In The News

As a leader in the retail real estate industry, the experts at Baker Katz are often called on by local, regional and national media to comment on retail and development trends. Check out our latest news coverage.
May
31
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This Beaumont Shopping Center is Getting a Facelift

The Aspen Dental building in North Park Plaza serves as an “appetizer” for the plaza’s upcoming revamp. The upgrades come several months after anchor tenant Target finished its own revamp. While Target owns its store in
  • Ben Brown
  • development deals
  • Beaumont Enterprise
Feb
16
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Real estate firm purchases 20,000-square-foot space in Baybrook area

Baker Katz, a Houston-based commercial real estate firm, purchase a space for future redevelopment in the Baybrook area off I-45 South. According to a release, the firm plans to create a storefront on the property with
  • Ben Brown
  • Community Impact Newspaper
  • Baybrook
Apr
13
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Retail Done Right: Meeting the Demands of Pandemic-Induced Population Migration

The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the commercial real estate landscape, and retail has been no exception. Over the past two years, Americans have flocked to rural and suburban communities on the outskirts of major cities, seeking
  • Kenneth Katz
  • Brenham
  • REBusiness Online
  • Hobby Lobby
  • Burke's
  • Marshalls
  • Petsmart
Mar
04
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Building Permits Lead Last Year in Brenham

Brenham Building Permits for the month of February are ahead of last year both in the number of permits issued and the dollar total of them. A total of 47 permits were issued by the city
  • Mod Pizza
  • Brenham
  • KWHI
Feb
15
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New shopping center preparing for openings

Some of the stores in the Brenham Crossing shopping center in Brenham are preparing to welcome customers while one has already opened its doors. “Everything has gone really well and we have gotten very fortunate with
  • Kenneth Katz
  • Brenham
  • Brenham Crossing
  • The Banner Press
Feb
02
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Burkes Outlet Set to Open

Some of the first stores in the Baker Katz shopping center in Brenham will soon be opening. The Burkes Outlet website lists a grand opening for its new location in Brenham, at 918 Highway 290 East, on February
  • Brenham
  • KWHI
Oct
15
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Houston mall reverses fortune with focus on Hispanic community and local shops and services

By Steve McLinden, Contributor | Commerce + Communities TodayOctober 15, 2021 The first fully air conditioned mall in Houston has a new kind of cool. The 60-year-old PlazAmericas, one of the city’s first fortress malls is
  • Kenneth Katz
  • Development
  • PlazAmericas
  • Commerce+Communities Today
Oct
14
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Brenham Shopping Center Project Continues on Schedule

By Josh Blaschke Construction at the site of the Baker Katz shopping center in Brenham is proceeding on schedule. Baker Katz co-founder Kenneth Katz said work is progressing nicely at the development, located on 35 acres
  • Kenneth Katz
  • Brenham
  • KWHI
May
05
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Baker Katz purchases Foodarama building

The Foodarama at 18th Street and Ella Boulevard, part of a locally owned, privately held Texas-based company with 10 grocery stores throughout Houston and the surrounding areas, has long been a go-to for necessities. Now, the
  • Kenneth Katz
  • Heights
  • Foodarama
  • The Leader News
Mar
11
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Retail wrap: Charming Charlie is making a comeback

Charming Charlie, a women’s apparel and fashion accessories chain retailer, announced plans to open 14 locations in March and April in Texas, California, New York and the Midwest. The openings include stores to open March 12
  • Neal Wade
  • Houston Chronicle
  • Kenneth Katz
  • Brenham
Mar
11
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Baker Katz Breaks Ground on 163,518 SF Retail Project in Brenham, Texas

BRENHAM, TEXAS — Houston-based development and leasing firm Baker Katz has broken ground on Brenham Crossing, a 163,518-square-foot retail project in Brenham, located about 75 miles northwest of Houston. Baker Katz is developing the property, which
  • Neal Wade
  • Kenneth Katz
  • Brenham
  • Brenham Crossing
Mar
09
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Baker Katz Breaks Ground on 50-Acre Retail Development in Brenham, Texas

Brenham, Texas — Baker Katz has broken ground on Brenham Crossing, a 50-acre retail development located at the southwest corners of Highway 290 and Chappell Hill Road in Brenham. Five retailers are sset to open within
  • Shopping Center Business
  • Neal Wade
  • Kenneth Katz
  • Brenham
  • Brenham Crossing
Mar
09
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Upcoming Brenham Crossing retail development officially breaks ground

