JPMorgan Chase will open full-service bank in former Dean & Deluca space

The former Dean & Deluca space at Town Center Plaza in Leawood, Kan. will find new life as a full-service retail bank, part of JPMorgan Chase's push into the Kansas City market and deeper into Bank of America markets.

The largest bank in the U.S. has signed a lease to expand into the 9,000-square foot former gourmet food purveyor located at the northwest corner of Roe Avenue and 119th Street. An exact opening date is unclear.

Scott K. Miller and Adam Blue of AREA Real Estate Advisors brokered the lease on behalf of the building's owner. The deal comes less than a year after the prime retail outparcel adjacent to Town Center Plaza hit the market.

"We had a lot of interest from premier retailers due to its high-profile location," Miller said. "Everything from restaurants to service retailers and soft goods retailers looked at the space. Ultimately the best fit for everybody ended up being JPMorgan Chase."

Jeff Berg and Coleby Henzlik of Colliers International represented JPMorgan Chase in the transaction.

Last week, JPMorgan Chase announced plans to open its first full-service Kansas City area locations in 2019, with up to 15 branches in the works, according to The Kansas City Business Journal.

Hufft helps Tuft & Needle become sleeper retail success story

Thanks to startup mattress company Tuft & Needle, architecture and design firm Hufft has found a soft spot in today’s hard-pressed retail market. 

The online industry disrupter chose Hufft last year to design its experiential prototype store serving the Kansas City market, a project so successful that 10 additional stores are planned for 2019 in addition to stores in Portland, Ore. and Raleigh, N.C.

"The idea was to create a space that felt like home, making the mattress buying experience a little less intimidating," Hufft Design Principal Dan Brown said. "It can be uncomfortable to lay on the bed with your significant other or yourself."

Hufft's concept store in Leawood replaced the sea of flat mattresses and harsh lighting typically found in mattress stores with soft lighting and four semi-private rooms where customers can test mattresses and meet with a "no pressure" sales rep if needed. Orders are placed via iPad and shipped directly to the home.

“It’s exactly what people are talking about when they talk about the future of retail being experiential,” Brown said. “It’s lean, customer centric and experience-based. The concept is more about conveying the experience of the brand, rather than picking from 1,000 products. It’s not about having the most things but about having the most quality.”

Hufft’s on-site fabricating shop creates project efficiencies by producing everything from fixtures to furniture to in-wall rolling casework and cabinetry. The unique combination of retail design expertise and custom fabrication is helping the firm carve out a niche in the crossroads of e-commerce and experiential retail.

“We can quickly roll out these stores. They hand us a location and a box size and then we work with them to develop the concept using the KC store as a template,” Brown said. “While we are in the design process, we can also be building cabinets and fixtures, for the space so it’s a really seamless process.”

MetroWire Media's top themes of 2018: Push, Pivot, Preserve

News about Burns & McDonnell's strategic push into the design-build market topped MetroWire Media's list of the 18 most clicked stories of 2018. Below are the other top stories that caught our readers' attention. 

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Opus' mixed-use poised to trigger Westport Road redevelopment

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Hufft 'small box' concept pops onto big-market retail scene

Leawood mixed-use expected to kickstart activity along 135th Street corridor

Elite Sports announces $25M investment in five facilities across KC region

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Bluhawk Apartments prepare for blastoff

Changing retail trends drive shift in Price Brothers’ BluHawk plan

Superior Bowen paves way for growth and diversification with new HQ, hires

Olathe pioneer spec building sells to investors

Bridge Space connects Lee's Summit's past with present coworking trend