CHICAGO — McDonald’s says that U.S. same-store sales have sequentially improved from late March through May. For the month of May, the Chicago-based fast food giant reported a decline in U.S. same-store sales of 5.1 percent, compared with 19.2 percent for the month of April. Globally, sales fell 29.8 percent quarter-to-date through May. McDonald’s says that 95 percent of its restaurants globally are now open. In the United States, more than 1,000 restaurant dining rooms have reopened with reduced seating capacity. “Our unique advantages, including a high percentage of drive-thru restaurants and investments in delivery and digital, have enabled us to adapt to the changing landscape presented by the COVID-19 outbreak,” says Chris Kempczinski, president and CEO.
Kiefer Associates Sells 82,000 SF Industrial Building in Zion, Illinois, Leases Back Smaller Portion
ZION, ILL. — Kiefer Associates has sold its 82,000-square-foot industrial building located at 1700 Kiefer Drive in Zion within northern Illinois. The sales price was undisclosed. As part of the transaction, Kiefer has agreed to an early termination of its lease and will lease back a smaller portion of the property on a short-term basis. The property sold to an investment group that includes the principals of American Eagle Packaging Co. (AEP), a full-service packaging company that will move into a portion of the facility. The remainder of the building will be subdivided into three additional spaces. Dan Benassi, Dan Jones and Sam Deihs of Entre Commercial Realty brokered the transaction. The team will manage and lease the property going forward.
ELMHURST, ILL. — Darwin Realty has joined CORFAC International as the newest U.S. affiliate of the global network. Darwin is the first U.S.-based firm to join CORFAC this year. Last year, seven U.S. firms joined the organization. Established in 1975, Darwin serves the Northeast Illinois, Southern Wisconsin and Northwest Indiana markets. It specializes in industrial and office brokerage, investment sales, property management and development. “Darwin fits into our need for a strong industrial group in Chicago, complementing our existing CORFAC member ProTen Realty Group on the office side,” says Alan Joel, 2020 CORFAC president. “We are now looking at a couple of strong retail and investment sales groups in Chicago to help round out that mega-market.” Des Plaines, Ill.-based CORFAC is a network of independently owned commercial real estate brokerage firms. There are 50 offices in the U.S.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — CBRE has arranged the sale of Wells Fargo Gainey Center, a Class A office building located at 8601 N. Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale. AREA Exchange Asset III, an affiliate of New York City-based Ascent Real Estate Advisors, acquired the property from Des Moines-based Principal Real Estate Investors for an undisclosed price. Built in 1999, the 141,000-square-foot Wells Fargo Gainey Center features a two-story lobby, flexible floor plates, 20 exterior balconies, a parking ratio of four spaces per every 1,000 square feet and an on-site gym. At the time of sale, the property was 96 percent leased to nine tenants, including Wells Fargo and Kutak Rock, a national law firm. Barry Gabel, Chris Marchildon and Will Mast of CBRE’s Phoenix office represented the seller in the deal. Bruce Francis, Tim Bokinsky, Dana Summers, Bob Ybarra, Shaun Moothart and Doug Birrell of CBRE Debt & Structured Finance facilitated the acquisition loan with a national life insurance company for the buyer.
IRVINE, CALIF. — A joint venture between Hines and a global investment management firm has received $182 million in refinancing for Intersect, a mid-rise, four-building, Class A office campus in Irvine. Kevin MacKenzie, John Chun and Nick Lench of JLL Capital Markets placed the three-year, interest-only financing with MetLife Investment Management. The borrower plans to use the loan proceeds to fund future leasing at the property and retire the existing loan that the same JLL team arranged for the borrower in 2018. Situated on 15 acres, Intersect comprises four buildings, totaling 452,060 square feet, at 17875 and 17877 Von Karman Ave. and 17872 and 17838 Gillette Ave. Located in the heart of the Irvine Business Complex, the property features a restaurant, shipping container beer garden and coffee shop, game pavilion, fire pits, chicken coop, bird aviary and sports court. Additional features include indoor and outdoor workspaces; a fitness center with Peloton bikes, classes, locker rooms, spin studio and outdoor yoga lawn; private tenant terraces; a 40-seat, stadium-style conference center; and a 16-person board room. The Intersect also offers 573 surface parking stalls, a 1,595-space structured parking garage at 17892 Gillette Ave. and a 181-stall subterranean parking facility.
