SAN FRANCISCO — Driven by a 95 percent surge in online sales, San Francisco-based Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) reported a 13 percent increase in its comparable sales for the fiscal second quarter, which ended Aug. 1. Gap’s decision to make face masks early on in the COVID-19 pandemic paid off, bringing in $130 million in sales, according to the company. Gap has produced face masks for individuals as well as the city of New York, the state of California and Kaiser Permanente. Net sales were down 18 percent year over year, reflecting a 48 percent decline in store sales, which was driven by partial closures due to the pandemic, according to Gap. Approximately 90 percent of Gap’s stores were open as of Aug. 1. Gap sells clothing and accessories under the brands Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta, Intermix, Janie and Jack, and Hill City. The company’s stock price closed at $17.54 per share Friday, Aug. 28, up from $15.59 per share one year ago.
NEW YORK CITY — A syndicate of investors led by Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust (BREIT) has acquired a $300 million stake in Tricon Residential, Toronto-based investment and development firm with a portfolio of approximately 30,000 single- and multifamily units in the United States and Canada. BREIT acquired the stake at an exchange price of $8.50 per share, which represents a 16 percent premium over Tricon’s 30-day weighted average trading price as of Aug. 26. Tricon will use the proceeds to pay off its corporate debt.
SEATTLE — Seattle-based Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN) has reported a 53 percent decrease in net sales from last year for the second quarter ended Aug. 1, reflecting temporary store closures due to COVID-19. The company experienced a second-quarter net loss of $255 million, which included after-tax COVID-19-related charges of $14 million, a decrease from net earnings of $141 million during the same period in fiscal 2019. While the reductions were in line with the company’s expectations, Nordstrom still managed to generate positive operating cash flow of more than $185 million, with total liquidity of $1.3 billion, through improved merchandise margins and significant overhead cost reductions. The company’s exceeded cash flow enabled it to pay down $300 million on its revolving line of credit. “At the onset of the pandemic, we focused on protecting and enhancing liquidity, and we successfully executed on these plans,” says Erik Nordstrom, chief executive office of Nordstrom. During the first quarter, Nordstrom reduced its inventory by more than 25 percent to mitigate markdowns and seasonal inventory and bring in newness for customers, resulting in second-quarter merchandise margin trends improving and exceeding expectations. In preparation for its yearly anniversary sale, which began August, the company increased inventory to …
PITTSBURGH — Dick’s Sporting Goods (NYSE: DKS) recorded its highest quarterly earnings in company history for its fiscal second quarter, which ended on Aug. 1. The company reported $276.8 million in consolidated net income and boosted its earnings per share by 155 percent relative to the second quarter of 2019, rising from $1.26 per share in 2019 to $3.21 per share in 2020. The Pittsburgh-based retailer cited booming e-commerce sales, which rose by 194 percent year over year, as a key driver in the company’s growth. In addition, Dick’s noted that through the first three weeks of the third quarter, same-store sales have already increased by 11 percent compared to that period in 2019. Dick’s has also opened several new stores in recent weeks, including two in Massachusetts and one in New Jersey, as well as a combined Dick’s Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy store in Georgia. The company’s stock price opened at $47.70 per share on Wednesday, Aug. 26, up from $32.62 per share a year ago.
HOUSTON — Gerald D. Hines, the founder and chairman of Houston-based Hines, passed away on Aug. 23 at the age of 95. Hines was born in Gary, Ind., in 1925 and founded Hines in 1957 with a firm belief in the power of design in attracting commercial tenants. Hines’ entrepreneurial instincts soon led him to start his own venture. His reputation grew with his first two high-profile projects: downtown Houston’s One Shell Plaza, the tallest building in Texas when completed in 1971 and still the world’s tallest lightweight concrete structure; and The Galleria, the landmark shopping center that catalyzed Houston’s Uptown district. The international development and investment firm has since completed more than 900 projects worldwide while growing its workforce to more than 4,800 employees. Today, Hines is active in 225 cities across 25 countries. Hines is survived by his wife, four children, 15 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. His son Jeffrey C. Hines, who has been running the firm as president, will assume the role of chairman and CEO.
