WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Commerce Department reported in its advanced estimate Wednesday morning that retail spending rose 0.6 percent on a month-over-month basis in August. Total sales for the month were $537.5 billion, up from $534.6 billion in July. This marks the fourth straight month retail sales rose since April, when sales plummeted 16.4 percent due to the coronavirus pandemic shutting down the U.S. economy in mid-March. The National Retail Federation (NRF) said it expected August numbers to slow due to federal assistance waning at the end of July, but the Washington, D.C.-based organization believes consumers are “in good shape” heading into the holiday season. “Over the past several months, consumers have responded well to federal relief measures that have supported the recovery, so it comes as no surprise that they would take a pause on spending as some of these programs tapered off at the end of July,” says Matthew Shay, CEO and president of the NRF. “We continue to advocate for additional stimulus measures to help the economy recover. With the holidays quickly approaching, our retailers are prepared to serve customers to meet all of their holiday needs and are embracing the new holiday tradition of shopping …
DALLAS — A quartet of real estate veterans has launched Segovia Partners, a new firm that will offer advisory and brokerage services to tenants in the retail markets of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana and to landlords throughout the United States. Each member of the team of Jack Breard, Jennifer Frank, Michelle Waak and David B. Shelton has more than 20 years of experience in the industry. Frank most recently worked with Segovia Retail Partner; Breard and Shelton most recently worked with CBRE; and Waak most recently worked with The Howard Hughes Corp. Over the years, the team’s retail-using clients have included IKEA, Ulta Beauty, P.F. Chang’s and Flower Child. The firm’s office is located at 8080 Park Lane in Dallas and is officially open for business.
NEW YORK CITY — Town Sports International Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: CLUB), the parent company of New York Sports Clubs, Boston Sports Clubs and Lucille Roberts gyms, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to reports from multiple new outlets including CNBC and The Wall Street Journal. The company filed its petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del. Town Sports, which operates about 200 fitness centers throughout the region, said that it does not plan to permanently close the majority of its gyms, which serve about 600,000 members. The fitness chain joins Dallas-based Gold’s Gym and 24 Hour Fitness as the latest operator to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in response to COVID-19, which has forced many such facilities to either close or operate at reduced capacities.
RARITAN, N.J. — Burlington has opened a new store at Somerville Circle Shopping Center, a 150,000-square-foot property located at the intersection of Routes 202/206 and Route 28 in Raritan, about 45 miles southeast of New York City. Burlington has backfilled a space formerly occupied by Toys ‘R’ Us/Babies ‘R’ Us. Other tenants at the center include Staples, Petco, Jersey Mike’s, Burger King and Five Below. Levin Management Corp. manages the property. The square footage of the store was not disclosed.
ST. PAUL, MINN. — Lund Food Holdings Inc. has entered into a long-term lease agreement with developer Ryan Cos. to open a full-service Lunds & Byerlys grocery store within the Highland Bridge project in St. Paul. The 51,000-square-foot store is expected to open in 2022. It will offer an extensive selection of prepared foods, specialty products and two levels of covered parking. The store will anchor a building with 230 apartment units. The existing Lunds & Byerlys store at 2128 Ford Parkway will remain open until the grand opening of the new store. Highland Bridge is a large mixed-use redevelopment of the former Ford Motor Co. production plant in St. Paul’s Highland Park neighborhood.
CHAMBERSBURG, PA. — Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: SPWH) will open a new store at 3285 Black Gap Road in Chambersburg, located roughly midway between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia in the southern part of the state. A grand opening celebration will take place Thursday, Sept. 24 through Friday, Sept. 26. The store will be the fourth Sportsman’s Warehouse in Pennsylvania and will offer more than 60,000 region-specific items including brand-name hunting, fishing, camping, shooting, apparel and footwear merchandise.
WESTBURY, N.Y. — Bloomingdale’s Furniture will open a 25,000-square-foot store at Samanea Mall in Westbury, located on Long Island, in spring 2021. Matthew Kucker and Jordan Baruch of Colliers International represented the landlord in the lease negotiations. Brian Schuster of Ripco Real Estate represented Bloomingdale’s. Samanea Mall originally opened in 1997 and is currently undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation.
SAN ANTONIO —Dick’s Sporting Goods has opened a new store at San Pedro Crossing, a retail center located at the junction of NW Loop 410 and San Pedro Avenue in San Antonio. Lincoln Property Co. owns the shopping center, which is located across the street from North Star Mall and also houses tenants such as The Container Store, Barnes & Noble and Office Depot. The store will be the Pittsburgh-based retailer’s fifth in the San Antonio area. The square footage of the new store was not disclosed.
MORGANTOWN, W.VA. — Hibbett Sports has opened a 5,600-square-foot store within Morgantown Mall. The Birmingham, Ala.-based sports retailer offers brands such as Nike, Under Armour, Jordan, The North Face and Adidas. The new location implements the company’s new store design, which features an open concept, phone charging stations and other amenities for customers to experience. The mall location also offers online, pick-up in-store and curbside pick-up shopping options. Morgantown Mall is located at 9235 Mall Road, three miles southwest of downtown Morgantown and three miles south of West Virginia University.
CHICAGO — Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors has brokered the sale of a single-tenant Amazon Hub Locker+ in Chicago for an undisclosed price. The 2,800-square-foot Amazon package pickup space is situated directly across from DePaul University. It is located on the ground floor of a four-story condominium building, which was constructed in 2010. Kevin Fryman, Bill Asher and Jeff Lefko of Hanley represented the seller, Los Angeles-based Westwood Financial. John Oks of Banco Santander International represented the buyer, a Mexico-based private investor. Amazon has locker locations in over 900 cities.