Top Story

• Florida retail trades for $27.7M
  The Center of Winter Park, a 258,885-square-foot power center in Winter Park, Fla., has traded for $27.7 million. Sterling Value Add Partners LP acquired the center, which is 94% leased. American City Business Journals/Orlando, Fla. (3/1)

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Industry Tracker

• San Ysidro retail center secures $23.5M refinance loan
  The Shamrock Group LLC secured a $23.5 million refinance loan for The Plaza at the Border in San Ysidro, Calif. The retail center is 79% leased. The loan is interest-only for five years with extension options. San Diego Business Journal (2/28)

• Nebraska's retail center goes high-tech for students
  Nebraska's Centennial retail center is being upgraded with high-tech educational touches. QR codes, for example, will be placed on plaques to tell students about local history and industries. A $19.6 million fundraising effort will eventually pay for the renovation. Lincoln Journal Star (Neb.) (tiered subscription model) (3/1), Omaha World-Herald (Neb.) (3/1)

• Developer proposes luxury outlet center near Savannah
  An Atlanta-based developer has filed plans with the state to develop a luxury outlet retail center close to Savannah. The 173-acre proposed Outlet Mall of Georgia would include a 520,000-square-foot center, a hotel and additional retail. American City Business Journals/Atlanta (3/1)

• Pavilions Shopping Center seeks new traffic with entertainment options
  Sacramento's upscale shopping center, Pavilions Shopping Center, is seeing additional activity as new tenants are signed up and entertainment options increase. The center's adjacent 3,000-square-foot patio will be used more for events. The Sacramento Bee (Calif.) (free registration) (3/3)

• Development plans to be proposed for Newark Shopping Center
  Atlantic Realty will put forward three proposed developments before the Newark Planning Commission, including a renovation of Newark Shopping Center, this week. The renovation of the retail center would include tearing down the bowling alley there and replacing it with a parking garage and multifamily component. Newark Post (Del.) (free registration) (3/4)

Retail News

• Best Buy boosts sales, shrinks net loss
  Best Buy booked its first same-store sales increase in more than a year and narrowed its net loss in the fourth quarter, the company said Friday. "People who thought we were dead have to go through the painful process of revisiting that point of view," said CEO Hubert Joly. The Wall Street Journal (3/1)

• Dick's Sporting Goods is on an upward trend
  Dick's Sporting Goods has averaged 17% annual sales growth during the past decade, and earnings forecast to hit $3 per share next year are boosting the stock price. The Pennsylvania-based chain operates 511 stores and expects to grow to about 900 in the coming years. The Wall Street Journal (3/3)

• Dixy to double store count to 3,000 by 2015
  Russian food retailer Dixy will invest about $1.6 billion during the next three years to double its store count to 3,000, with an initial focus on smaller neighborhood markets. Retail food sales in Russia rose 9% last year and are on track to grow about 7% annually through 2016, according to Sberbank Investment Research. Bloomberg Businessweek (3/4)

• Other News

• Gap to open 160 stores around the world in 2013
  Display & Design Ideas (3/1)

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by ICSC SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Macerich reportedly in talks to sell 4 centers to Starwood (Reuters)

• Westfield to increase investments in U.S., U.K. (Bloomberg)

• Open-Air Conference: Small centers in big demand (SCT Newswire)

• Three retail centers in Chicago trade in bankruptcy sale (Crain's Chicago Business)

• Are you being naive about your career? (U.S. News & World Report)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Business Best Practices

• The most underrated job skill
  Your emotional intelligence is one of the most powerful factors determining whether you will be successful, Amanda Ebokosia writes. To enhance it, you should focus on five areas, including your motivation. Create notes for yourself describing what drives you so that you won't lose sight of your goals, Ebokosia suggests. Black Enterprise (2/19)

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News from ICSC

• Foundation seeking nominees for Fiala Fellowship
  ICSC is now accepting nominations for the next Fiala Fellow. Launched in 2010, the ICSC Foundation Fiala Fellowship program annually recognizes an outstanding professional 35 or younger who personifies Mary Lou Fiala's passion and commitment to retail real estate, and has the potential to make a lasting contribution to the industry. Fiala Fellowship Candidates are evaluated on the basis of professional excellence and active commitment to helping others through service in their communities, profession or fields of research. Learn more.

SmartQuote

The person whose doors I enter with most pleasure, and quit with most regret, never did me the smallest favor." --William Hazlitt, British writer and philosopher