BATTLE CREEK, MICH. — The Ferrero Group has entered a definitive agreement to acquire Battle Creek-based WK Kellogg Co. (NYSE: KLG) for $23 per share in cash, or $3.1 billion. The acquisition includes the manufacturing, marketing and distribution facilities of WK Kellogg’s portfolio of breakfast cereals across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. In North America, Ferrero and its affiliated companies currently count for more than 14,000 employees across 22 plants and 11 offices. The North America portfolio includes Nutella, Kinder, Tic Tac and Ferrero Rocher as well as American brands such as Butterfinger, Keebler and Famous Amos. After the transaction closes, Battle Creek will serve as Ferrero’s headquarters for North America cereal. Additionally, shares of WK Kellogg’s common stock will no longer trade on the New York Stock Exchange, and the company will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Ferrero. The transaction, which has been unanimously approved by the board of directors of WK Kellogg, is subject to approval by WK Kellogg shareholders, regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The deal is expected to close in the second half of 2025. Lazard is lead financial advisor to Ferrero, with BofA Securities acting as co-adviser and Davis Polk …
CHICAGO — Kayne Anderson Real Estate and JDL Development have entered into an agreement to acquire a 31-acre development site at 2001 N. Southport Ave. in Chicago. The site was formerly referred to as Lincoln Yards North and is situated prominently on the Chicago River. The developers plan to reimagine and rebrand the property. The new development, which will be heavily focused on residential, will be named Foundry Park. Plans call for homes, condos and apartments as well as commercial uses. The developers plan to include affordable housing units and create a walkable neighborhood with open green space. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the third quarter.
MINNEAPOLIS — Newmark has arranged the sale of a two-property student housing portfolio serving the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. The portfolio includes The Bridges Dinkytown, a 210-unit community at 930 University Ave. SE, and The Knoll Dinkytown, a 101-unit property at 1101 University Ave. SE. Ryan Lang, Jack Brett, Ben Harkrider and Jim Damiani of Newmark represented the undisclosed seller. Ben Roelke, Ian Walker and Trent Houchin of Newmark arranged $36 million in financing through Corebridge Financial on behalf of the buyer, WFI, which will implement a $1.6 million capital improvement program at the properties. Both assets feature fully furnished apartments, ranging from studios to four-bedroom layouts.
CHICAGO — Beacon Capital Partners and Trammell Crow Co. (TCC) have completed Hyde Park Labs in Chicago. The partnership has also opened its STEM engagement center for local youth, Southside STEM Station, on the ground floor of the 300,000-square-foot development. The learning hub offers free STEM programs for students, families and educators on the city’s South Side. Located at 5207 S. Harper Ave. and rising 13 stories, Hyde Park Labs features nine full floors of Class A lab and office space, ground-level retail and four levels of parking. The developers say the project marks the South Side of Chicago’s first commercial, purpose-built advanced R&D lab building. More than 40,000 square feet of tenant amenities includes a fifth-floor terrace dubbed “The Lawn” with grills, firepits and direct access to the interior tenant lounge. The development also features private terraces on each floor, secure bike storage, an indoor bar and lounge and an executive boardroom. The University of Chicago has pre-leased approximately 55,000 square feet at Hyde Park Labs. In addition to faculty research, the university’s space includes its new UChicago Science Incubator, a partnership between the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Portal Innovations. Five UChicago-affiliated companies are among the …
PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KAN. — Women in Real Estate Development (WIRED) is nearing completion of a wellness and beauty destination at the corner of 75th Street and State Line Road in Prairie Village near Overland Park. The 7,000-square-foot property is named “c u r a t e d.” In August 2024, a group of 22 local women investors, led by Sheryl Vickers of Select Sites LLC, acquired the property. They have reimagined the building from 1958 into a commercial space tailored for health, beauty and wellness practitioners looking to reach consumers across Mission Hills, Waldo, Brookside, Leawood, Overland Park and Fairway. The interior space features new paint, flooring and lighting. The project’s suites feature natural light, private entries and modern finishes. The project also included the installation of new energy-efficient windows. Final plans call for a new parking surface and concrete with ADA access and new landscaping. The anchor tenant is The Healing Collective, which occupies eight suites and brings the building’s occupancy to 70 percent.
COLUMBUS, OHIO — Abide Capital Group and joint venture partner MCB Real Estate have acquired Harlow on Main, a 120-unit apartment complex in downtown Columbus, for $16.5 million. Purpose-built for working professionals and recent graduates, the property at 195 E. Main St. in the Civic Center District was completed in 2020. At the time of sale, Harlow on Main was more than 86 percent leased. The asset features 7,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, structured parking and an amenity suite. WesBanco provided acquisition financing. Newmark marketed the property for sale on behalf of the undisclosed seller.
ROSEMOUNT, MINN. — EGA Spectro Alloys, a Midwest-based producer of recycled aluminum alloys, has begun production at its aluminum recycling expansion project in Rosemount. The 90,000-square-foot facility will produce up to 120 million pounds per year of recycled aluminum billets from scrap aluminum. The expansion will add up to 50 full-time jobs once the facility reaches full production capacity in the first quarter of 2026. Aluminum billet, logs of aluminum up to 25 feet long, is used as raw material for extruders, which turn it into products like railings, window and door trim, and structural components for cars, boats, airplanes, trailers and docks. Recycling aluminum requires 95 percent less electricity than producing new aluminum and generates a fraction of the greenhouse gas emissions. Metal from the facility will be sold under EGA’s recycled product brand RevivAL, a nod to the company’s 52-year history of giving used aluminum new life. The facility also features a new laboratory.
CHICAGO — Interra Realty has arranged the $10.7 million sale of a 22-unit apartment building located at 811 W. Lill Ave. in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. The vintage asset features four one-bedroom, 12 two-bedroom and six three-bedroom units. Floor plans average 1,078 square feet. Constructed in 1901, the property has been recently updated with new finishes as well as in-unit laundry and individual HVAC. Brad Feldman of Interra represented the buyer, a Chicago-based private investor. Joe Smazal of Interra represented the seller, a local private investor and developer.
OAK BROOK, ILL. — Mid-America Real Estate Corp. has brokered the sale of The Oaks of Oak Brook, a 67,146-square-foot retail center in the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook. The property was 98 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants such as Athletico, Activate Games, NxStage Kidney Care, Blackberry Market, Erik’s Bike Board & Ski and OrthoLazer. Joe Girardi and Emily Gadomski of Mid-America represented the seller, Newport Capital Partners. The asset sold to a private buyer.
ANN ARBOR AND ROCHESTER HILLS, MICH. — SweatHouz has signed retail leases to open new locations in Ann Arbor and Rochester Hills. SweatHouz is a chain of studios that offers infrared saunas, cold plunges and other wellness services. Jason and Amy Hanley are the area developers for SweatHouz in Michigan and have signed on to open 17 locations across the state. SweatHouz currently has 50 locations open and operating across the country and another 50 in permitting or construction phases. The Ann Arbor facility will total 2,628 square feet at 3143 Ann Arbor Saline Road, and the Rochester Hills location will span 2,130 square feet at 1495 N. Rochester Road. Both will serve as outparcels to Meijer stores. The tenant group also owns six Orange Theory locations in Michigan. Norman Abro of Keystone Commercial Real Estate brokered the leases.