WASHINGTON, D.C. — Retail sales increased 1.9 percent month-over-month in September, the U.S. Commerce Department reports. The most recent figure is 70 basis points higher than what economists surveyed by MarketWatch had forecast. Total sales reached $549.3 billion in September, which marked the fifth consecutive month of retail sales growth amid the coronavirus pandemic. In February, the total monthly spending reached $527 billion. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), the sectors with the largest gains were clothing and accessories (11 percent), sporting goods stores (5.7 percent) and general merchandise stores (1.8 percent). Electronics and appliance store sales declined 1.6 percent month-over-month. “Retail sales are continuing to build on the momentum we’ve seen through the summer and have been boosted by an improving labor market, a rebound in consumer confidence and elevated savings,” says Jack Kleinhenz, NRF’s chief economist. “A significant number of people remain unemployed, but more are going back to work, and that makes them confident about spending.” Matthew Shay, NRF president and CEO, says he is optimistic spending will be strong this holiday season. “While it’s been a challenging year for everyone, there’s been an enormous amount of innovation within the retail industry, and retailers have demonstrated …
CASSELBERRY, FLA. — McLean, Va.-based Jefferson Apartment Group has delivered Jefferson at Lake Howell, a 384-unit multifamily community in Casselberry. The property comprises 16 three-story buildings spanning 22 acres. The community offers one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans ranging from 727 to 1,410 square feet. Unit interiors feature nine-foot ceilings, stainless steel appliances, wine refrigerators, quartz countertops and screened-in balconies. Communal amenities include two pools, fitness center, clubhouse, dog park, playground, paddleboard storage and a private dock on Lake Howell. Rents will range from $1,310 per month to $2,245 per month. The asset is situated 1124 Shoreview Circle, 13 miles northeast of downtown Orlando.
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — Whole Foods Market will open a 47,000-square-foot store in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, Oct. 28. The new location will be situated at 501 SE 17th St., two miles south of downtown Fort Lauderdale and within CURV, Ram Realty’s 243-unit multifamily community. The store will include a coffee bar featuring cold-brew, nitro tea, wine and beer. This will be Whole Foods’ second Fort Lauderdale location, with the first being located at 2000 N. Federal Highway.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than 6 million households missed a mortgage or rent payment in September, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Research Institute for Housing America (RIHA). The number of homeowners who missed a payment last month stood at 3.4 million, or 7.1 percent of all U.S. homeowning households. The number of renters who missed, delayed or made a reduced payment was 2.8 million, or 8.5 percent of U.S. renters. Additionally, the number of renters receiving unemployment insurance rose from 3 percent in April to 7 percent at the end of September. For mortgagors, the figure was unchanged at 3 percent over the same time period. “Rent and mortgage payment collections improved over the summer as more people went back to work, but high unemployment continues to place hardships on millions of U.S. households,” says Gary Engelhardt, professor of economics in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. “There is growing concern that absent a slowdown in the number of coronavirus cases and another round of much-needed federal aid, millions of households in the coming months face the prospect of falling further behind.” Furthermore, the RIHA found that 26 million individuals missed a student …
For years, “just in time” has been the key to driving efficiency of retailers and manufacturers alike. This model by and large combined low-cost production in Asian markets supported by speedy air carrier distribution to move goods while holding minimal cushion for backup stock. Post-pandemic thinking could bring that epoch to an end. The crisis has underscored our distribution networks’ fragility, which are now vulnerable to closed facilities, ports and borders. Many businesses are planning major restructuring of their supply chain processes due to the disruptions that we all have endured in recent months. The new model based on quick recovery will likely be driven by resiliency that ensures adequate merchandise availability in the event of threats to a business’ supply chain stability. This will require more warehouse and distribution space to store goods for deliveries in last-mile markets. The noticeable effects continue to grow as more last-mile oriented warehouse space is leased closer to the end-user. Industrial users see the impact of the pandemic as a short-term challenge that is altering the long-term growth strategy of their corporate planning. By way of example, Publix’s Southeast store sales climbed 21.8 percent for the second quarter of this year. Grocery now …
Magnus Development Starts Construction on 192,780 SF Industrial Building in Columbia, South Carolina
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Magnus Development has started construction on Midway Logistics VI, a 192,780-square-foot industrial building in Columbia. The spec warehouse is situated within Lexington County Industrial Park, near downtown Columbia and five miles from Interstate 20. The building will feature 32-foot clear heights, trailer parking, ESFR sprinklers and motion-sensor LED lighting. Magnus plans to complete the building in second-quarter 2021. Chuck Salley, Dave Mathews, Thomas Beard and John Peebles of Colliers International will handle the leasing and marketing efforts for the property. In March of this year, Magnus delivered Midway Logistics IV, a 200,000-square-foot building. Colliers arranged a 150,000-square-foot lease to TreeHouse Foods in September. Additionally, Magnus is developing Midway Logistics V, a 180,000-square-foot facility within the same business park.
