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SoftBank to Buy Majority Stake in WeWork with $8B Investment

by Kristin Harlow

NEW YORK CITY — The We Co., parent company of coworking office space operator WeWork, and SoftBank Group Corp. have reached an agreement under which SoftBank will provide $5 billion in new financing and a tender offer of up to $3 billion for existing WeWork shareholders. SoftBank, a Japanese technology conglomerate, will also accelerate an existing commitment to fund $1.5 billion. WeWork chose the rescue offer from SoftBank over a competing proposal from JPMorgan Chase & Co. The announcement comes after well-documented concerns about the coworking giant’s cash flow and leadership. The company’s valuation plunged after it scrapped its initial public offering. WeWork founder Adam Neumann was forced out of his chief executive position after pushback from prospective investors. “It is not unusual for the world’s leading technology disruptors to experience growth challenges as the one WeWork just faced,” says Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of SoftBank. “Since the vision remains unchanged, SoftBank has decided to double down on the company by providing a significant capital infusion and operational support.” After closing and following the tender offer, SoftBank’s economic ownership stake in WeWork will be approximately 80 percent, up from about one-third currently. Since SoftBank will not hold a majority …

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Company NewsMixed-UseTexasTop Stories

Howard Hughes Corp. to Sell $2B in Real Estate Assets Following Leadership Changes, Headquarters Move

by John Nelson

DALLAS — The Howard Hughes Corp. (NYSE: HHC), a mixed-use and residential real estate developer and operator with projects across the country, has announced a series of changes for the nine-year-old company. The Dallas-based firm plans to focus on its master-planned communities in Texas, Hawaii, New York, Maryland and Nevada and sell its non-core assets valued at roughly $2 billion over the next 12 to 18 months. HHC expects to net $600 million in cash proceeds from the sales. The Dallas Morning News reports that HHC will put several high-profile projects up for sale, including the Outlet Collection at Riverwalk in New Orleans, the Bridges of Mint Hill in Charlotte, Elk Grove in Sacramento and 110 North Wacker, a 56-story office tower under construction in Chicago. HHC says the office tower will deliver in October 2020 and is 69 percent preleased. HHC recently sold Cottonwood Mall in Salt Lake City for $56 million and plans to shop Monarch City, a 261-acre mixed-use project that the Allen City Council approved earlier this summer. Leadership change, HQ move Paul Layne, president of HHC’s Central region, is taking over as CEO effective immediately as David Weinreb and Grant Herlitz are stepping down from …

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Leasing ActivityRetailTop Stories

Hamilton Beach to Close All 160 Kitchen Collection Stores by End of 2019

by Taylor Williams

GLEN ALLEN, VA. — Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Co. (NYSE: HBB) has announced that it will close all stores of its retail subsidiary, The Kitchen Collection, by the end of the year. Kitchen Collection employs approximately 800 people at 160 stores across 37 states. The company previously closed about 35 underperforming stores in an effort to maintain long-term profitability, but higher operating losses in the first half of 2019 have prompted Hamilton Beach Brands to shutter the chain entirely. “Despite our best efforts to return Kitchen Collection to profitability through footprint consolidation, further deterioration in foot traffic has lowered our outlook for the prospects of a future return to profitability and positive cash flow generation,” says Gregory Trepp, president and CEO of Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Co. Hilco Merchant Resources is handling the closing process for Kitchen Collection, which is now offering discounts and sales on a number of items like toasters, blenders and slow cookers. Conway MacKenzie is serving as financial advisor to the company. Hamilton Beach Brands is a designer, marketer and distributor of branded small electric household and specialty housewares appliances, as well as commercial products for restaurants, bars and hotels. Kitchen Collection is a national specialty …

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DevelopmentFloridaIndustrialSoutheastTop Stories

Bridge Development Partners to Build 1 MSF Spec Industrial Project Near Miami

by Alex Tostado

HIALEAH, FLA. — Bridge Development Partners, an industrial development and investment firm with six offices across the country, has acquired land in Miami-Dade County’s Hialeah submarket for the construction of a 1 million-square-foot speculative industrial project. The new development will consist of four buildings ranging in size from 109,000 to 500,000 square feet. Construction is scheduled to begin during the first quarter of 2020 and to be complete by the first quarter of 2021. The property will be located within the AVE Aviation and Commerce Center, a master-planned development located about 10 miles from Miami International Airport and 30 miles from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. In addition, the property offers proximity to The Palmetto Expressway and Gratigny Parkway, which serve as connections to Interstates 95 and 75. Wayne Schuchts, Tom Viscount and Bobby Benton of Avison Young have been tapped to lease the project. Avison Young also represented the seller, AVE LLC, in the land acquisition. “Healthy economic growth, bustling port activity and positive demand continue to drive industrial investment and development activity in Miami’s land-constrained market,” said Benton. “We anticipate strong interest from a variety of large industrial users from logistics to e-commerce who will benefit from the location …

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AcquisitionsHospitalityNew YorkNortheastTop Stories

Marriott International Acquires W New York in Union Square for $206M

by Alex Tostado

NEW YORK CITY — Marriott International Inc. has acquired W New York — Union Square, a 270-room hotel in Manhattan’s Union Square, for $206 million. Marriott plans to significantly renovate the 20-story hotel to include a spa and expanded restaurant. Existing amenities include a fitness center, five meeting rooms and three restaurants. “When W was launched as a single hotel in New York 21 years ago with ground-breaking design and a bold approach to nightlife, it pushed the boundaries of how people thought about a hotel,” says Arne Sorenson, president and CEO of Marriott International. “Given how much travelers crave these types of experiences today and the brand’s global reach, we see limitless potential for the W brand with hotel owners and developers, travelers and locals.” The property, located at 201 Park Ave. S., adjacent to Union Square Park and two miles north of downtown New York City, first opened in 1911 as the headquarters for Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. In 2000, Rockwell Group converted the building into its current use as a W hotel. The purchase and renovation of W New York — Union Square is part of a strategy by Marriott International to reinvigorate the W portfolio in North America. The plan also includes …

