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Roark Capital Invests $200M in The Cheesecake Factory Amid Pandemic-Related Closures

by John Nelson

ATLANTA AND CALABASAS HILLS, CALIF. — Roark Capital Group, a private equity firm based in Atlanta, has invested $200 million in The Cheesecake Factory Inc. (Nasdaq: CAKE), owner and operator of the chain of restaurants of the same name. The Calabasas Hills-based company also owns and operates the North Italia chain, as well as a collection of restaurants within the Fox Restaurant Concepts subsidiary. The funds will be used to immediately help The Cheesecake Factory navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, in which its dine-in service has been closed. The company, which has been handling takeout orders and deliveries through the DoorDash app, preliminarily reported its off-premise sales in first-quarter 2020 increased by 85 percent from the previous quarter. Specific details of Roark Capital’s capital infusion were not disclosed, but David Overton, chairman and CEO of The Cheesecake Factory, says the investment will improve the company’s liquidity. “This transaction not only gets our affected staff members back to work as soon as practicable, but also importantly solidifies our ability to manage the business for the long-term for all of our stakeholders once we emerge on the other side of this crisis,” says Overton. “Moreover, Roark’s investment underscores the strength of our brands, …

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Walmart Reaches Goal to Hire 150,000 Associates, Pledges to Hire 50,000 More Amid COVID-19 Crisis

by Alex Tostado

BENTONVILLE, ARK. — Amid the COVID-19 crisis sweeping the nation, Walmart set a goal in mid-March of hiring 150,000 associates before May 1. Since then, the Bentonville-based retailer has hired an average of 5,000 people per day, surpassing its goal. Now Walmart has its sights set on hiring another 50,000 people. In a statement, the company said most of the new hires will be temporary who will support current associates and customers in locations with specific needs. Additionally, 85 percent of the 150,000 new associates are temporary or part-time workers. Walmart said it worked with more than 70 companies that furloughed workers to hire the associates. In stores, Walmart will hire cashiers, stockers and personal shoppers. In distribution centers and fulfillment centers, it will hire additional fillers and pickers. Walmart also plans to add more drivers to its fleet. Walmart is considered an essential business, so its doors remain open and its e-commerce operations are still running as well.

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Company NewsFloridaMultifamilySoutheastTop Stories

Mill Creek, Quadreal Launch $421M Multifamily Investment Joint Venture

by Taylor Williams

BOCA RATON, FLA. — Mill Creek Residential, a Florida-based multifamily development firm, has launched a joint venture with Canadian global investment firm Quadreal Property Group. The two companies have partnered on an initiative to invest up to $421 million in the development and operation of apartment communities in targeted U.S. markets over the next two to three years. Specific target markets were not identified. The joint venture has already acquired land for its first development. Modera Six Pines will be a 429-unit multifamily project in The Woodlands, Texas, located about 30 miles north of Houston. “QuadReal is a well-respected firm with a depth of experience in the multifamily sector,” says William MacDonald, CEO, president and chief investment officer for Mill Creek. “This venture serves as an important step in further developing our investment management business.” Hodes Weill Securities acted as financial advisor and global placement agent for Mill Creek in connection with the formation and capitalization of the joint venture. Mill Creek Residential, which has 16 offices across the United States, owns and operates a portfolio of roughly 80 communities totaling 21,300 apartments. Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, QuadReal Property Group manages a $37.6 billion portfolio spanning 23 cities and 17 countries. …

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Company NewsTexas

Houston-Based Energy Giant to Reduce Global Workforce by 25 Percent, Delist from Stock Exchange

by Taylor Williams

HOUSTON — Weatherford International, a Houston-based oilfield services firm, will cut its global workforce by 25 percent as part of a larger move to reduce capital expenditures by 50 percent in 2020 relative to 2019, the company announced on Wednesday. The company also plans to reduce its geographic footprint and reduce the headcount of its operations in North America by 38 percent. As of 2016, Weatherford, which also plans to delist itself from the New York Stock Exchange, had about 30,000 employees worldwide. Despite recent agreements by major-producing nations to undertake supply cuts, the impact of COVID-19 has drastically reduced energy demand. The price of West Texas Intermediate crude opened at $20.39 per barrel on Thursday, down from about $64 per barrel a year ago, an approximately 68 percent decrease.

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Company NewsTexas

Walgreens to Open Two Covid-19 Testing Sites in Harris County on Friday

by Taylor Williams

HOUSTON AND PASADENA, TEXAS — Walgreens will open two COVID-19 testing sites in Harris County on Friday, April 17 as part of the Illinois-based pharmacy chain’s effort to ramp up testing in seven states. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo made the announcement yesterday. The sites, which will have the capacity to conduct 200 tests per day at each store, will be located at 14531 Westheimer Road in Houston and 101 W. Southmore Ave. in Pasadena.

