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.
Jan
02
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RNR Real Estate Briefs – Texas & more

HOUSTON — Partners Real Estate arranged a 16,764 SF lease with Tecmag on Westchase Drive. Partners’ Jon Silberman and Pierce Beyer represented the tenant. The landlord, Link Logistics, was represented by Boone Smith with Stream Realty
  • Jason Baker
  • EoS Fitness
  • RNR Realty News Report
Dec
12
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Mixed Shopping Cart for Retail: ICSC Show Report

Construction challenges, retailer demand and the prospects for 2024 were the talk of the organization’s annual New York City event. Attendees at ICSC’s annual New York City conference presented a wide range of impressions of the
  • Jason Baker
  • Commercial Property Executive
  • ICSC
Dec
01
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This Week’s Houston Deal Sheet: Vault Partners Fully Pre-Leases 185K SF Industrial Project

A New Jersey-based auto parts distributor pre-leased the 185K SF Vault Distribution Center, a development by Vault Partners, a Houston-based real estate development and strategy firm. The industrial property is at 13612 Furman Road in Houston.
  • Jason Baker
  • EoS Fitness
  • BizNow
Nov
27
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NewQuest Planning 100,000-SF Expansion in 2024 At Townwest Commons in Northeast Austin

NewQuest Properties is ushering in a new wave of development at Townwest Commons in northeast Austin, with plans in the works to add 100,000 sf of entertainment, retail and restaurant space in 2024. Construction will ramp
  • Jason Baker
  • Olive Garden
  • CityBiz
Nov
21
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EōS Fitness Signs 40,000 SF Retail Lease at Fort Bend Town Center in Metro Houston

MISSOURI CITY, Texas — EōS Fitness has signed a 40,000-square-foot lease at Fort Bend Town Center, a 144-acre retail development by NewQuest Properties in Missouri City, about 20 miles southwest of Houston. Jason Baker of Baker
  • Jason Baker
  • REBusiness Online
  • EoS Fitness
  • Missouri City
Nov
20
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Two Tenants Sign Leases Totaling 52,530 Square Feet at Fort Bend Town Center in Metro Houston

Missouri City, Texas — Two new tenants have signed leases at Fort Bend Town Center, a multip-phase, 144-acre retail project currently underway by Newquest Properties in Missouri City, roughly 20 miles outside Houston. EōS Fitness will
  • Shopping Center Business
  • Jason Baker
  • EoS Fitness
  • Missouri City
Nov
20
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NewQuest Properties Announces Two New Tenants, Seven Store Openings at Fort Bend Town Center

EoS Fitness and CoCo Bella Beauty Supply are joining the line-up in NewQuest Properties’ Fort Bend Town Center, where construction has just begun on a new Metro station amid ongoing store openings in the massive life-essential development. EoS has
  • Jason Baker
  • EoS Fitness
  • Missouri City
Oct
27
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This Week’s Houston Deal Sheet

Audubon Engineering Co., an engineering, procurement and construction services firm, signed a 72K SF lease at 3505 West Sam Houston Parkway N in Houston for its primary corporate office. Built in 2013, 3505 West Sam Houston
  • Jason Baker
  • BisNow
Sep
29
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Leading in Tough Times: Jason Baker, Co-Founder of Baker Katz and Executive Director at X Team Retail Advisors

Throughout the month of August and through the first week of September, Connect CRE is running a series title “Leading in Tough Times.” We’ve asked leaders around the U.S. and across the commercial real estate spectrum
  • Jason Baker
  • X Team International
  • Connect CRE
  • Leading
Sep
09
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5 Experts Weigh In on Consumer Spending, Retail Development, and Recession Through the End of the Year

Americans increased their purchases in July, a sign that solid consumer spending is still powering a resilient U.S. economy. Retail sales rose a better-than-expected 0.7% from June to July, according to the most recent report from
  • Jason Baker
  • X Team International
  • ICSC
  • Inflation
  • Recession
  • Markets
Aug
10
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Delivering Change

