EDEN PRAIRIE, MINN. — Three new restaurants are opening at Eden Prairie Center, a 1.4 million-square-foot shopping mall in the Twin Cities suburb of Eden Prairie. A dual concept Japanese cuisine restaurant, Gyu Mai Japanese BBQ and Ichiddo Ramen, will occupy 7,996 square feet. The space will be divided to operate the two separate concepts. At the Japanese barbecue restaurant, guests will cook meats and vegetables on personal grills installed on the tables. The other portion is a noodle restaurant that serves authentic ramen noodle soups as well as other Japanese specialties in a counter-service environment. Completion is slated for December. Where’s the Flour?, a gluten-free fast-food restaurant, is slated to open this summer in the food court. The tenant, which is relocating from Blaine, Minn., offers an extensive selection of gluten-free breaded and fried comfort foods. Café Viola is opening an Italian coffee kiosk this month. The café will offer barista-made specialties and nitro cold brew made exclusively from beans from Lavazza, a brand that has been roasting and grinding espresso beans in Italy for over 120 years. Café Viola will also serve pastries and ready-to-eat prepared foods. Opened in 1976, Eden Prairie Center is home to more than …
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Northpond Partners has acquired Chadbourn Mill, an adaptive reuse project underway at a 1930s-era textile mill located within Charlotte’s Mill District. Northpond purchased the property from Federal Capital Partners (FCP) for $12.5 million, with plans to develop retail and restaurant space. Renovations will include the addition of two 7,000-square-foot patios and the installation of garage doors on the 18,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space at the property’s main building. Plans also include the addition of a lawn adjacent to the secondary, 2,100-square-foot retail building. The corporate headquarters for software developer Ekos will continue to occupy the second floor of the main building. Southwick Architecture + Interiors will serve as architect, and White Point Partners remains a partner on the development. Construction is expected to be complete in 2024. Stream Realty Partners arranged the sale on behalf of FCP and White Point.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Si Tapas, a concept that offers classical and contemporary Spanish cuisine, will open a 4,275-square-foot restaurant at Crockett Row, a 282,334-square-foot development located in Fort Worth’s Cultural District. The opening is slated for the fall. Dallas-based Younger Partners owns Crockett Row after purchasing the property in August 2022.
PICKERINGTON, OHIO — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the $8.9 million sale of The Shoppes at Stonecreek in Pickerington, an eastern suburb of Columbus. The 44,874-square-foot retail center is located at 1500 Stonecreek Drive. Built in 2008, the property is fully leased to tenants such as LifeTime Fitness, Roosters, Petland and Vitality Bowls. Scott Wiles, Craig Fuller, Erin Patton and Zach Turner of Marcus & Millichap represented the buyer and seller, neither of which were disclosed.
TOLEDO, OHIO — Friedman Real Estate has negotiated the sale of a 2,410-square-foot retail property occupied by Minuteman Car Wash in Toledo for an undisclosed price. The car wash, located at 5020 Monroe St., was built in 1971 and renovated in 2022. Marc Hildenbrand and Jordan Friedman of Friedman represented the buyer and seller, neither of which were disclosed.
DALLAS AND TAMPA, FLA. — SRS Real Estate Partners has expanded its Florida presence with the acquisition of full-service, Tampa-based firm Meridian Retail Group, which provides advisory services to retail, restaurant and entertainment clients. Meridian co-founders John Fahey and Tyler McRae will join SRS as senior vice presidents and market leaders, heading the Tampa office in conjunction with John Artope, executive vice president and managing principal of SRS. Fahey and McRae have 20 and 15 years of experience, respectively. Grant Burt, Caroline Connelly and Jacob Rasnick of Meridian will also join SRS, with a focus on tenant representation and leasing for retail clients.
COLUMBUS AND MAINEVILLE, OHIO — The Dowd Cos. has arranged the sale-leaseback of two Children of America schools in Ohio for $6.9 million. The properties at 8360 N. High St. in Columbus and 8261 Rivers Bend Drive in Mainesville total 21,949 square feet. Children of America is a childcare operator headquartered in Delray Beach, Fla. The company maintains more than 65 locations in 15 states with 13 new schools in development. John Dowd and Theresa Johnson of Dowd Cos. represented Children of America in the sale. The all-cash buyer completed a 1031 exchange. The transaction represented a cap rate of 7 percent.
OKLAHOMA CITY — LSC Development has acquired a 161,190-square-foot retail building formerly occupied by Sears in Oklahoma City with plans to redevelop the property into a mixed-use facility with retail self-storage uses. The site is adjacent to a Walmart Neighborhood Market and across the street from the 31-acre INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center. Michael Brewster, Drew Quinn, Brad Peterson, El Warner and Charley Simpson of Colliers represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction.
HOUSTON — Baker Katz has arranged three retail leases totaling 19,050 square feet for Pet Supplies Plus in metro Houston. The pet care brand will occupy 6,000 square feet in the northern suburb of Conroe beginning in the fourth quarter. Additionally, Pet Supplies Plus will open a 5,550-square-foot store in Cypress and a 7,500-square-foot space in north Katy in the second quarter of 2024. Brett Levinson of Main Street Commercial Partners represented the landlords in the Conroe and Katy deals. Brad Kilbride of Retail Leasing represented the landlord in the Cypress deal.
When comparing this year’s retail investment sales market to last year’s, the main difference is the dramatic increase in the cost of capital. Naturally, this has led to a decrease in transaction activity and a disconnect between buyers and sellers. Over the past year, the Federal Reserve has raised the federal funds rate nine times for a total of 475 basis points to tame inflation. These actions have led to a sharp rise in commercial mortgage rates, which have a significant impact on pricing. The average mortgage rate on loans closed in the fourth quarter of 2022 across all commercial real estate asset classes was 5.3 percent, according to CBRE, up from 3.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2021. Additionally, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC), 2023 represents the largest year in bank failures in terms of total assets since 2008. In March, the FDIC took the reins at two regional banks, Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, after massive bank runs. “Many would-be sellers are on the sidelines due to the downward pressure on pricing, leading to lower transaction velocity,” says Matt Hazelton, senior director with JLL Capital Markets in Minneapolis. “Property values have decreased about …