Baker Katz, a full-service commercial real estate brokerage firm specializing in retail tenant representation, investment sales, project development and leasing, partnered with the City of Brenham to host a groundbreaking ceremony today to celebrate the construction
  • Neal Wade
  • Kenneth Katz
  • Brenham
  • Brenham Crossing
Mar
08
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Groundbreaking Held For Shopping Center Project, First Wave of Retailers Announced

A milestone years in the making was accomplished today (Monday) for the Baker Katz shopping center project in Brenham. Representatives from the City of Brenham and Washington County met this morning with Baker Katz and Arch-Con
  • Kenneth Katz
  • Development
  • Brenham
Feb
04
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Baker Katz sells retail development near Baybrook Mall

By Katherine Feser | houstoncrhonicle.com Dallas-based Crow Holdings purchased a retail development housing several popular restaurant chains in southeast Houston near Baybrook Mall from Baker Katz. The development totals 15,600 square feet in two buildings. Houston-based Baker Katz, which broke ground
  • development deals
  • Neal Wade
  • Baybrook
Oct
18
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Brenham Shopping Center Developers Say Project Progressing Nicely

Heads of the new shopping center project in Brenham say development is coming along well. The Houston-based developer Baker Katz is currently developing 35 acres of land at the Highway 290 – Chappell Hill Street intersection,
  • Kenneth Katz
  • Brenham
Sep
26
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Shopping Center Developers say talks with Retailers going well

Developers of a new shopping center here say they are receiving positive responses from major retailers about opening stores there. Kenneth Katz of Houston-based developer Baker Katz said the company is “actively negotiating with a number
  • Kenneth Katz
  • Development
  • Banner-Press
  • Brenham
Dec
25
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Sharpstown moves toward change

Margaret Mitchell has lived in Sharpstown for nearly her whole life, watching in dismay as stores closed in the neighborhood’s main shopping center and the property slid into disrepair, despite efforts by owners to make the
  • Jason Baker
  • Neal Wade
  • Houston Chronicle
  • Kenneth Katz
  • Development
  • Sharpstown
Dec
21
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Baker Katz Purchases 850,000 SF Shopping Mall in Houston

HOUSTON — Houston-based retail firm Baker Katz has purchased PlazAmericas Mall, an 850,000-square-foot shopping destination in Houston. Formerly known as Sharpstown Mall, the property was built in 1961 and has undergone several renovations over the years.
  • Jason Baker
  • Neal Wade
  • RE Business Online
  • Kenneth Katz
  • PlazAmericas
  • Sharpstown
  • Development deasl
Dec
21
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10 Must Reads for the CRE Industry Today (Dec 21, 2018)

Analysts worry the high amount of investment in self-storage properties may have outpaced demand for self-storage space, reports the Wall Street Journal. Forbes offers a 2019 real estate investment preview. These are among today’s must reads
  • development deals
  • Jason Baker
  • Neal Wade
  • Kenneth Katz
  • Mall
  • PlazAmericas
  • Sharpstown
Dec
21
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PlazAmericas Mall has a new owner, for the most part

Nancy Sarnoff reports in the Chronicle that the former Sharpstown Center, more recently known as PlazAmericas has been soldto Houston commercial real estate firm Baker Katz. Well, most of it has: The purchase, she writes “does not include any of
  • development deals
  • Jason Baker
  • Neal Wade
  • Kenneth Katz
  • PlazAmericas
  • Sharpstown
  • Houston landscape
  • swamplot
Dec
21
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Houston real estate developers acquire former Sharpstown mall

PlazAmericas, the former Sharpstown shopping center that has struggled to find its footing as regional malls have fallen out of shoppers’ favor, has a new owner that wants to turn around the property while maintaining the
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston Chronicle
  • Kenneth Katz
  • Development
  • Mall
  • PlazAmericas
  • Sharpstown
Dec
21
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Houston real estate firm buys former Sharpstown Mall

Houston’s oldest enclosed mall has a new owner. Houston-based commercial real estate firm Baker Katz bought PlazAmericas Mall, formerly known as Sharpstown Mall and Sharpstown Center, from Philadelphia-based RAIT Financial Trust (OTCQB: RASF), according to a
  • Houston Business Journal
  • Jason Baker
  • Kenneth Katz
  • Development
  • Mall
  • PlazAmericas
  • Sharpstown
Oct
30
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This Week’s Houston Deal Sheet

