CHATTANOOGA, TENN. — Against headwinds brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, CBL Properties Inc. (NYSE: CBL) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sunday, Nov. 1. Chattanooga-based CBL owns and manages a portfolio of 107 properties totaling 66.7 million square feet across 26 states, including 65 enclosed, outlet and open-air retail centers and eight properties managed for third parties. The company entered into an Restructuring Support Agreement in August with a group of bondholders in hopes of restructuring its balance sheet. In its bankruptcy filing, CBL listed its estimated assets and liabilities in the range of $1 billion to $10 billion, according to reports by CNBC. “With an aggregate of approximately $1.5 billion in unsecured debt, preferred obligations eliminated and a significant increase to net cash flow, upon emergence, CBL will be in a better position to execute on our strategies and move forward as a stable and profitable business,” says the company’s CEO, Stephen Lebovitz. As of Sept. 30, CBL had approximately $258.3 million in unrestricted cash on hand and available-for-sale securities. This cash position, combined with the positive cash flow generated by ongoing operations, is expected to meet the company’s operational and restructuring needs. Weil, Gotshal & Manges …
MCDONOUGH, GA. — Ken’s Foods, a producer of salad dressings, sauces and marinades, will invest $103 million to expand its distribution and manufacturing facility in McDonough. Ken’s Foods will occupy a 343,625-square-foot space within Midland Industrial Park, which is situated at 220 Midland Court, 25 miles southeast of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The new space will house 70 employees, bringing the company’s total at the site to 570 workers. WXGA reports that Ken’s Foods plans to complete the project in early 2022. The landlord was not disclosed.
BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — Daniel Corp. has broken ground on Grandview Medical Plaza II, a four-story, 144,000-square-foot medical office building in Birmingham. White Plains, N.Y.-based Seavest Healthcare Properties is the developer and owner. Grandview Medical Plaza II is situated next to Grandview Medical Plaza I, an eight-story, 208,000-square-foot building that is also owned by Seavest. Grandview Medical Plaza II will be situated within the 103-acre Cahaba Center at Grandview campus, which is located nine miles southeast of downtown Birmingham. Daniel Corp. expects to deliver Grandview Medical Plaza II in early 2022.
KNOXVILLE, TENN. — Cushman & Wakefield has arranged the $47 million sale of The Village at Westland Cove, a 240-unit multifamily community in Knoxville. The property offers one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans ranging from 717 square feet to 1,521 square feet. Communal amenities include a business center, pool, clubhouse, fitness center, car washing area, dog park, pet washing area and storage space. Jimmy Adams and Robert Stickel of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller, StoneRiver Co., in the transaction. H3 Real Estate Advisors acquired the property.
NASHVILLE, TENN. — Knoebel Construction has delivered a new Patel Brothers grocery store in Nashville. This marks the 10th location in eight states that Knoebel has delivered on behalf of the Indian-American grocer. The store spans 25,000 square feet and is situated at 420 Harding Place, seven miles southeast of downtown Nashville. Brentwood, Tenn.-based H. Michael Hindman Architects P.C. designed the grocery store.
ATLANTA AND CANTON, MASS. — Inspire Brands has agreed to acquire fast-food breakfast chain Dunkin’ Brands (NASDAQ: DNKN) in a transaction valued at $11.3 billion. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year. Atlanta-based Inspire Brands is the parent company of restaurant chains such as Arby’s, Jimmy John’s, Sonic Drive-In and Buffalo Wild Wings. In addition to its namesake coffee and breakfast chain, Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin’ Brands also owns ice cream parlor chain Baskin-Robbins, which respectively have about 12,500 and 8,000 locations worldwide. Dunkin’ has about 9,600 locations in the United States. The deal’s price tag equates to $106.50 per share, to be paid in cash, and includes the assumption of all Dunkin’ Brands’ debt. The share price represents a 30 percent premium over the Dunkin’ Brands 30-day weighted average price and a 20 percent premium over its closing stock price of $88.79 per share on Friday, Oct. 23. “We are excited to bring meaningful value to shareholders who have been with us on this journey and believe that Inspire Brands, a preeminent operator of franchised restaurant concepts, will continue to drive growth for our franchisees while remaining true to all that is unique and special …
Much like the rest of the nation, both Louisville-area landlords and tenants are stalling while waiting for the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic to become clear. The office market in Louisville has entered a holding pattern of sorts, while tenants evaluate their workspace needs in light of the major shift to remote work. Many are opting to wait and see what the market holds, a stark contrast to the steady development and leasing activity we saw in 2019. Now with investors taking a more long-term view of the market, larger portfolio sales are limited while everyone questions the future demand for office space. The most recent portfolio transfer was made by the New York-based Group RMC Corp. in its acquisition of a six-building, Class B office portfolio from locally based Ascent Properties for $44.5 million. The deal was traded at an 8.6 percent cap rate. However, don’t let the lull in activity fool you. The region’s office market is ripe with possibilities. While many local companies initially speculated about permanently adopting full-term remote work in the second quarter, they’re reconsidering as time goes on. Regional JLL research shows that 80 percent of businesses said most employees will eventually return …
KANSAS CITY, MO. — Nuveen Global Investments LLC, a TIAA company, has acquired a six-property industrial portfolio in the Southeast for $272 million. McCraney Property Co. and Northwestern Mutual sold the 3.5 million-square-foot portfolio, which was built on a speculative basis. Chris Riley, Frank Fallon, and Trey Embrey of CBRE represented the sellers, Northwestern Mutual and McCraney Property Co., in the transaction. The portfolio features four Florida properties, including Country Line Logistics Center, which totals 1.1 million square feet in Plant City; Park 27, which spans 602,972 square feet in Davenport; 27 Logistics Park, which comprises 207,676 square feet in Davenport; and I-4 Commerce Center, which totals 45,340 square feet in Lake Mary. The remaining two properties are the 611,698-square-foot 985 Lanier Logistics in Buford, Ga.; and the 350,687-square-foot Airport South in Charlotte. All six buildings were fully leased at the time of sale.
LOUISVILLE, KY. — Yum Brands reported third-quarter revenue of $1.45 billion, up 8 percent from the same period a year ago. Taco Bell reported the highest positive year-over-year growth, recording $501 million in sales, a 2 percent increase from third-quarter 2019. Pizza Hut’s sales also grew, reaching $243 million, a 1 percent increase. Though KFC recorded the highest company sales total, reaching $583 million for the quarter, it was still a 4 percent decrease from the $609 million total recorded in the third quarter of 2019. Additionally, Louisville-based Yum Brands sold its stake in GrubHub, a food delivery service, for $206 million. The buyer was not disclosed.
GERMANTOWN, TENN. — Stan Johnson Co. has arranged the $18.5 million sale of a retail property in Germantown leased to Whole Foods Market. An undisclosed private investor acquired the asset at a 4.6 percent cap rate. The 36,570-square-foot freestanding grocery store is located at 7811 Poplar Ave., 15 miles east of downtown Memphis and near other retailers such as Hobby Lobby, T.J. Maxx, Starbucks and Kroger. The location was delivered in 2015 and is situated on 5.2 acres. Pat Weibel of Stan Johnson Co. represented the seller, a private equity group based in Memphis, in the transaction.