WACO, TEXAS — Dallas-based entertainment concept Main Event will open a 48,559-square-foot venue at Cottonwood Creek Market, a 285,000-square-foot shopping center in Waco owned by Houston-based NewQuest Properties. Main Event will join Topgolf and a 14-screen Cinemark Holdings Inc. as the other entertainment anchors at the center, which is located near Baylor University’s campus on the city’s southwest side. Main Event’s new location will feature 20 bowling lanes, multi-level laser tag areas and a virtual reality gaming space, along with food and beverage offerings. Construction is scheduled to begin this month and to be complete in the first quarter of 2022. Austen Baldridge represented NewQuest Properties in the lease negotiations on an internal basis. Dawn Greiner of SRS Real Estate Partners represented Main Event. Topgolf and Cinemark are scheduled to open this spring and summer, respectively.
SOUTHLAKE, TEXAS — Locally based financial intermediary Terrydale Capital has arranged a $1.7 million acquisition loan for a retail property in the Fort Worth suburb of Southlake. Driver’s Edge Auto Repair occupies the single-tenant property. Quinn Conway of Terrydale Capital arranged the loan, which was structured with a fixed 3.25 percent interest rate for five years and a 25-year amortization schedule, through an undisclosed bank. The borrower was also undisclosed.
NEW YORK CITY — WHP Global, a New York City-based firm that acquires global consumer brands, has purchased a controlling stake in Tru Kids Inc., the parent company of Toys ‘R’ Us. WHP Global joins a group of institutional shareholders that includes funds managed by Solus Alternative Asset Management and Ares Management Corp. Going forward, WHP will manage Tru Kids’ global business and direct its strategic expansion, which according to CNBC will include the reopening of some U.S. stores. Neither the network nor the companies involved in the deal specified how many U.S. stores would open or in what markets the reopenings would occur. New Jersey-based Tru Kids announced in 2018 that it would be closing and/or selling off all 735 Toys ‘R’ Us stores in the United States. However, the chain and its sister brand, Babies ‘R’ Us, still operate roughly 900 stores and e-commerce sites in other parts of North America, as well as in Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. “Our investment in Toys ‘R’Us reflects our belief and passion for the brand,” said Yehuda Shmidman, chairman and CEO at WHP Global. “We are thrilled to be taking the reins of the world’s leading toy …
INDIANAPOLIS — The Klink Group of Marcus & Millichap has arranged the sale of a Walgreens-occupied property in the Nora submarket of Indianapolis for $3.7 million. The single-tenant building is located at 1505 E. 86th St. Jordan Klink of the brokerage marketed the property on behalf of the seller, Indianapolis-based Westfield Pointe LLC. The Klink Group also sourced the buyers, Nora LLC and PP Nora LLC. Both are based in Indiana.
RIVERDALE AND MANASQUAN, N.J. — R.J. Brunelli & Co. LLC has negotiated two retail leases for Dollar Tree in New Jersey. In the first deal, the discount retailer leased 9,200 square feet at Riverdale Crossing, a Walmart-anchored power center in Morris County. Dollar Tree will backfill a space formerly occupied by Pier 1 Imports. In the second transaction, Dollar Tree committed to a 9,460-square-foot endcap space at The Orchards at Wall, a 22,504-square-foot center in Manasquan that was also formerly occupied by Pier 1. Both stores are slated to open in the second quarter. Danielle Brunelli and Pete Nicholson of R.J. Brunelli represented Dollar Tree in both sets of lease negotiations. Ryan Starkman of Pierson Real Estate represented the landlord in the Riverdale Crossing deal.
CHAPIN, S.C. — Aztec Group Inc., a real estate investment and merchant banking firm, has secured $10.8 million in debt and equity for the acquisition of Chapin Crossing, a 72,714-square-foot, Publix-anchored shopping center in Chapin. Jason Shapiro, Sean Harrington and Joel Zusman of Aztec Group secured a 60 percent loan to cost, non-recourse loan, as well as joint venture equity. Located at 1235 Chapin Road, Chapin Crossing was built in 2017 and is situated at the southwest corner of Chapin Road and Lexington Avenue on 13.6 acres. The property includes a 45,600-square-foot Publix, 13,950 square feet of in-line retail space and a 13,164-square-foot multi-tenant outparcel. The shopping center’s tenants include Anytime Fitness, Marco’s Pizza, Bank of America, Palm Beach Tan, Pacific Dental, Jersey Mike’s, Verizon Wireless and Palmetto Health. Aztec Group arranged the financing on behalf of the buyer, a partnership led by affiliates of Miami-based CF Properties Corp. A Missouri-based life insurance company provided the 10-year loan, which features a fixed interest rate under 3 percent.
