SOUTHFIELD, MICH. — Quantum Real Estate Advisors Inc. has arranged the sale of a single-tenant retail building occupied by OptimEyes in Southfield for an undisclosed price. The property is located at 29350 Southfield Road. Daniel Waszak of Quantum represented the seller, an Illinois-based investor. Jason Caplan of Quantum represented the buyer, a New Jersey-based investment fund.
By Catherine Lueckel and Allison Giomuso, Matthews Real Estate Investment Services In nearly every major metro in the Midwest, the most active retailers expanding, leasing or developing involve grocers, discounters and drive-thru tenants. Most of the activity in the Midwest is reflective of the broader trend in shifting consumer demands, away from wants and more toward needs and services. Discount retailers It’s no surprise that discount retailers rose in popularity among shoppers during economic uncertainty, as they offer products for a fraction of the price. This trend is very apparent in the Midwest, with consumers focusing on value through the wake of the economic recovery. While discount retailers offer the best value in their products, they equally search for the best value in their real estate. Their expansion goals align closely with their financial goals; therefore, they target the Midwest, where deals are not overvalued and produce a higher rate of return. The Midwest boasts cheaper real estate compared with other regions, and more robust growth due to the affordable cost of living and lower costs of doing business. Discount-oriented retailers dominated Ohio’s leasing activity, specifically in Cleveland, where they accounted for the most move-ins and top leases in 2020. …
FAIRFIELD, CONN. — Axiom Capital Corp. has arranged an $11 million CMBS loan for the redevelopment of a retail property in Fairfield, located in the southern coastal part of the state. Kohl’s formerly occupied the asset, which is being converted into a multi-tenant property that will house stores of German discount grocer Aldi and Atlanta-based home improvement retailer Floor & Décor. The nonrecourse, fixed-rate loan was structured with a 10-year term and 10 years of interest-only payments. The borrower was an undisclosed private developer.
FAIRFAX, VA. — Finmarc Management Inc. has sold a 76,000-square-foot, Giant Food-leased retail building in Fairfax. Signet Springfield, a limited liability corporation based in California, bought the property for $39.8 million. Located at 6364 Springfield Plaza in Fairfax County, the property is situated within Springfield Plaza, a shopping center with retail tenants such as AT&T, Chipotle Mexican Grill, David’s Bridal, CVS/pharmacy and Little Caesars Pizza. Situated along Commerce Street at the intersection of Old Keene Mill Road and Amherst Avenue, Springfield Plaza is located adjacent to Interstates 95 and 395. Last year, Giant Food relocated from Springfield Plaza to the current building under a long-term lease, replacing the Kmart who was the building’s former anchor. The Maryland-based grocer, Giant Food, had anchored Springfield Plaza since 1960 prior to the move. The new store features a full-service Starbucks Coffee shop with seating, as well as a PNC Bank branch. Ryan Sciullo, Chris Bosworth and Bill Kent of CBRE represented Finmarc Management, a Bethesda, Md.-based commercial real estate management and investment firm, in the transaction. David Chasin of Pegasus Investments represented the buyer.
DEERFIELD, ILL. — Walgreens plans to increase the starting hourly wage for employees to $15 per hour. The wage increase will take effect in phases beginning in October of this year and is expected to be fully implemented by November 2022. The Deerfield-based company operates roughly 9,000 locations. The current starting wage at Walgreens is $10 per hour, but about half of its 190,000 hourly workers already earn at least $15 per hour, according to CNBC. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Walgreens has made additional investments in support of its employees such as bonus payments and a significant hiring initiative, through which the company added 25,000 full-time and part-time pharmacy team members. Walgreens has also accelerated implementation of remote and digitalized pharmacy resources. Total investment to support the starting wage increase is anticipated to be roughly $450 million over the next three years, with one-third of the amount invested in fiscal-year 2022. The company anticipates that it will partially absorb the investment through the normal course of business. The stock price for Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (NASDAQ: WBA) closed at $50.74 per share on Tuesday, Aug. 31, up from $36.76 per share one year ago.
MENASHA, WIS. — Matthews Real Estate Investment Services has brokered the $5.1 million sale of a two-tenant retail property in Menasha, just south of Appleton. Located at 1151 E. Midway Road, the property is home to Piggly Wiggly and Dollar Tree. Edward DeSimone, Josh Bishop and Maxx Bauman of Matthews brokered the 1031 tax-deferred exchange transaction. The undisclosed buyer exchanged out of a four-property Dollar General portfolio.
GREAT NECK, N.Y. — New York-based Namdar Realty Group has sold a portfolio of 10 net-leased retail properties located across five states. Five of the properties are located in California. Two assets are in Oregon, and each of the remaining three properties are split between Illinois, Maine and Connecticut. The portfolio spans more than 100,000 square feet and was approximately 95 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants such as Buffalo Wild Wings, Best Buy, Cost Plus World Market, State Farm, AT&T and Uno Pizzeria. Andrew Ebrani and Jonathan Abda represented Namdar Realty Group on an internal basis. The buyer and sales price were not disclosed.
VALRICO, FLA. — CBRE has arranged the sale of Valrico Commons, a 138,887-square-foot shopping center located at 1971 E State Road 60 in Valrico. Built in 1986 and redeveloped in 2011, Valrico Commons was 93 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants including Publix, Ross Dress for Less and Five Below. Casey Rosen and Dennis Carson of CBRE represented the seller, which includes affiliates of North American Development Group and Primerica Group One. An affiliate of Phillips Edison & Co. was the buyer. The sales price was not disclosed.
NEWINGTON, N.H. — Torrington Properties, an investment firm with offices in Boston and Durham, New Hampshire, has acquired the 102,000-square-foot Newington Park Shopping Center. The property is located in the southern coastal part of the Granite State and sold for $13.3 million. The seller, Urstadt Biddle Properties Inc., had owned the 15-acre center since 1979. Torrington Properties purchased the asset in partnership with regional development and investment firm The Mount Vernon Co.
By Hank Wolfer, First Vice President of Investments, and Derek Peterson, Associate, Marcus & Millichap National retail chains favor Seattle’s surrounding neighborhoods. Prior to the pandemic, retailers were taking notice of strong demographic trends in the submarkets surrounding Seattle. Between 2009 and 2019, the number of households across the metropolitan area grew by 13 percent, nearly double the national rate. High homeownership costs directed many of those new households to the suburbs where living expenses are lower. Following rooftops, multiple developers have pursued expansion opportunities in these areas, with recently opened projects in locations like Renton, Frederickson and Shelton. These new floor plans are drawing prominent retailers, including 7-Eleven and medical provider DaVita Dialysis, as well as fast food operators like Popeyes. Although initially challenged by lockdowns, these facilities are poised to benefit from the ongoing economic recovery. Suburban properties are outperforming urban counterparts. While no tenant was free of pandemic-induced challenges, operations outside the urban core proved more resistant on average. Vacancy in downtown Seattle rose 80 basis points over the 12-month period that ended in March. This is compared with a 60 basis point climb in Tacoma and a 20 basis point increase in the Southend. Moving through the rest of 2021, metro-wide vacancy is …
