SEATTLE — Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) announced financial results for its third quarter ending Sept. 30, posting sales of $96.1 billion, an increase of 37 percent compared with third-quarter 2019. The sales numbers exceeded even the Seattle-based e-commerce giant’s optimistic prediction of $87 billion to $93 billion in sales. Operating income nearly doubled, rising from $3.2 billion to $6.2 billion between the second and third quarter. As the COVID-19 pandemic has raged on, Amazon has reaped benefits as consumers switch from in-person to online shopping. However, that comes with a variety of increased costs as well. In the company’s guidance for the fourth quarter of 2020, it expects to incur $4 billion in COVID-related costs, such as personal protective equipment, enhanced cleaning and increased wages. As a result of the increased costs, Amazon stock actually dropped following the news, falling from $3,248.86 per share at 2:30 p.m. Thursday to $3,094.10 at 9:45 a.m. Friday. On a long-term basis, though, this is a modest fall. The stock price closed at $1,779.99 on Oct. 30, 2019.
SEATTLE — Starbucks Coffee (NASDAQ: SBUX) reports that global comparable-store sales fell 9 percent in the fiscal fourth quarter on a year-over-year basis, but the company’s performance still beat economists’ expectations. Total revenue for the Seattle-based coffee chain reached $6.2 billion in the fiscal fourth quarter, which ended Sept. 27. Economists had expected the total to be $6.06 billion. “I am very pleased with our strong finish to fiscal 2020, underpinned by a faster-than-expected recovery in our two lead growth markets, the U.S. and China,” says Kevin Johnson, president and CEO of Starbucks. “These results demonstrate the continued strength and relevance of our brand, the effectiveness of the actions we’ve taken to adapt to meaningful changes in consumer behavior and the extraordinary efforts of our green apron partners to serve our customers and communities in challenging circumstances.” The latest results are a big improvement from the fiscal third quarter, when global comparable sales plummeted 40 percent year-over-year due to the coronavirus shutdowns. Looking ahead, Starbucks expects same-store comparable growth of 18 to 23 percent and plans to open 2,150 new stores over the next fiscal year. As of Sept. 27, 2020, Starbucks operated 10,109 stores in the Americas. Starbucks’ stock …
DALLAS — CBRE is relocating its global headquarters from Los Angeles to Dallas, according to several media outlets including The Dallas Morning News and The Dallas Business Journal. The real estate giant is expected to provide more information on the relocation as part of its release of its third-quarter earnings report later today, according to The Dallas Morning News. CBRE currently operates three offices in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex, with its largest one located at 2100 McKinney Ave. in the Uptown area of Dallas. The company’s top executive, president and CEO Robert Sulentic, has ties to Dallas from his previous executive position at Trammell Crow, which CBRE acquired in 2006.
CANTON, MASS. — Shares of Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc. (NASDAQ: DNKN) rose by more than 15 percent yesterday as the Massachusetts-based coffee and breakfast chain moved forward with talks to be acquired by Atlanta-based Inspire Brands, the parent company of chains like Arby’s and Jimmy John’s. The New York Post reports that the deal, which would take Dunkin’ private is valued at $8.8 billion. Dunkin’s stock price closed at $89.80 per share on Friday, October 23 and peaked at $104.87 per share in yesterday’s trading before closing just below that mark. Dunkin’ opened at $101.69 per share today, up nearly 30 percent from a year ago. The New York Times reports that Inspire Brands has offered to purchase Dunkin’, which will release its latest earnings report on Thursday, at $106.50 per share.
NEW YORK CITY — Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust Inc. (BREIT) has entered into an agreement to acquire Simply Self Storage from an affiliate of Brookfield Asset Management for $1.2 billion. Brookfield acquired Simply Self Storage, whose operating portfolio spans approximately 8 million square feet across the country, in 2016 through one of its funds. The deal is expected to close before the end of the year. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is serving as legal advisor to BREIT, and BofA Securities and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. are serving as financial advisors to BREIT. RBC Capital Markets LLC, Newmark Group Inc. and Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP advised Brookfield. BREIT currently owns a $300 million portfolio of self-storage facilities. Following this acquisition, BREIT will be the third-largest non-listed owner of self-storage in the country. Self-storage, which is typically viewed as a recession-resistant asset class, has seen its rates of absorption and leasing of new units rebound over the summer following a lull in move-in activity that normally occurs in the spring. Self-storage owner-operators expect some of the truncated move-in activity from spring and summer to be offset by the fact that in-person classes at many major universities have …
PHILADELPHIA — Bellwether Enterprise Real Estate Capital has acquired Philadelphia-based Maher Commercial Mortgage LLC, effectively expanding its presence in the Southern Pennsylvania and New Jersey region. The acquisition will add more than $900 million in annual loan volume and $3 billion in servicing to Bellwether Enterprise’s existing portfolios. Firm leader Thompson Maher will join Bellwether Enterprise as an executive vice president, and his six support staff and five loan producers will also join the acquiring entity.
