Midwest

By Brandon Wappelhorst, Sansone Group In nearly every aspect of our personal and professional lives, 2020 could unequivocally be summarized as certainly uncertain. The rapid onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll on the world and has caused significant disruption to everyday life. While likely further down the list of today’s topical issues, the overall effect of COVID-19 on the office market in St. Louis is still to be determined — but it will undoubtedly have an impact. Over the last few years, the commercial real estate market in St. Louis, much like the rest of the country, had been riding a wave of economic success. Demand for office space was high and the region was experiencing record-low vacancy rates, increasing rental rates, positive absorption, increased volume of office sale transactions and new buildings coming out of the ground. Construction of Edge@West, a 110,000-square-foot office building in Creve Coeur, began in late 2019 after a lease was signed with lead tenant SM Global. Breaking ground at less than 25 percent pre-leased was indicative of the strength of the office market at the time. Clayton, the strongest submarket in the St. Louis metro area, also saw the beginnings of …

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CHICAGO — Nielsen’s Global Consumer Business unit has selected Chicago as its global headquarters effective Jan. 1. Nielsen Holdings, which was founded in Chicago more than 95 years ago, decided late last year to spin off the consumer business as its own company. The branch will relocate its headquarters from New York City to its already-established office at 200 W. Jackson Blvd. in Chicago. The unit plans to further invest in and refresh the office, which currently employs a team of more than 600 workers. Nielsen’s Global Consumer Business plans to add at least 50 jobs over the next two years in Chicago. Worldwide, the consumer business employs approximately 30,000 people in nearly 100 countries. Nielsen is a marketing research and data analytics company.

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ST. PAUL, MINN. — Kraus-Anderson has completed construction of 590 Park Street, a 92-unit apartment project in St. Paul. The $20 million development offers micro, studio and one-bedroom units. Located on the site of the former Capitol Professional Office Building, the project is situated near the State Capitol, Regions Hospital and a Green Line transit stop. Amenities at the six-story building include a lobby lounge, game room, outdoor patio, dog run, fitness center and clubroom. Kraus-Anderson Development is the developer, UrbanWorks Architecture is the architect and Engelsma LP is the owner. Monthly rents start at $926.

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MUNDELEIN, ILL. — Venture One Real Estate has begun development of Route 60 Logistics Center, a 195,375-square-foot speculative industrial facility in Mundelein, a northern suburb of Chicago. Located at 1300 Allanson Road, the infill project will feature a clear height of 36 feet, onsite trailer parking and ample car parking. Chris Volkert, Ned Frank and Pat Hake of Colliers International have been retained to market the property for lease. Meridian Design Build is the general contractor. Completion is slated for the second quarter of 2021.

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WEST DUNDEE, ILL. — The Opus Group has broken ground on an industrial build-to-suit for WEN Power Tools in West Dundee, a far northwest Chicago suburb. WEN, which is owned by Great Lakes Technologies, will relocate its headquarters to the 180,623-square-foot building within Oakview Corporate Park. The project will feature a 1,900-square-foot showroom, 4,000 square feet of office space, 21 truck dock doors, two drive-in doors and a clear height of 32 feet. Opus is serving as developer, design-builder, interior designer, architect and structural engineer. Eric Chang of U.S. Asia Investment Group LLC represented WEN while Noel Liston of Darwin Realty represented Opus. Completion is slated for March 2021.

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CHICAGO — JLL Capital Markets has arranged the sale of a new 3,000-square-foot retail property occupied by 7-Eleven in Chicago for $5.9 million. Located at 3159 N. Clybourn Ave., the property opened in July. Alex Sharrin, Alex Geanakos and Truman Tiernan of JLL represented the seller, GW Property Group. The buyer was undisclosed. With more than 68,000 stores across 23 countries, 7-Eleven is the world’s largest store chain in the convenience retailing industry, according to JLL.

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ROMULUS, MICH. — The Kroger Co. and grocery e-commerce technology company Ocado have selected Romulus as the latest location for a customer fulfillment center. The automated warehouse facility, equipped with digital and robotic capabilities, will serve customers across the Great Lakes region. Kroger will invest $95 million and create 250 new jobs in Romulus, according to Warren Evans, Wayne County chief executive. The 135,000-square-foot facility will be located at 15675 Wahrman Road. It is expected to become operational 18 months after construction begins.

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CHICAGO — ShipBob, an e-commerce fulfillment company based in Chicago, has raised $68 million in Series D funding led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, which has previously invested in companies such as Uber, Slack, Opendoor and Doordash. ShipBob says it has experienced a “tremendous acceleration” in new customers since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new capital will enhance the company’s capabilities to provide for more customers, hire more workers and expand its software platform. To support the influx in demand, ShipBob has opened six new fulfillment centers since April, including two international locations. The company has also hired hundreds of new fulfillment associates over the last few months and plans to hire hundreds more leading up to the holiday season. ShipBob expects to open two more U.S. centers this year and 10 facilities across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia in 2021. Dhruv Saxena and Divey Gulati formed ShipBob in May 2014. Series D funding refers to the fourth stage in the financing cycle of new business growth.

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LANSING, MICH. — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed an executive order to reopen movie theaters and performance venues starting Friday, Oct. 9 following closures from the coronavirus pandemic. The order includes arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, indoor climbing facilities and trampoline parks. Indoor gatherings are now limited to 20 people per 1,000 square feet or 20 percent of fixed seating capacity, with a maximum of 500 people in Michigan’s largest venues. Outdoor gatherings are limited to 30 people per 1,000 square feet or 30 percent of fixed seating capacity, with a maximum of 1,000 people. Face coverings are now required for students in grades kindergarten and up in classrooms.

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CHICAGO — Irvine Co. has negotiated several new and expanded office leases totaling more than 144,000 square feet at 300 North LaSalle, One North Wacker and 71 South Wacker. Vestian, a workplace solutions firm, doubled its footprint to 7,102 square feet at the 60-story 300 North LaSalle. LoanCore Capital, a privately held asset management firm, signed a lease for 4,521 square feet. In-telligent, a Chicago-based technology company, leased 7,753 square feet at the 51-story One North Wacker. Other lease signings at the office tower include Chicago Partners Wealth Advisors, Hana2.0 Property Group, James Denney and Periscope Equity. Chicago-based startup Drift Net Securities leased 10,136 square feet at the 48-story 71 South Wacker. Reply leased 4,885 square feet and Consolidated Training renewed its lease for 14,222 square feet. Irvine Co. partnered with UCI Health to review and enhance its coronavirus-related health and safety plans.

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