Atlanta — Atlanta-based cheeseburger concept Smalls Sliders has signed a franchise deal for five new units in Kansas. Family-operated franchise team Jim, Teresa and Colton Sorlie will own and operate the restaurants. Locations in the state will include Wichita, Manhattan and Salina. The first of the units, referred to as “Cans,” is scheduled to open in early 2025.
Batavia, Ill. — German discount grocer Aldi has announced plans to add 800 new locations across the United States by the end of 2028. The company will invest more than $9 billion into the expansion plan, which will be implemented through a combination of new openings and store conversions. In August, Aldi acquired American grocery brands Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket as part of a larger divestiture of parent company Southeastern Grocers. Aldi’s expansion plans in the Southeast include both new openings and converting some of the former Winn-Dixie and Harveys locations …
Rocklin, Calif. — LRE & Cos. has received approval from the City of Rocklin for the development of University Square, a 10-acre mixed-use destination development in Rocklin, approximately 20 miles northeast of Sacramento. Scheduled for completion by the end of 2025, University Square will feature more than 20,000 square feet of retail space, 5,000 square feet of space for quick-service restaurants with drive-thrus, a 123-room Hilton Garden Inn, a 10,000-square-foot daycare center and a 3,700-square-foot Circle K convenience store and a car wash. A construction timeline was not released.
Goldsboro, N.C. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $10.5 million sale of Berkeley Plaza, a 101,812-square-foot shopping center in Goldsboro. Tenants at the property, which was fully occupied at the time of sale, include Big Lots, Gold’s Gym, Staples, Books-A-Million, AT&T and U.S. Armed Forces. Andrew Margulies, Harrison Creason and Harrison Jones of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, a North Carolina-based investor, in the transaction. Bold Commercial Real Estate represented the buyer, a family office.
Brunswick and Jesup, Ga. — Convenience store retailer Wawa has broken ground on two new stores in the state of Georgia. Scheduled to open later this year, the stores will be located in Brunswick and Jesup. The new shops mark the beginning of the brand’s expansion plans for southern and coastal Georgia, where it plans to build and open 26 stores over the next five to eight years. Future locations in the state include Hinesville, Pooler, Waycross, Bainbridge, Tifton, Valdosta and Albany. Wawa plans to invest roughly $7 million in the …
Seattle — Seattle-based retailer Nordstrom has announced plan to open 26 new Nordstrom Rack stores. Openings are scheduled to begin this spring and continue through spring 2025. The sites of the new stores include locations in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas.
Minneapolis — Retail giant Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) has announced plans to open 300 stores and enhance the majority of its 2,000-store portfolio. The news comes on the heels of the company’s fourth-quarter 2023 earnings reports, which saw comparable sales and traffic trends improving for the second consecutive quarter. Target also plans to invest in its supply-chain operations in hopes of bolstering its next-day delivery options through the use of artificial intelligence for improved inventory efficiency. Enhancements to the Minneapolis-based company’s existing portfolio are set to include remodels adding Ulta Beauty …
Chandler, Ariz. — Peak Development Partners and Hungry Investments have acquired a 5.5-acre parcel of land in Chandler, roughly 20 miles outside Phoenix. The joint venture acquired the property from NGAI Family Trust for an undisclosed price, with plans to develop multiple retail pads at the site. Construction is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of this year, with the opening planned for the first quarter of 2025. Brian Gast of Velocity Retail Group will manage leasing at the property. Phil Bramsen of SanTan Commercial Advisors represented Peak Development Partners …
Vancouver, Wash. — Retailer MINISO has signed a 3,572-square-foot lease at Vancouver Mall in Vancouver, roughly 10 miles outside Portland. Scheduled to open in early spring, the store will be located adjacent to Forever 21. Established in 2013, the brand is known for toys and plushies, beauty products, home goods, fragrances and electronics.
Duluth, Ga. — Gwinnett County has partnered with CBRE to redevelop Gwinnett Place Mall, a beleaguered regional mall in metro Atlanta. The county purchased 39 acres at the mall, including a shuttered Belk-Parisian department store, food court and inline retail space, in 2020 for $23 million. Other stakeholders in the nearly 1.3 million-square-foot mall include Northwood Ravin, which purchased the former Sears in 2018, and department store owner-operators Macy’s, Mega Mart and Beauty Master. Originally opened in 1984, Gwinnett Place Mall has served as filming locations for movies and TV series. …
