WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Commerce Department reports that retail sales increased 9.8 percent in March, following a 2.7 percent decrease in February. The numbers surpassed the Dow Jones economists’ prediction of a 6.1 percent gain for the month. The sales growth is the biggest monthly gain since May 2020 (18.3 percent), which also came after a round of stimulus checks. According to CNBC, the newly issued stimulus checks gave consumers more discretionary income to spend on goods and services from retailers and restaurants than they had in February. The sporting goods, clothing and food and beverage categories generated the greatest increases in sales since pre-pandemic. Bar and restaurants saw an increase of 13.4 percent, while sporting goods sales increased by 23.5 percent. Clothing and accessories retailers had an 18.3 percent increase, and motor vehicle parts and dealers experienced a 15.1 percent jump. Some economists predict that people are still trying to save a portion of their stimulus checks. According to the CNBC, people saved 34.5 percent of stimulus checks and spent 29.2 percent. The news outlet also reported that inflation is becoming an increasing worry for economists as there has already been an increase in gas prices.
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIF. — DJM has submitted plans to Huntington Beach’s Planning Commission for a mixed-use residential development at the Bella Terra shopping center in Huntington Beach. Planned on the current Burlington Coat Factory site, the new development would include demolishing the 210,000-square-foot structure and an additional surrounding 30,000 square feet of retail space. DJM plans to replace the demolished structures with a low-rise building boasting 25,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space beneath five stories of residential space, with 15 percent of the 300 units designated as affordable housing. The project will include structured parking for residents that supplements Bella Terra’s existing parking structure. Since acquiring Bella Terra, formerly the Huntington Beach Mall, in 2005, DJM has transformed the shopping center into a community hub by curating a mix of retail, dining and entertainment spaces. In 2019, DJM reimagined the property’s center courtyard to include a stage, grassy lawn and beer and wine garden in an open-air setting.
MESA, ARIZ. — Thompson Thrift Retail Group (TTRG) has acquired the first parcel of a 15-acre master-planned development in Mesa. When fully developed, the property at the northwest quadrant of US 60 and Signal Butte Road will offer 95,000 square feet of retail space in a mix of freestanding and multi-tenant buildings. Whataburger, Backyard Taco, Black Rock Coffee and EOS Fitness have committed to the new project, with the first phase is slated to open first-quarter 2022. At build-out, TTRG expects the development to have a total project cost in excess of $28 million. This is the 26th project for TTRG in the Southwest since opening its Phoenix office in 2016. In addition to the Mesa development, TTRG’s 2021 Southwest pipeline is slated to include more than $150 million in development across the Phoenix metro, including planned projects in Glendale, Gilbert, Tempe, Peoria, Maricopa, Tucson and Casa Grande.
JERICHO, N.Y. AND HOUSTON — Kimco Realty Corp. (NYSE: KIM) has announced plans to acquire fellow retail REIT Weingarten Realty Investors (NYSE: WRI) for roughly $3.9 billion. The combined company is expected to have a pro forma equity market capitalization of $12 billion and a pro forma total enterprise value of $20.5 billion. The merger will create a national operating portfolio of 559 open-air, grocery-anchored shopping centers — one of the darlings of commercial real estate during the COVID-19 pandemic — and mixed-use assets comprising 100 million square feet of gross leasable area. In its reasoning for the acquisition, Kimco cited enhanced asset diversification and quality; expanded geographic reach in high-growth, first-ring suburbs of core markets; greater tenant diversity; a more compelling value creation pipeline; operational savings and corporate synergies; earnings accretion and NOI growth opportunities; and an increase in the company’s financial strength and flexibility. “We believe this transaction is a win-win for shareholders of both companies, who will benefit from the upside potential associated with owning the preeminent open-air, grocery-anchored shopping center and mixed-use real estate REIT in the U.S.,” says Conor Flynn, Kimco’s CEO. “This combination reflects our conviction in the grocery-anchored shopping center category, which has …