Amsterdam-based coworking company Spaces inked a 53K SF lease for the first three floors of Two Post Oak Central. This marks the second Spaces’ location in Houston, a market that is starting to pick up the pace
  • property acquisitions
  • BisNow
Nov
10
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Exclusive: New Washington Ave. redevelopment to include co-working space

A little over a year ago, two Houston-area developers scooped up an historic property on Washington Avenue with plans to renovate. Though the property’s vacant space hasn’t been leased yet, more details on the developers’ plans
  • Jason Baker
  • Kenneth Katz
  • Development
  • Washington Ave
Sep
26

Houston retail brokerage expands leasing, development team

Houston-based Baker Katz, a retail brokerage, recently recruited two real estate specialists, one of whom will focus on build-to-suit developments. John Frazier and Matt Reese joined Baker Katz in early September, the firm announced in a
  • Development
  • John Frazier
Sep
26
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This Week’s Houston Deal Sheet

The largest retail development in the Houston area is getting a residential infusion. In addition to 1.5M SF of retail, a 10,000-seat amphitheater and high school football stadium, Valley Ranch Town Center will soon be home
  • BisNow
  • AMC
  • Leasing
Jun
20
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Are Mid-Level Retailers In Trouble?

According to Jason Baker, principal with Houston-based retail brokerage Baker Katz, mid-level retailers that don’t offer a unique or private label product are going to get hurt more and more in the near future. by Natalie
  • Jason Baker
  • Globe St.
  • Amazon
  • online
Jun
12
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Houston to be a part of Aldi’s nationwide expansion plans

Discount chain is eager to expand beyond its Midwestern stronghold, and its local growth has been speedy By Dylan Baddour Grocery discounter Aldi will invest $3.4 billion to expand its U.S. presence by 900 stores in
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston Chronicle
  • Development
  • Grocery
May
29
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Online Conundrum

Landlords and tenants grapple with how to calculate rents based on omni-channel sales By Joel Groover What would happen if a basic question in the shopping center business – exactly how much  money a store makes
  • Jason Baker
  • Shopping Centers Today
May
14
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Amazon Effect

Retailers are positioning themselves as the online giant’s brick-and-mortar ambitions unfold By Joel Groover Speculation about the real estate role of Amazon.com is growing as more information emerges about its closely held plans for U.S. stores.
  • Jason Baker
  • Shopping Centers Today
  • Development
Apr
28
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Opportunities for construction lending

After taking a hit post-recession, construction and development lending is accelerating once more, but community banks are proceeding with caution. By Beth Mattson-Teig Construction loans that all but disappeared in the wake of the recession are
  • Neal Wade
  • Development
  • Independent Banker
Mar
08
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Exclusive: See a Houston developer’s latest plans for a two-story Heights retail project

Braun Enterprises, an inner-Loop developer best known for its retail projects, is planning an ambitious two-story ground-up retail development at Shepherd Drive and West 24th Street in the Heights. The Houston-based company will build a 24,000-square-foot
  • Houston Business Journal
  • Development
Feb
13
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Houston Developers: Not All Adaptive Reuse Projects Created Equal

Adaptive reuse, or the restoration of a historic property into usable real estate, has grown in popularity among Houston developers looking for space in an increasingly dense inner Loop. But not all of these projects are
  • Houston Business Journal
  • Kenneth Katz
  • Development
Oct
10
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PA New Retail Intersection Nearing Completion

The signs are going up at the intersection of U.S. 69 and FM 365, signaling a retail development months in the making is getting close to completion. In February, Houston-based developer Baker-Katz announced an expansion to
  • development deals
  • Neal Wade
  • Port Arthur News
Apr
09
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Why Hispanics Are A Key Market In Houston’s Grocery Wars

If Houston retailers are going to survive the grocery store wars over the next five years, they need to start marketing and catering more to the Hispanic population, says an industry expert. In the past 14
  • Houston Business Journal
  • Jason Baker
  • Grocery
Apr
03
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Expert: Hispanic Consumers Should Be Houston Grocers’ Target

Houston retailers should target the growing Hispanic consumer population over the next five years to boost their competitiveness, minding details such as shelf height, music and other things that go beyond product selection and advertising, says
  • Houston Business Journal
  • Jason Baker
  • Grocery
  • Smartbrief