The rapid and continuing evolution of F&B delivery is shaking up the industry By Jason Baker, Principal at Baker Katz It is hardly a new or novel observation to say that COVID was massively disruptive to
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston
  • Food & Beverage
  • Retailist
Jul
26
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Which retail and restaurant brands will be hot for 2024? — part 2

Every month, we reach out to retail industry leaders in order to gain their perspective on the market. This month, we asked: Which retailers/restaurant brands do you predict will be “hot” as we head toward 2024,
  • Jason Baker
  • The Crittenden Report
Jun
16
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What retailers or restaurants will be prioritized by consumers in a future economic downturn?

Every month, we reach out to retail industry leaders in order to gain their perspective on the market. This month, we asked: Which types of retailers/restaurants do you think will be prioritized by consumers in the
  • Jason Baker
  • The Crittenden Report
May
13
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Bankruptcies and Retailer Expansion Expected to Take Center Stage at ICSC Event

Houston-based Baker Katz Principal Jason Baker discusses opportunities arising from 1,400 new spaces and shares his expectations for the ICSC event as his focus is to support national and regional brands seeking to expand into South
  • Jason Baker
  • Globe St.
May
11
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What Texas Retailers Should Consider When Contemplating Conversions, Expansions

By Jason Baker, principal at Baker Katz When a national retail or restaurant brand acquires another prominent national name, the move might initially seem to make a great deal of sense — especially when there are
  • Jason Baker
  • RE Business Online
Apr
22
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Salad And Go Teams with Baker Katz to Grow in Houston

Salad And Go partnered with Houston-based Baker Katz, a full-service commercial real estate brokerage firm specializing in retail tenant representation, investment sales, project development and leasing, to expand its growth in the greater Houston market with
  • Jason Baker
  • Lunden McGill
  • John Frazier
  • Traci Holman
  • Salad And Go
  • QSR Magazine
Apr
19
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Salad And Go Expanding Houston Footprint

Salad And Go is partnering with Houston-based Baker Katz, a commercial real estate brokerage firm specializing in retail tenant representation, investment sales, project development and leasing, to add 15 locations to the Houston market. “The latest
  • Jason Baker
  • Salad And Go
  • FastCasual.com
Mar
06
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Annual CCIM Forecast Competition Brings Baker Katz’s Jason Baker, Other Local Leaders Together

Jason Baker, Principal at Baker Katz, participated in the CCIM Annual Commercial Real Estate Forecast Competition as a panelist weighing in on the discussion around retail real estate. He noted how the commercial real estate industry
  • Jason Baker
  • CCIM
Jan
27
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Insight: Small businesses wanting to relocate in Houston are having a tough time. Here’s why.

For small businesses trying to relocate or expand in the Houston area, it’s a tough time to be looking. Houston’s retail occupancy rates hit a six-year high in 2022 — 94.7 percent, according to commercial real
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston Chronicle
Jan
27
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Willis ripe to expand retail

Restaurants, businesses and entertainment businesses could come to Willis as Houston-based Baker Katz has purchased 1.89 acres at FM 1097 at Canyon Falls Boulevard. The land sits near two residential developments: The Woodlands Hills and Moran
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston Chronicle
  • Willis
Jan
27
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Pandemic proves far from fatal for brick-and-mortar business

The pandemic was supposed to kill brick-and-mortar retail, which had struggled for years against online competitors. As stores shuttered and malls emptied, online shopping only became more entrenched, and customers only more accustomed to clicking, buying
  • Jason Baker
  • The Courier of Montgomery County
Jan
26

Willis expects financial boon from shopping center

Willis anticipates a boost of nearly $500,000 in monthly tax revenue spurred by a new grocery store opening in a shopping center that city officials have called “the largest development project.” The 200,000 square foot shopping
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston Chronicle
  • Willis
Jan
26

