Dan Gilbert: More big-name retailers coming to Detroit

Local billionaire Dan Gilbert dropped hints today that a few more "big-name retailers" are ready to come to downtown Detroit.

"We're going to make a couple announcements in the next couple weeks," Gilbert told reporters this afternoon inside Cobo Center while checking out the North American International Auto Show. "A couple pretty big-name retailers."

The Quicken Loans founder declined to name any of the big names. But he did say these retailers would be near the forthcoming John Varvatos store that's set to open this spring in a Gilbert-owned building at 1500 Woodward Ave. The Varvatos store was announced in October.

"Since that announcement there's been a lot of stepped-up interest," Gilbert said.

Gilbert's real estate arm — Bedrock Real Estate Services — owns or controls several dozen buildings in downtown Detroit, including the new Z Garage on Broadway that houses Punch Bowl Social.

He declined to discuss recent speculation that Restoration Hardware might be looking to open an outlet in one of his downtown buildings.

"I'm not supposed to comment," Gilbert said.

Gilbert spoke to reporters at the auto show's Porsche exhibit during today's media preview.

Moments earlier, Gilbert helped announce that the Porsche 918 Spyder has been named the 2015 Car of the Year by the Robb Report, an ultra-luxury lifestyle magazine that's now owned by Gilbert's private equity firm Rockbridge Growth Equity.

Rockbridge bought the Robb Report last month for an undisclosed sum.

A to-be-determined number of Robb Report employees will eventually be based in Detroit in a Gilbert-owned building. These employees will work in areas such as marketing, social media and technology as the magazine expands and upgrades its Internet presence, he said.