COSTA MESA, CALIF. — Donahue Schriber Realty Group has hired Michael Glimcher as its new CEO and president effective Monday, Nov. 2. Costa Mesa-based Donahue Schriber also hired Kevin Halleran as executive vice president and chief financial officer. Glimcher and Halleran were both previously with Chicago-based Starwood Retail Partners. Glimcher served as CEO of Glimcher Realty Trust from 2005 to 2017. He has been CEO of Starwood since June 2017. Glimcher and Halleran will replace Patrick Donahue, chairman and CEO; and Lawrence Casey, president and COO. Both Donahue and Casey, who are retiring after spending 41 and 20 years, respectively, with the firm, will continue to serve as chairmen through the second quarter of 2021. “I am humbled to follow in the footsteps of Dan Donahue and Tom Schriber and now Pat and Larry,” says Glimcher. “This is a fantastic opportunity and I can’t wait to get started.” “We identified Michael as the prime candidate for this position,” says Donahue. “Michael has the experience, intelligence and energy to take Donahue Schriber to the next level and realize the company’s full potential.”
TAMPA, FLA. — Two SIOR veterans have launched NAI THOR Commercial Group in Tampa. Brad Berzins and Andy Georgelakos, former executives with NAI KLNB in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. corridor, are leading the office. NAI THOR will service the Tampa and Southwest Florida region, namely Tampa, Sarasota, Fort Myers and Naples. Also joining the Tampa office is Kevin Fitzgerald, the former head of NAI Southwest Florida. Fitzgerald has more than 35 years of commercial real estate experience. NAI THOR is the 12th NAI Global office in Florida. “Our research and instincts have pointed us to this section of the country and we firmly believe economic, infrastructure and societal forces have aligned to bring unprecedented growth to this region,” says Georgelakos. “We intend to be extremely aggressive in attracting the top brokerage talent to our team and quickly mobilizing to capitalize upon emerging real estate opportunities.” Berzins has worked in the Mid-Atlantic region for 20 years and has completed transactions valued at more than $1 billion throughout his career. Georgelakos served as president of NAI KLNB from 2000 to 2017. He helped grow the company from two to four offices throughout the Baltimore-Washington, D.C.-Northern Virginia region. The firm also grew to more …
ORLANDO, FLA. — Lebolo Construction Management Inc. will open a new branch office in Orlando. The company will focus on the retail, office, educational, industrial, medical and hospitability sectors. Lebolo Construction has worked with private clients such as Wells Fargo and Divine Savior Academy, as well as public clients such as Palm Beach International Airport and Palm Beach State College. Boynton Beach, Fla.-based Lebolo is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. This is Lebolo’s third office overall, having opened its first branch location in Tampa in 2011.
NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. — Year-over-year revenue for Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) increased 14.1 percent to $1.6 billion for third-quarter 2020. Digital sales soared 202.5 percent to $776.4 million, accounting for 48.8 percent of sales for the period. The company’s net income was $80.2 million. Despite the sales increase, the net income is a decrease from $98.6 million in third-quarter 2019 as expenses increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to increased revenue, the Newport Beach-based fast-casual chain opened 44 new restaurants and closed three locations during the third quarter, bringing the total restaurant count to 2,710. The company rolled out its “Chipotlane” drive thru at 26 of the 44 new restaurants. The chain also saw its restaurant-level operating margin dip to 19.5 percent, a decrease from 20.8 percent in third-quarter 2019. As of Sept. 30, Chipotle has $1.1 billion in cash, investments and restricted cash, and no debt, along with a $600 million untapped credit facility with which to continue to navigate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.