Favorable demographic trends, such as population and job growth, along with the ease of doing business, are enticing retailers to markets in the South. Cities of all sizes in Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina and Alabama are seeing a plethora of new tenants. Fast-casual restaurants, grocery stores, gyms, spas and clothing retailers are all expanding down south.
Pappas Properties, the Charlotte, N.C.-based developer of mixed-use developments and wellness-focused communities across the Southeast, announced that Publix Super Markets has signed a lease to anchor the retail market at Cadia Matthews, an 82-acre wellness-focused, master-planned community in Matthews, N.C., a southeastern suburb of Charlotte. Spanning 50,000 s.f., the Publix will feature a full-service pharmacy with a drive-thru. Groundbreaking is scheduled for summer 2026. Along with the Publix Super Market, Cadia Matthews will feature a mix of retail and dining options, as well as a community park with a performance stage, creating a walkable destination for the Matthews community. The Morgan Companies represented Publix in the transaction.
The Feil Organization recently delivered a new Trader Joe’s grocery store in New Orleans this past summer. The 13,368-s.f. store will be the first location in New Orleans for the specialty grocer. Feil began assembling sites along Tulane Avenue in 2016 and executed the lease with Trader Joe’s in 2023. Metairie Bank provided construction financing for the project.
First National Realty Partners (FNRP) opened a new 22,000-s.f. Ross Dress for Less store at McAlpin Square in Savannah, Ga. The 169,690-s.f. shopping center is anchored by Kroger. Other tenants include Goodwill and the U.S. Postal Service. Ross Dress for Less is backfilling a former Big Lots store following the latter retailer’s Chapter 11 filing. With the new store, McAlpin Square is 95% occupied.
Seven new tenants have signed leases to join Coal Mountain Shops, a 19,805-s.f. shopping center undergoing redevelopment in the Coal Mountain neighborhood of Cumming, Ga. Phase I of the redevelopment is now fully leased, with the new tenants including PNC Bank, Wingstop, barre3, Kumon, Smoothie King, The Bagel Hole and Shape Nails. Franklin Street handled leasing efforts on behalf of the landlord, FrostPoint Capital, which purchased the center last May.
FNRP recently signed a lease with Onelife Fitness to bring a location to Tannehill Promenade, a 347,151-s.f. shopping center in Bessemer, Ala. Onelife Fitness will occupy the former 57,455-s.f. JCPenney space, which has been vacant at the shopping center since 2017. The new club is slated to open in December, marking the brand’s first location in the Birmingham market. Earlier this year, FNRP also signed a lease with AQUA Dermatology for over 2,300 s.f. at Tannehill Promenade.
Willow Capital Partners landed anchor tenants to join Sand Mountain Marketplace, a 250,000-s.f. shopping center under construction in Albertville, Ala., about 47 miles south of Huntsville. The 30-acre property will be anchored by the first ground-up Target in Alabama since 2007. Other tenants that have signed on at the center include Academy Sports + Outdoors, Burlington and HomeGoods. There is 20,000 s.f. of inline shop space available for lease, as well as three outparcels. Willow Capital Partners plans to deliver the development in spring 2027.
