Rooms To Go Forges Ahead with Texas Expansion

DALLAS-Rooms To Go site has secured a North Dallas site while brokers eye up west Ft. Worth and Austin for more locations for the Seffner, FL-based retailer’s Texas expansion plan.

The decision for west Ft. Worth hasn’t been made as yet, Brian Murphy, senior vice president for Dallas-based Staubach Co., tells GlobeSt.com. But scouts are definitely out looking for a second Austin site. Later this summer, work will begin on a store at Lakeline Mall. To date, Rooms To Go stores already are up and running in Arlington, Mesquite, Grapevine and Plano.

Rooms To Go is awaiting permit approvals to start construction on the 4.5-acre tract in North Dallas’ Valley View Square. A construction start for the 25,000-sf store is being eyed for August as the retailer looks toward a spring 2002 opening, says Murphy. The 60,000-sf Valley View Square, built about 25 years ago, is in the midst of a redevelopment that has a 15,000-sf Walgreens getting ready to open its doors. Both retailers hold ground leases with VVS Properties of Dallas.

Murphy and Staubach vice president Adam Schiller represented Rooms To Go in the ground lease for the northeast corner of Interstate 635 and Preston Road. Tim Hughes acted on VVS Properties’ behalf.

TIG Real Estate Services’ John Lancaster has cut three deals, totaling 59,266 sf. The largest space taker is PPG Industries, which renewed its lease at 300 Union Bower Court in Irving. PPG has been a tenant in the 54,000-sf office-warehouse since 1990.

The PPG warehouse is part of a six-building complex, totaling 300,000 sf. A GE Capital fund, Watch Omega Holdings LP, is the owner. Lancaster acted for the property owner and Roger Clark of CB Richard Ellis represented the tenant.

DFW Crating is relocating from Grapevine into 22,016 sf of office-warehouse space at 8181 Jetstar, also in Irving. Lancaster tells GlobeSt.com that the shipper wanted to be closer to the Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport.

The five-year lease also represents an increase in warehouse space for DFW Crating. The 98,024-sf building was constructed two years ago in the Freeport Industrial Park. Lancaster sealed the deal on DFW’s behalf while Len Murray of Vantage Cos. negotiated for the building owner.

Also in Irving, Rockwell Collins is renewing a 13,500-sf pact for three years at 8304 Esters Rd., which is owned by Petroleum Inc. The aeronautical-related business has been a tenant since 1993. Lancaster was the sole broker for the negotiations. “We’ve seen a lot of people not moving. They’re renewing and staying where they are,” says Lancaster.