July 28 , 2020
Shopping Center
& Owner News
Unicorp Updates Details for Orlando Fashion Square Mall Redevelopment Groundbreaking may begin in mid-2021 on a roughly $1 billion redevelopment of the long-struggling Orlando Fashion Square Mall. Plans include 500,000 square-feet of retail and restaurants, 200,000 square-feet of office space, a hotel, 1,600 apartments, and a parking garage. Plans have yet to be submitted to the city of Orlando. (Biz Journals 7/06) [Read]

Publix Looks to Redevelop Briar Bay Shopping Center in Kendall Publix recently filed a pre-application with Miami-Dade County officials to redevelop the Briar Bay shopping center in Kendall to build a larger grocery store. The shopping center currently totals 50,783 square feet, with about 32,000 square feet occupied by Publix. Under Publix’s plans, the Outback outparcel would remain, but the rest of the shopping center would be demolished and replaced with a two-story 56,070-square-foot grocery store, and 10,830 square feet of additional retail. (Biz Journals 7/23) [Read]

Developer Breaks Ground on Jacksonville Area Mixed-Use Project Ponte Vedra Beach-based developer The Ferber Co. has closed on 70 acres in St. Johns County on which it will build Durbin Creek Crossing, an Aldi-anchored mixed-use development. Plans include up to 400 multifamily units and 250,000 square-feet of retail space on the site. In addition to Aldi, tenants so far include ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, First Florida Credit Union and Tire Kingdom. Site work will be completed for the Aldi and DHI sites by the end of the year, allowing those companies to begin vertical construction. Site work on the other pre-leased outparcels will be completed in May 2021. (Biz Journals 7/1) [Read]

Publix-Anchored Center Coming to St. Johns County Boca Raton-based PEBB Enterprises has secured an 8.9-acre site to develop a Publix-anchored shopping center in St. Johns County. PEBB's $2.8 million purchase of the site at 855 County Road 210 W closed July 10. The company intends to develop nearly 60,000 square feet of retail space, including a 48,400-square-foot Publix. Site work will begin immediately, and construction is expected to be complete by summer 2021. (Biz Journals 7/15) [Read]


Market News
.
U.S. E-Commerce Sales up 25% in June Global online spending rose 28% in June compared to the year-ago period, making it the largest year-over-year increase in sales since COVID-19 restrictions were put in place in March. In the U.S., online spending rose 25% in June, which was steady with May’s increase. Outdoor equipment was among the most popular purchase categories with an increase of 10% in June. In the U.S., consumer purchases were driven largely by apparel, as well as a continued demand for online games. (Chain Store Age 7/14) [Read]
Retail News
Bravo Supermarket Signs Lease in Former Lake Nona Earth Fare Bravo Supermarkets signed a 23,955-square-foot lease to occupy the former Earth Fare at 13024 Narcoossee Road. Bravo has roughly a dozen grocery stores in Central Florida, and more than 70 locations nationwide. Grocery stores have seen spikes in revenue. There was a 14.4% increase in grocery sales year over year in April. (Biz Journals 7/20) [Read]

Publix Plans New Store in Former Orlando Lucky's Market Publix is preparing a store at 3171 S. Orange Ave., which formerly housed a location of Lucky’s. Signage outside the store signals that a Publix will be coming soon but does not list a timetable or any further details. Publix bought that lease and four others from Lucky's, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January. (Biz Journals 7/13) [Read]

Earth Fare Returning to Seminole City Center Earth Fare is returning to Seminole City Center in Tampa in the near future. In February, the organic supermarket filed for bankruptcy and closed all 50 of its stores throughout the country, including its stores in Oldsmar and Seminole. It appears a change in ownership will bring the grocer back to the 424,000-square-foot mixed-use outdoor center that is home to dozens of shops and retailers. A new reopening date for the Earth Fare has yet to be announced. (Tampa Bay Weekly 7/15) [Read]

Alton Town Center in Palm Beach Gardens Gets Three New Tenants Despite the novel coronavirus pandemic, three new businesses have opened at Alton Town Center on Donald Ross Road, including a Swedish-American restaurant, a salon, and a jewelry store. Dozens of businesses are welcoming back customers at Alton Town Center, which is anchored by a Publix Super Market and an LA Fitness on opposite ends. All restaurants at the complex have reopened except for Bolay. (Palm Beach Post 6/30) [Read]

