PHILADELPHIA — Urban Outfitters (NASDAQ: URBN) reported an 8.4 percent sales decrease for the two months that ended on Dec. 31, 2020 compared with the same period a year earlier. The Philadelphia-based apparel retailer said that lower sales within its brick-and-mortar stores were partially offset by double-digit sales growth across the digital platforms of its family of brands, which includes Free People and Anthropologie Group. For the fiscal year 2020, the company’s net sales declined by 14.3 percent year-over-year, although the retailer did open 18 new stores over the last 12 months. In addition, Urban Outfitters has announced that current CEO Trish Donnelly will be stepping down on Jan. 31, 2021 after a seven-year stint with the company and will be replaced by Sheila Harrington. Urban Outfitters’ stock price opened at $27.90 per share on Wednesday, Jan. 13, up from $26.47 per share a year ago.
LYNCHBURG, VA. — Liberty University will redevelop the west end of River Ridge, a regional mall in Lynchburg that the university owns. The enclosed shopping mall is located less than one mile from campus. The university will demolish the Macy’s building in the first quarter of this year and plans to turn the area into an open-air shopping center with a food hall. The renovated shopping area will feature higher store elevations and urban-esque storefront designs, as well as an outdoor venue for family-themed community events. Liberty University plans to deliver the food hall in late 2021 and the rest of the project in 2022. JLL manages the mall on behalf of the owner.
WINTER GARDEN, FLA. — Tiktin Real Estate Investment Services (TREIS) has negotiated the $4.9 million sale of a 4,794-square-foot building leased to 7-Eleven in Winter Garden. The freestanding building is located at 4200 Winter Garden Vineland Road, 16 miles west of downtown Orlando. A Mobil gas station on the property was not included in the sale. Stablewood Properties acquired the property from an entity doing business as 600 East LLC. Adam Tiktin, Alejandro Snyder and Michael Williams of TREIS represented both the seller and buyer in the transaction.
MCALLEN, TEXAS — Coldwell Banker Commercial has brokered the sale of Main Place Shopping Center, a 172,000-square-foot retail power center located in the Rio Grande Valley city of McAllen. Main Place Indoor Market anchors the property, which was built on 20 acres in 1988. Daniel Galvan and Julissa Trevino of Coldwell Banker represented the buyer, locally based firm Big Sky Real Estate Investments LLC, in the transaction. The center was 84 percent leased at the time of sale.
DARTMOUTH, MASS. — German discount grocer Aldi will open a 21,000-square-foot store at Dartmouth Mall in southeastern Massachusetts in the fourth quarter. Aldi will backfill a space previously occupied by Sears and will join Burlington, Old Navy, H&M and Five Below as some of the largest tenants at the property. Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT) owns Dartmouth Mall.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — YAM Properties has purchased Pima Crossing, a retail destination at the northwest corner of Shea Boulevard and Pima Road in Scottsdale. An entity formed by Los Angeles-based Karlin Real Estate sold the asset for $51.5 million. Originally developed in 1993, Pima Crossing features 238,275 square feet of retail space. A national golf retailer anchors the property along with several other national and regional tenants. Michael Hackett and Ryan Schubert of Cushman & Wakefield Phoenix represented the seller in the deal.
Regency Centers Sells South Bay Village Shopping Center Near Los Angeles to Charing Cross for $39.7M
TORRANCE, CALIF. — Regency Centers has completed the disposition of South Bay Village, a shopping center located at 19330 Hawthorne Blvd. in Torrance. Charing Cross acquired the property for $39.7 million. Built in 1971 and renovated in 2012, South Bay Village features 107,539 square feet of retail space. Current tenants include Home Goods, Walmart Neighborhood Market, Orchard Supply Hardware, Marshalls and El Pollo Loco. Bill Bauman and Kyle Miller of Newmark, along with Luke Palmo of Westmac Commercial Brokerage Co., represented the seller and buyer in the transaction.
By Kristin Hiller and Taylor Williams Retail and restaurant reopenings this fall gave a modest boost to the New York City retail market in the third quarter. But even with the easing of some operational restrictions, business activity remains diminished in a city known for its hustle and bustle. Both retail tenants and landlords have had to regroup and quickly adapt to the curveballs thrown at them by COVID-19 over the past nine months. While retail and restaurant users in some areas are finding more success than others, the market as a whole has been characterized by falling rents and a pronounced shift to delivering goods, services and experiences through different channels. In order to get a better handle on current market conditions and the outlook for 2021, Northeast Real Estate Business spoke with retail real estate experts in New York City, Northern New Jersey and surrounding markets. Submarket Fortunes Vary Without question, the city’s retail market is still suffering from a lack of office workers and a reduced tourist population as a result of COVID-19. According to recent data from CBRE, through September, the average office re-occupancy rate in Manhattan was 11 percent, meaning that roughly 89 percent of …
By Morris Ellison, Womble Bond Dickinson E-commerce was here to stay even before the pandemic devastated small businesses and placed an even greater premium on technology. In the changed landscape, lowering occupancy costs by reducing property taxes is one of the most important steps businesses can take to remain competitive. Stay-at-home orders still prevent many shoppers from visiting their favorite brick-and-mortar stores, while fear of contagion exacerbates consumers’ reluctance to shop in person. Regardless of customer traffic, however, retailers still incur fixed costs including insurance, enterprise software, property taxes and, arguably, rent. Online-only retailers’ occupancy costs are much lower, making it difficult for small brick-and-mortar businesses to compete. Put differently, sales taxes decline with reduced sales but property taxes do not. Landlords and tenants in triple net leases often fail to examine property taxes, but the survival of both may depend on reducing this cost. Other costs such as insurance and the enterprise software needed to run the business generally lie beyond a small business’ control and do not diminish with reduced business volume. The active 2020 hurricane season certainly has not reduced insurance costs. During the pandemic, some landlords have deferred or forgiven rent, but this forbearance provides no …
TORONTO — Slate Grocery REIT has entered into an agreement to acquire five grocery-anchored shopping centers in North Carolina, Florida and Georgia for $54.3 million. The five assets comprise 396,471 square feet and were 95 percent leased at the time of sale. The three North Carolina properties are Bells Fork, a 71,666-square-foot center in Greenville anchored by Harris Teeter; Tanglewood Commons, a 78,520-square-foot property in Winston-Salem anchored by Harris Teeter; and Westin Center, a 66,890-square-foot, Food Lion-anchored asset in Fayetteville. The Florida property is Mission Hills, an 85,078-square-foot property in Naples anchored by Winn-Dixie. The fifth property is Parkway Station, a 94,317-square-foot, Kroger-anchored retail center in Atlanta. The sale is expected to close in the first quarter of this year. The seller(s) was not disclosed.