CINCINNATI AND BOISE, IDAHO — A judge in the Oregon federal court has blocked Kroger Co.’s $24.6 billion acquisition of Albertsons Cos. U.S. District Judge Adrienne Nelson agreed with the Federal Trade Commission’s argument that Kroger would become the dominant player in traditional supermarkets if the deal passed, and rejected the companies’ counterargument that selling 579 stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers would replace the lost competition. In a press release issued today, Albertsons announced that it has exercised its right to terminate its merger agreement with Kroger. Additionally, Albertsons has filed a lawsuit against Kroger in the Delaware Court of Chancery. Albertsons states that Kroger refused to offer an adequate divesture package and repeatedly ignored regulators’ concerns, causing the merger to be blocked. Boise-based Albertsons operates 2,267 retail food and drug stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia under more than 20 banners such as Safeway, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Acme and Tom Thumb. Cincinnati-based Kroger operates nearly 2,800 stores in 35 states under two dozen banners such as Mariano’s, Harris Teeter and Pick ‘n Save.
TROY, MICH. — Continental Realty Corp. (CRC) has sold Oakland Plaza, a nearly 167,000-square-foot shopping center in Troy, for $25.6 million. Atlanta-based RCG Ventures LLC was the buyer. CRC acquired the asset as part of a two-property portfolio in 2021, signaling its entry into the Michigan real estate market and its first acquisition on behalf of Continental Realty Opportunistic Retail Fund I LP. Ben Wineman, Daniel Stern and Patrick Corrigan of Mid-America Real Estate Corp. represented CRC in the disposition. During its hold period, CRC improved occupancy of the center from 71 percent to 97 percent. New leases with DSW, Kids Empire, Rally House, Paris Banh Mi, Mochinut and Witch Topokki total 53,000 square feet. CRC also repainted the entire center, resurfaced columns, repaved the surface parking lot and replaced common area light fixtures. Completed in 1979 and renovated by the previous ownership group in 1994 and 2014, Oakland Plaza consists of two buildings anchored by TJ Maxx, Michaels and Planet Fitness. The asset is across the street from the 1.5 million-square-foot Oakland Mall.
JOHNS CREEK, GA. — Six new tenants have signed leases at Medley, a 43-acre mixed-use property currently underway in the north Atlanta suburb of Johns Creek. Locally based Toro Development Co. is the master developer of the project and plans to break ground in January. The newly signed tenants include Sephora, Rena’s Italian Fishery & Grill, High Country Outfitters, BODYROK, Petfolk and an undisclosed grocer. Previously announced tenants for the development, which is now roughly 75 percent leased, include Ford Fry’s Little Rey, CRÚ Food & Wine Bar, Fadó Irish Pub, Summit Coffee, Lily Sushi Bar, Knuckies Hoagies, Cookie Fix, Sugarcoat Beauty, BODY20, AYA Medical Spa, 26 Thai Kitchen and Bar, Five Daughters Bakery, Drybar Shops, Minnie Olivia, Burdlife, AMorino, Pause Studio, Fogón and Lions and Clean Your Dirty Face. Medley is currently about 75 percent leased. Upon completion in late 2026, Medley will comprise 150,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space; a 175-room boutique hotel; 110,000 square feet of office space; 750 multifamily residences and 133 townhomes; and a 25,000-square-foot plaza. Toro also recently announced that it obtained construction financing for the project, including an undisclosed amount of equity from Ascentris, as well as a $158 million loan …
ROCK HILL, S.C. — Madison Commercial, an affiliate of Madison Capital Group, has completed and sold Phase II of its retail property in Rock Hill, a South Carolina suburb of Charlotte. The 9,543-square-foot building is fully leased to national tenants including Deca Dental, First Watch, Panda Express and Tropical Smoothie Café. Atlantic Retail brokered the sale. The buyer and sales price were not disclosed. The project team for Phase II included architect Redline Design and general contractor Doerre Construction. Phase I of the development began with Madison Capital affiliate, Go Store It Self Storage, transforming a big-box retail building on the back lot of the 3.6-acre site into a self-storage facility totaling 850 units. Phase I also included a retail building occupied by Chipotle, Wing Stop and My Eye Lab that previously sold.