PETOSKEY, MICH. — Big Lots has signed a 31,896-square-foot lease at Petoskey Town Center near North Central Michigan College. U.S. Properties eeewGroup (USPG) owns the 174,870-square-foot shopping center. Big Lots will occupy a former Kmart location, filling over 37 percent of the building. Petoskey Town Center is home to Hobby Lobby, AAA, Grondin’s Hair Center and Petoskey Sewing Center. The town of Petoskey is situated about 65 miles northeast of Traverse City. Ohio-based USPG owns approximately 4 million square feet and redevelops shopping centers in 10 states across the Midwest and Southeast.
By Shawn Ackerman, president of Houston retail, Henry S. Miller Brokerage COVID-19 is on everyone’s mind. From landlords to tenants, all are desperately trying to predict the future, because the past has destroyed many businesses. Retailers such as Luby’s, Chuck E. Cheese, Lane Bryant, 24 Hour Fitness, Gold’s Gym, Pier 1 Imports and Tuesday Morning all filed bankruptcy in 2020. Not only did numerous tenants file for bankruptcy, but many more are also barely holding on. What does the future hold for Houstonians? Only time will tell. Until the market stabilizes, we will continue to compare notes with others in the retail sector on how best to navigate. Of course, market uncertainty is not only a retail issue. The unemployment rate, while down considerably from the double-digit numbers seen at the onset of the pandemic, remains a cause for concern. Laid-off workers don’t have the disposable income they may have had while employed. Many people have thus curbed their shopping habits. Until the job market gains traction, retailers will have to be patient to see the long-term effects of this roller coaster ride. Mall Struggles Continue Heaviest hit in the retail section have been malls. With anchors like J.C. Penney, …
CARLSBAD, CALIF. AND DALLAS — Carlsbad, Calif.-based equipment and apparel manufacturer Callaway Golf Co. (NYSE: ELY) has completed its merger with Topgolf Entertainment Group. The deal was originally announced in October 2020. Under the terms of the merger agreement, Callaway issued approximately 90 million shares of its common stock to the shareholders of Topgolf, excluding Callaway, which previously held approximately 14 percent of Topgolf’s outstanding shares. Callaway shareholders now own approximately 51.3 percent of the outstanding shares of the newly combined entity, and former Topgolf shareholders (excluding Callaway) own approximately 48.7 percent. Both firms have strong real estate ties to Texas. Topgolf Is based in Dallas and operates approximately 15 percent of its 80 venues across the country in Texas markets. Callaway has been a longstanding industrial user at AllianceTexas in Fort Worth, recently expanding its total footprint at the Hillwood-owned development to roughly 784,000 square feet. “Callaway and Topgolf are just better together,” said Chip Brewer, president and CEO of Callaway. “Callaway’s leadership in the global golf equipment market and geographic diversity, combined with Topgolf’s revolutionary technology platform and access to golfers of all abilities, will allow both companies to accelerate growth and create competitive advantages.”
HAWAII — A subsidiary of Realty Income Corp. has acquired a 21-property gas station/convenience store portfolio located throughout Hawaii. Par Pacific Holdings sold the portfolio in a fee-simple sale-leaseback transaction for $109.4 million. The portfolio includes 12 properties in O’ahu, two facilities in Kauai, four properties in Maui and three properties on the island of Hawaii. The transaction also included a new master lease agreement to lease back the sites on a triple-net basis. D. Andrew Ragsdale, Ken Hedrick, Jerry Hopkins, Kristian Neilson and John Curtis of Newmark’s Net Lease Capital Market, in cooperation with Jackson Nakasone of NAI CBI Hawaii, represented the seller in the transaction.