Egg Harbor Township, N.J. — Spirit Halloween has announced plans to test a new, Christmas-themed concept with the opening of 10 stores. Spirit Christmas stores will feature décor, apparel, inflatables, gifts and stocking stuffers, as well as interactive elements including a life-sized gingerbread village. Scheduled to open beginning in November, the 10 test stores will be located at shopping centers in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
New York City — Whole Foods Market has opened the first of its new small-format stores in New York City. Situated within the Upper East Side, the Whole Foods Market Daily Shop comprises 9,101 square feet. In addition to produce, meat, seafood and other groceries, the store features a Juice & Java venue, prepared foods and single-serve hot bowls and meals. Two additional small-format stores are scheduled to open within the city as well, in the East Village StuyTown development and Hell’s Kitchen.
Cucamonga and Gilroy, Calif. — Japanese retail chain Daiso has announced that it will open two new stores in California this month. Located in Cucamonga and Gilroy, the stores total 15,343 and 10,004 square feet, respectively. Daiso — which offers products including Japanese inspired home décor, stationery and food — first entered the U.S. market in 2005.
Atlanta — Shoe and sports apparel retailer The Athlete’s Foot, which operates 400 stores in 24 countries, has opened a flagship store in Midtown Atlanta. Located along the Atlanta BeltLine adjacent to Piedmont Park, the new space also features a community center component that will serve as “cultural hub” for community engagement. Project partners included T. Dallas Smith & Co. (real estate advisor), J.M. Lee Construction Co. (general contractor) and Aysha Pennerman (mural artist).
Melville, N.Y. — A&G Real Estate Partners will market 296 Big Lots store leases for sale in connection with the retailer’s bankruptcy proceedings and restructuring. Columbus, Ohio-based Big Lots filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sept. 9 of this year to facilitate a sale of substantially all of its assets and operations to an affiliate of Nexus Capital Management. Big Lots has already received approval to commence a sale process of 144 store leases and will seek approval in the coming weeks for the sale process of the additional 152 leases. …
Newport Beach, Calif. — California-based pizza chain Mountain Mike’s has signed three multi-unit franchise agreements in Texas. The agreements include plans for five restaurants in Austin, three restaurants in metro Houston and three restaurants in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metro. Franchisees Rajeev Dewan, Ajay and Karina Gorde and Tim Fogarty will own and operate the units in Austin, metro Houston and the Dallas-Fort Worth area, respectively. Mountain Mike’s current portfolio includes four existing restaurants in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro and one in Greater Houston.
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — BurgerFi International (NASDAQ: BFI) has filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Fort Lauderdale-based company operates under two brands: BurgerFi and Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza & Wings. The two entities have a total of 144 restaurants open across the United States, Puerto Rico and Saudi Arabia. The filing pertains to 67 corporately owned locations operating under both the BurgerFi and Anthony’s banners. The remaining 77 franchisee-owned locations are excluded from the filing, with the company’s total portfolio expected to remain open and continue normal operations. BurgerFi …
Oak Brook, Ill. — Pine Tree has been awarded the management of retail portfolio comprising one million square feet across 16 properties in metro Chicago. Newcastle Properties is the owner. The portfolio includes Bloomingdale Auto Center and Bloomingdale Square in Bloomingdale; Aspen Point in Vernon Hills; Deerfield Commons and Cadwell’s Corners in Deerfield; Boardwalk Plaza and Orchard Plaza in Skokie; Dempster Plaza in Niles; Eastgate Plaza in Naperville; Fox Valley Auto Center in Aurora; Huntley Retail Center and Milrand Retail Center in Carpentersville; Market Square in Bolingbrook; and Parkview Plaza, Cicero …
Fort Worth, Texas — Cheeseburger slider chain Smalls Sliders has signed a new, six-unit franchise deal in the Fort Worth metro. Franchisee Brett Stewart will own and operate the restaurants, which are dubbed “Cans.” The first of the new units is scheduled to open in 2025. Locations will include Fort Worth, White Settlement, Weatherford, Granbury, Cleburne and Stephenville. Smalls Sliders was founded in 2019 and now has a portfolio of more than 300 restaurants currently open or under development.
Columbus, Ohio — Big Lots has filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and has entered into a sale agreement with Los Angeles-based private equity firm Nexus Capital Management, a deal that would that the Ohio-based discount retailer private. Under the terms of the agreement, Nexus will serve as the “stalking horse bidder” (the approved investor that sets the low-end bar for a bankrupt company) in a court-supervised auction to acquire “substantially all” of Big Lots’ physical assets and ongoing business operations. Big Lots expects to keep the majority of its …
