"We are excited about our entry into the Boston market," saysExpo Design Center president Bryant Scott. An offshoot of HomeDepot, Expo now has 20 stores nationally, and is an aggressivegrowth mode. The Burlington store is Expo's first in Massachusetts.Scott says he believes the centralized location of the Middlesexretail site will serve the company well as it tries to break intothe local market.

Edens & Avant purchased the 234,000-sf mall from SamuelsProperty Group for $21.6 million. The South Carolina-based companyhas changed the 26-year-old mall's name to Middlesex Commons, andhas altered the format from a traditional indoor mall to anopen-air shopping center, in keeping with the firm's retailingstrategy. Other tenants in the property include Linens &Things, Kitchens Etc. and a Demoulas Market Basket supermarket.

Edens & Avant acquired the Burlington property as part of aportfolio acquisition of retail centers from Samuels. Also includedin the deal was the South Bay power center in Boston. Today, Edens& Avant has more than 250 owned and managed centers in 18states, properties featuring more than 4,500 retail tenants.