NEW YORK CITY — Sour Patch Kids has opened a 3,300-square-foot flagship store for children at the corner of Bond Street and Broadway near the SoHo shopping district in New York City. IT’SUGAR, a retailer specializing in candy and similar confections and subsidiary of BBX Sweet Holdings LLC, will operate the store. In addition to offering a range of merchandise, the store will also feature entertainment activities for children, including the making of candy mix, posing for photos with Sour Patch Kids characters and enjoying reimagined sweets such as smoothies, cookies and ice cream.
Retail
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. — Discount retailer Stein Mart Inc. (NASDAQ: SMRT) has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida. The motion is an effort to maintain operations, including “the payment of employee wages and benefits without interruption, payment of suppliers and vendors in the normal course of business and the use of cash collateral.” Jacksonville-based Stein Mart expects to close a significant portion, if not all, of its brick-and-mortar stores. The company has launched a store closing and liquidation process but will continue to operate in the near term. Stein Mart says it is evaluating any and all strategic alternatives, including the potential sale of its e-commerce business and related intellectual property. In its fiscal first quarter that ended May 2, Stein Mart reported a net loss of $65.7 million. In addition, a merger agreement with an affiliate of Kingswood Capital Management LP terminated in April due to “uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to Stein Mart’s quarterly report. “The combined effects of a challenging retail environment coupled with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have caused significant financial distress on our business,” says Hunt Hawkins, Stein Mart CEO and …
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Retail imports at major U.S. ports are expected to see their lowest annual totals in four years as the coronavirus continues to affect the economy, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). The NRF forecasts year-end 2020 totals to reach 19.6 million TEUs, which would be a 9.4 percent decrease from 2019 and the lowest number seen since the 19.1 million TEUs of imports in 2016. The NRF and Hackett Associates released their monthly Global Port Tracker report, which found that U.S. ports handled 1.6 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in June, which was up 4.9 percent from May 2020 but down 10.5 percent year-over-year. “The economy is recovering but retailers are being careful not to import more than they can sell,” says Jonathan Gold, NRF vice president for supply chain and customs policy. “Shelves will be stocked, but this is not the year to be left with warehouses full of unsold merchandise. The more Congress does to put spending money in consumers’ pockets and provide businesses with liquidity, the sooner we can get back to normal.”
CENTRALIA, ILL. — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the sale of a 13,650-square-foot property occupied by Walgreens in Centralia, about 60 miles east of St. Louis. The sales price was undisclosed. The building is located at 225 N. Elm St. and features a pharmacy drive-thru window. Walgreens has operated at the property since 2003. Brian Parmacek and Victor Cornelio of Marcus & Millichap marketed the building on behalf of the seller and procured the buyer, One Family Property.
SECAUCUS, N.J. — Burlington will open a store at Mill Creek at Harmon Meadow, a 306,000-square-foot retail power center in the New York City suburb of Secaucus. The center, which houses tenants such as Kohl’s, T.J. Maxx and Bob’s Discount Furniture, is part of the 200-acre Harmon Meadow mixed-use development. Burlington will occupy a space formerly leased to Sports Authority and has not yet established an opening date. Sidney Singer of Levin Management Corp. represented the landlord, New York Life Real Estate Investors, in the lease negotiations.
Gaw Capital USA, DJM Unveil Plans for Ovation Hollywood Mixed-Use Project in Los Angeles
by Amy Works
LOS ANGELES — Gaw Capital USA, a Hong Kong- and Los Angeles-based real estate private equity firm, and DJM, a San Jose- and Los Angeles-based private equity real estate developer, have released plans for transforming the shopping center at Hollywood & Highland into Ovation Hollywood. Upon completion in late 2021, Ovation Hollywood will be a mixed-use project offering 135,000 square feet of retail space, two floors of nearly 100,000 square feet of creative office space, 85,000 square feet of restaurant space, 65,000 square feet of entertainment space and 40,000 square feet of event space. Gensler is providing design and architectural services to update the property’s physical appearance, including a simplified façade and color scheme, new concept for the tower, an easier to navigate layout, updated landscape design, new art pieces and enhanced outdoor space. In addition to physical upgrades, the project team is focusing on refreshing the property’s tenant mix. Renovations are slated to begin later this year, with completion scheduled for late 2021.
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. — During its second-quarter earnings call, Regency Centers Corp. (Nasdaq: REG) reported same-property net operating income of $162.3 million for the three months ending June 30, a 20.1 percent year-over-year decrease. The Jacksonville-based company says all 415 of its shopping centers nationwide have remained open during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 95 percent of its tenants being open as of July 31. Regency Centers collected 72 percent of base rents for the quarter and has agreed to more than 600 lease rent deferrals. The shopping center REIT estimates that 96 percent of deferred rents will be collected by the end of 2021.
HERMOSA BEACH, CALIF. — CBRE has arranged the sale of a former restaurant and retail building located in Hermosa. A Greater Los Angeles-based private investor acquired the asset from a Los Angeles-based family for $4.8 million. Located at 2701 Pacific Coast Highway, the 6,031-square-foot building was originally built in 1963. The single-story property features 44 parking spaces and is zoned for commercial uses. Round Table Pizza recently vacated the property, which it had occupied for 30 years. Dan Riley, Jeff Pion, Simon Mattox and Austin Wolitarsky of CBRE represented the seller in the transaction, while the buyer was self-represented.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — SRS Real Estate Partners has arranged the sale of a single-tenant restaurant property located at 15416 N. Pima Road in Scottsdale. A Texas-based private investor sold the asset to an undisclosed buyer for $3.3 million. Built in 1996, the 3,386-square-foot building features a drive-thru. Wendy’s occupies the property on a corporate-guaranteed, triple-net lease through May 2032. Patrick Luther and Matthew Mousavi of SRS’ National Net Lease Group, along with Chris Stamets and Brian Gausden of Western Retail Advisors, represented the seller in the deal.
TURNER, ORE. — The Silver Group has brokered the sale of a single-tenant retail property located in Turner. Terms of the deal were not released. The asset consists of a newly constructed 9,800-square-foot retail building situated on 1.4 acres of land. Dollar General occupies the property on a long-term, absolute net lease. Barry Silver and Greg Cunha of The Silver Group handled the transaction.