RETAIL NEWS

CHEVY CHASE, MARYLAND – Shopping center leasing, management, and development company JBG Rosenfeld Retail has inked deals with five new retailers at its Festival at Bel Air shopping center in Harford County, Maryland, including a 6,500 square-foot deal with Famous Footwear, which opened for business late last month.   The five deals, which total more than 18,000 square feet, also include leases with Conte’s Bikes, Seasons Pizza, Liberty Mutual, and Harmony Hearing.  Conte’s Bikes is scheduled to open in June, with the others following shortly thereafter.

“Harford County has experienced tremendous growth in recent years,” said JBGR Executive Vice President Bob Schwenger, “so we have worked hard to attract a variety of destination and service retailers to the center to ensure that the tenant mix meets the needs of the area residents.  We believe the addition of Famous Footwear, Conte’s Bikes, and the others will help sustain Festival at Bel Air’s standing as the dominant retail center in the market.”

Occupying the former Lane Bryant space next to Klein’s Supermarket, Famous Footwear is considered the number one retailer of value brand name shoes for the entire family, featuring brands such as Nike, Adidas, Columbia, Clarks, Steve Madden, and others.  The company operates more than 800 stores nationwide, including five in the Baltimore area.

Headquartered in Virginia Beach, Conte’s Bikes started as a family-owned business in 1957 with a single bicycle and repair shop in Newport News.  Today, the retailer has expanded its product line to include a variety of bicycle types, as well as home and commercial fitness equipment.  The 5,000 square-foot Festival at Bel Air store will be the ninth location for the retailer, which will be located in the same pad building fronting Route 24 as Chuck E. Cheese and the new 1,400 square-foot Harmony Hearing & Audiology office.

Seasons Pizza is a family-owned restaurant chain with 17 locations throughout Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey, offering a wide menu of Italian specialties and sandwiches for eat-in or carryout.  The 2,800 square-foot restaurant at Festival at Bel Air will be situated next to Chipotle Mexican Grill.

Encompassing 38 acres of land bound by Routes 24 and 924, Bel Air South Parkway, and East Wheel Road, Festival at Bel Air features more than 60 retailers and restaurants.  The center’s anchors include family-owned Klein’s Supermarket, Kohl’s Department Store, Marshall’s, The Room Store, Rite Aid, Panera Bread, and Lone Star Steakhouse.  JBGR acquired the center in December 2001.

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