CORONA, CALIF. — Passco Cos. has acquired Temescal Village, a 102,976-square-foot neighborhood shopping center in Corona, for $16.9 million. The Corona market has a retail vacancy rate of 4.4 percent, limiting opportunities for expansion in the area, and making retail space in demand, according to Todd Siegel, vice president of retail acquisitions at Passco. The center is current 93.5 percent leased to 19 tenants, including CVS/pharmacy, Citibank, Carl’s Jr., Wells Fargo, The UPS Store and Metro PCS. Passco plans to modernize the property through strategic renovations and capital improvements. Additions include redesigned landscaping and updating the facade of the center. Dixie Walker and Charley Simpson of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller, a private investor, in the sales transaction. Architecture Design Collaborative will design renovations for the center. Chris Black of KeyBank Real Estate Capital’s commercial mortgage group arranged acquisition financing for Passco through Fannie Mae.
Retail
WARRENDALE, PA. — Teen apparel retailer Rue21 filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday, May 15 with plans to reorganize and restructure its assets and debts. In April, the company began to close approximately 400 underperforming stores of the 1,179 stores that it operates. The company stated Monday that it may evaluate further store closures as it continues to manage its real estate lease portfolio. The company expects to emerge from Chapter 11 in fall 2017 with a significantly deleveraged balance sheet. The company has obtained $125 million in debtor-in-possession financing, enabling it to continue day-to-day operations, including payment of employee wages, payment of vendors and honoring customer programs, such as gift cards. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is Rue21’s legal advisor, Rothschild Inc., as its investment banker and financial advisor and Berkeley Research Group as its restructuring advisor.
TERRE HAUTE, IND. — Yale Realty Services Corp. has acquired the Sycamore Terrace shopping center in Terre Haute, 77 miles southwest of Indianapolis. The purchase price was not disclosed. The 47,663-square-foot retail center is located at the intersection of I-70 and U.S. 41 and is shadow-anchored by a Walmart Supercenter. Other tenants include Dollar Tree, Pet Supplies Plus, Rent A Center, Maurices, Monical’s Pizza, GameStop, GNC and Fantastic Sams. Sycamore Terrace is the company’s first acquisition in the state of Indiana as it continues to focus on acquiring shopping centers anchored by Walmart Supercenters in growing secondary and tertiary markets. Based in Westchester County, N.Y., the firm owns and operates a portfolio of high-yield retail properties in the eastern United States.
PORTAGE, MICH. — Watson’s has signed a 25,000-square-foot retail lease for its first location in the Kalamazoo area. The national home living retailer will occupy the space at 6695 S. Westnedge Ave. in Portage, just south of Kalamazoo. Renovations to the former ABC Warehouse space are nearing completion, as Watson’s expects to open on May 27. The store will feature one of the largest displays of indoor and outdoor furniture, home recreation, pools and hot tubs in the area. Kara Schroer of NAI Wisinski of West Michigan brokered the lease transaction.
FORT LEE, N.J. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $4.5 million sale of 201 Main St., a 9,500-square-foot retail property located Fort Lee. Greg Babaian, Michael Lombardi and Steven Schiavello of Marcus & Millichap’s New Jersey office marketed the property on behalf of the seller, a private investor. The team also secured and represented the buyer, another private investor.
NEW YORK CITY — Eastern Consolidated has arranged a lease for Viand Cafe at 517 Columbus Ave. in Manhattan. The restaurant has operated a location in the Hotel Beacon at 2130 Broadway for more than 15 years. The restaurant is taking a 1,856-square-foot space at the corner of 85th Street and Columbus Avenue previously occupied by Jackson Hole restaurant, which closed last year. Eastern Consolidated’s Ben Biberaj and Harris Bulow represented Viand Café in negotiating a 15-year lease for the retail space, which includes 70 feet of frontage and a 490-square-foot basement. Rafe Evans and Eric Fisher of Walker Malloy & Co. represented the landlord, Shared Equities LLC.
MOBILE, ALA. — Hutton Co. has sold McGowin Park, an approximately 375,000-square-foot, open-air shopping center located at 3075 Government Blvd. in Mobile. Cole Credit Property Trust IV Inc. purchased the asset for $77.8 million. Completed in 2016, McGowin Park’s tenant roster includes Dick’s Sporting Goods, Field & Stream, HomeGoods, Ross Dress for Less, Hobby Lobby, Best Buy, Old Navy, Petco, Ashley Furniture HomeStore and Dollar Tree. The center is shadow-anchored by Costco and Regal Cinemas and features additional development opportunities with three outparcel pads and two restaurant pads. Richard Reid and Jim Hamilton of HFF represented Hutton Co. in the transaction. Kevin MacKenzie and Mark Sixour of HFF arranged a $42.8 million, seven-year, fixed-rate acquisition loan through a life insurance company on behalf of Cole Credit Property Trust IV.
Kite Selects Hendrick Construction to Expand Target-Anchored Shopping Center in Metro Raleigh
by John Nelson
HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. — Kite Realty Group Trust has selected Hendrick Construction to expand Holly Springs Towne Center, a Target-anchored shopping center located at the intersection of N.C. 55 and New Hill Road in the Raleigh suburb of Holly Springs. The Charlotte-based general contractor will expand the retail center by 22,250 square feet to make way for retailers such as 02 Fitness. Existing tenants at Holly Springs Towne Center include Marshalls, Pier 1, Ulta Beauty, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Petco, Michaels, Bed Bath & Beyond, DSW and a nine-screen AMC Theatres location. Hendrick Construction expects the additional space to be ready for interior buildout this summer.
SINGER ISLAND, FLA. — SVN | South Commercial Real Estate Advisors has brokered the $7.6 million sale of Ocean Mall, an approximately 67,000-square-foot retail center located at 2401 N. Ocean Drive on Singer Island in South Florida’s Palm Beach County. Built in 2010, the center was 53 percent leased at the time of sale. The buyer is Boca Raton, Fla.-based Rosehill Group, a joint platform between Duncan Hillsley Capital and PEBB Capital. Mark King of SVN | South Commercial Real Estate Advisors represented the seller, New York-based Garrison Investment Group.
The news is rife with stories regarding retail bankruptcies, store closures, challenges facing conventional shopping centers, and consolidations by department and specialty stores. Although not immune to some of these challenges, the Manhattan retail environment has enjoyed much activity during the second half of 2016 and the first part of 2017. To be sure, some submarkets and certain retail corridors have seen an increase in vacancies and a corresponding fall in asking rents. However, a number of new retailers have entered the market and certain strong retail brands have right-sized or repositioned themselves in the market. One high-profile shopping center opened its doors, and there is considerable retail development underway. It’s a big story but here are some highlights. Lower Manhattan There has been considerable focus on Lower Manhattan in the past several years, and this continues. On the grand scale, the opening in August 2016 of Westfield’s World Trade Center was the culmination of years in planning, constructing and leasing this $1.4 billion development. This multi-level project contains an assortment of national and international tenants, including fast fashion and better retail stores, such as Victoria’s Secret, Sephora, H&M, John Varvatos and London Jewelers. A 60,000-square-foot Eataly is the principal …