AVONDALE, CHANDLER, GOODYEAR, MESA, PHOENIX AND TEMPE, ARIZ. — Seattle-based Amazon plans to open 11 new sites across the Phoenix metro area by year-end 2020 to support customer fulfillment and delivery operations. Amazon expects the new properties will create more than 3,000 new full- and part-time jobs. The new sites include seven delivery stations, which power the last mile of Amazon’s order fulfillment process, and two additional facilities that support fulfillment operations in Avondale, Chandler, Goodyear, Mesa, Phoenix and Tempe. Additionally, the company’s first cross-dock facility in Arizona is slated to open by year’s end in Phoenix, creating 1,000 full-time positions. The 600,000-square-foot building will support customer fulfillment by receiving large orders of inventory and redistributing products to fulfilment centers across the company’s operations networks. Construction is also underway on an 855,000-square-foot fulfillment center in Goodyear. Expected to open by year’s end, the facility will create more than 1,000 new full-time jobs where employees will work alongside Amazon robotics to pick, pack and ship small items to customers. Next year, Amazon will launch additional sites to support customer fulfillment and operations, including a cross-dock facility in Goodyear and a delivery station in Surprise, creating more than 1,000 full-time jobs in …
CHICAGO — Navy Pier, a mixed-use destination on Chicago’s lakefront, will start a temporary pier-wide closure on Tuesday, Sept. 8, in an effort to limit the financial burden and impact of the continued coronavirus pandemic on the organization. The closure will stop all operations, including those of Navy Pier’s more than 70 small businesses. Access to the pier’s outdoor space, including Polk Bros Park and North and South Docks, will also be limited or prohibited during the closure. “While this was a very difficult decision for the organization, it was a necessary one to proactively ensure the long-term success of one of Chicago’s most treasured and important civic institutions and the communities it serves,” says Marilynn Gardner, president and CEO of Navy Pier. Per state and city orders, Navy Pier originally closed to the public from March 16 to June 10 and then began a phased reopening with appropriate safety and security measures. Through the reopening, Navy Pier was able to resume partial operations and welcome guests to the pier. However, the destination experienced less than 20 percent of its typical summer attendance. To date, the Centennial Wheel, Chicago Children’s Museum, Chicago Shakespeare Theater and additional Pier Park attractions have …
MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Lowe’s Home Improvement posted a 30 percent increase in same store sales during its second quarter, which ended July 31. The total sales reached $27.3 billion, compared with $21 billion in the second quarter of 2019. Lowe’s also invested $460 million during the quarter to support frontline hourly associates. In 2020, the company thus far has invested $560 million in COVID-19-related financial support for its associates and community pandemic relief, with a focus on minority and rural small businesses and healthcare workers. Mooresville-based Lowe’s is an essential retailer, meaning it has remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As of July 31, Lowe’s operates 1,968 home improvement and hardware stores in the United States and Canada.
MINNEAPOLIS — Target (NYSE: TGT) reported a 24.3 percent increase in total digital and in-store sales during the second quarter compared with the same period a year ago, the highest quarterly growth in the Minneapolis-based discount retailer’s history. Same-store sales grew by 10.9 percent during the quarter, while digital sales experienced a whopping 195 percent growth year over year. CNBC reports that during a call with reporters, Target CEO Brian Cornell stated that the volume of sales fulfilled by the company’s curbside pickup program grew by more than 70 percent, and that the company’s digital customer base expanded by some 10 million shoppers. Target’s stock price opened at $148.50 per share on Wednesday, Aug. 19, up 12 percent from the previous day and up 72 percent from $86.23 per share a year ago.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — NAI Global has opened a new office at 6391 Thompson Road in Syracuse that will operate under the name NAI Bridgeway Commercial and which will serve the Central and Upstate New York areas. The new commercial real estate services firm will offer a range of services, including brokerage and leasing, property and facilities management, investment and capital market services, due diligence, global supply chain and logistics consulting and related advisory services. Tom Lischak, who founded Bridgeway Commercial Realty in 2014 prior to its acquisition by NAI, will lead the new office.