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Minneapolis-Based Developer United Properties to Open Austin Office

by Taylor Williams

AUSTIN, TEXAS — United Properties, a developer of office, industrial and mixed-use projects, will open a new office in Austin. Local industry veteran Josh Delk, who served as a regional partner at Transwestern for the last 13 years, will lead the new office as senior vice president. United Properties is based in Minneapolis and also has an office in Denver. Company officials cited an increasingly diverse economy and lifestyle in Austin, as well as the city’s strong tech presence, as key factors in selecting the market for its next office.

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Continental Realty Launches Internal ‘Eat Local’ Stimulus Plan

by Alex Tostado

BALTIMORE — Continental Realty Corp. (CRC) has launched an internal program to aid the restaurant industry in the communities it serves. CRC owns and operates retail centers and multifamily properties in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Between April 14 and May 15, any CRC employee who provides a receipt for food items bought locally will be reimbursed up to $200. “We feel extremely strongly about initiating a program that benefits our loyal and hard-working team members and supports the restaurant sector,” says Crystal Frey, senior vice president of human resources for CRC.  “With restaurants reduced to handling carry-out and curbside orders, we encourage other companies to follow our lead to minimize the disruption impacting both locally owned and nationally operated locations.” CRC is based in Baltimore and focuses on value-add properties throughout the Southeast.

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Jean Retailer True Religion Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Amid Pandemic-Related Retail Closures

by Amy Works

MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF. — True Religion, a premium jeans retailer based in Manhattan Beach, filed papers in Delaware bankruptcy court on Monday, April 13. In its filing, the company stated that pandemic-related closure of all its retail location and all the stores of its wholesale buyers had accelerated “existing liquidity constraints.” Due to these factors, True Religion furloughed all nonessential employees and reentered Chapter 11, which it previously entered in July 2017. “While the debtors would have preferred to wait out the current instabilities of the financial markets and retail industry generally, [True Religion] simply could not afford to do so,” according to the filing. The company, which was founded in 2002, stated in its bankruptcy filings that it has just north of 1,000 employees, 92 percent of them currently furloughed. The Chapter 11 petition listed between $100 million and $500 million in liabilities.

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A&G Negotiates Sale of Leasehold Interest in 10 Former Earth Fare Grocery Stores in Five States

by Alex Tostado

MELVILLE, N.Y. — A&G Real Estate Partners has negotiated the sale of the leasehold interest in 10 grocery stores previously occupied by organic specialty grocery chain Earth Fare. The grocer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in early February and the final leasehold sale closed Friday, April 10. The 10 stores averaged 26,000 square feet. Southeastern Grocers’ Winn-Dixie chain acquired four stores in Boynton Beach, Jacksonville, Lakewood Ranch and Viera, Fla. Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Markets acquired two stores in south Asheville, N.C., and Chattanooga, Tenn, and Aldi acquired one store in Tallahassee, Fla. An investor group that includes one of Earth Fare’s founders and several of the chain’s former executives acquired three stores, which are located in Athens, Ga.; Roanoke, Va.; and Asheville. The group also acquired Earth Fare’s trade name and other intellectual property. Joseph McKeska led an A&G team that represented Earth Fare in the transactions. The sales contributed a total of more than $6 million to the estate of Earth Fare. A&G, an asset disposition advisory firm based in Melville, also negotiated the lease terminations of nine Earth Fare locations. The agreements with landlords were in Gainesville, Ocala and Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; Columbia and Rock Hill, S.C.; …

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Cinemark Theatres to Sell $250M in Senior Debt

by Taylor Williams

PLANO, TEXAS — Cinemark Theatres (NYSE: CNK), an operating subsidiary of Cinemark USA Inc., has announced the sale of $250 million in senior debt notes in a private offering, the Plano-based entertainment company said in a statement on Monday. The offering on senior secured notes that are due in 2025 is expected to close on April 20, subject to customary closing conditions. Cinemark said it plans to use proceeds from the sale for “general corporate purposes” that will increase liquidity. Multiple news outlets, including The Dallas Morning News and the Phoenix Business Journal, also report that Cinemark is laying off 17,500 hourly employees and furloughing about half its corporate staff. As of September 2019, Cinemark operated 344 theaters totaling 4,630 screens in 41 U.S. states. Movie theaters were among the first categories of retailers to close their doors in response to the outbreak of COVID-19.

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