"Previously, Ritaco focused on wholesale operations, but they wanted to step into retail sales as well," says Ryan Cropper, a marketing associate with Vantage Cos.' Houston office. He and colleague Walter Menuet brokered the transaction for the 10060 W. Sam Houston Pkwy. South location.

The marble and tile importer will open doors toward the end of summer. Ritaco International, which imports materials from Italy, has about 7,500 sf at 12613 Executive Dr. "Ritaco really wanted more visibility because their current facility is tucked away,"Cropper tells GlobeSt.com. "The main goal was visibility to draw more people."

Ritaco International's lease closes off the last space in the 92,000-sf second phase for developer, Vantage Development 20 Inc. of Houston. The distributor's shell space is part of a two-year-old, 50,000-sf building, which has been on the market for $5.04 per sf to $5.52 per sf, triple net.