Casselberry Exchange reopens after major overhaul as BJ’s (BJ) anchors the revamped center

New retail chapter for Casselberry: redevelopment wraps and BJ’s opens

RD Management has completed a major redevelopment of Casselberry Exchange, and the revamped shopping center has started welcoming customers to its new anchor, BJ’s Wholesale Club (BJ). The project, located in Casselberry just north of Orlando, finishes months of construction aimed at modernizing the center and improving its appeal to local shoppers and regional traffic.

The redevelopment effort converts the site into a refreshed, anchor-driven retail hub designed to draw steady weekday and weekend traffic. RD Management, the private developer and manager behind the project, framed the work as a way to secure longer-term tenants and raise the center’s profile in a busy suburban retail corridor.

A closer look at what was rebuilt and added

The overhaul touched most of the center’s footprint. Work included reworking existing shell space, adding sizable floor area for the BJ’s anchor, and upgrading the look and function of common areas. The project timetable moved from groundbreaking through to opening over several months, with construction carried out in phases to allow some tenants to remain operational during the renovation.

RD Management highlighted a mix of updates: new façades and signage, refreshed landscaping, widened drive aisles, and improved parking patterns to speed access and reduce congestion at peak times. Interior fit-outs for the anchor and other spaces were completed to modern retail standards, and the property now offers clearer pedestrian routes between stores and upgraded lighting in surface lots.

The tenant mix was reshaped to center on value-oriented shopping. BJ’s (BJ) serves as the primary draw, supported by smaller specialty and service tenants targeting everyday needs. The release emphasized contemporary finishes and better accessibility for delivery and e-commerce pickups—reflecting how many shoppers now combine online ordering with in-person store visits.

Sustainability and modernization elements were part of the upgrade. While RD Management did not announce a large capital expenditure figure in the public statement, the changes included energy-efficient lighting, higher-performance HVAC for tenant spaces, and other targeted improvements that reduce operating costs over time.

Where this fits in the Orlando-area retail picture

Casselberry sits in a busy suburban pocket of the Orlando metro area. Local demographics show a mix of long-term residents and new households drawn by affordability and convenient commutes into the city. Those factors keep demand for accessible, value-oriented retail steady.

Retail landlords in the region have been repositioning centers to offer anchors that bring frequent foot traffic. Big-box or warehouse-club anchors like BJ’s are useful in this role because they pull regular shoppers for groceries, household goods and bulk buys—categories that remain resilient even when discretionary spending softens.

Competition in the area includes traditional strip centers, newer lifestyle centers, and grocery-anchored developments. Casselberry Exchange’s upgrades are designed to help it compete with centers that already benefit from fresher layouts and more modern service amenities, such as easy curbside pickup spaces and clearer signage for online order collection.

RD Management’s leasing comments pointed to steady interest from value and convenience-oriented tenants. While the announcement didn’t publish hard foot-traffic projections, the combination of a national wholesale club and improved on-site access is likely to boost visits from nearby neighborhoods and commuters passing through the corridor.

What investors and landlords should take from this

For BJ’s Wholesale Club (BJ), opening a new store in Casselberry is a straightforward rollout of its growth and market-coverage strategy: add locations where demographics, parking and highway access support a membership-driven model. A successful opening can modestly lift sales at nearby locations by capturing more local spend and easing travel friction for members.

For retail landlords and REITs watching Orlando, Casselberry Exchange is another example of how active asset management—repositioning an older center, bringing in a strong anchor—can stabilize occupancy and potentially support higher rents over time. That said, RD Management is a private owner, so direct signals about pricing and returns are limited.

Leasing economics are increasingly focused on tenant mixes that create regular foot traffic. Centers that can host grocery or wholesale anchors plus service tenants (pharmacies, quick-serve restaurants, health services) tend to see steadier occupancy. Investors should view this as a modestly positive sign for value-driven and grocery-anchored formats in the region, but not a blueprint that eliminates risk from online competition or local supply changes.

Voices from the development and the community

RD Management framed the redevelopment as a long-term investment in local commerce and community convenience, noting the project’s aim to make the center easier to use and more attractive to national and local tenants. A BJ’s spokesperson welcomed the Casselberry location as another way to serve members in the northern Orlando suburbs.

Local officials and community leaders included in the announcement praised the project for creating construction jobs and promising cleaner, more modern shopping options for the neighborhood. The release also mentioned coordination with local agencies to manage traffic during construction and ensure the project met municipal standards.

If specific named quotes were a focus, the release provided statements from the developer and tenant endorsing the center’s new direction; it did not, however, attach detailed economic impact figures or long-term traffic studies to those remarks.

What to watch next and how to get more information

Practical next steps for anyone tracking the center: monitor forthcoming lease announcements for smaller inline tenants, note promotional activity from BJ’s as it ramps membership sign-ups, and watch local traffic patterns as the center settles into steady operations. RD Management indicated in its announcement that additional tenant rollouts and programming will follow in the coming months.

The release also listed leasing and media contacts for anyone who needs more detail or wants to inquire about available space. For the wider market, keep an eye on leasing velocity and reported occupancy for nearby competing centers—those metrics will show whether Casselberry Exchange is winning steady, repeat business or simply reshuffling existing demand.

Sources

• prnewswire.com