REAL ESTATE

Northbrook, Ill. — Pine Tree Commercial Realty has announced the appointment of Julie Zamudio as VP of design and construction. Zamudio most recently served as lead manager of the multi-site group banking and retail sectors in the Chicago office of Lend Lease Construction Inc.

Denton, Texas — Golden Triangle Mall has announced the addition of Charlotte Russe to a list of national and regional tenants that have recently committed to or renewed leases at the renovated mall. The specialty fashion retailer will occupy 4,475 sq. ft. and will open before the holiday shopping season.

In addition to Charlotte Russe, the list of new retailers includes Buckle, Body Central, Pro Image Sports and food court eateries Italia Express, Tobu Oriental Eatery and Smoothie Paradise.

Fort Worth, Texas — Epiphany Boutique will open a 1,463-sq.-ft. store at West 7th, a mixed-use development at the intersection of West Seventh Street and University Drive in Fort Worth, according to Cypress Equities, the developers of West 7th.

The store is slated to open in early October. Centennial Retail Services represented the landlord. Epiphany Boutique represented itself.

Columbus, Ohio – Lane Bryant officially reopens its store at the West Towne mall in Madison, Wis. on Friday, Oct. 4 with a new look. On the same day Lane Bryant opens a new store in Houston.

The store will celebrate its grand opening at both stores from Oct. 4 through Oct. 6. Customers who shop at those location during the weekend will be able to enter for a chance to win one of 150 $25 Lane Bryant gift cards.

Chicago — Mid-America Asset Management Inc. has announced that three new restaurants have taken space in Chicagoland shopping centers.

Restaurant franchise Red Snapper has leased 1,800 sq. ft. at Dorchester Commons in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. Mid-America represented the landlord. The tenant was self-represented.

Across America, big-box centers are powering back up

Power centers have proven themselves to be a resilient asset class in recent years. First the recession cut into business. Then e-commerce leveled some of their big-box tenants, hurt others and ignited a downsizing trend.

Yet research from Washington, D.C.-based CoStar Group shows that only 2% of power centers have vacancy rates of 40% or higher and probably won’t recover. Another 6% have vacancy rates of 20% to 40% and are in serious condition but may recover.

New York - Fairway Group Holdings Corp., the parent company of Fairway Market, is opening a 65,000-sq.-ft. store in Nanuet, N.Y., on Oct. 10.

"We're excited to make our newest home at this premier shopping destination in Nanuet and are also very pleased to be creating more than 300 new jobs in the area," said Charles Santoro, Fairway Market's executive chairman.

New York -- Wolverine has opened its first permanent store, in New York City’s Nolita neighborhood.

The store follows a successful pop-up the brand launched last fall. The brand; new location follows the successful New York pop-up venture in fall 2012, and will again offer a curated selection of goods that share Wolverine's commitment to quality, heritage and craftsmanship.