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Gap, Macy’s, Kohl’s to Furlough Most Employees as Stores Remain Closed During COVID-19 Pandemic

by John Nelson March 31, 2020

SAN FRANCISCO, NEW YORK CITY AND MENOMONEE FALLS, WIS. — Prominent retailers Gap Inc., Macy’s Inc. and Kohl’s have announced separately that they’re planning to furlough a majority of employees at their stores and some distribution centers beginning this week in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Combined, the total number of affected employees is nearly 290,000, according to the Los Angeles Times. The three retailers have extended their temporary store closures indefinitely to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the United States has 140,904 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 2,405 related deaths as of Monday, March 30. Until stores begin to reopen, the companies will pause payments to a majority of their staff while still offering applicable benefits to those affected. Luxury retailer Neiman Marcus is also reportedly furloughing most of its 14,000 employees. Gap (NYSE: GPS) has announced that its leadership team and board of directors will take a temporary reduction in pay. Gap’s brands, which include Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Athleta, Hill City, Janie and Jack and Intermix, will still be available through the company’s online platform. “After taking the extraordinary measures of temporarily closing all …

March 31, 2020

Company News Texas Top Stories

GameStop to Close More Than 300 North American Stores in 2020

by Taylor Williams March 30, 2020

GRAPEVINE, TEXAS — Video game retailer GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) plans to close more than 300 North American stores in 2020, the Grapevine, Texas-based company recently announced during its fourth-quarter earnings call. GameStop did not specify which stores and markets would be affected by the closures, but said that it anticipates the total number of shuttered stores to be equal to or greater than the 320 stores that it closed in 2019. GameStop saw its total comparable stores sales across the globe decrease 26.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019 relative to that period a year earlier. Although the company reported a 2 percent increase in global comparable sales in March 2020 relative to March 2019, GameStop executives said that the market disruption caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 has prompted it to move forward with its “global de-densification” plan. In fielding questions from analysts on the call, GameStop CEO George Sherman noted that although “every day brings a new challenge and new information as we navigate this very dynamic environment brought on by COVID-19,” the de-densification plan had been in effect prior to the healthcare crisis. In particular, he said, the plan centered on the transference of revenue …

March 30, 2020

Acquisitions California Office Top Stories Western

TMG Partners Acquires 410,106 SF The Quad Office Campus in Santa Clara, California

by Alex Patton March 27, 2020

SANTA CLARA, CALIF. — TMG Partners, a San Francisco-based developer, has acquired The Quad, a 410,106-square-foot office campus in Santa Clara, a suburb of San Jose. J.P. Morgan Chase sold the property for an undisclosed price. Located at 3001 Tasman Drive, The Quad consists of seven two-story buildings that were constructed in 1982. Multiple owners and operators have acquired and renovated the property since its construction. The property is adjacent to the VTA Light Rail station three blocks from Levi’s Stadium, home of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers. The Quad is also located four blocks from the upcoming Related Santa Clara, a 9.2 million-square-foot mixed-use project by Related Cos., which is also developing the high-profile Hudson Yards in Manhattan. Amenities include an outdoor courtyard, coffee shop, bocce ball court, food truck court and fitness center. The site is also entitled for an additional 150,000 square feet of construction. “TMG Partners was attracted to this property because of its stable, long-term cash flow; the Santa Clara location; our understanding of the need to provide office space for the many different size requirements of today’s tenants; and the existing suite of amenities,” says Ben Kochalski, regional partner with TMG Partners. “We will …

March 27, 2020

Acquisitions California Retail Top Stories Western

L.A. Clippers Owner Agrees to Acquire The Forum for $400M, Propelling New Arena Plans

by Alex Tostado March 26, 2020

INGLEWOOD, CALIF. — CAPSS LLC, a new company formed by Los Angeles Clippers’ chairman Steve Ballmer and vice chairman Dennis Wong, has agreed to acquire The Forum in Inglewood for $400 million in cash. By reaching an agreement with The Madison Square Garden Co. (NYSE: MSG), the litigation battle between the team and seller over the proximity of the basketball team’s new arena to the older events venue will end. MSG, which also owns the New York Knicks, argued that the Clippers’ proposed NBA arena was too close to The Forum and would compete as an events venue. CAPSS says the 17,500-seat Forum will continue to operate as a music venue and the new ownership will extend employment offers to current employees. The parties expect to close the sale in the second quarter of this year. The new Clippers arena will be situated on West Century Boulevard between South Prairie Avenue and South Yukon Avenue, one mile south of The Forum. The proposed stadium will offer 18,000 seats and will include the team’s headquarters and a community center. The stadium will be privately funded and is currently undergoing an environmental review by the City of Inglewood, which the Los Angeles …

