EXTON, PA. — JLL has negotiated the sale of a 55,000-square-foot retail property leased to Whole Foods Market in Exton, about 50 miles west of Philadelphia. The freestanding building is located at the entrance of the Exton Square Mall near two major thoroughfares, State Route 100 and U.S. Route 30. Austin-based Whole Foods signed a 20-year lease at the property and opened its doors in January 2018. The grocery store also includes a 4,000-square-foot rooftop deck with fire pits for dining. Jim Galbally, Bill Moylan and Colin Behr of JLL handled the transaction on behalf of the seller, Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT). A New York-based investment firm purchased the asset for an undisclosed price.
Retail
WESTBROOK, MAINE — Cinemark Holdings Inc., a publicly traded owner-operator of movie theaters, will open a 12-screen venue within the Rock Row mixed-use development in Westbrook, Maine, a western suburb of Portland. The theater, which will be built from the ground up, is scheduled to open in spring 2021. All auditoriums will feature oversized recliners with footrests and cup holders, as well as wall-to-wall screens and enhanced sound systems. Rock Row, a 100-acre development by Waterstone Properties Group, features more than 1 million square feet of commercial and residential space, as well as a beer and food hall, grocery store, medical and wellness campus and an 8,200-seat concert venue. A general contractor for the project has not yet been selected.
HUNTSVILLE, ALA. — A joint venture between MGold Properties and Mishorim Real Estate Investments has sold University Place, a 169,585-square-foot retail center in Huntsville, for $27 million. University Place was fully leased at the time of the sale to tenants including Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Armed Forces Career Center, Zaxby’s, Panda Express, Red Wing Shoes, Republic Finance, T-Mobile and Subway. The property sits on 17.2 acres at 6125 University Drive along U.S. Highway 72, about six miles west of downtown Huntsville. Kyle Stonis and Pierce Mayson of SRS’ Investment Properties Group represented the seller in the transaction. The buyer, Colterra Capital Corp., was self-represented.
GLEN BURNIE, MD. — Continental Realty Corp. has acquired Governors Commons, a 129,242-square-foot shopping center in Glen Burnie, for $16.2 million. Governors Commons was fully leased at the time of sale to tenants including Gavigan’s Furniture, Pep Boys, Sake Japanese Steakhouse, Goodwill Industries and Dollar Tree. The property is located at 7311 Ritchie Highway, nine miles south of downtown Baltimore. Mathew Adler, Geoffrey Millerd and Chris Huesgen of Newmark Knight Frank (NKF) arranged the transaction. The seller was not disclosed. Joe Donato of NKF arranged acquisition financing.
BLUFFTON, S.C. — Boca Raton, Fla.-based Halvorsen Holdings is planning to develop May River Crossing, a 70,200-square-foot, Publix-anchored shopping center in Bluffton, 16 miles north of downtown Savannah and 16 miles west of Hilton Head Island. May River Crossing will be situated on 15 acres on the northeast corner of Okatie Highway and May River Road. Publix will occupy 48,000 square feet and will feature a drive-thru pharmacy. There is 21,845 square feet of available space. May River Crossing’s committed tenants include a nail salon, national hair salon and a national cellphone provider. A timeline for construction was not disclosed.
PHILADELPHIA — Agree Realty Corp., a Michigan-based publicly traded REIT, has acquired the 11,500-square-foot flagship store of Wawa’s, a chain of gas stations and convenience stores serving the East Coast, for approximately $15 million. The store is situated within the 13-story Public Ledger Building, located adjacent to Independence Hall in the Center City area of Philadelphia. The store is the largest of the Wawa’s chain and includes a bakery, merchandise and an expanded selection of the company’s reserve coffee products. The seller was not disclosed.
CORONA, CALIF. — Progressive Real Estate Partners has arranged the sale of Corona Freeway Center in Corona. An Orange County, Calif.-based private investor sold the property to Orange County-based PRES Cos. for $11 million. The 67,690-square-foot retail center was built in 1991 and was recently renovated, including a new roof, new HVAC, updated landscaping, painting, major renovations to the parking lot, and the addition of a 60-foot high digital freeway pylon sign and a 400-square-foot digital screen. Tenants include Express Scripts, Jenson USA Bicycles and LA Carpet & Flooring. Frank Vora of Progressive Real Estate Partners represented the seller, while Greg Ozimec of Industrial Brokers represented the buyer in the deal.
NEW YORK CITY — Shakespeare & Co., a chain of bookstores that was founded in 1983, will open its first store in Lower Manhattan when it assumes occupancy of a 2,300-square-foot space at 230 Vesey St. in January 2020. The store, which will be located within the 14-acre Brookfield Place complex on the Hudson River, will include a children’s book section and café. In addition, the store will host monthly book club events in its communal area.
CHICAGO — Brown Bag Seafood Co. will open its newest location in Willis Tower. The fast-casual seafood concept will be located in Catalog, the 300,000-square-foot dining and retail area at the base of the office tower. Catalog is currently under construction. Willis Tower is undergoing a $500 million renovation project, the biggest transformation in the building’s 46-year history. The first phase is expected to be open to the public in late 2019. Brown Bag Seafood Co. joins Convene, Urbanspace, Shake Shack, Sweetgreen, Starbucks and Market Creations. The Willis Tower location will be Brown Bag’s sixth restaurant. Willis Tower, formerly Sears Tower, is a 110-story skyscraper and is the tallest building in Chicago.
Milwaukee, a city known for beer, motorcycles and baseball, is currently in a position of shifting from what was once perceived as the normal retail marketplace into the new age of retail. This type of retail is ever-changing and has a deeper focus on experiential activities and artisanal food. These two words, “experiential” and “artisanal,” are frequently being used to describe where the retail landscape is heading. Online competitors, as well as changing consumer preferences, are driving out the traditional department store models and forcing retailers to adapt to this way of life or suffer struggling sales and inevitable store closures. Adaptive reuse The story of traditional retail being dead due to online retailers’ entrances into different market segments continues to invade publications throughout the country. While there may be some truth to that for certain retailers such as Toys ‘R’ Us, Babies ‘R’ Us, Shopko, Bon-Ton and Payless ShoeSource, an argument can be made that it was also their inability to adapt in the marketplace that led to their demise. These store closures affected numerous markets throughout the country and Milwaukee was no different in seeing several of these retailers close multiple locations across the metro area, leaving landlords …