Northwood Retail, LLC has expanded its North Carolina presence with the addition of a leasing and management office in Charlotte. The regional office will oversee operations at Blakeney, Blakeney Crossing and Latta Arcade in Charlotte, N.C., as well as support the leasing activity for Waverly Place in Cary, N.C. and Freshfields Village in Kiawah Island, S.C.

As part of the expansion, Raquel Crespo has been appointed as general manager at Blakeney, Blakeney Crossing and Latta Arcade. Raquel has more than 15 years of experience in the shopping center industry and joins Northwood Retail from DDR where she served in various senior marketing and management roles, most recently at Birkdale Village in Huntersville, NC.

Jonathan Stewart also joins the Charlotte office as director of leasing. He will oversee leasing, tenant relations and strategy for Northwood Retail’s Southeast/Carolinas portfolio. Prior to joining Northwood Retail, Stewart spent 8 years representing owners, financial institutions and select tenants with The Providence Group, a boutique retail brokerage firm.

The Carolinas are a growing market for Northwood Retail which currently manages four shopping, dining and entertainment destinations in the region: Blakeney and Blakeney Crossing in Charlotte, N.C. (500,000 SF); Latta Arcade in Charlotte, N.C. (23,000 SF); Waverly Place in Cary, N.C. (200,000 SF); and Freshfields Village in Kiawah Island, S.C. (195,000 SF).

“Opening a Charlotte office allows us to strategically grow our presence in the Carolina’s while enhancing the leasing and management efforts of our current portfolio,” commented Ward Kampf, president of Northwood Retail. “Having a strong local team allows us to provide the latest experiential retail and curated food offerings, as well as upgrade the tenant-mix at each property with the most current national, local and emerging brands.”