REAL ESTATE

Tween, teen fave going really big in Philadelphia
Philadelphia – Five Below is opening its largest location to date, in its home city of Philadelphia.

The extreme-value retailer, which targets tweens and teens with goods priced at $5 or less, will open a two-story, 13,000-sq.-ft. store next to its headquarters on Thursday, Sept. 10.
On the Level: Shoppers Want More From Their Retail Environments
Photo: The Cordish Companies and the City of Norfolk (Virginia) broke ground recently on Waterside District, a redevelopment of the waterfront.

The Shops at Metropolis under new ownership

Plainfield, Ind. -- Mid-America Real Estate Group announced that its corporate investment sales team recently brokered the sale of The Shops at Metropolis located in Plainfield, Indiana. Chicago-based Core Equities purchased the 131,195-sq.-ft. center anchored by Burlington Coat Factory and The Room Place.

Joe Girardi and Rick Drogosz of Mid-America Real Estate Corporation were the brokers in the transaction on behalf of Dallas-based Tabani Group.
Levin Management becomes exclusive leasing agent for two New Jersey properties

North Plainfield, N.J. -- Levin Management announced it has been named the exclusive leasing agent for two New Jersey properties: Whiting Town Center in Whiting Township and Fords Shopping Center in Woodbridge Township.

Whiting Town Center is a 118,000 sq. ft. grocery-anchored property with a mix of retail, restaurant and service tenants. Earlier this year Levin was retained by new ownership to continue its role as managing agent for Whiting Town Center.
Apple’s next-gen store design: Three early details

New York -- Apple is getting ready to unveil its next generation of store design — and the industry is already buzzing over the details.

Unfortunately, there aren’t many available — and the few that are don’t seem very revolutionary. What little specifics known about the store are based on remarks made by Rick Millitello, who presented the new store plan on behalf of Apple to the Germantown Design Review Commission for review. (And yes, it was approved.)

Here are three details:
Value-priced, organic specialty grocer entering Minnesota

Bloomington, Minn. -- A three-year old specialty grocer that plans 60 stores by 2019 is entering a new state.

Fresh Thyme Farmers Market will open its first Minnesota store, in Bloomington, on Sept. 30.

"Fresh Thyme is excited to open its first Minnesota store in Bloomington," said Fresh Thyme's CEO Chris Sherrell. "We love meeting new people in the communities we join, and we look forward to offering a shopping experience that encourages healthy and nutritious buying habits."
Now Trending: A Confusing Curriculum

“Now Trending” is an exclusive online series to chainstoreage.com, featuring trending topics that impact the retail real estate landscape.
RPAI increases presence in Seattle MSA to more than 1.2 million sq. ft.

Newcastle, Wash. -- Retail Properties of America announced that it has closed on the off-market acquisition of Coal Creek Marketplace, a 56,000 sq. ft. grocery-anchored center located in Newcastle, Washington for approximately $17.6 million. The center is currently 95% occupied and anchored by Quality Food Centers, a subsidiary of Kroger.
Macy’s opens the curtain on new off-price format

New York – Macy’s Inc. on Wednesday officially entered one of the industry’s fastest-growing store segments: off-price retail.

The company unveiled its newest banner, Macy’s Backstage, with the opening of three New York City -area stores, with locations in Brooklyn, Queens and Melville (on Long Island).
Online footwear brand steps out with first store

Los Angeles -- The latest online brand to try out brick-and-mortar is a women’s footwear and accessories retailer known for its on-trend styles and affordable prices.

Sole Society on Wednesday opened its first brick-and-mortar store, at Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica. California.