BRANDYWINE, MD. — First National Realty Partners has signed three new tenants to join Brandywine Crossing, a 231,036-square-foot shopping center in Brandywine, a city roughly 27 miles from Washington, D.C. The new tenants at Brandywine Crossing include Burlington, which is backfilling a 25,310-square-foot space that previously housed Joann Fabric and Crafts, as well as Another Broken Egg Café and Buffalo Wild Wings Go. The new restaurants are set to open in the fourth quarter, and the Burlington store is expected to open in 2026. Brandywine Crossing sits on a 30-acre site and is anchored by a nearly 60,000-square-foot Safeway grocery store. Other existing tenants include Bonefish Grill, Panda Express, Marshalls, Advance Auto Parts, Truist Bank, Visionworks, Wells Fargo, AT&T and The UPS Store.
Restaurant
FREDERICK, MD. — A public-private partnership between Downtown Frederick Partnership, McClintock Distilling and the City of Frederick plans to develop a food hall in downtown Frederick. The 6,000-square-foot space is located on the ground level of a historic commercial building owned by McClintock Distilling, which is situated near attractions including Carroll Creek Linear Park and a new hotel and conference center that is under construction. The food hall will feature four food stalls ranging from 200 to 350 square feet in size, a bar and a market stall. Renovation costs are expected to exceed $1 million, including expenses for architectural design, engineering and food hall consultation. The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development provided the project team with a $300,000 grant to help fund the project. Construction is scheduled to begin in late summer, with the food hall expected to be operational within the next year. McClintock Distilling will operate the food hall upon completion and secure vendors during the design and construction phases.
BURLINGTON, MASS. — Simon Property Group has welcomed 10 new retailers and restaurants to Burlington Mall, a 1.3 million-square-foot shopping, dining and entertainment destination located north of Boston. Kendra Scott, PacSun and Ten One Tea House will open in late spring, while Rowan, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, Tobu, Sergeant Burgers and J7 Adventureland will open this summer. Asian restaurant concept ChoCho Hot Pot is also set to debut later in the year. Lastly, Verizon Wireless has relocated its business to a new space at the center and is currently open for business.
— By John Read of CBRE Retail Investment Properties-West — The expression “in the black” signifies financial health, a positive outlook, investment opportunities and growth. It’s a phrase that’s resonating strongly with investors, as Orange County’s thriving retail fundamentals spur robust demand for investment properties. Despite ongoing capital market volatility and fluctuating interest rates, Orange County remains a prime target for retail property investors. The county’s strong retail property fundamentals is driven by its diverse, affluent and highly educated population. The average household income in Orange County exceeds $157,000, with more than 46 percent of residents holding a bachelor’s degree or higher. It also boasts a low unemployment rate of 3.8 percent. Retail property fundamentals concluded the fourth quarter of 2024 with a county-wide availability rate of 3.8 percent, down from the previous quarter. This reduction was fueled by sustained demand, limited inventory, minimal future supply, 547,000 square feet of positive net absorption and an average asking rent of $2.57 per square foot, a $0.13 increase from the prior year. These positive trends, combined with limited new retail property construction (only 190,000 square feet of supply, representing 0.1 percent of existing inventory and the lowest share among the nation’s 40 …
FREDERICKSBURG, TEXAS — Houston-based DC Partners will develop The Meuse, a 22-acre hospitality and retail project in Fredericksburg, about 80 miles west of Austin. Named after town founder John Meusebach and designed by Merriman Anderson Architects, The Meuse will comprise a 212-room boutique hotel and 72,300-square-foot retail district. The hotel will offer a full-service restaurant, lobby bar, event venue and a pool deck and lounge. The adjacent retail district, which will be leased by Colliers, will feature boutique shops, artisanal markets and locally inspired food-and-beverage concepts, as well as open-air spaces. Construction is scheduled to begin this spring and to be complete in late 2027.
OVERLAND PARK, KAN. — Saladworks, a Pennsylvania-based health restaurant chain, has secured its first Kansas City-area location at the Bluhawk mixed-use development in Overland Park. Grant Summers of Block & Co. Inc. Realtors co-represented the tenant along with Locate AI, a San Francisco-based commercial real estate firm. JLL represented the landlord. Saladworks’ new location will undergo a full build-out and will join other restaurants such as Red Door Woodfired Grill, Tropical Smoothie Café, Jinya Ramen Bar, Freddy’s Steakburgers, Cactus Grill and Andy’s Frozen Custard. Bluhawk features a sports facility, retail, restaurants, entertainment, multifamily, office and healthcare space. Woworks, the parent company of Saladworks, maintains more than 350 stores nationwide. Other Woworks brands include Frutta Bowls, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, The Simple Greek, Barberitos and Z!Eats. Construction on the 2,048-square-foot Saladworks in Overland Park is slated for completion this fall.
WRENTHAM, MASS. — Shaq’s Big Chicken, a food-and-beverage concept by NBA legend and TV personality Shaquille O’Neal, will open a new restaurant in the southern Massachusetts city of Wrentham. The square footage was not disclosed. The restaurant will be located within Wrentham Premium Outlet Malls, which is owned by Simon Property Group, and is scheduled to open in the coming months. Other tenants that will also soon debut new stores at the property include apparel retailers Vuori, La Vie en Rose and Rag & Bone.
HUTTO, TEXAS — Jack Allen’s Kitchen, a food-and-beverage concept that specializes in Texas-based cuisine, has opened a 7,000-square-foot restaurant in Hutto, a northern suburb of Austin. The restaurant was built from the ground up within the 35-acre Hutto Co-Op District and will be able to house about 275 patrons between its indoor and patio dining spaces. Designtrait Architects designed the restaurant.
HONOLULU — Ala Moana Center, a 2.4-million-square-foot shopping center located in Honolulu, has announced the expansion of 10 new tenants this year. A mix of restaurant and retail businesses — Amaterasu; Coconut Ave; Baskin Robbins; Eve Ala Moana; fanfancy+; Lovisa; NOHO HOME; Skinceuticals Skin Lab; and ZEGNA — have already opened at the property. Dave & Buster’s, the final tenant to join the roster, is scheduled to open in mid-April. Brookfield Properties of Chicago owns and operates the center. Ala Moana Center is anchored by Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Macy’s and Target and houses more than 350 stores and restaurants, including a selection of local, international and luxury brands.
By Nellie Day Metro Phoenix’s population grew to include more than 5 million people in 2023, per the Census, making it the second fastest-growing large U.S. city that year. This increase in residents and employment opportunities naturally brought new, emerging and different retailers to the area, who quickly occupied both existing centers and new developments. Phoenix-headquartered Vestar’s activity paints a picture of how this retail market has grown with its population. In the last quarter of 2024 alone, Vestar broke ground on Verrado Marketplace, a 500,000-square-foot shopping center in Buckeye; ushered in a new wave of tenant openings at Las Tiendas Village in Chandler and Queen Creek Marketplace in Queen Creek; and brought back a seasonal pop-up inside a 50-foot spherical dome at the District at Desert Ridge Marketplace in Phoenix. Balancing Tenant Mix, Community Relevance The key to capitalizing on Metro Phoenix’s growth, the firm says, is focusing on tenant diversification and market positioning. Vestar actively seeks out curated tenant mixes that not only attract foot traffic but align with the demographic and economic profiles of each community. Las Tiendas Village, for example, recently welcomed Marshalls, beauty supply store Happy Beauty, luxury lash spa Revelashons and child-focused hair salon …