OLD BRIDGE, N.J. (2/1/08)—Retail leasing specialists R.J. Brunelli & Co., Inc. today announced six new tenant representation assignments in the New Jersey and New York markets, including two chains – Kona Grill and Citi Trends Fashions for Less—both seeking their first locations in the Garden State.

In addition to Kona Grill and Citi Trends, the Old Bridge-based firm was appointed exclusive broker for Harbor Freight for Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island in the metropolitan New York area; Red Robin Gourmet Burgers for central New Jersey; and Strauss Discount Auto throughout New Jersey. The firm was also named preferred broker for Zebu Forno for select locations throughout New Jersey.

Headquartered in Savannah, Ga., Citi Trends, Inc. is a value-priced retailer of urban fashion apparel and accessories for the entire family. The publicly owned company currently operates 319 stores in 20 states in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions, as well as Texas. CitiTrends is seeking inline locations of 11,000 to 15,000 square feet in supermarket-anchored centers, or strip centers in very densely populated areas.
Kona Grill, headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., currently operates 18 full-service restaurants in 12 states stretching from Nevada to Connecticut. Designed with a warm contemporary ambiance, the restaurants offer a wide selection of freshly prepared American dishes as well as a variety of appetizers with an international influence. The company is seeking pad or endcap spaces of approximately 6,500 square feet, plus an additional 1,000 square feet for outdoor seating, in areas with a high daytime/office population.

Headquartered in Camarillo, Calif., Harbor Freight Tools is the nation’s largest tool and equipment catalog retailer. Its brick and mortar operations currently include over 200 stores in 41 states, including seven in upstate New York. The company is seeking locations in the 15,000-square-foot range for its move into the metropolitan New York area.

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers is a casual dining chain headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colo. The company currently operates approximately 200 restaurants and franchises another 133 units across the nation, including three in New Jersey located in Clifton, Hamilton and South Plainfield. Red Robin seeks locations of 6,350 square feet on sites of one-and-a half to two acres in areas with an average income of $65,000.

Strauss Discount Auto, headquartered in South River, N.J., operates 88 stores in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Currently, it has 34 locations in the Garden State. Strauss is seeking locations of approximately 13,800 square feet to accommodate auto service bays and a retail area, adjoined by parking for 75 cars.

European-style bakery and café Zebu Forno is headquartered in Red Bank, N.J., home to its company-owned flagship location. With plans to open 15 to 20 units in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania over the next three to five years, the company launched a franchise program in 2007, initially adding restaurants in Holmdel and Hoboken, N.J. Zebu seeks locations of 2,500 to 3,500 square feet in busy downtowns or lifestyle centers that offer high traffic from early morning through late evening.

For more information on these or other tenant exclusives, contact Ron DeLuca, Vice President of Tenant Representation, R.J. Brunelli & Co., Inc., 400 Perrine Road, Suite 405, Old Bridge, N.J. 08857. Telephone is (732) 721-5800.

R.J. Brunelli & Co. serves as exclusive leasing representative for 29 existing retail properties and four centers under construction with a combined gross leasable area (GLA) of approximately 3.0 million square feet, along with 11 projects in the approvals stage with more than 1.08 million square feet of GLA. The properties are located throughout northern, central and southern New Jersey. The firm also serves as exclusive real estate representative in various New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania counties for more than 20 retail, restaurant and service chains. In addition to the recently added companies, the firm represents such major chains as L.L. Bean Outlet, Houlihan’s, Sally Beauty, Tuesday Morning, Ulta, Sixth Avenue Electronics, Turning Point, and Work Out World.

####
Press contacts: At R.J. Brunelli & Co., Inc., Richard J. Brunelli, president, (732) 721-5800; at Parness & Associates Public Relations, Bill Parness or Lisa Kreda (732) 290-0121.