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IN BRIEF

Landlords beware of knock-offs

Mall managers might have to add “counterfeit detector” to their job descriptions, now that French luxury conglomerate LVMH has sued a landlord for giving shelter to salespeople whom it says peddle counterfeit versions of its goods. LVMH says New York City landlord Richard E. Carroll knew that shops in seven buildings he owns along Canal Street were selling counterfeits. Canal Street is considered a hot spot for such activity. LVMH says more than 8,000 fake LVMH products were seized from Carroll’s buildings last year. The company has become increasingly litigious over the issue and is combing shopping centers as well as street-front shops. Last October LVMH sued mall retailer The Wet Seal for selling knock-off Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs bags in its Arden B. stores. Wet Seal agreed to pull the goods in question from its shelves to settle the matter. Are landlords liable for what their tenants do? There is no simple answer, legal experts say. Jim Astrachan, an intellectual property lawyer, told SCT that landlords are generally not responsible for illegal activity on their properties if they do not know it is occurring. But “a landlord cannot ignore evidence of illegal sales and later seek to avoid responsibility by claiming it had no knowledge that sales were occurring on its property,” he said. LVMH is not the only one on the lookout for sales of knock-off products. The New York City Police Department operates a trademark infringement unit, believed to be the only police department in the country with an anti-counterfeiting force. Carroll, whose companies include Canal Funding and Canal Venture, was unavailable for comment.

Stirling sterling, groups says

The New Orleans Chapter Society of Financial Service Professionals and Loyola University honored Stirling Properties with the New Orleans Area Business Ethics Award. The award acknowledges companies that have developed a code of ethics and demonstrated commitment to ethical business practices.

May helps handicapped

After settling a lawsuit with the Disability Rights Council of Greater Washington, The May Department Stores Co. will arrange sales racks and other merchandise fixtures so that physically handicapped customers, especially those confined to wheelchairs, have better access to the merchandise. The agreement involves Hecht’s and Lord & Taylor stores in the Washington, D.C., area. May will also improve accessibility to fitting rooms and rest rooms, merchandise checkout facilities, and bridal and baby registry computers.

Simon mall Idols

Simon Property Group and Coca-Cola are putting on a concert tour of American Idol competitors. The event will showcase singers from the televised singing competition’s 2004 and 2005 seasons, and hopefuls from the 2005 competition. Attendees will also get the chance to compete in a live singing session and dance contest for such prizes as Simon Giftcards and American Idol T-shirts. The tour kicked off April 8 in Boston and will wrap up in Los Angeles May 14, just one day before the latest American Idol season finale.

 

Finard gets contract

Hartford, Conn.-based Cornerstone Real Estate Advisors, which invests on behalf of institutional investors, awarded Finard & Co., of Burlington, Mass., the management contract for Salt Pond Shopping Center, in Narragansett, R.I. Super Stop & Shop and Marshalls Megastore anchor the 200,000-square-foot community center.

Sembler wins award

The Tampa Bay Business Journal awarded The Sembler Co.’s Crossroads Shopping Center its 2004 Best Deal with Developed Real Estate award. Sembler renovated the center, its parking lot and driveways. The Home Depot, Linens ’n Things and Pier 1 anchor the center.

 

THF Realty creates charity

THF Realty, of St. Louis, Mo., which owns and develops neighborhood and community shopping centers in 20 states, earmarked $5 million to create the Staenberg Family Foundation. The organization will assist existing organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, the Jewish Federation, St. Louis Crisis Nursery and the United Way, to help underprivileged children and support education and the arts.

Marmi fights cancer

A grand opening for women’s fashion shoe retailer Marmi at The Summit at Birmingham (Ala.) doubled as a benefit for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Marmi donated more than $6,500 raised from the three-day event, and the funds were directed to the North Central Alabama affiliate of the Dallas-based organization. Bayer Properties, of Birmingham, Ala., opened the 800,000-square-foot lifestyle center in 1997. Bayer is planning to open a 65,000-square-foot fourth phase at the center in August.

GGP to manage centers

General Growth Properties will begin managing three centers totaling two million square feet of retail GLA. In early April, the Chicago REIT won the management contracts for the 75,000-square-foot Kings’ Shops in Kona, Hawaii. (It becomes GGP’s fourth managed mall on the Hawaiian Islands.) The other two management contracts obtained by GGP are the 1.1 million-square-foot Metrocenter Mall in Jackson, Miss., the state’s largest shopping center; and the 900,000-square-foot Alexandria (La.) Mall. The Alexandria Mall has the advantage of being the only enclosed center within a 90-mile radius, according to GGP.

Transcan adds to Canyon Crossings

Alamo, Calif.—based Transcan Development signed three new anchors and an inline tenant to Canyon Crossings at Canyon Springs, a $42 million mixed-use development that is underway in Riverside, Calif. The new anchors are Wickes Furniture, John’s Incredible Pizza and LA Fitness. Home Gallery Furniture leased space as a tenant. All told, the new leases total about 170,000 square feet of gross leasable area in the retail portion of the project, according to the company. Wal-Mart Stores already announced plans to build a 230,000-square-foot Supercenter to anchor Canyon Crossings. Transcan Development hopes to complete the first phase of Canyon Crossings by the first quarter of 2006.

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