Westwood Financial Corp. Announces Opening of Pep Boys at Orchard Square

KENNESAW, Ga. - June 4, 2014 - PRLog -- Westwood Financial Corp. (WFC), one of the largest privately held owner-operators of retail properties in the U.S., has announced that Pep Boys, the nation’s leading automotive aftermarket retail chain with 800 stores across 35 states and Puerto Rico, has opened its doors after signing a new 10-year lease at the firm’s Orchard Square center in Kennesaw, Ga.

“Pep Boys joins a strong lineup of national tenants at Orchard Square, and the addition of Pep Boys positions the center as a dominant retail neighborhood shopping center in the Atlanta submarket of Kennesaw ” said Ken Loughran, senior vice president at WFC.  “The combination of Pep Boys leasing a significant amount of space and being a publically traded chain of national stature not only improves the notoriety of Orchard Square to the benefit of its many co-tenants, but also fills an immediate need within the community.”

According to Loughran, the Orchard Square space was expanded by almost 1,000 square feet – making it approximately 5,000 square feet – to meet Pep Boys’ current prototype.

Located just north of Interstate 575 at 4290 Bells Ferry Road NW, the 94,212-square-foot shopping center is anchored by the region’s premier grocery chain, Publix, and Harbor Freight Tools. Other nationally known tenants include Super Clips, First Acceptance Insurance and Mail Boxes Etc.

About Westwood Financial Corp.

Westwood Financial Corp. is one of the largest privately held owner-operators of retail properties in the U.S., with a track record spanning 44 years. Based in Los Angeles, with satellite offices in Atlanta, Dallas and Scottsdale, Ariz., the firm currently has a portfolio consisting of more than 115 shopping centers and retail properties in 26 metropolitan markets. Founded in 1970 by Steven Fogel and Howard Banchik, the firm has evolved into a fully integrated real estate company that acquires, leases, and manages its real estate portfolio. The firm implements an acquisition strategy that focuses primarily on mature neighborhood, grocery anchored shopping centers with portfolio holdings in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Washington. For more information, please visit www.westfin.com.