As many as 150,000 to 200,000 restaurants nationwide may never fully reopen again after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, according to estimates from the National Restaurant Association. This represents 15 to 20 percent of all U.S. restaurants. Though the metro Atlanta area’s restaurants have been allowed to reopen their dining rooms for a full two weeks following Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s directives in late April, early indications are that a large swath of operators are choosing to keep them closed and focus on takeout, delivery and catering. Others are making the hard choice to close their eateries permanently. As a result, there will be a wave of second-generation restaurant space that will need to be absorbed before new restaurants are built en masse in metro Atlanta, said Tom McCarty of barbecue restaurant chain Jim ’N Nick’s during a webinar hosted by France Media’s Shopping Center Business and sponsored by Retail Specialists. “From our standpoint, our developments are on hold for now,” said McCarty about the chain, which opened a location in metro Atlanta’s East Cobb district late last year. “The focus of the company is on getting our existing restaurants back up and running profitably. Once that happens, then we’ll start …
Retail
Sprouts Farmers Market Expands Grocery Pick-Up Service to 46 Stores Across Southeast
by Alex Tostado
PHOENIX — Sprouts Farmers Market has expanded its grocery pick-up service to 46 stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee as the grocer faces heightened demand amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The service allows customers to plan grocery pick-up for the same day or to schedule several days in advance. Their personal shopper will bring the groceries to a designated pickup parking spot when the customer arrives and checks in. A list of specific stores offering the service was not disclosed. The Phoenix-based grocer recently expanded this service to 30 of its stores across Texas. Sprouts also partners with Instacart for same-day delivery services.
Sanders Equities to Convert Long Island Retail Asset into 153,000 SF Industrial Building
by Alex Patton
WESTBURY, N.Y. — Sanders Equities, a New York-based developer, will convert a retail asset in the Long Island city of Westbury as a 153,000-square-foot industrial building. Located at 1085 Old Country Road, the property is situated on a seven-acre site and includes a 192,000-square-foot building, which is currently occupied by a Century 21 department store. Upon Century 21’s exit in spring 2021, Sanders plans to downsize the property to 153,000 square feet and remove the second floor, which will increase the ceiling height to 32 feet. Paul Leone and Margaret Tutone of CBRE will lead the leasing effort of the new industrial asset. The terms and sales price of the acquisition were undisclosed.
On May 7, Texas Real Estate Business and Shopping Center Business magazines hosted “Texas Retail Reboot,” a webinar taking an in-depth look at what the Texas retail real estate community needs as the state reopens after statewide shutdowns due to COVID-19. The coronavirus pandemic isn’t over, but Texas is adjusting to a new normal, including figuring out what retail will look like going forward. What will the future of Texas retail look like? Find out what industry experts have to say about these topics and more: How will Texas retailers adapt after COVID-19? What do they need to do to ensure customer and staff safety? What is the financial impact of changed traffic patterns? What do retailers need to succeed? How will landlords and retail property owners support tenants and customers affected by the coronavirus? What can they do to ensure the success of their tenants and their properties? What do Texas brokers need to know about the retail landscape? How will rents and property values be impacted? What are the predictions for retail vacancy rates in the coming year? Webinar sponsor: Hart Advisors Group, a commercial real estate advisory firm founded in 2009 that has completed over $5 billion in …
McBride Capital Arranges $7M Acquisition, Predevelopment Loan for Retail Center in Washington
by Amy Works
VANCOUVER, WASH. — McBride Capital has arranged a $7 million acquisition and predevelopment loan for a proposed retail center in Vancouver’s Salmon Creek neighborhood. The non-recourse debt facility features a 12-month initial term with extension options, limited prepayment penalty and proceeds to cover predevelopment costs. Danny Natsch of McBride Capital placed the financing on behalf of an undisclosed borrower with a national bridge lender. The name of the grocery-anchored retail property and lender were not released.
