REAL ESTATE

Oak Brook, Ill. — Retail Properties of America has appointed Matthew Beverly VP, director of investments — east region. In his new post, Beverly will lead investment activity through the evaluation and execution of acquisition and dispositions for all markets east of the Mississippi River.

Los Angeles, Calif. — CIM Group has acquired a seven-asset portfolio that includes an office tower with ground floor retail and an enclosed regional shopping mall.

New York City — Gourmet Garage, an upscale market with five Manhattan locations, has signed a lease for a sixth Manhattan location at Collect Pond House, a co-op building at 366 Broadway.

The market will occupy approximately 6,435 sq. ft. on the ground floor and 3,510 sq. ft. in the lower level. An additional 910 sq. ft. in the mezzanine will provide seating.

Tucson, Ariz. — Sidecar, a craft beer and cocktail bar, will open in June in Tucson, Ariz., at Broadway Village plaza. The 963-sq.-ft. space will seat about 40 people inside and 12 or so people outside on the patio. Commercial Retail Advisors represented the landlord, CRI Broadway Village Partners in the transaction. Sidecar represented itself.

Destin, Fla. — Charming Charlie and Icing by Claire’s will open at Destin Commons in Destin, Fla., next summer as part of the Northwest Florida center’s 100,000-sq.-ft. expansion.

H&M and Uncle Buck’s Fish Bowl & Grill will anchor the expansion wing.

Charming Charlie, a fashion accessories retailer, will occupy more than 6,000 sq. ft. next to Uncle Buck’s.

New York -- For the second consecutive year, Chain Store Age will select 10 individuals in retail real estate as “retail stars;” all will be featured in the April/May 2014 issue with bonus distribution to the International Council of Shopping Centers’ RECon show in Las Vegas in May.

The award recognizes people under the age of 40 who are making an impact in retail real estate – whether from the tenant (retail) or the landlord (shopping center company) side.

Ankeny, Iowa -- Casey’s General Stores announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire 24 Stop-n-Go locations. Twenty of the stores are located in North Dakota and four are located in Minnesota.

Chicago — Jones Lang LaSalle has announced the appointment of Josh Burmeister as executive VP and Gulf Coast retail brokerage lead and Ms. Buff Teague as VP. They will cover Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle, partnering with John Bemis, Southeast retail market lead and John Lambert, Fla., retail market lead.

Burmeister and Teague join JLL from SRS Real Estate Partners.

While at SRS, Burmeister served as market leader for operations in Mobile, Ala., and co-market leader for Birmingham Ala., operations.