Apparel Specialty Stores and Department Stores
Ann Taylor celebrated the grand opening of its 7,500 sq. ft. new Ann Taylor Loft store at Woodbury Common Premium Outlets, in Central Valley, NY.
Cabela’s announced it would open a store in Saginaw, MI in spring 2013, and a store in Anchorage, AK in spring 2014.
Daffy’s is going out of business and will close all of its 19 stores this fall.
Express will open two flagship stores in 2013, one in Times Square in New York City in the summer and the other in San Francisco’s Union Square in the fall.
Flip Flop Shops is expanding into the Chicago market. The chain plans to open more than 10 stores there over the next five years.
Gap Inc. will replace its existing store along Miami Beach’s Lincoln Road with a two-story 29,000 sq. ft. flagship. Construction will begin in early 2013.
H&M is closing its downtown Hong Kong flagship location in fall 2013.
Henri Bendel opened a 2,300 sq. ft. store at Cherry Hill Mall, in Cherry Hill, NJ.
Hot Topic Inc. plans to open 20 Torrid stores by the end of the year.
The Neiman Marcus Group Inc. plans to close the Neiman Marcus store located in Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis, MN. The 118,000 sq. ft. store will close by July 2013.
Nordstrom plans to launch its first stores in Canada in 2013. Nordstrom Inc. is accelerating the growth of its Nordstrom Rack concept. The company plans to open 15 additional Rack stores before the end of the year, and 24 stores are planned for 2013. By the end of 2016 the company expects to operate more than 230 Nordstrom Rack stores.
Rag & Bone will open a flagship store in London, marking the retailer’s first-ever European flagship.
Recreational Equipment Inc. will open its first-ever Kansas store in Overland Park. The 23,500 sq. ft. store is slated to open in fall 2013. Additional stores are slated to open this fall in San Antonio, TX; Cincinnati, OH; Woodbridge, VA; and Medford, OR.
Sports Authority will open a 25,000 sq. ft. store at the Broadmoor Towne Center in Pennsylvania. The opening of that store will follow the closing of Sports Authority’s location at the Rustic Hills Shopping Center.
Visionworks opened its first store in the Philadelphia area. Located in Deptford Township, NJ, it is the first of more than 25 stores expected to open in the market through 2013.


Drug Stores and HBC Chains


Bartell Drugs will move its corporate headquarters in October 2012 from an industrial section of South Seattle to a new corporate center in West Seattle.

A Phoenix Walgreens is being renovated into what could be the first Walgreens concept store in Arizona. After the remodeling, the store is expected to offer a selection of fresh food items, as well as an expanded pharmacy section with new features.


Grocery, Supermarket, and Convenience Stores.

Coborn’s Inc. plans to open five new stores in North Dakota by 2014, in the cities of Stanley, Tioga, Watford City, Dickinson and Minot. The move is part of a broader move into the state.

Whole Foods announced that it plans to open 70 stores over the next two years, in addition to the 25 being unveiled this year. The company currently operates 329 units.


Food Service 

Another Broken Egg Café announced the signing of a multi-unit franchise agreement for 10 restaurants in the Atlanta market over the next five years.

CKE Restaurants, Inc. announced its intent to develop new Hardee’s restaurants throughout the Minneapolis, MN, area. The company is seeking to expand its Minneapolis footprint over the next several years and sees the potential to develop more than 59 new restaurants in the market.

East Coast Wings is expanding its operations into GA, SC, and TX in 2012, and into AL, FL, KY, and VA thereafter.

Hurricane AMT LLC (dba Hurricane Grill & Wings) announced a new development agreement, adding a minimum of six locations to North Atlanta.

Jamba, Inc. announced expansion plans into new markets with new franchisees including Long Island, NY; Wayne, NJ; Pittsburgh, PA; Milwaukee, WI; and Toledo, OH. Store expansion with existing franchisees is also planned in CA, OH, KY, IN, and CT. These eight franchise agreements represent a total of 32 new Jamba Juice stores to be developed over the next five-to-seven years.

Krispy Kreme is planning to return to Charlotte, NC, with plans to open five company-owned shops. The expansion plan includes sites near the UNC-Charlotte campus area.

McAlister’s Deli has signed a multi-unit store development agreement calling for new restaurants in central MI. McAlister’s also announced the signing of three multi-unit store development agreements with new and existing franchisees for 10 new restaurants in the Greater Tampa, FL area, and five new restaurants in Lincoln and Omaha, NE. 

Zaxby’s signed a multi-unit development agreement to open 32 Zaxby’s restaurants in the Norfolk and Richmond VA areas within the next seven years. Zaxby’s also opened its first location in LA, its 18th state. The company plans to have approximately 575 locations in its system by the start of 2013.