SAN DIEGO — LPC West, the West Coast operating division of Lincoln Property Co., has completed the sale of a two-story, flex R&D property located at 9877 Waples St. in San Diego’s Sorrento Mesa submarket. An affiliate of Alexandria Real Estate Equities acquired the building for $17 million in an off-market transaction. The 62,392-square-foot asset is mid-way through the seller’s biotech conversion process, which the buyer will complete. Andy Hugget, Bill Dolan and Sean Williams of CBRE represented LPC West, while Alexandria was self-represented in the transaction.
SANTA TERESA, N.M. — Blue Road Investments has broken ground on Westpark Building I in Santa Teresa, approximately 23 miles northwest of El Paso, Texas. Situated at 655 Industrial Ave. within Westpark Logistics Center, the facility will feature 315,000 square feet of speculative industrial space with cross-dock loading, 36-foot clear heights and 185-foot concrete truck courts. This is the first spec building in Westpark Phase I, where Blue Road has capacity for an additional 1 million square feet of future development. Current tenants in Westpark Logistics Center include FedEx Ground, MCS Industries and Valley Cold Storage. Construction is slated for January 2021. Perez Giese and Anthony Mash of CBRE are marketing the property for lease.
MORENO VALLEY, CALIF. — Toolots, a California-based online marketplace and distribution channel for factory-direct industrial tools, machinery and technology, has inked a deal to occupy a warehouse and distribution facility located at 17783 Indian St. in Moreno Valley. KKR Alpha Industries owns and operates the 436,350-square-foot facility. Robert Feathers and Brian Bennett of Kidder Mathews represented Toolots in the lease transaction.
SAN RAMON, CALIF. — Fitness center retail chain 24 Hour Fitness has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection stemming from revenue losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The San Ramon-based company expects to secure $250 million in debtor-in-possession financing, which is subject to court approval. The fitness chain has also announced its intention to permanently close 132 of its 300-plus gyms. In California alone, 24 Hour Fitness will shutter 41 locations, and in Texas another 26 will permanently close as the company will focus on reopening its other gyms across the country. “If it were not for COVID-19 and its devastating effects, we would not be filing for Chapter 11,” says Tony Ueber, CEO of 24 Hour Fitness. “With that said, we intend to use the process to strengthen the future of 24 Hour Fitness for our team and club members, as well as our stakeholders.” Although Ueber says the COVID-19 pandemic is the main culprit in the company’s struggles, the retailer’s debt load is also a contributing factor. Brad Umansky, president of Progressive Real Estate Partners, says that the retailer’s ownership group, including private equity firm AEA Investors, hampered 24 Hour Fitness from operating to the best of its ability …
ACWORTH, GA. — Dermody Properties will break ground in July on LogistiCenter at New McEver, a 176,463-square-foot industrial building in Acworth. Dermody recently acquired the 12.3-acre plot on New McEver Road, two miles southeast of downtown Acworth and 30 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta. The Cobb County property will offer build-to-suit office space and feature 34 dock-high doors, two drive-in doors, 32-foot clear heights, 168 car parking spaces, a 130- to 185-foot truck court, six-inch reinforced concrete floor, tilt-up concrete panel construction and an ESFR fire protection system. Austin Brannen and Matt Bentley of NAI Brannen Goddard represented Dermody Properties in the acquisition of land and will be the leasing brokers for the project. Terms of the land sale were not disclosed.