Aldi to Continue Push into Florida Aldi has hit a milestone of 2,000 U.S. stores — and says it has no plans of stopping there. The company operates 150 stores in Florida, and it's putting a renewed emphasis on its expansion here. Aldi will open a regional headquarters and distribution center in Alabama, primarily to serve new stores in the Florida Panhandle, Alabama, and Louisiana. By comparison, Aldi's Florida footprint is tiny compared to Publix, which has well over 800 stores here. But its aggressive growth plans make clear that the company is determined to move from niche market to mainstream grocer. Aldi did not specify its growth markets within Florida. (Biz Journals 7/21) [Read]

The Salty Donut Picks 4th Location Miami based Salty Donut announced that it will be opening its fourth location in Orlando. No exact date was given for when the Orlando location would open. The Salty Donut has had a year-and-a-half of steady expansion, opening its second location in South Miami and a third in Dallas last year. It’s first location was in Wynwood. (Biz Journals 7/14) [Read]

Firehouse Subs Opens New Location in Palm Beach Gardens Firehouse Subs opened a 1,400-square-foot eatery located at The Shops at Donald Ross Village in June. It is one of nearly 12,000 locations. Nine of those locations are in Palm Beach County, including locations in West Palm Beach, Royal Palm Beach, Lantana, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and Boca Raton. (Palm Beach Post 6/25) [Read]

America’s Top Customer Service Provider is… Three retailers and a fast-food chain made a ranking of the top 10 companies in the U.S. with the best customer service. Disney Cruise Lines ranked as the company with the best customer service across 160 different retail categories, followed by luxury retailer Neiman Marcus. Chick-fil-A ranked at number five, while Publix placed in ninth, but highest among the supermarket sector. (Biz Journals 7/6) [Read]

AMC Nears Deal to Avoid Bankruptcy AMC is close to hammering out a restructuring deal that would save it from bankruptcy. The deal involves bondholders providing a $200 million senior loan and exchanging their unsecured claims for second-lien debt at an undisclosed discount. Meanwhile, Silver Lake Group, a private equity firm that has a seat on AMC’s board, will move into a first-lien position with its $600 million in convertible bonds. (The Real Deal 7/8) [Read]

Sur La Table Files for Bankruptcy Sur La Table, the nearly 50-year-old purveyor of upscale kitchenware, has gone bankrupt. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection announcing that it's putting itself up for sale and will close a substantial number of stores. Roughly half of its 120 US stores will close permanently. (CNN Business 7/9) [Read]

Bed Bath & Beyond Plans to Close 200 Stores Bed Bath & Beyond plans to close roughly 200 stores in the next two years. The retail chain, which also operates Buybuy Baby, Christmas Tree Shops and Harmon Face Values, will be mainly closing Bed Bath & Beyond stores. Bed Bath & Beyond operated a total of 1,478 stores, including 955 Bed Bath & Beyond stores, as of May 31. (CNN Business 7/8) [Read]

Old Time Pottery Seeks Bankruptcy Protection Old Time Pottery has started Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in order to restructure its finances. Prior to COVID-19, Old Time Pottery was growing at a near-record pace, but when COVID-19 hit in March 2020, the company experienced a sudden and precipitous decline in sales. The company incurred significant short-term debts in order to keep operations afloat during two of its busiest months. As part of the Chapter 11 effort, the retailer will close four locations, one of which is in Orlando Florida. (USA Today 6/30) [Read]
---
Lucky Brand Files for Bankruptcy Denim retailer Lucky Brand has filed for bankruptcy protection, blaming its troubles in part on the coronavirus pandemic, and has a deal lined up to sell the company. Lucky said it plans to close 13 stores and could shutter more during the bankruptcy process. Three of the closing stores are in Florida: One at the Mall of Millenia in Orlando, one at Dania Pointe in Dania Beach, and one at the Mall at University Town Center in Sarasota. (AP News 7/4) [Read]
Until Next Time!