MENOMONEE FALLS, WIS. — Kohl’s Corp. (NYSE: KSS) has rejected the attempt by an investor group to seize control of its board of directors, saying the effort would disrupt the company’s momentum and growth strategy. The investor group consists of Macellum Advisors GP LLC, Legion Partners Holdings LLC, Ancora Advisors LLC and 4010 Capital LLC. The Kohl’s board and management team had been engaged in discussions with the group since early December, but this week was the first time the group shared its plans to create value. Kohl’s says its strategic plan already includes several initiatives they propose and that some ideas would not be accretive to shareholder value. The investors wanted to add directors with deep retail experience, cut executive compensation, slash inventory levels and consider selling noncore real estate, according to CNBC. The Kohl’s board will continue to engage with the investor group with the goal of identifying new ideas that could enhance shareholder value. Based in Menomonee Falls, Kohl’s operates more than 1,100 stores in 49 states. The retailer’s shares soared more than 8 percent in trading Monday, according to CNBC. The stock price closed at $55.97 per share Monday, up from $43.13 per share one year …
SOUTHFIELD, MICH. — Bernard Financial Group has arranged a $24.3 million CMBS loan for the refinancing of two Class A office buildings in Southfield. The buildings total 315,839 square feet. Dennis Bernard and Joshua Bernard of Bernard Financial Group arranged the loan on behalf of the borrower, Oakland Commons Acquisition Owner LLC. Loan terms were not disclosed.
CHICAGO — J.C. Anderson has completed an office buildout for Ascend Technologies LLC at 200 W. Adams St. in Chicago. Ascend relocated from 222 W. Adams St. The company was created in March 2020 after private equity firm M/C Partners acquired both West Monroe Partners’ managed services division and Gratia Inc. The new office space features open areas, private offices, boardrooms, a lounge and café. Garnett provided architectural services.
ORLAND PARK, ILL. — Quantum Real Estate Advisors Inc. has brokered the sale of a single-tenant property occupied by Arby’s in Orland Park for nearly $1.4 million. The building is located at 15765 S. Harlem Ave. Dan Waszak and Zack Hilgendorf of Quantum represented the seller, a California-based development group that redeveloped the former Taco Bell space. A California-based private investor was the buyer.
The pandemic has forced the appraisal business into a surreal experience: many valuation professionals had their physical connections to the market severed or diminished. The question became: how best to assign value to the properties that appraisers are tasked with assessing especially while the demand for valuation has grown. Where does the rise of automatic valuation systems (AVSs) fit in with the valuation process? Karl Finkelstein, vice president of Business Development and senior managing director for Valbridge Property Advisors, spoke recently to REBusinessOnline. He explains, “The appraisal business is still all about reporting on what we see in the marketplace. That hasn’t changed. What has changed is our physical connection to the market — talking with market participants and attempting to read the tea leaves.” As for many companies, the past few months have been a time of reassessment and reengagement with the technology and tools at hand. “We’ve had to rethink how we do inspections; we’ve had to rethink how we physically interact. Technology has given us a big hand with that, and it has changed some of the some of the ways we do business and enhanced others,” says Finkelstein. A Hands-On Business, Socially Distanced Physical inspections remain …
MARION, IND. — Lee & Associates has brokered the $34.5 million sale of a food processing and cold storage facility in Marion, located about halfway between Indianapolis and Fort Wayne. The 291,262-square-foot, Class A property is situated on a 19.4-acre site at 3701 S. Adams St. Completed in 2013, the building features a clear height of 30 feet. It is fully leased to Café Valley Bakery, an independent wholesale bakery. Ross Sanzari, Greg Guglielmino, Marcus Muirhead and Steve Gonzalez of Lee & Associates represented the undisclosed seller. SomeraRoad was the buyer.
ELK GROVE VILLAGE, ILL. — Premier Design + Build Group is nearing completion of a two-building industrial development in Elk Grove Village. Seefried Industrial Properties is the developer. The project is located at 202-228 E. Devon Ave. near Chicago O’Hare International Airport and several major highways. Building 1 spans 79,290 square feet while Building 2 totals 83,052 square feet. Each of the buildings will feature two drive-in doors, 12 dock doors and ESFR systems. The project team included Harris Architects Inc. and civil engineer Jacob & Hefner. Premier expects to complete construction by March 1.
EAGAN, MINN. — Endeavor Development has acquired a 7.7-acre lot in Eagan with plans to build a 112,500-square-foot industrial project. The Class A warehouse will be named Yankee Doodle Business Center. It will feature a clear height of 28 feet, 11 dock doors and two drive-in doors. Construction is expected to begin in April with completion slated for the fall. Chris Hickok and Connor Ott of JLL will market the project for lease. Eagan’s current industrial vacancy rate is 4 percent, according to JLL.
ITASCA, ILL. — J.C. Anderson is completing a 55,000-square-foot office buildout for Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America Inc. at 250 E. Devon Ave. in Itasca. The health and wellness company is relocating from 1300 N. Arlington Heights Road, also in Itasca. Scheduled for completion in March, the new space will feature a culinary kitchen with video capabilities for hosting virtual demonstrations. It will also house laboratory space for research and development activities. Shive-Hattery served as architect and JLL provided project management services.
MOUNT PLEASANT, MICH. — Magoo’s Pet Outlet will open a new store in Mount Pleasant. This is the 10th location in the state of Michigan for the pet retailer, which has purchased the 5,800-square-foot, former Redbird Feed & Supply building located on East Pickard Street. Michael Murphy and Tjader Gerdom of Gerdom Realty & Investment represented Magoo’s in the transaction. The seller and sales price were undisclosed.