CHICAGO — Newmark has arranged the $41 million sale of the retail portion of 500 North Michigan Avenue along Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. The 21,565-square-foot space is fully leased to tenants such as Bank of America, Chick-fil-A and Vans. The asset traded at a cap rate of 5.93 percent. Keely Polczynski of Newmark represented the undisclosed seller. The buyer was a private investor.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, has arranged $113.7 million in acquisition financing for Presidio Junction, a portfolio of three contiguous retail centers totaling approximately 375,000 square feet in Fort Worth. The financing comprises life insurance debt and preferred equity. The centers — Presidio Towne Crossing, Tehama Towne Crossing and Vista Ridge — were fully leased at the time of the loan closing to tenants including T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods, Aldi, Petco, Old Navy, Sephora and Five Below. Adam Mengacci led the IPA team that arranged the financing on behalf of the borrower, Younger Partners Investments. The names of the direct lender and equity partner(s) were not disclosed.
WINTER GARDEN, FLA. — Orlando-based Foundry Commercial has brokered the $24.5 million sale of The Exchange, a mixed-use building located at 270 W. Plant St. in downtown Winter Garden, a suburb of Orlando. Delivered in 2021, the 42,800-square-foot property was fully leased to office tenants and retailers at the time of sale. The buyer is James Larweth, a private investor who has actively acquired assets in downtown Winter Garden. Chris DeMartino, Rick Helton, Dale Peterson, Joe Chick and Christine Mansour of Foundry represented the seller, the Keating family, in the transaction. Jay Strates of The Strates Group was the previous leasing agent for The Exchange and assisted the Foundry team in the sale.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — SimonCRE has acquired approximately 38 acres of land to develop Lobo Crossing, a 363,000-square-foot, open-air center located on the University of New Mexico’s south campus in Albuquerque. A timeline for the $150 million project was not disclosed. Target will anchor Lobo Crossing, which will feature 11 junior anchors and 45,000 square feet of space for small retail and restaurant operators. Committed tenants include Burlington, Marshalls, HomeGoods, Sierra, Boot Barn, Five Below and Michaels. Seven additional retailers are finalizing leases, according to the company. The center is currently 90 percent preleased. Lobo Crossing is set to be the largest retail center developed in New Mexico in recent decades, according to SimonCRE.
ARLINGTON, VA. — U.S. retail construction activity totaled 64.2 million square feet in the first quarter, down from 70 million square feet in first-quarter 2025 and well below the 10-year average (+90 million square feet), according to research from CoStar Group. Brandon Svec, national director of retail analytics at CoStar Group, points to multiple governors for new retail construction, including the popularity of e-commerce, competition from other property types and the previous cycles of broad-based expansion in the retail industry. Additionally, he says elevated costs for land, construction materials, labor and debt have made it difficult for retail developers to justify new construction. “The pullback in construction reflects a development environment that remains difficult to pencil in most markets,” says Svec. “Even in markets with strong population growth and leasing demand, achieving returns that justify ground-up construction has become increasingly challenging.” Data from the Arlington-based commercial real estate information and analytics firm shows that the nation’s retail development pipeline is sinking to levels not seen since the previous two cyclical lows: the early stages of the COVID-19 recovery and coming out of the Great Financial Crisis in 2011. Among markets tracked by CoStar, three Texas markets are leading the way …
LOS ANGELES AND HOUSTON — Investment firm Ares Management Corp. (NYSE: ARES) has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Whitestone REIT (NYSE: WSR) to purchase the company. Ares will acquire all outstanding Whitestone common shares and operating partnership units for $19 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at roughly $1.7 billion. Upon closing of the transaction, which is expected in the third quarter, Whitestone will become a private company and will no longer trade on the New York Stock Exchange. Houston-based Whitestone is a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on open-air neighborhood retail markets. As of March 2026, Whitestone’s portfolio comprised 56 retail properties totaling approximately 3.9 million square feet, including retail centers in Phoenix; Austin, Texas; the Dallas-Fort Worth metro; Houston and San Antonio. “Whitestone’s portfolio provides an attractive opportunity to further diversify Ares Real Estate’s footprint with necessity-based retail centers in high-demand, supply-constrained metro regions across Arizona and Texas,” says David Roth, global head of real estate strategy and growth with Ares Real Estate. Whitestone’s board of trustees unanimously approved the transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by Whitestone’s shareholders. “We believe this transaction with Ares is a testament to the …
DALLAS — Trademark has welcomed eight new tenants to the 1.4 million-square-foot Galleria Mall in Dallas, which the Fort Worth-based owner-operator is currently redeveloping. The tenants are athleisure brand ALO, women’s apparel provider Aritzia, bridal and custom jewelry Helzberg 1915, Kids Foot Locker, French bakery Patissery and toy retailer Rolife, as well as apparel brands Urban Planet and Watson. All stores are either open or slated to open within the next six months.
WAUSAU, WIS. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $2.5 million sale of a single-tenant retail property net leased to Chipotle in Wausau. The newly constructed building totals 5,000 square feet. The property is secured by a 15-year, corporate-guaranteed net lease and is the only Chipotle within a 95-mile radius, according to Marcus & Millichap. Jeff Rowlett, Blake Hanlon and Mark Peltin of Marcus & Millichap procured the buyer, Niets Investment Co. Michael Hughes of Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp. secured a five-year loan with a fixed interest rate of 5.65 percent and a 25-year amortization period.
MURRAY, UTAH — Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NYSE: BBBY), owner of Bed Bath & Beyond, Overstock, buybuy BABY and Kirkland’s, has signed a letter of intent to acquire the equity interests and substantially all assets of F9 Brands Inc., which owns and operates Cabinets To Go, Lumber Liquidators, Gracious Home/Thos. Baker and Southwind Building Products. The purchase price is nearly $150 million, and the transaction is expected to close after the company’s annual shareholder meeting in May. Murray-based Bed Bath & Beyond says this transaction will represent an additional step in building a national, fully integrated home services platform under “Beyond Home Services,” which will include categories such as storage, closets, cabinets, flooring, installation, renovation and distribution. Kitchen cabinets retailer Cabinets To Go operates more than 100 stores/showrooms nationwide. Lumber Liquidators is a specialty retailer of waterproof and hardwood flooring with more than 200 stores. Southwind Building Products supplies flooring and building materials to a network of 4,400 independent retailers and contractors across the country. Last week, Bed Bath & Beyond announced plans to acquire The Container Store for approximately $150 million in a deal that aims to combine the two retail brands. The Container Store maintains more than …
STAFFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J. — JLL has arranged a $20.5 million loan for the refinancing of Stafford Park, a 140,893-square-foot shopping center in Stafford Township, located I coastal New Jersey. Developed in 2007, the open-air center was fully leased at the time of sale to tenants such as Dick’s Sporting Goods, Best Buy, PetSmart and Ulta. Jim Cadranell, Ryan Carroll and Christian Badalamenti of JLL arranged the five-year, fixed-rate loan through an undisclosed investment manager on behalf of the borrower, regional owner-operator Walters Group.