Willis expects financial boon from shopping center

Willis anticipates a boost of nearly $500,000 in monthly tax revenue spurred by a new grocery store opening in a shopping center that city officials have called “the largest development project.” The 200,000 square foot shopping
  • Jason Baker
  • Willis
  • The Courier of Montgomery County
Jan
26
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Willis ripe to expand retail

Restaurants, businesses and entertainment businesses could come to Willis as Houston-based Baker Katz has purchased 1.89 acres at FM 1097 at Canyon Falls Boulevard. The land sits near two residential developments: The Woodlands Hills and Moran
  • Jason Baker
  • Willis
  • The Courier of Montgomery County
Jan
22
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Someburger, Mod Pizza, Rakkan Ramen ink new leases

Someburger, a hamburger restaurant with locations in Baytown and the Heights, is expanding to Mont Belvieu. Somerealty purchased a 0.75-acre site on the northeast corner of Langston Drive and Edgeton Avenue in Mont Belvieu for the
  • Ben Brown
  • Jason Baker
  • John Frazier
  • American Family Care
  • EōS Fitness
  • The Houstonian News
Jan
04
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Greatest Accomplishments of the Past Year

With a new year on the horizon, Commerce + Communities Today contributing editor Joel Groover asked eight decision makers from across the Marketplaces Industry to share their proudest moments from 2022, a year characterized by strong
  • Jason Baker
  • Brenham
  • Pecan Park Plaza
  • XTeam Retail
Nov
28
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Is Brick and mortar retail dead? Far from it, investors and retailers say

The pandemic was supposed to kill brick-and-mortar retail, which had struggled for years against online competitors. As stores shuttered and malls emptied, online shopping only became more entrenched, and customers only more accustomed to clicking, buying
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston Chronicle
  • retail
  • Houston
  • Houston Trends
Oct
21
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Real estate transactions: Retail land sells in Willis, Friendswood

by Katherine Feser Primo Fitness, a supplier of new and used high-end fitness equipment, has purchased a 71,438-square-foot office/warehouse on 4.6 acres at 701 Sycamore Road in Fresno. The company will relocate its operations from Santa
  • Ben Brown
  • Jason Baker
  • Willis
Sep
26
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4 Things Retailers Can Do to Prepare for Holiday Shoppers

With a competitive shopping season just a couple of months away, brokers and e-commerce executives share their tips for small businesses looking to stand out. Even though we’re only at the tail end of summer, retailers
  • Jason Baker
  • Retail Trends
  • Nerdwallet
Sep
09
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5Qs for Jason Baker about retail expansion in Houston

Houston is big and getting bigger, says one of the top retail real estate brokers in the market. Retailers looking to expand in the Lone Star State think Dallas first. The rampant corporate and residential expansion
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston
  • Chain Store Age
  • Food & Beverage
Jul
05
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Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar expanding to in Houston area

Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, a chain patterned after a Rocky Mountain lodge serving comfort food, handcrafted cocktails and craft beers, is expanding in the Houston area. After opening in Cypress in 2019, the restaurant announce
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston Chronicle
  • Lazy Dog
Jul
05
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Restaurant Roundup: New cantina opens on Washington; Phat Eatery coming to The Woodlands

It’s been a busy week for Restaurant Roundup, with new concepts entering Houston as well as local favorites and recent newcomers expanding. Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar expanding in Houston area California-based Lazy Dog Restaurant &
  • Jason Baker
  • HBJ
  • Phat Eatery
Jun
27
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Baker Katz buys League City retail center near future destination developments

By Florian Martin – ReporterHouston Business Journal Houston-based commercial real estate firm Baker Katz has acquired a shopping center adjacent to League City’s planned 70-acre Riverview mixed-use development. The firm purchased the 108,000-square-foot Pecan Park Plaza
  • Houston Business Journal
  • Jason Baker
  • League City
Mar
23
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Pluckers spreading wings for even more expansion