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AcquisitionsHospitalityNevadaRetailTop StoriesWestern

MGM Agrees to Sell Las Vegas Resorts Bellagio, Circus Circus for $5B

by Alex Patton

LAS VEGAS — MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) has agreed to sell its Bellagio and Circus Circus resort assets on the Las Vegas Strip in two different transactions for a combined price of approximately $5 billion. Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust (BREIT) will acquire Bellagio in a $4.25 billion sale-leaseback deal. As part of the transaction, BREIT and MGM will form a joint venture ownership agreement, with BREIT owning 95 percent. MGM will continue to lease, manage and operate the property, with an initial annual rent of $245 million. MGM also agreed to sell its Circus Circus Las Vegas resort to an affiliate of Treasure Island Hotel and Casino owner Phil Ruffin for $825 million. Both sales are expected to close by the end of 2019. “We will use the proceeds from [these transactions] to build a fortress balance sheet and return capital to shareholders,” says Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International. “These transactions enhance the company’s strategic and operational flexibility and reinforce its commitment to targeted new growth opportunities, including securing and investing in one of the integrated resort licenses in Japan and becoming an industry leader in sports betting in the U.S.” The sale-leaseback deal …

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AcquisitionsCaliforniaFloridaHospitalityIllinoisMidwestNew YorkNortheastSoutheastTop StoriesWestern

Queensgate Investments Acquires Freehand Hotels for $400M

by Kristin Harlow

NEW YORK CITY, LOS ANGELES, MIAMI AND CHICAGO — Queensgate Investments has acquired Freehand Hotels from a seller consortium including The Yucaipa Cos. and Sydell Group for approximately $400 million. Freehand is a lifestyle hotel brand, owner and operator of hotel assets with 922 rooms across four hotels in Manhattan’s Flatiron District, downtown Los Angeles, Miami Beach and River North Chicago. The brand advertises itself as combining the social culture of a hostel with top-shelf design, food and beverage. Included in the acquisition is the Broken Shaker bar concept that operates within the hotels. Generator, a hostel business that Queensgate acquired in 2017, will manage Freehand. Generator seeks to appeal to millennial customers, focusing on capital city addresses, design-led interiors and shared social spaces. “The acquisition of Freehand is of strategic importance to Generator, and the combined portfolio represents one of the largest asset-rich lifestyle hospitality platforms globally with 19 hotels in 17 gateway cities,” says Puneet Kanuga, investment director at Queensgate. “There is now a significant push to grow the presence of both Freehand and Generator across the United Kingdom and Europe, with opportunities currently being evaluated in London, Edinburgh, Milan, Amsterdam and other gateway European cities.” London-based Queensgate …

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CivicDevelopmentMidwestNorth DakotaTop Stories

Cardon Global Opens $273M Williston Basin International Airport in North Dakota

by Alex Patton

WILLISTON, N.D. — Cardon Global has opened the Williston Basin International Airport (XWA) in Williston, located approximately 215 miles northwest of Bismarck. Development costs were estimated to be $273 million. The 100,000-square-foot airport includes four gates and three passenger boarding bridges as well as a 50-seat bar and restaurant. XWA is the first ground-up commercial airport built in the Midwest since the 1940s, according to the developer. “Prior to the completion of XWA airport, the region was lacking the capacity, ease and essential airport amenities necessary to inspire travelers flying in and out of Williston,” says Don Cardon, CEO of Cardon Global. “In designing a vision for the airport to serve the region for decades to come, we’ve collectively tried to anticipate the needs of today’s travelers. That means providing an amazing mix of amenities, access, comfort and enjoyment to make the process of air travel much more enjoyable and productive moving forward.” The airport is functionally replacing Williston’s now decommissioned Sloulin Field International Airport, which was built in 1947. Forbes reports that Sloulin Field accommodated about 148,000 passengers, down from about 240,000 in 2014. Those numbers are up from 22,000 in 2009. So far, 2019 has seen a 22 percent increase …

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Leasing ActivityNew YorkNortheastOfficeTop Stories

LinkedIn Signs Lease Expansion at Empire State Building, Increases Footprint to 501,600 SF

by Kristin Harlow

NEW YORK CITY — LinkedIn has signed its eighth lease expansion at the Empire State Building in Manhattan. The deal increases LinkedIn’s footprint by three-and-a-half floors totaling 188,653 square feet. Since 2011, the online job posting and networking platform has grown to 501,600 square feet at the iconic building. Sunnyvale, Calif.-based LinkedIn has offices in more than 30 cities around the world. The company, acquired by Microsoft in 2016, has more than 15,000 full-time employees. There are approximately 645 million LinkedIn users worldwide. Empire State Realty Trust Inc. (NYSE: ESRT) owns the Empire State Building, which rises 1,454 feet. Tenants at the property have access to a 15,000-square-foot fitness center, conference center and in-building dining options. With an Energy Star rating of 86, the Empire State Building is in the top 20 percent in energy efficiency among all buildings measured, according to ESRT. Sacha Zarba, Lauren Crowley Corrinet and Chris Hogan of CBRE represented LinkedIn in the expansion lease. Ryan Kass and Shanae Ursini of ESRT provided landlord representation. ESRT is a real estate investment trust that owns, manages, operates, acquires and repositions office and retail properties in Manhattan and the greater New York City metro area. The company’s portfolio …

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