HOPKINSVILLE, KY. — Thompson Thrift Development has begun construction on Hopkinsville Towne Center, a 185,000-square-foot, junior-anchored retail center in Hopkinsville. Situated on the northwest corner of Fort Campbell Boulevard and Lovers Lane, the asset’s tenant roster includes Hobby Lobby, TJ Maxx, Ross Dress for Less, rue 21, Ulta Beauty, Burke’s Outlet, Hibbett Sporting Goods, Rack Room Shoes, Maurice’s, Cato and Panera Bread. Hopkinsville Towne Center’s first tenants are expected to open in late 2017 or early 2018. Kevin Schreiber and Kevin Mayhugh of The Shopping Center Group are leasing the property on behalf of Thompson Thrift. The Shopping Center Group and Thompson Thrift have worked with city and county officials since 2012 to assemble and develop the 20-acre site.
CHICAGO — Jameson Commercial has arranged the sale of a mixed-use property located at 837 N. Orleans in Chicago’s River North district. An undisclosed investment group acquired the property for $1.7 million. The building features three condo-quality apartments and ground-floor retail space. Justin Collins of Jameson Commercial represented the undisclosed seller in the deal.
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — CBRE/New England has arranged the sale of an office and retail building located at 1050 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge. Putnam Circle Associates sold the 62,474-square-foot property to L&B Realty Advisors for an undisclosed sum. The property is currently leased to several long-term office tenants, including Cambridge 7 Associates, the National Bureau of Economic Research and Northstar Project & Real Estate Services. Pyara Spa & Salon is currently the sole retail occupier in the first-floor retail space. Dave Pergola, Brian Doherty and Chuck Kavoogian of CBRE/NE represented the seller and procured the buyer in the transaction.
HONOLULU — Applebee’s Grill and Bar has opened its first restaurant in Hawaii, located in Ewa Beach on Oahu. The new Applebee’s restaurant features the brand’s new American-made, wood-fired grill menu. A second Applebee’s location is already planned to open next year at the Ka Makana Alii Mall in West Oahu. With more than 2,000 locations now in all 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico and 15 countries, Applebee’s is one of the world’s largest casual dining brands. Applebee’s is franchised by subsidiaries of DineEquity Inc., which is among the world’s largest full-service restaurant companies.
MANLIUS, N.Y. — The Boulder Group has brokered the sale of a single-tenant net-leased Rite Aid property located at 8230 Cazenovia Road in Manlius. An East Coast-based investor acquired the property from a partnership of high-net-worth individuals for $3.8 million in a 1031 exchange. There are more than 10 years remaining on the lease of the 12,795-square-foot property.
DALLAS — Sperry Commercial Global Affiliates has announced a new franchise affiliate, Dallas-based Engvest Commercial Realty LLC. The first Dallas/Fort Worth affiliate to join Sperry Commercial, Engvest was founded by Daniel Eng to serve its clients as a full-service commercial real estate investment firm. Eng and his business partner Calvin Wong will provide leasing, acquisitions, disposition and property management services under the Sperry Commercial Global Affiliates brand. Engvest brings more than 1 million square feet of retail center listings to the platform.
BRENTWOOD, TENN. — Brentwood-based Tractor Supply Co., a rural lifestyle retail chain with 1,575 stores in 49 states, has purchased Petsense LLC, a pet supply retailer with 136 stores in 25 states. The transaction price was $116 million, including estimated future tax benefits of $29 million. Petsense will operate as a subsidiary of Tractor Supply Co. from Petsense’s current headquarters in Scottsdale, Ariz., and will continue to be led by members of Petsense’s senior management team. Tractor Supply plans to continue to grow the Petsense store base at a target rate of 15 percent to 20 percent annually and will convert its two existing HomeTown Pet stores to Petsense stores. Peter J. Solomon Co. acted as exclusive financial advisor and Bass, Berry & Sims PLC acted as legal advisor to Tractor Supply Co. William Blair & Co. acted as exclusive financial advisor and Jenner & Block acted as legal advisor to Petsense.
GASTONIA, N.C. — Harris Teeter has opened a new 53,000-square-foot store at the Kendrick Crossing shopping center located at the intersection of Robinwood and Kendrick roads in Gastonia, roughly 22 miles west of Charlotte. The store will be open 24 hours and will feature a Starbucks, salad bar and drive-thru pharmacy. Harris Teeter is the first tenant to open at Kendrick Crossing, and other retailers opening soon include Hungry Howie’s Pizza, UPS Store, Great Clips and Lucky Nails. The development team for Kendrick Crossing includes developer MPV Properties, general contractor Cummings and architect ai Design.
Unlike fine wine, retail properties don’t necessarily get better with age. In order for a shopping center to remain attractive and inviting, it periodically needs to be renovated or even repositioned. Since 2010, the U.S. shopping center industry has completed an average of 198 renovation projects annually, according to JLL in a research report released early this year titled “Remaking Retail: A Tricky Proposition.” Seventy percent of shopping centers renovated after 1999 were originally built between 1960 and 1989. Centers built during the 1980s have been the most popular targets for remodeling almost every year since 2003. So-called “meat and potatoes” retail real estate underwent the most renovation work from 1999 through 2015, according to JLL. Eighty-six percent of shopping center renovations during that period took place at neighborhood, strip and community centers. In order for a redevelopment, an even bigger undertaking, to be worth the effort, an owner would expect the project to add 200 basis points to a center’s capitalization rate as a general rule of thumb, JLL points out. What follows are two case studies of shopping center makeovers, one in Kansas City, Mo., and the other in West Des Moines, Iowa, that illustrate the challenges and …
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — Lee & Associates has arranged the $72.5 million sale of Sonora Village shopping center in Scottsdale. Jan Fincham and Pat Dempsey of Lee & Associates facilitated the transaction for the buyer, Sonora Village LLC, and the seller, Sonora Village Investors LLC. The 269,369-square-foot shopping center is home to tenants including Best Buy, Staples, Party City, Pearle Vision, Aaron’s, Mattress Firm and Wildflower Bakery.