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Big-Lots
AcquisitionsCompany NewsNorth CarolinaRetailSoutheastTop Stories

Variety Wholesalers to Acquire 200 to 400 Big Lots Stores

by Hayden Spiess

HENDERSON, N.C. — Variety Wholesalers Inc. has announced plans to acquire between 200 and 400 Big Lots stores in the midst of the latter retailer’s bankruptcy proceedings. North Carolina-based Variety Wholesalers will continue to operate the stores under the Big Lots brand. Additionally, the company plans to acquire up to two Big Lots distribution centers. According to Reuters, a bankruptcy judge approved the deal at a court hearing in Delaware.  Variety Wholesalers will acquire the stores through the previously announced sales agreement between Big Lots and Boston-based Gordon Brothers Retail Partners. Gordon Brothers has entered into a sale transaction with Big Lots that will enable the transfer of assets — including stores, distribution centers and intellectual property — to other retailers and companies, including Variety Wholesalers.  According to a press release issued by Big Lots, Variety Wholesalers may employ Big Lots associates at the stores and distribution centers in question, as well as certain corporate associates. A&G Real Estate Partners, a New York-based company that consults retailers looking to right-size their physical footprint, is serving as real estate advisor to Big Lots. “We are pleased to close this strategic transaction, which provides a framework to preserve thousands of jobs, maximize value and …

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Company NewsDevelopmentHealthcareUtahWestern

Fort Street Partners, Chestnut Healthcare Real Estate Form JV to Develop $150M in Healthcare Assets in Utah

by Amy Works

UTAH — Salt Lake City-based Fort Street Partners and Chestnut Healthcare Real Estate have formed a programmatic joint venture that can acquire and develop up to $150 million in assets over the next four years. The venture will focus on core/core-plus and value-add investments in outpatient medical and surgery center properties in Utah. The partnership has already closed on two medical outpatient developments in Syracuse and Eagle Mountain, Utah. CJ Kodani and Mark Root of JLL Capital Markets arranged the joint venture.

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Company NewsRetailTop StoriesWashingtonWestern

Nordstrom Family, Liverpool to Take Namesake Department Store Chain Private in $6.25B Deal

by John Nelson

SEATTLE — Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN) has signed a definitive agreement with the Nordstrom family and Mexican omnichannel retailer El Puerto de Liverpool SAB de CV (Liverpool) in a deal that will take the fashion department store giant private. The all-cash transaction is valued at $6.25 billion. Erik, Pete and Jamie Nordstrom, along with other members of the Nordstrom family, and Liverpool plan to acquire all the outstanding common shares of Nordstrom that they do not already beneficially own. The deal would give the Nordstrom family a majority ownership stake (50.1 percent) in the Seattle-based retailer, with Liverpool owning 49.9 percent of the company. “For over a century, Nordstrom has operated with a foundational principle of helping customers feel good and look their best,” said Erik Nordstrom, CEO of Nordstrom, in a prepared statement. “Today marks an exciting new chapter for the business. On behalf of my family, we look forward to working with our teams to ensure Nordstrom thrives long into the future.” Under the terms of the agreement, Nordstrom common shareholders will receive $24.25 in cash for each share of Nordstrom common stock they hold, which represents a premium of approximately 42 percent to the unaffected closing common …

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party-city-1
Company NewsNew JerseyNortheastRetailTexasTop Stories

Retailer Bankruptcy Update: Party City to Close All Stores, The Container Store Files for Chapter 11

by Taylor Williams

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. AND COPPELL, TEXAS — In a one-two punch of holiday retail bankruptcy announcements, Party City has issued a formal statement declaring that it will close all its U.S. stores within the coming months, while The Container Store has also formally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. CNN first reported on Friday, Dec. 20, that Party City, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2023 to restructure its debt, would now be liquidating. The New Jersey-based entertainment accessories retailer, which does business as Party City Holdco Inc., said over the weekend that it intends to close all of its approximately 700 stores and that it has commenced going-out-of-business sales. The Container Store issued a statement late on the night of Sunday, Dec. 23, acknowledging that it had filed for Chapter 11 protection in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. The metro Dallas-based retailer, which has about 100 stores nationwide, will “implement a recapitalization transaction to bolster its financial position, fuel growth initiatives and drive enhanced long-term profitability,” according to the statement. Party City’s 2023 petition for Chapter 11 protection was also filed within the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District …

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CaliforniaCompany NewsWestern

Gantry Expands Southern California Presence with Westcap Corp. Merger

by Amy Works

SAN FRANCISCO — Gantry has expanded its Southern California presence by merging the operations of Westcap Corp. into its platform. The merger boosts Gantry’s correspondent-driven loan production, adding more than 250 existing loans with $3.2 million in servicing responsibilities. With this consolidation, Gantry’s servicing portfolio reaches more than $23 billion. Westcap’s CRE loan producers, Managing Director Steve Beck, Executive Vice President Steve Bridges and Director Topher Van Mourick, will continue their roles. Since 1981, Westcap has been a mortgage banking presence in Southern California serving clients throughout the Western states from offices in Irvine, Calif., and Los Angeles. Moving forward, Westcap’s producers will operate under the Gantry name. The acquisition of Westcap marks a key milestone for Gantry, which has been expanding its reach in commercial mortgage banking. The Gantry acquisition team was led by Michael Heagerty, George Mitsanas, Robert Slatt, Jeff Wilcox and Andy Bratt. Gantry’s other recent growth initiatives include the acquisition of Q10|Triad Capital Advisors in October 2024, Norris, Beggs & Simpson’s mortgage banking arm in 2020 and The Rose Hill Group in 2019.