Brick-and-mortar retailers in Texas that have found creative ways to develop new income streams and to leverage technology to directly engage their customer bases have proven most resilient in battling the financial headwinds the sector faces as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. A panel of retail real estate professionals in Dallas and Austin spoke to this trend and others during the Texas Retail Reboot webinar, which was held on Thursday, May 7. Shopping Center Business and Texas Real Estate Business, two magazines published by Atlanta-based France Media Inc., hosted the event, which drew more than 600 registrants. The panelists’ insights, which touched on both past successes and future opportunities, were delivered roughly a week after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott approved a Phase I plan to reopen retail and restaurant establishments at reduced occupancies and with heightened sanitation guidelines. The webinar was also held less than 24 hours before the governor allowed service retailers like hair and nail salons to reopen. Tanya Hart Little, CEO of Dallas-based Hart Advisors Group, moderated the discussion. Hart Advisors Group also sponsored the event. Jennifer Pierson, co-owner of Dallas-based investment brokerage firm STRIVE, was the first panelist to identify this commonality among retailers that …
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Retail Federation’s (NRF) chief economist Jack Kleinhenz says that as some states begin reopening stores and other businesses, the national economy’s recovery will likely be a gradual process and vary by location. “Getting back to work or shopping in a pre-virus manner is difficult to predict at this time, with households likely to tiptoe back in rather than making an immediate return to the lives they experienced before,” Kleinhenz said in the May issue of NRF’s Monthly Economic Review. “My overall impression is that the recovery will have fits and starts among states, regions and cities depending on the severity of the pandemic in their localities.” The NRF reports that retail sales saw their worst month-over-month drop on record in March, falling 8.7 percent from February. Consumer spending fell an annualized 7.6 percent during the first quarter, the largest drop since the second quarter of 1980. Consumer confidence hit 86.9 percent in April, the lowest since 2014, according to the Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index. Even through the decreasing confidence, Kleinhenz says most people expect to see a rapid recovery. “The gap between opinions on current and future conditions indicates that consumers expect a V-shaped …
PINELLAS PARK, FLA. — SRS Real Estate Partners has brokered the $5.6 million sale of a new, 3,109-square-foot convenience store in Pinellas Park. The property was delivered in late 2019 and has 15 years remaining on a corporate-guaranteed triple-net lease with 7-Eleven. The property sold for $1,798 per square foot to an undisclosed investor based in New York City completing a 1031 tax exchange. An undisclosed developer sold the property. The asset is situated at 9401 49th St. N., 20 miles west of downtown Tampa. Frank Rogers and Michael Carter of SRS represented the seller in the transaction.
DALLAS — Neiman Marcus Group has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection as the Dallas-based luxury retailer enters into negotiations with creditors to restructure its debt. Upon emergence, the company anticipates that it will eliminate approximately $4 billion of its existing debt. Neiman Marcus has secured $675 million in debtor-in-possession financing from creditors to enable business continuity during the bankruptcy proceedings. These creditors have also committed to a $750 million exit-financing package that would provide additional liquidity for the business. Neiman Marcus Group, which also owns Bergdorf Goodman and Last Call, recently extended temporary closures of all its stores through May 31, although a total of 10 Neiman Marcus stores in Texas, Tampa, Las Vegas and Tysons Corner, Virginia, are offering curbside pickup. About a month ago, several news outlets including Reuters, Bloomberg and The Dallas Morning News reported that the company would be furloughing the majority of its 14,000 store employees. Neiman Marcus, operates 43 Neiman Marcus stores, two Bergdorf Goodman locations and 22 Last Call outlets, expects to complete the proceedings by this fall.
SEATTLE —Nordstrom plans to permanently close 16 of its 116 full-line stores, with the company incurring the non-cash impairment charges associated with the closures. The clothing retailer hopes the closures will better position it for the long-term retail landscape at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The list of stores was not released. “We’ve been investing in our digital and physical capabilities to keep pace with rapidly changing customer expectations,” says Erik Nordstrom, CEO of Nordstrom Inc. “The impact of COVID-19 is only accelerating the importance of these capabilities in serving customers.” “More than ever, we need to work with flexibility and speed,” he adds. “Our market strategy helps with both, bringing inventory closer where customers live and work, allowing us to use our stores as fulfillment centers to get products to customers faster, and connecting digital and physical experiences with services like curbside pickup and returns.” The retailer is also restructuring its regions, support roles and corporate organization for greater speed and flexibility. This restructuring is expected to result in expense savings of approximately $150 million. That savings represents 30 percent of the company’s previously announced plans for net cash reductions of more than $500 million in operating expenses, …