Saturday, April 27, 2024
Read the Digital Magazines Subscribe to the Magazines
Subscribe

Top Stories

AcquisitionsGeorgiaNew YorkNortheastRestaurantRetailSoutheastTop Stories

Blackstone Agrees to Acquire Tropical Smoothie Cafe for Nearly $2B

by Kristin Harlow

ATLANTA AND NEW YORK CITY — Private equity giant Blackstone has entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire Tropical Smoothie Cafe, a franchiser of fast-casual restaurants, from Levine Leichtman Capital Partners. The deal values the Atlanta-based smoothie chain at around $2 billion, including debt, according to The Wall Street Journal. Tropical Smoothie Cafe began as a single location in Destin, Fla., in 1997. The chain has grown to more than 1,400 locations in 44 states today. The company opened more than 175 locations in 2023, 70 percent of which were opened by existing franchisees. In addition to smoothies, the company sells menu items like sandwiches, salads and bowls. In the first quarter of this year, Tropical Smoothie Cafe completed 64 franchise agreements and opened 39 new stores. Its newest airport location opened at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The launch of new menu items such as Tropic Bowls helped drive overall sales, which were above the industry average in the first quarter, according to the company. “Tropical Smoothie Cafe has had an impressive growth trajectory, consistently building on its loyal customer base as it has scaled nationwide,” says Peter Wallace, a senior managing director in Blackstone’s private equity business. “Blackstone …

Continue Reading
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail
Amazon-Web-Services-data-center_Ohio
Data CentersDevelopmentIndianaIndustrialMidwestTop Stories

Amazon Web Services to Develop $11B Data Center Campus in Northern Indiana

by Taylor Williams

NEW CARLISLE, IND. — Amazon Web Services (AWS), the web hosting division of Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has announced plans for an $11 billion data center campus in New Carlisle, a town of roughly 1,600 people located near the Michigan-Indiana border. The exact location of the site was not disclosed, but the campus will be situated within the Indiana Enterprise Center, a master-planned development in St. Joseph County that spans nearly 3,000 acres. The Indiana Economic Development Corp. has committed to several incentives for the project. These incentives include up to $18.3 million in employment-based tax credits, up to $5 million in training grants, up to $55 million in Hoosier Business Investment tax credits and up to $20 million in redevelopment tax credits. These incentives are performance-based, meaning the company is eligible to claim state benefits once investments are made. In addition to its community investment and engagement activities, AWS will also contribute up to $7 million to support road infrastructure improvements in and around the site. Details on the development timeline were not immediately available. Amazon claims the project will create at least 1,000 new jobs. “Amazon has long been an important economic partner in Indiana, and we are excited …

Continue Reading
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail
DevelopmentMidwestMissouriMixed-UseMultifamilyRestaurantRetailTop Stories

Kansas City Current Plans $800M Riverfront Mixed-Use Development

by Jeff Shaw

KANSAS CITY, MO. — The Kansas City Current, a professional women’s soccer team, has unveiled plans for an $800 million mixed-use project on the Missouri riverfront in downtown Kansas City. The development follows completion of CPKC Stadium, a women’s soccer stadium that seats 11,500 people, in March. According to the project team, the $120 million venue is the first soccer stadium to be designed and built exclusively for women. Partners for the mixed-use project include Palmer Square Capital Management, Marquee Development and the Port Authority of Kansas City. The stadium will anchor the mixed-use district, along with Berkley Riverfront Park and the Missouri riverfront. The development will feature hundreds of multifamily units, food and beverage offerings, and new public recreational spaces such as a new town square and a riverfront promenade. The public areas will be programmed with family-friendly events like movie nights, food festivals, fitness classes and live music. Additionally, 10 percent of all residential units across all phases of the project will be set aside for tenants earning up to 50 percent of the area median income. “Kansas City was founded at the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas Rivers,” says Angie Long, co-founder and co-owner of the KC Current. “With the …

Continue Reading
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail
Kroger_Banks-Crossing_Fayetteville
AcquisitionsCompany NewsMidwestOhioRetailTop Stories

