DES MOINES, IOWA — Fitness Ventures LLC, the second largest Crunch Fitness franchisee, has opened its 60th Crunch Fitness with a new 60,000-square-foot facility in Des Moines. Located at 1200 E. Army Post Road, the new club is the company’s second Crunch location in Iowa. Built as a 3.0 Crunch model, the Des Moines location represents a $5 million investment. The club features cardio and strength equipment, a group fitness studio, dry saunas, performance turf, HydroMassage, tanning and the HIITZone. Fitness Ventures has partnered with Meaningful Partners, a private equity firm that invested in the company in 2024. The partnership has helped accelerate growth through a mix of new club development, mergers and acquisitions. Fitness Ventures is on pace to reach 75 clubs by the end of the year. The company plans to open 20 new locations annually.
Charlotte: “The Queen City” named after Queen Charlotte, wife of George III, has been on a tear post-COVID with new and expanding retail concepts. Vacancy rates have hovered under 4 percent the last few years, with little signs of changing , according to research from Institutional Property Advisors (IPA). Much of that vacancy has occurred in less desirable markets, or in junior and big-box bankruptcies (JOANN, Big Lots, Party City, etc.) that are being snatched up as quickly as they become vacant. Tenants are desperate and clamoring for new locations to keep up with the strong residential growth (24,000+ new residents in the city limits in 2024 and 46,000 in the CSA), making charlotte the 14th largest city in the country, and 19th-largest CSA in terms of overall population. This factor combined with unemployment hovering in the low 4 percent range, plus household income growth has called for desperate measures to ID new space or weakness in the market. We as local experts have seen a slight uptick, over the past 12 months, in some “shadow inventory.” This occurring when an existing retailer or restaurant might be struggling with sales, or in partial default, and the landlord has the opportunity …
CLERMONT, FLA. — GBT Realty Corp. has broken ground on Hammock Ridge Commons, a 30,500-square-foot shopping center located in Clermont, approximately 25 miles east of Orlando. An entity doing business as Shoppes at Hammock Ridge Crossing LLC sold the original 3.7-acre land parcel to the Brentwood, Tenn.-based developer for $2.5 million. A 23,273-square-foot Sprouts Farmers Market will anchor Hammock Ridge Commons, which will be the first store in Lake County for the Arizona-based specialty grocer. Additional tenants will include a dentist and nail salon, and roughly 1,700 square feet of inline space is still available for lease at the center. The general contractor, J. Raymond Construction Corp., plans to deliver Hammock Ridge Commons in spring 2026.
LOUISVILLE, KY. — The Boulder Group has arranged the $3.7 million sale of a single-tenant retail property located at 3600 Bardstown Road in Louisville. Chase Bank occupies the 3,176-square-foot property on a triple-net lease, which has more than 11 years remaining on the term and two five-year renewal options with built-in 10 percent rental escalations. Randy Blankstein and Jimmy Goodman of The Boulder Group represented the buyer, a Midwest-based institution, and the seller, a private family from the Midwest, in the transaction. Both parties requested anonymity. The Chase Bank property serves as an outparcel to a Lowe’s Home Improvement store and is situated within one mile of I-264.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — SRS Real Estate Partners has brokered the nearly $3 million sale of a restaurant property located at 301 Massachusetts Ave. in Washington, D.C.’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Pupatella Neapolitan Pizza has occupied the 4,154-square-foot restaurant since fall 2024 on a triple-net lease. Rick Fernandez and Andrew Fallon of SRS represented the seller, a private owner based in New York City, in the transaction. The buyer was a local private investor. Both parties requested anonymity. Sandy Spring Bank provided an undisclosed amount of acquisition financing to the buyer. The restaurant was recently renovated and features 1,500 square feet of outdoor patio space.
COLUMBUS, IND. — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the $4.6 million sale of Holiday Center, a 26-unit retail center in Columbus, about 45 miles south of Indianapolis. The fully leased property totals 59,117 square feet across four buildings. Forest Bender and Joseph DiSalvo of Marcus & Millichap represented the Indiana-based seller. The new ownership plans to enhance income through strategic leasing and explore potential outlot development, according to Bender.
NEW YORK CITY — NYC Elite Gymnastics Inc. has signed a 20-year, 20,908-square-foot retail lease renewal in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood. The company’s facility at 40 Worth St. encompasses 10,987 square feet of ground-level space, 2,761 square feet of lower-level mezzanine space and 7,160 square feet of space on the lower level. Roy Lapidus of GFP Real Estate represented both the tenant and the landlord, an entity doing business as 40 Worth Street Associates LLC, in the lease negotiations.
ROCHESTER HILLS AND LAKE ORION, MICH. — NAI Farbman has completed the lease-up of a 24,379-square-foot office building at 251 Diversion St. in Rochester Hills. Additionally, the brokerage firm has secured eight new retail leases or renewals at the 50,755-square-foot Orion Marketplace shopping center in Lake Orion. Brandon Ben-Ezra and Gavin Mills of NAI Farbman secured three leases to reach full occupancy at the four-story office building. Signed tenants include Rochester Robotic Therapy, Carnaghi Structural Consulting and Amy Elizabeth Designs. Signed tenants at the shopping center include Soul of India, SSWEET Bakery, D1 Training, Black Cat Beanery, Tropical Smoothie Café, Games 4 Life, Parlor Donuts and New Wave Church. The leases bring the property from 50 percent occupancy to 94 percent leased.
SOCASTEE, S.C. — Marcus & Millichap has negotiated the $7.4 million sale of Braves Village Shopping Center, a 60,914-square-foot retail center located in the Myrtle Beach suburb of Socastee. Food Lion anchors the center, which was built in 1985. Additional tenants include Rent-A-Center, Metro by T-Mobile and Any Lab Test Now. Lori Schneider and David Gant of Marcus & Millichap represented the undisclosed seller and procured the buyer, Brentwood Realty, in the transaction. Benjamin Yelm served as Marcus & Millichap’s broker of record in South Carolina for the deal.
MIAMI — Indianapolis-based mall giant Simon Property Group has acquired the remaining interest of the retail and parking component at Brickell City Centre, a 5.4 million-square-foot mixed-use development in downtown Miami. Swire Properties Inc. sold the majority 75 percent stake in the property’s 500,000-square-foot retail portion for $512 million, according to several media outlets. Simon had previously owned a 25 percent, non-managing interest in The Shops at Brickell City Centre. Following the transaction, Simon is now the sole owner and manager of the property’s retail and entertainment component. Completed in 2016, The Shops at Brickell City Centre comprises four four-story buildings across three city blocks. Anchored by SAKS Fifth Avenue, additional retail tenants at the center include Apple, Chanel Fragrance & Beauty Boutique, Coach, lululemon, Sephora, Zara and Nike. The property also features a multi-level food hall and entertainment venues including CMX and PuttShack.