REAL ESTATE

New York -- Winick Realty Group announced that European Wax Center has signed a lease for its first Murray Hill location at 222 East 34th Street, between Second and Third Avenues. The 1,900-sq.-ft., ground-floor store is slated to open this spring.

The store is part of the newly developed retail at the base of 480-unit luxury apartment building The Anthem.

Winick Realty Group is exclusively handling retail leasing on the building on behalf of landlord Rosebud Associates.

Conyers, Ga. -- Brixmor Property Group announced a 24,920-sq.-ft. lease was executed with Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts at Conyers Plaza, located in Conyers, Ga.

Brixmor, based in New York City, is the owner of Conyers Plaza.

Farmington Hills, Mich. -- Agree Realty Corp. said Thursday it acquired a portfolio of four Applebee's restaurants, as well as an Advance Auto Parts in late December 2012 for about $10 million.

These latest acquisitions bring Agree’s 2012 total purchase activity to approximately $81.5 million.

The recently acquired Applebee's assets are located in Harlingen, Texas, and Wichita Falls, Texas, as well as two properties in Pensacola, Fla. The Advance Auto Parts is located on an outlot to a Walmart Supercenter in Lebanon, Va.

Los Angeles -- CBRE Group reported Thursday that, despite sluggish economic growth, the U.S. commercial real estate market remained on a recovery path in fourth quarter 2012.

The retail availability rate declined slightly to 12.8%, down 10 bps compared with the previous quarter.

“The broken record of slow but positive progress toward a real estate recovery continues to repeat,” said Jon Southard, managing director of CBRE’s Econometric Advisors Group.

Philadelphia and New York -- Law firm Duane Morris announced that it has named partners Chester Lee in New York and George Kroculick in Philadelphia as co-chairs of its firmwide Real Estate Practice Group.

Lee and Kroculick succeed partner Marc Brookman in heading the practice.

Lee and Kroculick will take over a national practice involving more than 90 lawyers with broad experience in real estate and development matters.

North Plainfield, N.J. -- A Thursday report by Levin Management Corp. found that leasing activity in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania improved in 2012.

Philadelphia -- Destination Maternity Corp. said it is opening its first Destination Maternity store in Canada on Thursday in Calgary, Alberta, at the Kingsland Village retail development.

The store will debut its A Pea in the Pod brand in Canada.

Newington, Conn. -- Cohen Real Estate said Thursday that it has brokered the sale of Newington Fair Shopping Center for $17.5 million to Inland Diversified Real Estate.

The property is a 100 % occupied, 187,000-sq.-ft. power center located in the community of Newington, and is anchored by a 135,000-sq.-ft. Sam’s Wholesale Club and a 52,000-sq.-ft. L.A. Fitness.

The seller is a Houston-based developer, owner and manager of single and multi-tenant retail properties.