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In the retail real estate landscape, there aren't as many networking options as one might think. Even fewer if you narrow it down to those events that put landlords and tenants in the same room, along with entertainment, face-to-face meet and greets, and mutually beneficial educational sessions.

New York -- Winick Realty Group announced that it is exclusively representing Chipotle Mexican Grill in its leasing efforts throughout Northern New Jersey, Long Island and all five boroughs of New York City.

The Winick team is seeking 1,600-sq.-ft. to 2,300-sq.-ft. sites in these markets. Since opening its first Manhattan location in 2003, Chipotle has grown to 60+ locations in New York City, Long Island and Northern New Jersey.

In the first installment of its new Case Study series, CSA Online offered an insider’s look at the conception and initial rollout of the southern Calif.-based fast-casual concept PizzaRev. Likened to “the Chipotle of pizza,” this innovative chain lets customers choose from an artisanal array of toppings to craft their own pizzas. Using a 900-degree, stone-hearth oven, pizzas are ready in about three minutes, all at a cost of less than $8 per pie.

Southern California’s PizzaRev aims to do for pizza what Chipotle has done for burritos. The young chain got its start in April 2012 with a “test kitchen” in Northridge, Calif., and, amid stellar Yelp! reviews and robust sales, is already on the verge of opening its third location, with more units planned for 2013.

Garden City, N.Y. -- Starbucks Coffee Co. has appointed Sabre Real Estate Group LLC as its exclusive broker for northern New Jersey.

Sabre’s Scott Sher and Russel Helbling will spearhead the cafe chain’s site search in Bergen, Passaic, Essex, Union and Hudson Counties, where the chain currently has 52 locations.

New York City -- By all reports, the ICSC New York deal-making conference, held Dec. 5 and 6 in New York City, delivered what the retail and shopping center industries were waiting for: A sense of forward progress.

Chain Store Age heard mostly positive comments from the show, such as “I haven’t seen this much deal action since 2006,” from one happy retail broker in the aisles of the New York Hilton meeting space. Mall developers unveiled redevelopment plans, and social media innovations and rollouts were the theme of the conference.

Bethesda, Md. -- Retail brokerage Streetsense said Monday that Tucson, Ariz.-based fashion re-seller Buffalo Exchange will open its first store in Washington, D.C., in the first quarter of 2012.

Buffalo Exchange leased a two-level, 4,245-sq.-ft. store in the heart of the city’s 14th Street corridor. Streetsense also has been engaged to do the design and interior architecture for the store, which will be its 42nd U.S. location.

Virginia Beach, Va. -- Divaris Real Estate announced Tuesday the appointment of Eric Bucklew as general broker for its Virginia Beach office.

Bucklew will focus on retail sales and leasing services to support the expansion of DRE's portfolio of leased and managed properties in the Hampton Roads, Va., region.

By Sandra Gold Slon

Who needs an exit strategy? In this economy, most of us are aware of tenants facing difficulties in meeting their lease obligations. If we weren’t thinking about it front and center, it was brought front and center when Borders declared bankruptcy, closing hundreds of stores.

Santa Monica, Calif. -- Real estate broker Scott P. Lifschultz announced he has formed SPL Realty Partners, a retail real estate brokerage and consulting company.

Current clients include CVS/pharmacy, Dean & Deluca, LandMark Retail Group, Johnny Was, Casual Male Retail Group and Destination XL. Based in Santa Monica, Calif., the company’s services include tenant representation, strategic planning, site selection, transaction management, owner representation, leasing & marketing, consulting and investment sales.

The Dec. 23 edition of SiteTalk referenced a recent survey, which found that driving responsible growth, in addition to protecting and building the brand, is a chief priority for retailers in 2011. We asked you, our readers, if that priority was consistent with your 2011 objectives. Here is what one reader had to say.