In 2015, the Memphis industrial sector reached a record-breaking 8.4 million square feet net absorption. Achieving absorption in 2015 at a level that was higher than before the recession would have seemingly set 2016 up for a downturn. However, industrial growth, with Memphis at the epicenter of world distribution, allowed the positive trajectory to continue. The Memphis MSA absorbed approximately 6 million square feet in 2016. Given ideal geographical positioning, Memphis is known as America’s Distribution Center, boasting unparalleled expertise in distribution and logistics. The Memphis International Airport houses the second-busiest cargo airport in the world. Companies recognize that Memphis offers reliable, cost-effective distribution, with the ability to reach 70 percent of the U.S. population within 24 hours. Moreover, Memphis is one of only three cities with five Class I Rail Systems and has the fifth largest inland port, as well as 10 major trucking companies utilizing interstates I-40 and I-55. It’s no wonder that FedEx World Hub makes Memphis its home, and UPS chose it as a major hub. With those constants in place, the most notable recent change is the expansion of the submarkets, and how they compete for the warehouse and distribution business. In the past, when …
MEMPHIS, TENN. — NAI Saig and Avison Young have arranged the $33.1 million sale of a nine-property, 1.1 million-square-foot industrial portfolio located within Memphis International Airport Center (MIAC). Faropoint Ventures purchased the portfolio from Connecticut-based Greenfield Partners LLC. The portfolio was 93.1 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants such as FedEx, Kohler, United States Postal Service and DHL. Brian Califf of NAI Saig represented Faropoint in the transaction, and Shane Soefker and Jacob Biddle of Avison Young represented Greenfield Partners. Faropoint has retained Califf and Elliot Embry of NAI Saig to handle the portfolio’s leasing assignment.
NASHVILLE, TENN. — Atlanta-based Songy Highroads LLC plans to develop a new 15-story Hyatt House hotel in Nashville. The Hyatt House Nashville West End will be located at the intersection of Hayes Street and 21st Avenue, about a block from Vanderbilt University, Saint Thomas Medical and Centennial Medical Center. Wakefield Beasley & Associates designed the hotel, which will feature Hyatt’s signature H Bar concept and a pool and fitness center on the fifth floor. Songy Highroads and its joint venture partner, an affiliate of Hyatt, plan to deliver the 201-room hotel in early 2019.
If it’s been several years since visiting Memphis, it’s time to come back and see the improvements. The city and suburbs have experienced large amounts of new construction and redevelopments, from the downtown Memphis Pyramid becoming the grandest Bass Pro Shops outside of their headquarters to the new Tanger Outlets in Southaven, Miss., and many more developments in between. The most active retail category continues to be restaurants, followed closely by grocers and service-oriented retailers. New restaurants have leased space across the market, varying from fast-casual options like Pimento’s Kitchen + Market to upscale options like Cheesecake Factory and Char, a steakhouse based in Jackson, Miss. In the grocery sector, Kroger, The Fresh Market and Whole Foods Market expanded their reach by adding new and redeveloped stores. Kroger, with its 125,000-square-foot Marketplace concept, is further solidifying market share and geographic footprint with Marketplace units in Hernando and Arlington and a 100,000-square-foot unit in Germantown. These locations were also joined by new-to-Memphis Sprouts Farmers Market. Trader Joe’s also announced plans to open a new store later this year. One of the most notable new Memphis-area retailers is IKEA, which opened its 271,000-square-foot store along Interstate 40 in late 2016. The store …
MEMPHIS, TENN. — PEBB Enterprises has acquired Germantown Village Square, a 199,629-square-foot mixed-use development in Memphis. The Boca Raton, Fla.-based investor purchased the asset from Memphis-based Boyle Investment Co. for $28 million. The purchase of Germantown Village is PEBB’s largest acquisition to date by both dollar amount and square footage. Germantown Village Square features nearly 140,000 square feet of retail space leased to tenants such as T.J. Maxx, DSW and Petco, and more than 60,000 square feet of second-floor office space anchored by The West Clinic, a subsidiary of Baptist Memorial Health Services.
NASHVILLE, TENN. — Allianz Real Estate of America has provided a $100 million loan for The Pinnacle at Symphony Place, a 28-story, 520,000-square-foot office tower located in downtown Nashville. Built in 2010, the LEED Gold-certified building was 99 percent leased to 20 tenants at closing. Bat Barber of Medalist Capital arranged the loan through Allianz on behalf of the borrower, Highwoods Properties, a Raleigh-based REIT that purchased the office building in 2013 for $152 million. The Pinnacle at Symphony Place represents the first commercial mortgage in Nashville for Allianz Real Estate of America, which manages a $10.7 billion debt portfolio. Allianz Real Estate of America is the U.S. real estate lending arm of Allianz Group, a global asset management firm based in Munich.
KNOXVILLE, TENN. — Paramount Hospitality Management LLC and Batson-Cook Development Co. have broken ground on a $43 million dual-branded hotel at the corner of Church and State streets in Knoxville. The property will include a 144-room Courtyard by Marriott and an 88-room Residence Inn. The 166,544-square-foot hotel will feature a rooftop lounge, a bar and café in the lobby and a three-level parking deck. Paramount and Batson-Cook plan to complete the hotel in the third quarter of 2018.
NASHVILLE, TENN. — Madame Tussauds has opened its first ever in-mall wax museum at Opry Mills, a Simon Property Group-owned mall in Nashville. The attraction, which focuses on music icons such as Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and Taylor Swift, is the seventh location in the United States for Madame Tussauds and its 22nd property globally. Leisure firm Merlin Entertainments plc owns and operates Madame Tussauds. In addition to the new wax museum at Opry Mills, Simon plans to unveil Bavarian Bierhaus, a 15,000-square-foot German restaurant and beer hall, as well as performance apparel retailers Champs, Asics and New Balance. In mid-May, Distillers of Smith Creek Moonshine will open a moonshine tasting and cocktail bar at Opry Mills.
SANDY SPRINGS, GA. AND FRANKLIN, TENN. — On the heels of opening seniors housing community Somerby Sandy Springs in the Atlanta suburb of Sandy Springs, Dominion Partners also plans to open Somerby Franklin in the Nashville suburb of Franklin within the next two months. Somerby Sandy Springs includes 128 independent living units, 48 assisted living units and 24 memory care units on a six-acre plot. Details were not released on the Franklin property. Based in Birmingham, Ala., Dominion Partners is a developer and owner of seniors housing properties. Somerby, an operator, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dominion. The companies own and operate a portfolio of eight communities in Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee.
NASHVILLE, TENN. — San Diego-based OliverMcMillan and Nashville-based Spectrum Emery have broken ground on Fifth + Broadway, a massive mixed-use development in downtown Nashville. The development cost wasn’t disclosed, but The Tennessean reports Fifth + Broadway will cost $430 million to develop. Situated across from Bridgestone Arena on the 6.2-acre site of the former Nashville Convention Center, the project will feature 235,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space, including the 56,000-square-foot National Museum of African American Music and a restaurant concept by Nashville restaurateur Tom Morales; a 385,000-square-foot office tower at 501 Commerce; more than 350 apartments; and more than 2,000 parking spaces. Rob Lowe and Stewart Lyman of Cushman & Wakefield are the leasing agents for the office tower. General contractor Skanska broke ground on Fifth + Broadway yesterday and plans to complete construction by late 2019.