3 restaurants set to open in ’23 in San Antonio, Houston, Austin As it approaches three decades in business, Pluckers Wing Bar is preparing to boost its store count to 31 locations — and executives are looking
  • Jason Baker
  • Pluckers
  • Austin Business Journal
Feb
18
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Northern Tool to Open 31,000 SF Store at Woodforest Shopping Center in Houston

HOUSTON — Northern Tool + Equipment has signed a lease to open a 31,000-square-foot store at Woodforest Shopping Center in East Houston. Shawn Ackerman and Jason Du of Henry S. Miller Brokerage represented the undisclosed landlord in
  • Jason Baker
  • REBusiness Online
  • Northern Tool + Equipment
Feb
02
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As COVID-19 pandemic approaches 2-year mark, experts weigh in on future of restaurants

The Covid-19 pandemic has continued to be a challenge for the restaurant industry. Omicron, the most recent strain of the virus, has been the latest threat to restaurants due to high transmissibility resulting in an explosion
  • Houston Business Journal
  • Jason Baker
  • Restaurants
Jan
16
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Houston: Brick & Mortar is Back! Jason Baker Shares Why Retail is Red Hot

Left for dead in the early days of the pandemic retail has bounced back in a big way, particularly in Houston, due to specifics about the city and its growth. In our 100th episode, HBJ Managing
  • Jason Baker
  • Retail Trends
  • Texas Business Minds Podcast
Dec
10
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Welcome to ICSC: Attendees Tell Us They Are Thrilled to “Make in Person Deals Happen”

In advance of today’s big ICSC Here We Go 2021 conference, GlobeSt.com caught up with a few attendees on what they look forward to at this year’s live event. LAS VEGAS — “I’m Thrilled to have
  • Jason Baker
  • Globe St.
  • ICSC
  • Retail Trends
Jul
29
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Retail wrap: Phenix Salon Suites, Jeremiah’s Italian Ice, Jiffy Lube ink new locations

Phenix Salon Suites leased 7,500 square feet in Gateway Memorial City, at 947 Gessner, from MetroNational. It will be the second location for franchisees Greg and Susan Gordillo after opening in Katy in 2019. The business
  • Ben Brown
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston Chronicle
Jul
04
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Baker Katz Arranges Sale of 60,935 SF Former Star Furniture Retail Building in Houston

Houston — Locally based brokerage firm Baker Katz has arranged the sale of a 60,935-square-foot retail building in Houston that was formerly occupied by Star Furniture. The building sits on 2.4 acres at 7111 FM 1960 on
  • Ben Brown
  • Jason Baker
  • REBusiness Online
Jul
04
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Bel Furniture buys former Star Furniture property in Willowbrook area

Bel Furniture has purchased the former location of Star Furniture. Officials with Baker Katz, a Houston-based commercial real estate brokerage firm, announced July 26 that Bel Furniture purchased the former Star Furniture located at 7111 FM
  • Ben Brown
  • Jason Baker
  • Community Impact Newspaper
Jun
11
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As business surges, new retailers struggle to find places to build, real estate exec says

With an economy that is beginning to recover as more people become vaccinated, retail is recovering, too, in nearly all sectors. Jason Baker, principal at Houston-based commercial real estate firm Baker Katz, said he’s seeing retail
  • Houston Business Journal
  • Jason Baker
Jun
02
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Food & Beverage Industry Returns to Growth Mode in Houston

At a time when commercial real estate professionals see promising COVID-19 metrics and a better-than-expected vaccine rollout as signs that the end of the pandemic is near, it’s natural to examine where some of the most
  • Jason Baker
  • Restaurants
  • REBusiness Online
Apr
09
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New breed of retailer helps malls experience a revival