CLINTON, MISS. — Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp. (MMCC) has arranged a $3.5 million acquisition loan for Clinton Plaza, a 97,000-square-foot shopping center located at 200 Clinton Blvd. in Clinton, about 12 miles west of Jackson. The tenant roster includes Big Lots, Family Dollar and Beauty Zone. David Johnson of MMCC’s Atlanta office arranged the loan through CRE Bridge Equity on behalf of the undisclosed borrower. The seller and sales price for Clinton Plaza was not disclosed.
NORTH WALES, PA. — CBRE has brokered sale of The Shoppes at English Village, a 103,325-square-foot retail center in North Wales, about 25 miles north of Philadelphia. Trader Joe’s anchors the property, which was 95 percent leased at the time of sale. Other tenants include LensCrafters, Athleta, CycleBar, Hallmark, Chopt and Talbots. Chris Munley, Colin Behr, Ryan Sciullo, Casey Benson Smith, R.J. Mirabile and Michael Pascavis of CBRE represented the seller, MetLife Investment Management, in the transaction. Adam Spengler and Tom Traynor, also with CBRE, arranged acquisition financing on behalf of the buyer, Nuveen Real Estate.
NEW YORK CITY — Fitness operator HAPIK has signed a lease to open a 15,000-square-foot indoor climbing gym in the Sunset Park area of Brooklyn. The gym will be located within Building 6 at the 35-acre Industry City mixed-use development and will feature 50 climbing walls, two rope courses and private event spaces. Chase Welles of TSCG represented the landlord, a partnership between Belvedere Capital, Jamestown and Angelo Gordon & Co., in the lease negotiations. The tenant representative was not disclosed.
By Hayden Spiess Though uncertainty — economic, political and otherwise — has been a theme of 2024, retail real estate markets throughout the Northeast have proven itself reliably strong. Even certain headwinds like high construction costs and minimal quality space to accommodate growth have ultimately helped fuel robust fundamentals throughout the region. Now, brokers, investors and developers in those markets are looking ahead with optimism and faith in persisting tailwinds. Quality Space Shortage Vacant retail space in Northeast markets has been hard to come by this year, and professionals in the region aren’t expecting that to change anytime soon. The equation, they say, is simple. While retailers’ appetite for expansion has remained healthy, new construction and deliveries have been very limited. “Almost nothing has been built in the past 10 years,” says Dan Zelson, principal with Charter Realty. “There’s really just very little new product.” Steve Gillman, partner at The Shopping Center Group (TSCG), notes that while some smaller, single-tenant buildings may still be coming on line, “nobody is building a big strip center with 100,000 square feet.” “There’s that imbalance of supply and demand: demand by the retailer and lack of supply of space,” adds Daniel Taub, senior …
GOODLETTSVILLE, TENN. — Dollar General plans to open approximately 575 new stores in the United States in its fiscal year 2025, which ends Jan. 30, 2026. The Goodlettsville-based discount retailer will also debut 15 new stores in Mexico in that time frame. The new store count is in addition to Dollar General’s expected 730 new store openings in fiscal 2024, which will end on Jan. 31, 2025. Overall, the company expects to execute nearly 5,000 real estate projects in fiscal year 2025, including 4,250 store remodels and relocating 45 stores.
LITTLE ELM, TEXAS — Locally based developer Weber & Co. will build a 225,000-square-foot shopping center in Little Elm, located on the northern outskirts of Dallas. Target will anchor the center, which will be known as Bates Town Crossing in honor of the family that originally owned the site. Davidson Bogel Real Estate brokered the sale of the land on behalf of the Bates family and has been retained as the center’s leasing agent. A construction timeline was not announced, but Target plans to open by summer 2026.