Kroger, Albertsons to Sell 166 Additional Stores in $2.9B Divestiture Agreement Ahead of Proposed Merger 

by Hayden Spiess

CINCINNATI AND BOISE, IDAHO — Cincinnati-based The Kroger Co. and Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons Cos. Inc. have announced plans to sell an additional 166 grocery stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers in a divestiture package. This marks an amendment to an existing agreement with the buyer, which will now acquire a total of 579 stores in a $2.9 billion deal. The original divestiture package was announced in September of last year, in connection with a proposed merger between Kroger and Albertsons.  In February, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued to block Kroger’s $24.6 billion acquisition of Albertsons (which was originally announced October 2022), citing anticompetition concerns. The FTC alleged in a press release that a merger between the companies would create a “monopoly” as well as “lead to lower quality products and services” and threaten “the ability of employees to secure higher wages, better benefits and improved working conditions.” The deal would mark the largest supermarket merger in U.S. history, with Kroger and Albertsons operating thousands of stores nationally. Colorado and Washington also filed measures at the state level to block the merger.  The companies hope to assuage the concerns of federal and state antitrust regulators with the enhanced divestiture package. According to …

Continue Reading
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail
Express
Company NewsMidwestOhioRetailTop Stories

Fashion Retailer Express Files for Bankruptcy, Plans to Close 107 Stores

by Katie Sloan

COLUMBUS, OHIO — Fashion retailer Express Inc. (OTCMKTS: EXPR) has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and announced plans to close 107 of its 602 stores. The Columbus-based company’s portfolio includes apparel brands such as Bonobos, Express and UpWest Express. As part of the proceedings, 95 stores under the company’s Express banner will be shuttered alongside all 12 of its UpWest Express locations. Express has been battling with soft consumer demand due to slowing spending patterns and increased price sensitivity in discretionary categories, according to Reuters. Further details on the specific locations set for closure were not provided, but closing sales at the impacted locations are anticipated to begin tomorrow, April 23. Business at all other brick-and-mortar locations and online is expected to continue as usual. Express concurrently announced that it has received a non-binding letter of intent from a consortium of investors led by WHP Global to acquire a substantial majority of the company’s retail stores and operations. The investment group includes an indirect subsidiary of Simon Property Group and Brookfield Properties. WHP Global, which purchased a controlling stake in the parent company of Toys ‘R’ Us in 2021, has held 7.4 percent ownership in Express Inc. since January 2023.  …

Continue Reading
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail
ConnecticutHospitalityLoansNew YorkNortheastTop Stories

MCR, Building and Land Technology Secure $632M Refinancing of 53-Hotel Portfolio

by John Nelson

NEW YORK CITY AND STAMFORD, CONN. — MCR and Building and Land Technology (BLT) have secured a $632 million loan for the refinancing of a portfolio of 53 hotels across the United States. The financing features a three-year, fixed-rate term, and was securitized in a single-asset, single-borrower CMBS transaction. This type of financing structure is reserved for large properties or portfolios. MCR and BLT acquired the 53 hotels between 2013 and 2015. The portfolio totals 5,958 guest rooms across 14 states. According to MCR, the portfolio is valued at approximately $960 million. MCR also stated that the properties are concentrated in high-growth markets such as Texas, Arizona, Virginia and North Carolina. The portfolio is comprised of eight Marriott and Hilton extended stay and select-service brands, including Residence Inn by Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott, TownePlace Suites by Marriott, Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton Inn by Hilton. The hotels are managed by MCR’s in-house operations team. MCR and BLT have collectively made more than $118 million in capital improvements since acquiring the properties, including upgrades to the guest rooms and public spaces, as well as property maintenance. MCR is a hotel manager headquartered in New York City. The company’s $5 billion portfolio …

Continue Reading
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail
Carr-Old-Town
DevelopmentMultifamilyOfficeSoutheastTop StoriesVirginia

Carr Properties Acquires Vacant Office Building for Multifamily Conversion in Alexandria, Virginia

by Katie Sloan

ALEXANDRIA, VA. — Carr Properties has acquired a vacant office building located at 901 N. Pitt St. in the Old Town neighborhood of Alexandria with plans to convert the property into a 250,000-square-foot multifamily community.  The site, which will be cleared to make way for the new development, is located roughly seven miles south of Washington, D.C., and 1.5 miles south of the former development site for Potomac Yards, a recently cancelled 9 million-square-foot mixed-use project.  The community will rise eight stories and feature 234 units in a variety of configurations, ranging from studio apartments to three-bedroom units. An unspecified number of units will be dedicated to affordable housing. The development will also include below-grade parking, 15,800 square feet of outdoor space, a performing arts venue and 7,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.  Shared amenities are set to include an outdoor swimming pool and a resident lounge and amenity center. Carr Properties plans to break ground on the development this fall with completion slated for late 2026. The community will target LEED Silver certification.  The development team for the project includes SK+I Architecture and interior design firm Edit Lab by Streetsense, which partnered with Carr on its previous Union …