Seventy-foot spaceships and intergalactic tunnels now occupy a 40,000-square-foot space in Village at the West Oaks that once housed shelves brimming with bedding and home goods. Gone is traditional big-box retailer Bed Bath and Beyond, and
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston Chronicle
  • Houston Malls
Apr
06
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Report projects 80,000 store closings in coming years

While the pandemic has made it impossible for some retailers to stay in business, a new report suggests tens of thousands of retailers could disappear in the coming years. The problem, according to investment bank UBS,
  • Jason Baker
  • retail
  • FOX26 Houston
  • Retail Trends
Mar
23
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Oil bust, and pandemic, leave Houston with nation’s highest office vacancy rate

HOUSTON – As oil prices inch back up from a terrible year, and Covid vaccines offer hope that the pandemic will be beaten, Houston’s commercial real estate business is far from recovered. The city has more
  • Jason Baker
  • Office Space
Aug
20
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As the once-dominant Sears fades from Houston’s memory, new retailers rise in its place

The Midtown Sears is being converted to a tech hub. Crews are tearing down the Memorial City Sears in West Houston. Now, the freestanding Sears on North Shepherd, the last active Sears department store in the
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston Chronicle
  • Houston
  • Sears
Aug
13
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The pandemic is forcing stores to close, and limiting choices for consumers

HOUSTON – Travelers around Houston will notice a growing number of buildings and storefronts that are empty, and the pandemic slowdown is likely to change where and how we spend our money. By comparison: in March,
  • Jason Baker
  • COVID-19
  • FOX26 Houston
Jun
02
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Amid COVID-19, Texas Retail Owners Have Tenants’ Backs

As COVID-19 disrupts the American economy, healthcare system and way of life, retailers and restaurants — the commercial real estate users whose very profitability and essence thrive on social congregation — have already been pegged as
  • Jason Baker
  • Texas Real Estate Business
  • COVID-19
Apr
21
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Communication technologies put to work during COVID-19

Even after shelter-in-place mandates, Dallas-based Weitzman closed several retail leases using digital aids, spokesman Ian Pierce said. For example, Weitzman and a national insurance tenant signed a lease in March using digital signing tools, including digital
  • Jason Baker
  • Shopping Centers Today
  • Telecommunications
  • Malls
  • COVID-19
  • Virtual Meetings
Mar
27
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COVID-19: Collaboration and communications among retail real estate stakeholders

“No one had a pandemic plan in place, but they are quickly developing them in terms of deep-cleaning methods and controlling crowds at essential-services retailers, which are actually thriving,” said Jeff Pandolfo, a leasing director for
  • Jason Baker
  • Shopping Centers Today
  • ICSC
Feb
14
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Sears reportedly to close two more Houston-area stores

The Sears at Deerbrook and Willowbrook malls are reportedly closing, opening up a rare opportunity for the malls to redevelop a large portion of its retail space. The closures would join Sears locations that have shuttered
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston Chronicle
Oct
08
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5Qs for Jason Baker about Houston

Born and raised in Texas, a graduate of Texas A&M, and having spent 15 years serving retailers in the Houston market as a principal of the Baker Katz real estate brokerage, Jason Baker knows the Lone
  • Jason Baker
  • Chain Store Age
Sep
17
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Academy Sports unveils new store prototype amid growing competition

Academy Sports + Outdoors on Monday opened a store in Richmond with a revamped floor layout and design, part of the Katy athletic retailer’s initiative to improve customers’ shopping experience amid increasing brick-and-mortar and online competition.
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston Chronicle
Aug
30
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Restaurant roundup: California sandwich shop, latest Goodnight Hospitality restaurant, swim club and bar open

After months of waiting, numerous restaurants made their debut this week, and some local barbecue joints received national accolades in this week’s restaurant roundup.  Latest Goodnight Hospitality restaurant opens Rosie Cannonball opened Aug. 29. The restaurant,
  • Jason Baker
  • Lunden McGill
  • Pluckers
May
10
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A Closer Look at What Retail’s Future Might Have in Store

