REAL ESTATE

While there were some reported ups and downs over the course of last year’s holiday shopping season, the early takeaway is that the season was, in the end, positive. While we’ll have to wait for hard numbers for more detailed insight, and while definitive conclusions might be a bit much to draw at this point, it does seem to me like the increased length of the ever-expanding holiday shopping season didn’t have any appreciable negative impact.

Redlands, Calif. -- BJ’s Wholesale Club announced that it has adopted Esri’s location analytics solutions to aid in real estate research strategy and business insight analysis.

Tucson, Ariz. -- Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, will open its first store in Tucson, its fourth in Arizona, on Jan. 20.

The family-run company was built on the premise that "consumers should have access to affordable, high-quality foods and dietary supplements, along with nutrition knowledge, to help support their own health."

Mandeville, La. -- Stirling Properties announced the addition of Whole Foods Market to the tenant lineup at Premier Centre, a 273,000-sq.-ft. shopping center near the intersection of U.S. Highway 190 and North Causeway Boulevard in Mandeville, Louisiana.

Elmhurst, N.Y. --  Tom Rettaliata and Brian Schuster of Ripco Real Estate represented Darden Concepts and Ignite Restaurants in the lease of the site located between Queens Center Mall and the Long Island Expressway (I-495) in Elmhurst, Queens, New York. Olive Garden (8,297 sq. ft.), Longhorn Steakhouse (8,000 sq. ft.), and Joe’s Crab Shack (8,000 sq. ft.) now occupy a previously vacant location at the intersections of 92nd Street and 59th Avenue. All three restaurants face Queens Center.

Exeter, N.H. -- Ice hockey equipment manufacturer Bauer Hockey is throwing its puck in the retail arena. The company will open its first-ever store this summer, in the Boston suburb of Burlington, Massachusetts. It will be followed by a second location in the fall, in the Minneapolis area.

Los Angeles -- Fast-casual pizza franchise PizzaRev kicks off 2015 with the opening of the chain’s 20th location in just over two years. The new restaurant will open in La Habra, California, one of eight locations scheduled to open in first-quarter 2015. The upcoming expansion will include entrance into four new markets: Bakersfield, San Diego and Santa Barbara in California, as well as Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Atlanta --  The Shopping Center Group announced its continued expansion with the addition of a California brokerage team of industry veterans. The move across the Mississippi River marks the firm’s first foray into western United States. Located in Santa Barbara, the new office opened Dec. 1.

“The acquisition of this team is a big step in The Shopping Center Group’s pursuit of a national footprint," said chairman and Co-CEO David Birnbrey.