Continue Reading
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail
DevelopmentMixed-UseSoutheastTop StoriesVirginia

Bruce Smith Enterprise, Cordish Cos. Propose $1.4B Mixed-Use Casino Development in Petersburg, Virginia

by Kristin Harlow

PETERSBURG, VA. — Bruce Smith Enterprise and The Cordish Cos. have responded to a request for proposal issued by the City of Petersburg with plans to co-develop a $1.4 billion mixed-use project. Plans call for a gaming and entertainment district anchored by a Live!-branded casino and hotel. The project site is located at the intersection of Wagner Road and I-95 in Petersburg, about 24 miles south of Richmond. The partners intend to quickly open an initial Phase I casino within a year to begin creating jobs, vendor opportunities and economic benefits for the city. This first phase will include 1,000 slot machines, 23 table games, a 15-table poker room, casino bar and casual restaurant, and more than 1,500 free parking spots. Upon full build-out, Live! Casino & Hotel Virginia would feature more than 400,000 square feet of gaming, hotel and dining space; 35,000 square feet of meeting and convention space; a 200-room hotel; 1,600 slot machines; 46 table games; a sportsbook; 3,000-seat entertainment venue; and eight food options. The project is expected to create 7,500 new jobs, including 6,000 construction jobs and 1,500 “living-wage” jobs averaging $70,000 in annual compensation, according to the development team. In its first 10 years, …

Continue Reading
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail
DevelopmentMixed-UseNorth CarolinaRetailSoutheastTop Stories

Wegmans to Open 110,000 SF Grocery Store at Ballantyne Campus in Charlotte, North Carolina

by John Nelson

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Wegmans Food Markets Inc., a Rochester, N.Y.-based grocer, plans to open a 110,000-square-foot store in Charlotte. Located along North Community House Road, the grocery store will be situated within Ballantyne, Northwood Investors’ 2,000-acre master-planned development on the south side of Charlotte adjacent to the South Carolina border. Wegmans aims to open the new store by the third quarter of 2026. The store will feature all traditional Wegmans departments, including produce, seafood, meat, bakery, deli, cheese and wine and beer. Additional offerings will include Meals2Go and catering, online shopping capabilities, a floral shop, coffee and home goods. The store will also have a market café with indoor and outdoor seating for customers dining at one of Wegmans’ multiple food outlets. “We’ve received hundreds of requests from locals asking for a store in their area, and we’ve spent years looking for exactly the right location,” says Dan Aken, vice president of real estate and store planning at Wegmans. The new Wegmans will be located on the east side of Ballantyne and half a mile from Northwood’s The Bowl at Ballantyne mixed-use development, which is currently under construction. The project will feature a wide array of retail and restaurant tenants …

Continue Reading
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail
Samsung_Austin-Texas
Company NewsDevelopmentIndustrialTexasTop Stories

Samsung Secures $6.4B CHIPS Funding Commitment for Central Texas Semiconductor Manufacturing Sites

by Hayden Spiess

AUSTIN AND TAYLOR, TEXAS — South Korea-based Samsung Electronics will receive up to $6.4 billion in direct funding under the CHIPS and Science Act for multiple projects at two separate locations in Central Texas. The U.S. Department of Commerce has signed a non-binding preliminary memorandum of terms (PMT) with the tech giant, which now plans to increase its investment in the state of Texas to $40 billion.  Funding will be used for the development of new facilities in Taylor — roughly 35 miles northeast of Austin — as well as for the expansion of Samsung’s existing Austin facility. The proposed investment is expected to support the creation of more than 20,000 jobs, including 4,500 manufacturing positions. Samsung, which has been manufacturing computer chips in the United States since 1996, previously announced plans for the Taylor facilities and an investment of $17 billion in November 2021. The company also plans to claim the Department of the Treasury’s investment tax credit, which is expected to cover up to 25 percent of qualified capital expenditures.  In Taylor, the manufacturing site will include two fabrication plants, a research-and-development (R&D) facility focused on the development and research of new technology and an advanced packaging facility …

Continue Reading
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmail
Newer Posts
Older Posts