LOS ANGELES — L’Occitane en Provence, a prestige beauty brand based in Los Angeles, has introduced the L’Occi Truck, a traveling shop experience for the brand. The retail store on wheels presents a new direct-to-consumer shopping model. Inspired by the vintage French Citroën H Van, often used by small-town French farmers, the retro truck is cladded in L’Occitane’s signature Provençal sunshine yellow and is approximately 16 feet long by 7 feet high. Two openings, featured at the truck’s side spanning across the entire length and rear, invite customers to view an internal shelving display filled with an assortment of product as well as relevant campaign imagery. A tester-rail and foldable display counter anchored under the truck’s side opening will feature an interactive station for passerby to test-and-play with product.A large exterior screen will display video content showcasing the Provençal lifestyle and brand history. At each destination, beauty associates will accompany the truck to guide the guests through demonstrations. The truck debuted in Washington, D.C. at the Cherry Blossom Festival on April 7. The L’Occi Truck will offer support for future store closings due to renovations.
NEW YORK CITY — Berkadia has arranged a $198.3 million loan for the office component of Brooklyn Renaissance Plaza, a 1.4 million-square-foot, mixed-use property in Brooklyn. The deal restructures existing debt on the property’s 465,000-square-foot office condominium space. This section of Brooklyn Renaissance Plaza is fully leased to the Kings County District Attorney (KCDA). That lease has 10.5 years left on it. The borrower is a joint venture between New York-based Muss Development Corp. and San Diego-based HomeFed Corp. The loan features a 21.5-year term and a 4.47 percent interest rate. Mark Vogel and Dan Geuther of Berkadia secured the funds through CGA Capital Corp., a Maryland-based private lending and investment firm. “In seeking to obtain a loan duration of over 20 years, we were presented with two significant challenges,” says Vogel. “The ground-lease payment will reset to unknown market rates in 2021 and 2031, and the KCDA lease expires in 2028.” “Working with CGA, we were able to craft a custom credit solution that enabled us to underwrite through these significant risk events and accomplish the client’s objective of long-term fixed-rate financing,” he added. Brooklyn Renaissance Plaza is located at 345 Adams St. In addition to the office condo, the …
The positive momentum for the Memphis industrial market continues. For the previous three years, the market has had positive absorption every quarter. This momentum continued through 2017, where we saw an annual net gain of 6.6 million square feet of positive absorption. Memphis has not seen this type of multi-year, record-breaking performance since the early 2000s. Achieving year-over-year absorption volume at this level proves Memphis can continue to attract both new developers and investors. Given ideal geographical positioning, Memphis is known as America’s Distribution Center, boasting unparalleled expertise in distribution and logistics. The Memphis International Airport houses the second-busiest cargo airport in the world. Companies recognize that the Memphis MSA offers reliable, cost-effective distribution, with the ability to reach 70 percent of the U.S. population within 24 hours. Moreover, Memphis is one of only three cities with five Class I Rail Systems, and has the fifth-largest inland port, as well as 10 major trucking companies utilizing Interstates 40 and 55. It’s no wonder that FedEx World Hub makes Memphis its home, and UPS chose it to house a major hub. Southeast Submarket The Memphis market continues to see nearly all of its growth to the southeast into Fayette County, Tennessee, …
MORRISTOWN, N.J. — Thorofare Capital has provided a $27.1 million loan for the acquisition of Mount Kemble Corporate Center, a 229,685-square-foot office campus in Morristown. The loan proceeds will also be used for property improvements and lease-up efforts. The borrower is a joint venture between Vision Properties and The Birch Group. The property was built in 1999 and is comprised of two, three-story Class A office buildings. At the time of closing, the property was 81 percent leased with a tenant roster that included Coughlin Duffy LLP, Avaya, Tenfour and Artech. Thorofare’s floating-rate mortgage featured a three-year initial term and two, one-year extension options.
NEW YORK CITY — Meridian Investment Sales has arranged the sale of a newly renovated commercial building at 2857 West 8th St. in Brooklyn for $23 million. David Schechtman and Rich Velotta of Meridian represented the undisclosed seller and procured the unidentified buyer in the transaction. Located in the West Brighton neighborhood of Brooklyn, the 52,302-square-foot office building is fully leased. The tenant roster includes New York City Human Resources Administration, Blink Fitness and Dollar Tree. The two-story building also has a Verizon cell and GPS tower on the roof. The property was recently renovated to include a new façade, an updated plumbing system and electrical upgrades.
BASKING RIDGE, N.J. — Cushman & Wakefield has brokered the sale of a three-building office park in Basking Ridge, approximately 40 miles west of Manhattan. Signature Acquisitions purchased the 524,260-square-foot property, located at 106, 110 and 150 Allen Road for an undisclosed price. The seller, The Silverman Group, acquired the property in three separate transactions starting in 2010 and subsequently rebranded the office park as The Offices at Liberty Corner.
ALBANY, N.Y. — KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment (CDLI) has provided $38.5 million in financing for the construction of an affordable housing community in Albany. The 76-unit development, which will be called Ida Yarbrough Homes, will set aside 12 apartments for households at risk of homelessness. The borrower is Ida Yarbrough Phase II LLC, an entity owned by the Albany Housing Authority. Keybank provided $18.1 million in equity through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program. In addition, Keybank also provided a $17.2 million construction loan and a $3.2 million Freddie Mac first mortgage loan. John Berry, Jen Seamons, Victoria O’Brien and Joe Eicheldinger of Keybank’s CDLI group, and Jeff Rodman of the Commercial Mortgage Group arranged the financing.
PLYMOUTH, MASS. — Fantini & Gorga has arranged $3.5 million in land development financing for a 40-acre parcel in Plymouth. The lender was a major Massachusetts-based banking institution. Harald LLC, the borrower, plans to add roads and utilities, and then subdivide the commercially zoned land into five or six parcels, to be sold for additional development.The site, about 40 miles south of Boston, is located near the Grove at Plymouth shopping center. Tenants at the retail center include a 130,000-square foot Home Depot store, West Marine, Ethan Allen Furniture and Mattress Firm.
EVERETT, WASH. — Evans Senior Investments (ESI) has arranged the sale of Garden Court Retirement Community, a 148-unit independent living and assisted living property in Everett. A national private equity firm acquired the property from an independent owner-operator for $50.5 million, or approximately $341,000 per unit. Built in 2002, Garden Court Retirement Community is located 13 miles north of Seattle between the downtown areas of Everett and Lynwood. At the time of sale the community averaged 95 percent occupancy. The buyer will bring Artēgan on as operator.
LITTLETON, COLO. — Zocalo Community Development is preparing to open Vita, a 159-unit active adult community in the Denver suburb of Littleton. KTGY Architecture + Planning designed the community, which is restricted to residents over 55 years of age. The developer is seeking LEED Gold certification. The community features a variety of mixed-use features, including walking/biking trails, art galleries, antique shops, specialty shops, clothing boutiques, restaurants and bars. It is also located one block from an RTD Light Rail station, providing easy access to downtown Denver and the airport. Zocalo, a Denver-based developer, expects to open Vita in May.