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Valley-Bank-Branch
AcquisitionsCompany NewsLoansNew JerseyNew YorkNortheastTop Stories

Valley National Bank Sells $925M of Commercial Real Estate Loans to Brookfield Asset Management

by Katie Sloan

MORRISTOWN, N.J. AND NEW YORK CITY — Valley National Bancorp (NASDAQ: VLY), the holding company for Valley National Bank, has sold $925 million worth of commercial real estate mortgage loans to Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE: BAM). Of the $925 million loan pool, $823 million had been previously identified and transferred to held for sale as of Sept. 30, 2024, as the firm sought to reduce its exposure to the commercial real estate sector. The loans were sold at a discount of 1 percent to value, which the bank expects will result in an immaterial net loss during the fourth quarter. Valley will retain customer-facing servicing responsibilities for the financings following the transaction.  “The sale of this performing commercial real estate loan pool has helped to accelerate progress toward our strategic balance sheet goals,” says Ira Robbins, chairman and CEO of Valley.  Valley is a regional bank with over $62 billion in assets under management. The company operates retail branch locations and commercial banking offices across New Jersey, New York, Florida, Alabama, California and Illinois.  The Morristown, N.J.-based bank’s stock price closed on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at $10.48 per share, up slightly from $9.29 a year ago. Morgan Stanley & Co. …

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Company NewsIndustrialNortheastPennsylvania

Infinera Plans Expansion of Lehigh Valley Semiconductor Manufacturing Facility

by Taylor Williams

ALLENTOWN, PA. — Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN) has signed a nonbinding preliminary memorandum of terms to receive up to $93 million in funding under the CHIPS and Science Act, proceeds of which would be used to expand the California-based semiconductor manufacturer’s Lehigh Valley facility. Funding would also be allocated toward the expansion and modernization of the company’s Silicon Valley facility, and the projects could support the creation of as many as 1,700 manufacturing and construction jobs.

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Company NewsRestaurantRetailTexas

TGI Fridays Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

by Taylor Williams

DALLAS — TGI Fridays Inc., which owns and operates 39 U.S. restaurants, has voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the Northern District of Texas. The Dallas-based operator cited long-running declines in sales dating back to the pandemic as the main impetus behind the filing. All independently owned and operated franchise locations, both foreign and domestic, are not impacted by the filing. An entity doing business as TGI Fridays Franchisor LLC, which owns the TGI Fridays brand and other intellectual property, was also unaffected. TGI Fridays Inc. has secured a commitment for debtor-in-possession financing from its lenders to support operations at its 39 restaurants while proceeding through the Chapter 11 process. Globally, the chain’s footprint spans 461 locations across 41 countries.

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True Value
AcquisitionsCompany NewsRetailTop Stories

Hardware Retailer True Value Files for Bankruptcy, Enters Into $153M Sales Agreement with Do it Best Corp. 

by Hayden Spiess

CHICAGO — Hardware retailer True Value Co. LLC has initiated voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.  The Chicago-based retailer has also entered into an agreement to sell substantially all of its business operations to Do it Best Corp., another entity within the home improvement retail sector and former rival. According to Reuters, Do it Best will serve as the stalking horse bidder for True Value with an acquisition price set at $153 million in cash and the assumption of $45 million in contracts and other obligations.  “After a thorough evaluation of strategic alternatives, we determined that the sale of our business was the path forward to maximize value and best serve our retail partners and other stakeholders into the future,” said Chris Kempa, CEO of True Value. “We believe that entering the process with an agreed offer from Do it Best, who has a similar decades-long history in the home improvement space and also operates with a focus on supporting members and helping them grow, is the most beneficial next step.” True Value stores — of which there are roughly 4,500 — are independently owned, aside from one company-owned store in Palantine, Ill. …

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Company NewsRetailTexas

Reports: 7-Eleven to Close More Than 400 North American Convenience Stores

by Taylor Williams

IRVING, TEXAS — Global convenience store operator 7-Eleven will close more than 400 of its North American retail outlets, according to reports from multiple publications, including NPR and CBS News. Both news outlets noted that the announcement to shutter some 440 stores throughout the United States and Canada was delivered on Thursday, Oct. 10, during a conference call held by Seven & I Holdings, which is 7-Eleven’s Japan-based parent company. The company’s U.S. operations are headquartered in Irving, Texas. The report from CBS states that the shuttered locations represent about 3 percent of 7-Eleven’s total North American store count, while NPR’s report cites “inflation pressures, slowed traffic, a decline in cigarette sales and a shift in consumer appetites” as the key drivers behind the decision. Regarding consumer appetites, 7-Eleven also said that it is focused on expanding its specialty food-and-beverage offerings throughout its remaining stores.

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