Cumberland Farms Puts Focus on Florida

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- This cold and snowy winter may have been too much even for New England convenience store chain Cumberland Farms. The Framingham, Mass.-based retailer currently has at least six new stores under construction and in the pipeline in Florida.

Newly formed Metro-Hall Retail LLC (MHR), with headquarters in Atlanta and West Palm Beach, Fla., is managing the deals. Cumberland Farms hired MHR to expand its newly launched convenience store prototype from Fort Lauderdale to Melbourne, Fla.

Projects in the pipeline include two outlets in Lake Worth, two in Vero Beach, and one each in Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie.

In 2014, MHR expects to deliver more than $20 million of c-store product in Florida. The firm is also working with Chase Bank.

"Cumberland Farms tapped Metro-Hall Retail in Florida for its combined expertise and reputation in both the development and retailer circles for seamlessly coordinating consultants and delivering a project in the most expeditious manner possible," said Dino Dethomas, senior vice president and chief real estate officer for Cumberland Farms. "Our confidence in their team and its capabilities makes this undoubtedly the start of a long and successful partnership."

Real estate industry veterans Frank Hall and Mark Gottlieb joined to create MHR. The firm offers retailers and service providers development, construction and advisory solutions throughout the United States.

"Although the market is picking up, retailers are seeking third-party solutions to ramp up their expansion plans without rebuilding in-house teams," said Hall, partner in MHR. "Metro-Hall pulls together the team required to complete the deal -- from architects and engineers to legal and leasing -- and then manages it throughout the entire development cycle."

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