GlobeSt.com catches up with Baker Katz executives on the popularity of utilizing geofencing to assist retailers with site selection and for shopping center awareness among other things in preparation for the upcoming ICSC RECon conference later
  • Jason Baker
  • Globe St.
  • Kenneth Katz
Apr
12
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HBJ’s 2019 Landmark Awards: Land Deal winner and finalists

Winner: H-E-B’s Land Purchase at Kirby Boulevard and West Alabama Street Developer: Midway/H-E-B Seller: Tommy Dickey / Tom Lipincott Attorney: Greg Erwin Broker: Tim Dosch and David Marshall (represented seller); Baker Katz (represented H-E-B) San Antonio-based
  • Houston Business Journal
  • Jason Baker
  • HEB
  • Awards
Feb
02
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Big Gains For Small Shops

Open-air landlords report strong growth among mom-and-pops Small-shop tenants took a hit when credit dried up after the 2008 financial crisis. Now, a decade later, some landlords are reporting record-high occupancies and rents for these operators,
  • Jason Baker
  • Shopping Centers Today
  • Houston
Feb
01
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New H-E-B In The Heights To Improve Shepherd Drive’s Appeal

H-E-B opened a multistory location in the Heights this week, and it is expected to significantly increase the appeal of the Shepherd corridor. The new 92K SF store, at 2300 North Shepherd Drive, includes a two-story parking structure, 50 bike-rack
  • Jason Baker
  • HEB
  • Heights
Dec
29
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Food, Beverage Users Drive Retail Markets

From first-to-market concepts to established chains, eateries and bars are propelling retail absorption in each of Texas’ major markets, say retail brokers. Over the past couple years, retail investors and developers have begun paying special attention
  • Jason Baker
  • Texas Real Estate Business
  • Kenneth Katz
  • Restaurants
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
Nov
16
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Nimble reboot

Lidl is tweaking its U.S. expansion strategy – By Beth Mattson-Teig   It has been nearly 18 months since German grocery giant Lidl opened its first U.S. stores and boldly announced plans to have about 100
  • Jason Baker
  • Shopping Centers Today
  • Grocery
  • Lidl
Nov
15
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Rtic, expanding beyond coolers, opens flagship store in Cypress

Rtic Outdoors has designed a flagship store that’s just begging to be Instagramed. Customers are greeted by a 24-foot “R” inlaid with a polar bear, the company’s logo. A Ford F-150 truck, displaying coolers, is parked
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston Chronicle
  • market trends
  • Cypress
  • rtic
Oct
30
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Randalls continues retreat from competitive grocery market

The Houston grocery chain Randalls will shutter three more local stores by year’s end as the company continues to struggle in the region’s hyper-competitive market. Randalls, a unit of the national supermarket company Albertsons, said Tuesday
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston Chronicle
  • market trends
  • retail
  • Randalls
Oct
15
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American retail icon Sears files bankruptcy

Sears, an icon of American retail for more than a century, filed for bankruptcy protection early Monday morning, the latest casualty of the headwinds facing brick-and-mortar retailers. The embattled department store chain, once the world’s largest,
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston Chronicle
  • bankruptcy
  • Sears
Aug
21
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Whole Foods 365 store a ‘strong statement’ for Independence Heights

For decades, Mardie Paige drove 10 minutes out of her neighborhood to shop at Kroger stores in nearby Heights and Oak Forest. There were no major grocery stores in the traditionally African-American neighborhood off the North Loop,
  • Jason Baker
  • retail
  • WholeFoods
Aug
20
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What Did Houston CRE Learn From Hurricane Harvey? Industry Leaders Speak One Year Later

Nearly a year ago, Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston-area residents with historic flooding. Houston Strong, the city’s rallying cry for recovery efforts, held true through the year since Harvey hit Texan land on Aug. 26, 2017. The city
  • Jason Baker
  • BisNow
Aug
16
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Retail wrap: Buff Burger, Sweet Paris, Russo’s NY Pizzeria, Zero Degrees get new locations