ATLANTA — Publix will occupy a 42,514-square-foot store for the second phase of The Interlock, a mixed-use development underway at the intersection of Ethel Street and Northside Drive in Atlanta’s West Midtown district. Demolition for the site will begin in May, and vertical construction will start in the fall of 2022. S.J. Collins Enterprises is the landlord. Phase I of The Interlock is a nine-acre, mixed-use property located at 1115 Howell Mill Road N.W. The development includes 200,000 square feet of office space; 105,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space; 349 apartments and 18 townhomes; 70 single-family homes; and the 161-room Bellyard, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel. Phase I leasing opportunities still include approximately 87,000 square feet of office space and 30,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. Phase II includes an additional 4.5 acres that will include another 40,000 square feet for retail space, 186,000 square feet of office space, student housing serving students of nearby Georgia Tech and the Publix grocery store. The various components of The Interlock are connected to each other via a one-acre public park. Phase II is currently being designed by Dynamik Design. Puttshack is debuting at The Interlock next week and Bellyard, …
CENTENNIAL, COLO. — Colorado-based Brue Baukol Capital Partners has broken ground on The District, a 36-acre mixed-use community adjacent to the Dry Creek rail station in Centennial. The walkable community will feature more than 2.5 million square feet of office space, a 200-key hotel, 1,800 residential units and over 30,000 square feet of retail space. Previously named the Jones District before rebranding to The District, the development will offer space for a range of flexible office spaces from small-scale co-working to multiple-building corporate headquarters. The project team includes Tryba Architects, Design Workshop, Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers and JHL Constructors. Completion for infrastructure work is slated for May 2021, with vertical construction on several planned projects scheduled to begin during the second half of 2021.
WEST LINN, ORE. — Avison Young has arranged the sale of a single-tenant retail building located at 1855 Blankenship Road in West Linn. A Portland.-based private investor acquired the property for $6 million from a court-appointed receiver. Parkrose Hardware occupies the 47,451-square-foot property, which is the anchor tenant to River Falls Plaza, on a 10-year, long-term lease. Chris Maling and David Maling of Avison Young, along with Denis O’Neill of Colliers International, represented the seller in the deal.
MCKINNEY, TEXAS — Locally based investment firm Tabani Group Inc. has acquired McKinney Marketplace, a 118,967-square-foot shopping center located on the northeastern outskirts of Dallas. Built on 15.8 acres in 2000, McKinney Marketplace was 96 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants such as Kohl’s, Dollar Tree, Cato and Wendy’s. Chris Gerard, Adam Howells, Barry Brown, Ryan Shore, Greyson Fewin and Pauli Kerr of JLL represented the undisclosed institutional seller in the transaction.
MOUNT GILEAD, OHIO — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the $3.4 million sale of a 51,443-square-foot property occupied by Kroger in Mount Gilead, about 40 miles northeast of Columbus. The asset is located at 555 W. Marion St. Dustin Javitch, Craig Fuller, Erin Patton and Scott Wiles of Marcus & Millichap represented the buyer, a publicly traded REIT. Seller information was undisclosed.
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND — According to UBS, a global finance and research firm based in Zurich, 80,000 retail stores in the United States are predicted to close their doors by 2026. This report assumes e-commerce sales will rise to represent 27 percent of total retail sales. The current share of e-commerce is 18 percent for all retail sales. There were 115,000 shopping centers at the end of 2020, which includes strip centers, outlet malls, shopping malls and other lifestyle retail centers. This figure compares to 112,000 shopping centers in 2010 and 90,000 in 2000, according to an UBS analysis using data from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). The UBS report suggests that the United States has too much retail space per capita, with about 59 square feet of shopping center space per household. Many retailers are taking advantage of how cheap rent is right now, and the plentiful amount of vacant retail space. Beauty, grocery and discount goods retailers like Ulta Beauty, Dollar General and TJX Cos. brands like T.J. Maxx and Marshalls are expecting a rebound in sales with end of the pandemic in sight. Additionally, UBS says that the government stimulus such as the $1.9 trillion stimulus …