North Brunswick, N.J. — Azarian Realty Co. has negotiated a 9,746-square-foot retail lease at The Shoppes at North Brunswick in Northern New Jersey. Kevin Pelio of Azarian represented the undisclosed landlord in the lease negotiations. David Dunkelman of Soloff Realty & Development represented the tenant, Big Blue Swim School. The new lease brings Shoppes at North Brunswick to 94 percent occupancy.
Fayetteville, Ark. — Fast casual franchise Slim Chickens has signed a deal to expand into Southeast Michigan with 25 restaurants. Partners Brad DeLange, Todd DeLange and Doug Broadright will lead the restaurant’s Great Lakes division and bring the brand to locations in the Detroit and Ann Arbor metropolitan areas. Slim Chickens has opened more than 225 locations in the U.S. and the U.K. and has more than 1,100 restaurants in development.
Austin, Texas — Four new tenants have signed leases at Centro, a mixed-use development spanning two blocks in Austin. Pure Barre, Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, Birds Barbershop and Full Ride Cycling will occupy spaces within 15,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space at the property. Jeremy Smitheal, Win Smith and Bennett Holcomb of Riverside Resources represented the landlord in the leasing negotiations.
West Windsor, N.J. — Starbucks Coffee has opened a 3,000-square-foot café in West Windsor. Situated within The Square at West Windsor, a 220,000-square-foot shopping center, the location includes a drive-thru lane, conference room and outdoor seating patio. Starbucks now leases a portion of the space formerly occupied by Pier 1 Imports. The Container Store will also open at the center in 2024, which is anchored by Lowe’s and Trader Joes. Garden Commercial owns the property.
Fort Worth, Texas — LanCarte Commerical has arranged leases totaling 19,745 square feet at The Westcliff Shopping Center, a retail center located in Fort Worth. New tenants at the property include Cowtown, Specialist Jewelry Clinic, Fort Worth Dance Academy and Organized Nest. Ben Gehrke and Riley Dow of LanCarte represented the landlord, CTO Realty Growth Inc., in the leasing negotiations.
Margaret Caldwell, managing director and senior vice president at Northmarq in Atlanta, thinks this is a great time to be a retail owner. The only problem? Sellers do too. “The biggest challenge is the small supply of retail in this market,” she says. “Sellers are very hesitant to sell, even though the ones who are selling are experiencing great results and achieving their pricing.” Caldwell notes that in the Southeast there has been a slight change in pricing of around 50 basis points over the past year or so. However, …
New Rochelle, N.Y. — LA Fitness has opened a 36,000-square-foot gym at 75 Nardozzi Place in New Rochelle. Amenities at the location include a 25-yard lap pool, whirlpool spa, locker rooms with showers and sauna, a group exercise studio and an indoor cycling room. LA Fitness now occupies the majority of the second floor of a two-story, free-standing structure at the property, which was developed in 2021 by the landlords, Simone Development Cos. and G&S Investors.
Colorado Springs, Colo. — Warby Parker has opened a 2,298-square-foot store at The Promenade Shops at Briargate, a 236,539-square-foot retail center located in Colorado Springs. The store is situated next to Ted’s Montana Grill. The eyewear brand currently operates more than 200 stores throughout the country.
Middletown, Del. — Weis Markets will anchor Bayberry Town Center, a 280,000-square-foot mixed-use development scheduled to open in 2025 in Middletown. Weis will operate a 64,000-square-foot store at the property, which will be situated within the 1,500-acre master-planned Village of Bayberry community. Construction is scheduled to begin this fall. Upon completion, the center will also feature 31,000 square feet of office space, two green spaces and 145 townhomes.
Columbus, Ohio — Four retailers are opening new locations at Easton Town Center in Columbus. Sustainable shoe company Allbirds is scheduled to open May 11 and activewear retailer Alo Yoga is scheduled to open in June. FOUNT, a leather bag company, will also open this spring and Jo Malone London, a British fragrance and lifestyle brand, will join the tenant lineup this fall. Three restaurants have also recently opened at Easton Town Center. They include Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce, Kona Grill and Weenie Wonder. Developed by The Georgetown Co., L …