BuffBurger, a burger restaurant launched by Paul and Sara Burden in 2015, plans to open a location this fall in the CityWest Retail Center, 10550 Westheimer, in west Houston. Other locations are at 1014 Wirt Road
  • Jason Baker
  • Lunden McGill
  • Outback Steakhouse
  • Restaurant
Jul
10
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Discounting new discount concepts

With off-price player like Marshalls, T.J. Maxx, and Ross Stores entrenched as favored anchors for shopping centers, traditional anchors like Macy’s are finding it harder than they imagined to get in on the act. There’s more
  • Jason Baker
  • retail
  • Chain Store Age
Jul
03
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Open Retail Space in Houston – Fox26

  • Jason Baker
  • retail
Jun
15
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Why the massive gyms? It takes a ‘village of health’ to battle obesity

Luxury athletic clubs in the Houston area are bulking up in size and amenities, part of a national trend to capture the growth in fitness spending. Life Time just opened one of the region’s largest gyms,
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston Chronicle
  • Cypress
  • Fitness
  • Gyms
  • Life Time
  • Texas
Jun
04
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Listen: What Randalls’ store closures mean for Houston’s grocery landscape

Download   Randalls — once the go-to store for grocery shopping in Houston — has been edged out over the years by its competitors offering lower prices and wider selections. The homegrown company, now a subsidiary
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston Chronicle
  • Looped In
  • Randalls
May
22
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Retail Owners Bet Big on Makeovers

RECon attendees detailed strategies for major renovations and reported renewed interest in the sector from institutional capital sources. Judging by conversations with a few of the developers and project managers at RECon on Monday, a steady
  • Jason Baker
  • Commercial Property Executive
  • retail
  • RECon
  • renovations
May
10
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Working With Expanding Chains

Many markets are seeing new concepts expand and grow. But are they doing it smartly? Here’s advice on working with expanding concepts to develop a smart plan of attack for a market. Interview by Randall Shearin
  • Shopping Center Business
  • Jason Baker
  • Clients
  • Carrabbas
  • Chipotle
  • Noodles
  • Outback Steakhouse
  • Piada
  • Postino
  • Restaurants
  • Zoe's Kitchen
May
08
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Restaurant Consumers Demand More Variety

Savvy entrepreneurs in the food and beverage industry are finding success by being ‘differentiators’ in product offerings and branding. From fast casual to fine dining, Americans’ appetite for more restaurant options is growing. The Bureau of
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston
  • Restaurants
  • food
  • trends
May
06
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Villasport to Open 121,000 SF Athletic Facility

KATY, TEXAS — VillaSport Athletic Club & Spa, an operator of upscale fitness clubs, will open a 121,000-square-foot athletic facility within Stableside at Falcon Landing, a 270,000-square-foot retail development in Katy. The facility will feature NBA-size
  • Jason Baker
  • Texas Real Estate Business
  • Lunden McGill
  • VillaSport
  • Katy
May
03
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Retail rents rising, despite industry turmoil

Rent for Houston retail space has risen to an all-time high, despite a long-term decline in brick-and-mortar businesses. The average asking rent for Houston retail space during the first quarter rose to $16.90 per square foot,
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston Chronicle
  • market trends
  • retailers
  • Toys R Us
Apr
16
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VillaSport Athletic Club and Spa inks big lease in Katy

VillaSport Athletic Club and Spa will kick off the next phase of the Stableside at Falcon Landing retail center in the Katy area with its third location in the Houston market. The private club has leased
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston Chronicle
  • Lunden McGill
  • Leasing
  • VillaSport
Feb
28
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Houston’s Grand Parkway offers 184 miles of future retail construction

