ORLANDO-Big-name tenants are taking a hard look at the wave of affluent "new towns" entering suburbia. Some figure they can generate $400 per-sf sales in the town centers, too--without the parking hassles of a mall.

LONDON-McDonald's, the American fast-food giant, has decided that coffee no longer fits into its programme. The company has appointed investment bank, SG Hambros, to sell Aroma, the UK coffee-bar chain it bought only two years ago.

NEW YORK CITY-Although it reached a new high last week, on Friday the Morgan Stanley REIT Index slipped a little more than three points. Net inflows to real estate mutual funds, on the other hand, were $81.6 million, the largest for a week in almost a year.

HOUSTON-The 1.3 million-sf First City Tower is getting a new look in an $8-million renovation. The owner of the 20-year-old office tower says the redo is a move to maintain its world-class status, a vital step in a CBD that's in the midst of numerous projects.