CLEARWATER, FLA. — Cedarwood Development has delivered a 585-unit US Storage Centers-branded facility in Clearwater. The self-storage property is situated at 1000 S. Myrtle Ave., 23 miles west of downtown Tampa. Westport Properties Inc. is managing the asset, which features climate-controlled units, passenger elevators, moving carts and drive-up units. The facility comprises 60,000 square feet. This is the first facility in Clearwater for both Fairlawn, Ohio-based Cedarwood Development, which is an affiliate of Cedarwood Cos., and US Storage Centers. US Storage Centers has more than 10 million square feet in its nationwide portfolio.
NEWNAN, GA. — InvenTrust Properties Corp. has broken ground on the renovation of Thomas Crossroads, a 105,000-square-foot shopping center in Newnan. Kroger anchors the property, which will get a new façade, paint scheme, LED lighting under canopies, landscaping enhancements and sidewalk improvements. The Downers Grove, Ill.-based owner expects renovations to be completed by the end of November. Other tenants at the center include Great Clips, Subway, McDonald’s and multiple locally owned service and dining options. The asset was last renovated in 2008, shortly before InvenTrust acquired it in 2009. Thomas Crossroads is situated at 3150 Ga. Highway 154, 33 miles southwest of downtown Atlanta.
TAMPA, FLA. — JLL has arranged the $31.8 million sale of Breckenridge Park, a 15-building industrial campus in eastern Tampa. The asset comprises 334,000 square feet and is situated at 5402-5460 Breckenridge Parkway, nine miles east of downtown Tampa. The buildings were developed between 1982 and 1998. Bret Felberg, Jeff Morris, John Dunphy and Peter Cecora of JLL represented the seller, MLG/PF Breckenridge Investment LLC, which is affiliated with MLG Capital. A joint venture partnership between The Arden Group and Avistone purchased the asset. Jillian Mariutti, Brian Gaswirth, Michael DiCosimo and Drew Jennewein, also with JLL, arranged a $26.3 million acquisition loan through BlackRock on behalf of the buyer. The joint venture will use a portion of the proceeds to implement a capital improvement plan.
MURFREESBORO, TENN. — CBRE has provided a $12.3 million Freddie Mac loan for The Rutherford Assisted Living & The Rutherford Memory Care in the Nashville suburb of Murfreesboro. The seven-year, fixed-rate loan features 24 months of interest-only payments and includes cash-out proceeds. The property features 68 assisted living units and 26 memory care units across two buildings. Aron Will, Austin Sacco and Adam Mincberg of CBRE National Senior Housing originated the refinancing on behalf of a joint venture between Venue Capital LLC and Inspirit Senior Living, which acquired the asset in January 2018. Post-acquisition, the owners deployed more than $600,000 to renovate the property, driving occupancy from 73 percent to approximately 90 percent.