Retail observers would be hard-pressed to name a loop, high street, highway or byway in any large American market that is a bigger hotbed of retail development than Greater Houston’s aptly named Grand Parkway. When completed
  • Jason Baker
  • Shopping Centers Today
  • Development
  • Grand Parkway
  • Houston
  • market at springwoods village
Jan
30
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What’s ahead in 2018? Houston business likely to grow, not boom

What will 2018 bring to Houston’s bustling business community? We turned to some of our reliable sources for their observations and predictions for the year to come. Here’s a compendium of what we learned: Economy to
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston Chronicle
  • market trends
Jan
30
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A Retail Recalibration Throughout Houston

For retail tenants and developers alike, Houston’s Space City moniker could easily be interpreted as a kind of tongue-in-cheek double meaning, mainly because space is one thing Houston always has plenty of. Commercial developers have taken
  • Jason Baker
  • RE Business Online
  • Kenneth Katz
  • market trends
  • Momentum Indoor Climbing
Jan
30
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Houston retail construction slows as online shopping accelerates

Houston retail construction is tapering off as the rising popularity of online shopping gives developers some pause. An estimated 3.3 million square feet of new shopping centers are slated for completion across the Houston area this
  • Jason Baker
  • Houston Chronicle
  • Development
  • retail
  • construction
Dec
19
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Keeping It Short – Shopping Centers Today

Tenant leases are ending sooner as landlords get more innovative about their space By Steve McLinden   Retail product cycles are not the only shrinking index in the shifting shopping center landscape. Leases, too, are getting
  • Jason Baker
  • Shopping Centers Today
  • Leasing
  • retail
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
Oct
25

Houston Brokers see potential slowdown in retail developments in 2018

Houston may see a slowdown in retail development in 2018 – but that probably isn’t a bad thing. “Two years ago, there was no end in sight (to retail developments),” said Jason Baker of Baker Katz
  • Houston Business Journal
  • Jason Baker
  • HEB
Oct
24

Mid-Week in the South and Mountain Regions

Here’s a look at the trends, announcements and deals you may have missed at the mid-week point in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma and Arkansas. NEWS AND NOTABLES AUSTIN, TX—Legend Communities and Crescent Communities announced Rough
  • Jason Baker
  • market trends
  • Mia's Table
  • Mias
Jul
06
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Baker Katz Completes 4,098-Square-Foot Lease On Behalf Of Snooze, An A.M. Eatery

Houston-based Baker Katz, an X Team International partner and full-service commercial real estate brokerage firm specializing in retail tenant representation, investment sales, and project development and leasing, has completed a lease on behalf of Snooze, an
  • Jason Baker
  • Tenant Representation
  • Snooze
  • The Katy News
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
May
04
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Grocery Wars Intensify in Texas

Jason Baker, founding partner of Houston-based retail brokerage rm Baker Katz, credits this trend to the efforts of traditional grocers such as Kroger and H-E-B to diversify their product lines and service offerings. “Twenty years ago,
  • Jason Baker
  • Texas Real Estate Business
  • Grocery
May
02
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2 New Outback Locations

Baker Katz’s Jason Baker repped Outback Steakhouse in two new Houston-area locations, 6,500 SF apiece in Katy and Pasadena. The Katy restaurant will be at the intersection of IH-10 and Katy Fort Bend Road. The Pasadena
  • Jason Baker
  • BisNow
  • Outback
  • Tenant Representation
May
01
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Online Conundrum

The Landlord forgoes base rent and collects only percentage rent as a way to prop up tenants at risk of going dark. And in yet another scenario, percentage rent kicks in as a result of the
  • Jason Baker
  • Shopping Centers Today
Apr
24
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Experts Talk RECon; Creating Unique Experiences For Consumers

BY NATALIE DOLCE LAS VEGAS—The 2017 edition of ICSC’s colossal RECon convention is gearing up and GlobeSt.com chats with a few expert sources on their expectations and predictions for the show. LAS VEGAS—While there have been
  • Jason Baker
  • Globe St.