PHILADELPHIA — JLL has negotiated the sale of Columbus Crossing, a 140,418-square-foot retail center located along Christopher Columbus Boulevard in southeastern Philadelphia. The open-air, riverfront property was fully leased at the time of sale to tenants such as T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods, Ulta Beauty, Planet Fitness, Chipotle Mexican Grill and AT&T. In addition, a Walmart and Home Depot shadow-anchor the center. Chris Munley, Jim Galbally and Colin Behr of JLL represented the undisclosed seller in the transaction. The trio also procured the buyer, Paramount Realty Services.
Retail
TUSCALOOSA, ALA. — SRS Real Estate Partners has arranged the $10.3 million sale of a Walmart Neighborhood Market-occupied building in Tuscaloosa. The 41,921-square-foot building is located at 4201 Hargrove Road E., seven miles east of downtown Tuscaloosa. Built in 2015, the property is situated on 7.2 acres and includes a gas station with 12 fuel pumps. Dan Elliot and Sean Lutz of SRS represented the seller, an Illinois-based private investor, in the transaction. The buyer was a Miami-based company completing a 1031 tax exchange, trading out of a retail property in Hawaii.
TERRE HAUTE, IND. — Thompson Thrift Retail Group (TTRG) has sold a multi-tenant retail building in Terre Haute for $2.2 million. Birmingham, Ala.-based Sanders Capital Partners purchased the asset. Known as Honey Creek Pointe, the 7,871-square-foot building is fully leased to Five Guys, ATI Physical Therapy, Royal Nails and Sports Clips. TTRG completed development of the property in 2016. Carly Gallagher Kelly and Rick Drogosz of Mid-America Real Estate represented TTRG in the sale.
JACKSONVILLE, FLA. — CTO Realty Growth has sold its ground lease of a Wawa convenience store in Jacksonville for $7.1 million, or a 4.9 percent cap rate. Wawa has 17 years remaining on the lease. The Dayton Beach, Fla.-based seller expects to use the proceeds to complete a future 1031 exchange. The buyer was not disclosed.
Coldwell Banker Negotiates $14.4M Sale of Mixed-Use Development Site in Temple City, California
by Amy Works
TEMPLE CITY, CALIF. — Coldwell Banker Commercial has arranged the sale of a development site located at 5570 Rosemead Blvd. in Temple City. An undisclosed buyer acquired the site for $14.4 million. The buyer plans to redevelop the 1.4-acre land parcel into a mixed-use community with 73 residential units and 15,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. The four-story building will offer units ranging from 732 square feet to 1,251 square feet, with three live-work units and lofts on the top floors. A 12,000-square-foot building, which was formerly used as the Learning Center, currently occupies the site. Steve Hayashi of Coldwell Banker Commercial George Realty represented the undisclosed seller in the deal.
Clothing Store Giant Ascena Retail Group Files for Bankruptcy, Plans to Close ‘Significant’ Number of Stores
by Alex Tostado
MAHWAH, N.J. — Ascena Retail Group (NASDAQ: ASNA), the parent company of clothing brands Ann Taylor, Justice, Loft, Lane Bryant, Catherines and Lou & Grey, has filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The Mahwah-based company has reopened 95 percent of its stores since the COVID-19 outbreak, though Ascena cited the pandemic as “severely” disrupting the company’s financial foundation. The exact number of permanent store closings was not disclosed, but the company said it will close a “significant” number of Justice stores, as well as a select number of Ann Taylor, Loft, Lane Bryant and Lou & Grey stores. Additionally, the company will permanently close all stores across all brands in Puerto Rico, Mexico and Canada. “The meaningful progress we have made driving sustainable growth, improving our operating margins and strengthening our financial foundation has been severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Carrie Teffner, interim executive chair of Ascena. “As a result, we took a strategic step forward today to protect the future of the business for all of our stakeholders.” Ascena also announced it will close all Catherines stores and has entered into an agreement with City Chic …
First Inning: South Florida Retail Market Resets as COVID-19 Throws a Curveball, Says SCB Webinar
by John Nelson
The outbreak of COVID-19 has had an outsized impact on South Florida. According to Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the region’s three primary counties rank in the top 20 of confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday, July 22. At 92,345 cases, Miami-Dade County is No. 4 on the list. Broward County comes in at No. 9 with 43,747 cases, and Palm Beach County is No. 20 with 27,506 cases. The surge in cases has had a pronounced effect on the area’s retailers as citizens have resumed their caution in public settings for fear of contracting the virus. “There is a tremendous amount of distress across South Florida’s economy, and especially in retail,” said Philip Rosen, shareholder and real estate chair of law firm Becker. Rosen’s comments came during South Florida Retail Outlook, a webinar hosted by Shopping Center Business that discussed the impact of COVID-19 on South Florida’s retail sector. Rosen moderated the panel discussion, which had 337 registrants. The pandemic’s effect is not all negative as grocers, drugstores and hardware stores have enjoyed increased sales activity amid the crisis. However, the bulk of retail categories are suffering from extended closures and operating at limited capacities. Restaurants in particular …
Rents Begin to Bounce Back for Retail Sector in Upstate South Carolina as Vacancy Ticks Up, NAI Earle Furman Finds
by Alex Tostado
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Asking rents for the retail market in Upstate South Carolina are beginning to bounce back from the COVID-19 hit the sector took in the first quarter, NAI Earle Furman research has found. The Greenville-based brokerage firm reports that second-quarter rents were up nearly 10 cents to just shy of $10.90 across the region and $1.10 higher in the Greenville central business district (CBD) and West End. For the region, asking rates were around $11 per square foot at year-end 2019, showing the market still has some recovering to do, though. Additionally, the vacancy rate has climbed to nearly 5 percent in the second quarter, up from 4.5 percent the previous quarter and just over 4 percent at the end of 2019. Vacancy in the Greenville CBD was relatively flat, coming in at 5.3 percent in the second quarter, compared with 5 percent in the first quarter. Absorption fell slightly in Upstate, too, from 8,000 square feet to 1,000 square feet of positive absorption.
Hankey Investment, Jamison Properties Top Out $300M Kurve on Wilshire Residential Tower in Los Angeles
by Amy Works
LOS ANGELES — Hankey Investment Co. and Jamison Properties have completed vertical construction of Kurve on Wilshire, a 23-story residential tower located at 2900 Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles’ Koreatown neighborhood. Scheduled to open in spring 2021, Kurve on Wilshire will feature 644 apartments atop a six-story podium housing the building’s 1,100-vehicle parking garage, as well as a one-acre park and amenity deck. Apartments will range from studios to two-story, three-bedroom penthouses with a private sky yard and spa. Rents are expected to start around $2,200 per month. Common-area amenities will include a fitness center, clubhouse, pool, spa, business center, private open-air dining areas, barbecues, fire pits, dog park, Zen garden and viewing deck of the downtown Los Angeles skyline. The $300 million development will also feature 15,000 square feet of street-level retail space catering to residents, locals and Koreatown visitors. The project team includes Large Architecture, Dianna Wong Architecture + Interior Design, and AECOM and Wilshire Construction as a joint venture construction team.
CHASKA, MINN. — Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors has arranged the $3 million sale of a 23,201-square-foot property occupied by Aldi in Chaska, a southwest suburb of Minneapolis. The single-tenant building is located at 110 Hazeltine Blvd., adjacent to the Hazeltine National Golf Club. Jeff Lefko and Bill Asher of Hanley represented the seller and developer, TOLD Development Co. A Santa Barbara, Calif.-based private investor purchased the asset.