AURORA, ILL. — JLL Capital Markets has brokered the sale of Prairie Point Shopping Center in Aurora for an undisclosed price. Anchored by Mariano’s Fresh Market, the property spans 91,535 square feet. Other tenants include Pet People, Prairie Point Dental, Buchar Family Chiropractic and Hair Cuttery. Clinton Mitchell, Amy Sands and Michael Nieder of JLL represented the seller, Walton Street Capital. Buyer information was not provided.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. retail sales increased in August as consumer demand outweighed the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions and other factors that affected spending. Even though there was a decrease in car sales due to shipping problems and product shortages, the U.S. Commerce Department reported that the sales for retailers and restaurants increased by 0.7 percent in August. The chief economist for the National Retail Federation (NRF), Jack Kleinhenz, says consumers continued to heavily shop last month despite a “trifecta of macroeconomic headwinds,” including the ending of federal government stimulus, a rise of COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant and supply chain problems. “Higher sales came even with a disjointed back-to-school season that also affected the timing of sales as many school districts returned to in-person learning but some delayed classes until after Labor Day. These results pave the way for sturdy consumer spending and a strong economy in the fourth quarter,” says Kleinhenz. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, overall retail sales in August were up 15.1 percent year-over-year. Even though some months, such as July 2021, have decreased or slowed its retail sales, the Census data shows that sales have overall grown year-over-year …
ALEXANDRIA, VA. — Wegmans Food Markets Inc., a 106-store supermarket chain based in Rochester, N.Y., plans to open a new grocery store within Carlyle Crossing, a 1.7 million-square-foot mixed-use development underway in Alexandria. Located just off Eisenhower Ave. at 150 Stovall St., the store is scheduled to open in spring 2022. The store will employ approximately 450 people, with 150 full-time positions offered. The 81,300-square-foot Wegmans will include a Market Café, a bar and coffee shop, and The Burger Bar, a casual restaurant counter that serves burgers, sandwiches and fries. The site will have two levels of parking below, residential units above and is also located close to the Eisenhower Avenue Metro Station. Wegmans entered Virginia with its Dulles location in 2004. The new Carlyle-Alexandria location will be the company’s 14th store in the Commonwealth. Wegmans also plans to build a $175 million distribution facility on 221 acres in Hanover County, Va., in order to support Wegmans’ Mid-Atlantic stores.
ADDISON, TEXAS — General contractor The Beck Group has completed the redevelopment of Prestonwood Place, a 133,353-square-foot shopping center located in the northern Dallas suburb of Addison. Northwood Retail owns the center, which was originally built in 1980 and now houses tenants such as Catapult Health, Mendocino Farms, Biscuit Bar and La La Land Kind Café. The project involved renovation work for 40,000 square feet of façade updates and the conversion of existing retail space into 60,000 square feet of creative office space. The development also transformed a vacant manufacturing shop into a multi-tenant building. Merriman Anderson Architects served as the project architect.
NIAGARA, N.Y. — Boston-based Atlantic Capital Partners has brokered the sale of Wegmans Plaza, a 122,876-square-foot shopping center in the Upstate New York community of Niagara. Regional grocer Wegmans anchors the property, which was 80 percent leased at the time of sale. Justin Smith, Chris Peterson, Shannon Older, Sam Koonce and Molly Lynch of Atlantic Capital Partners represented both unnamed parties in the transaction.
FARMINGTON, N.M. — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the sale of Starbucks Shops at Largo Square, a retail center located at 4337 E. Main St. in Farmington. An unnamed limited liability company sold the asset to an undisclosed buyer. The acquisition price was not released. Austin Snedden, Ryan Bowlby and Drew Isaac of Marcus & Millichap’s Denver office represented the seller in the transaction. Matthew Reeves, also with Marcus & Millichap, served as broker of record. Starbucks Shops at Largo Square feature 9,000 square feet of retail space.
SCHAUMBURG, ILL. — Sears is set to close its last store in the state of Illinois, according to reports by the Daily Herald and Crain’s Chicago Business. The Hoffman Estates-based retailer’s final location is at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg and is scheduled to close on Sunday, Nov. 14. Simon Property Group is the mall owner. The parent company of Sears, Transformco, is pursuing redevelopment plans for the store, according to Crain’s.
VIRGINIA, MINN. — Kraus-Anderson has completed construction of the Iron Trail Motors Event Center at 819 S. 9th Ave. in the northern Minnesota town of Virginia. The $38 million project converted the former Miners Memorial Facility into a regional convention center that will be utilized for concerts, tradeshows, events and meetings. The project for the City of Virginia pays tribute to the city’s mining history by incorporating elements into the exterior such as taconite, iron colors and shale rocks. Designed by DSGW Architects, the 120,000-square-foot facility features two hockey and ice arenas, a 6,400-square-foot ballroom, two meeting rooms with 1,000 square feet of event space and a 320-square-foot board room. The second floor houses offices for the Parks and Recreation Department, community workout spaces and storage space. A grand opening event is scheduled for the week of Sept. 20.
NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. — Chartwell Real Estate Development has purchased Balboa Fun Zone, a mixed-use entertainment development in Newport Beach. Discovery Cube, a Southern California children’s science museum, sold the property for an undisclosed price. The new owners plan to restore the historic landmark and continue to operate the property as the Balboa Fun Zone, one of Southern California’s oldest amusement park dating to the early 1900s. Located at 600 E. Bay Ave., the 34,500-square-foot property offers 212 feet of waterfront space, the Edgewater Place boardwalk, the Balboa Ferris Wheel, a more than 25-boat marina with 775 linear feet of docking, Fun Zone amusement park rides and attractions, 16,000 square feet of mixed-use improvements, and a 58-stall subterranean parking garage. Lars Platt, Joseph Lising and Matthew Godman of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller, while Bob Thagard of Cushman & Wakefield represented the buyer in the transaction.
COLTON, CALIF. — Progressive Real Estate Partners has arranged the sale of Los Compadres Plaza, a retail property located in Colton. A Southern California-based buyer acquired the asset from a Los Angeles County-based seller for $8.8 million. Located at 1035 S. Vernon Ave., Los Compadres Plaza features 47,090 square feet spread across four buildings, which were built in two phases in 1977 and 1980. The unanchored property is 93 percent occupied with 82 percent of the center’s tenants being independent, internet-resistant businesses, including restaurants, medical users, beauty and other services. The property recently underwent renovations, including painting, roof replacements and parking lot improvements. Brad Umansky, Greg Bedell and Mike Lin of Progressive Real Estate Partners represented the seller in the deal.
