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. — Mid-America Asset Management Inc. has announced new retail leases in four shopping centers in Chicago’s northwest suburbs.

Big Blue Swim School signed a lease for 10,075 sq. ft. at The Grove in Buffalo Grove, Ill. The School’s second location in the Chicago area, it is expected to open in November. Jewel Osco, Chase and American Mattress anchor the 117,367-sq.-ft. center. Mid-America represented the landlord in the transaction. NGKF represented the tenant.

Los Angeles — Brixton Capital has acquired TownGate Center in Moreno Valley, Calif., for $41,971,000, a 6.9% cap rate, according to CBRE, which represented both the buyer and seller in the transaction. The seller was a partnership between Walton Street, a private equity firm, and Fritz Duda Co.

The CBRE marketing system distributed more than 460 offering memoranda to investors and brokers. The managed bid offer process generated more than nine offers. The purchase price mirrored CBRE’s pricing guidance to the seller.

New York -- Ross Stores continues to expand in 2014. The off-price retailer has already opened 30 Ross Dress for Less and seven dd's Discounts stores in 14 different states, and there's more to come.

"We remain on track to open a total of approximately 95 new locations in 2014, comprised of about 75 Ross Dress for Less and 20 dd's Discounts," said Jim Fassio, president and chief development officer. "Today, Ross Dress for Less is the largest off-price apparel and home fashion chain in the U.S.”

MILWAUKEE — In his first major appearance before a Milwaukee crowd, Meijer CEO Hank Meijer said the retailer is gearing up for growth in Wisconsin over the next few years, according to the Milwaukee Business Journal.

Speaking at the recent Milwaukee Business Journal’s Power Breakfast, he said the company is likely to open 10 to 12 stores a year, and most of the locations will be in Wisconsin, the publication reported.

ZAANDAM, the Netherlands — Ahold has entered into an agreement to acquire Spar's business in the Czech Republic. The acquisition includes 50 stores of which 36 are compact hypers and 14 are supermarkets.

Nashville, Tenn. — Pottery Barn has leased 12,684 sq. ft. in Hill Center Green Hills, a 220,000-sq.-ft. mixed-use open-air lifestyle center in Nashville, Tenn. The lease is with Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn’s parent company.

Owner and developer H.G. Hill Realty Co. www.hghill.com, plans to begin redeveloping Hill Center Green Hills early in 2015. Pottery Bar expects to begin its build-out in the fall of 2015.

Dallas — Crunch Fitness is coming to Texas. Dallas entrepreneur, author and founder of Planet Tan, Tony Hartl plans to roll out eight to 10 Crunch Fitness locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area by 2016.