To that end, Hills took advantage of bankruptcy laws to get out of costly store leases.

Pyramid, a mall-development company, purchased the Bonwit name and store leases in Buffalo and Boston at a bankruptcy court hearing on April 4.

Rent Kicker, or Percentage Rent: Common in retail store leases.

Representatives from The Cordish Company indicated that they were interested in the city's plans but could not commit to any revitalization efforts due to existing store leases.

MOST of the store leases will expire by 1989.

And he agreed to submit each new store lease for approval by the co-op board.

In April 2000, California-based Gottschalks purchased Lamonts' store leases for $19 million.

But the rent roll has risen to $67,100 from $35,000 a month, largely because he was able to cancel three store leases and rewrite them, he said.

The announcements are expected to lead to more expensive store leases in the Fulton Mall area and to fancier stores there.

The store leases, mostly sought by real-estate developers and retailers, were sold for a total of about $30 million.