The Providence Group, a Charlotte-based retail real estate brokerage firm, has added Kerri Dunlevy and Alex Miller to its Raleigh team.

Kerri Dunlevy, who joins The Providence Group as Marketing Director, brings experience in real estate marketing, particularly in promoting shopping centers and high-profile urban and suburban properties. Before joining The Providence Group, Kerri served as a marketing associate at CBRE where she promoted over 12 million square feet of retail properties across central and eastern North Carolina and facilitated site selection for more than 60 tenant clients. 

Alex Miller, who recently earned his bachelor’s degree in financial management from Clemson University, joins The Providence Group as a broker. Miller’s previous experience includes working with Matthews Real Estate Investment Services in Atlanta, where he focused on market research to generate client leads. 

Charlotte-based The Providence Group completed four retail lease transactions totaling nearly 100,000 square feet across the Carolinas. The activity includes two transactions with HomeGoods, as well as additional deals with Homesense and T.J. Maxx. 

The Providence Groups Melissa McDonald, who represented the company in the transactions, added, “Competition for retail space is high, fueled by increased demand across the Carolinas as retailers seek space, whether in newly-built or redeveloped centers. Vacancies are being driven down and there is an overall lack of supply, which is causing rents to continue rising.” 

HomeGoods opened new stores at University Commons (22,000 square feet) in Greenville, NC and Beaufort Station (24,000 square feet) in Beaufort, SC. In a second deal at Beaufort Station (photo), T.J. Maxx has relocated within the market, signing on for 24,000 square feet.

Lastly, Homesense has opened a nearly 30,000-square-foot store at Sea Turtle Marketplace on Hilton Head Island.

Charlotte-based The Providence Group executed 22 retail transactions totaling more than 250,000 square feet in more than 20 markets across the Carolinas. In 2023, The Providence Group executed more than 180 retail brokerage transactions across its core Carolinas markets, totaling $260 million in transaction value.

The latest quarterly retail activity involves deals with national retail brands Homesense and Marshall’s in West Fayetteville, NC; Nordstrom Rack in Matthews, NC; Burlington in Wilson, NC; Five Below in Mooresville, NC; Planet Fitness in Lincolnton, NC; Two Buck Saloon in Charlotte, NC; and Aldi in Irmo, SC. 

The Providence Group’s Darren Wood said, “Retailers continued to remain active as we came out of the 2023 holiday season and launched into a new year. We are seeing national retail brands and restaurants seek out suburban locations largely because sales in prime locations have stayed strong and supply is short with less new construction. Remote work patterns have become the new normal also helping restaurant business in the suburbs.” 

The Providence Group is adding a new office in Raleigh, North Carolina and welcomes two seasoned Raleigh-based brokers, Reagan Crabtree and Cristi Webb.

“We have wanted to open a Raleigh office for years. We waited for the right caliber of professionals to replicate the quality of the Charlotte office and are excited to provide the same high level of service our clients expect, which will be enhanced with the addition of Reagan and Cristi,” said Darren Wood, Partner, The Providence Group.

Both Crabtree and Webb join from CBRE Raleigh and bring The Providence Group’s total number of professionals in North Carolina to 41. The Providence Group is a leading provider of retail real estate services in the Carolinas since 2000.

The Providence Group handles leasing and management assignments for Landlord clients, including InvenTrust, Northwood Retail, Slate, Crosland Southeast and Kite Realty. Tenants the firm has represented include TJX Co’s, Ulta, Shake Shack, Discount Tire Co., Five Below and Aldi.

Providence Group Capital recently purchased a 6-acre parcel to add to its already sizable holdings in Charlotte. The site is next to the Kimbrell’s Furniture store on South Boulevard. Providence is developing a 100,000-square-foot climate-controlled self-storage building there. It also plans a 70-plus unit townhome community that will follow.

This acquisition gives Providence Group Capital nearly 22 acres in lower South End. Those properties span eight parcels and cost $38.1 million.

The largest is 212 W. Woodlawn Road, a 10.25-acre property that includes three existing hotels — a Radisson, Ramada and Clarion. It has continued to operate those hotels at the intersection of Interstate 77 and Woodlawn Road.

Providence Group Capital has acquired over 15 properties in the lower South End and South End over the last 18 months. It has rezoned the bulk of those to transit-oriented development-urban centers. That designation allows for up to 130-foot building heights by right and up to 300 feet with the use of a height bonus.