March 26, 2020

Acquisitions Massachusetts Northeast Office Top Stories

Starwood REIT Acquires 60 State Street in Downtown Boston for $614M

by Kristin Harlow March 25, 2020

BOSTON — Starwood Real Estate Income Trust Inc. has acquired the leasehold interest in 60 State Street in downtown Boston. Local city records indicate a sales price of $614 million. The 38-story office and retail tower spans 911,394 square feet. The tower’s major tenants include law firm WilmerHale, asset manager Amundi Pioneer, advertising technology solutions provider Criteo, and asset manager BlackRock. A three-level Samuel Adams Tap Room, which opened earlier this year, anchors the retail portion. The building also features the State Room event space on floors 33 and 34 and a 240-space parking garage. Institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management and Oxford Properties Group sold the asset. Robert Griffin, Edward Maher, Matthew Pullen, Samantha Hallowell, Debra Gould and Gilbert Dailey of Newmark Knight Frank (NKF) oversaw the transaction, which marks the largest sales price recorded for an office asset year-to-date in Boston’s central business district, according to NKF. Starwood Real Estate Income Trust is a nontraded REIT managed by Starwood Capital Group, a global private investment firm. — Kristin Hiller

March 25, 2020

Company News District of Columbia Loans Multifamily Seniors Housing Southeast Student Housing Top Stories

Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae Enact 90-Day Financial Relief Plan for Multifamily Borrowers, Tenants

by John Nelson March 24, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have separately announced nationwide initiatives to provide financial relief for their multifamily borrowers and tenants affected by the outbreak of coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19). The two government-sponsored enterprises are enacting programs that allow their borrowers to defer monthly payments for up to 90 days by showing hardship as a consequence of COVID-19 and by gaining lender approval. Additionally, participants in the program must agree to not evict their renters who are facing financial hardship due to the current health crisis. The agencies anticipate the initiatives could impact more than 54,000 apartment communities across the country. “This program is historic in its size, and it has the potential to provide relief to millions of families in multifamily rental homes financed through a Freddie Mac loan,” says Debby Jenkins, executive vice president and head of Freddie Mac Multifamily, which implemented a similar forbearance plan in 2017 following Hurricane Harvey in Houston. “Countless Americans are facing unimaginable hardships, and Freddie Mac is doing what we can to provide relief as our nation addresses this global pandemic,” says Jenkins. The outbreak of COVID-19 is likely to push the United States into a recession as the …

March 24, 2020

Company News Hospitality Top Stories

Marriott to Furlough Two-Thirds of Domestic, International Corporate Staff

by Taylor Williams March 23, 2020

BETHESDA, MD. — Marriott International Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) will furlough approximately two-thirds of its 4,000 corporate staff members in the company’s Bethesda office, as well roughly two-thirds of its international corporate staff, according to multiple media sources. A company spokesperson first confirmed the news to The Wall Street Journal, which also reported that most furloughs are expected to last 60 to 90 days. Hospitality and travel blog One Mile at a Time reported the same time frame. The announcement comes on the heels of Marriott’s decision last week to furlough what could ultimately be tens of thousands of employees at its hotels around the world. According to the company’s website, Marriott owned and operated about 7,300 properties under 30 brands in 134 countries. Those properties total more than 1.3 million rooms. Marriott also employs some 130,000 people worldwide. On a conference call late last week, Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson told investors that after seeing strong growth in revenue per available room (REVpar) in its European and North American hotels during the first two months of the year, these properties were now seeing an average occupancy rate of about 25 percent. That figure stood at roughly 70 percent a year ago, …

March 23, 2020

Development Maryland Southeast Student Housing Top Stories

Balfour Beatty Starts Construction of 557-Bed Student Housing, Innovation Center Development in Bowie, Maryland

by Alex Patton March 20, 2020

BOWIE, MD. — Developer Balfour Beatty Campus Solutions is underway on a 557-bed student housing and mixed-use development in Bowie, a northeastern suburb of Washington, D.C. The 170,000-square-foot development will house students of Bowie State University and will also be the site of the Bowie Business Innovation Center, a program for business acceleration in collaboration with the U.S. Small Business Administration. The development is slated to open in fall 2021. The project cost will be approximately $42 million. “This partnership allows the university to support its growing student body with much-needed modern housing options and provides a dedicated place for the creative leaders of tomorrow to develop their knowledge and skills as they prepare to enter the business world upon graduation,” says Bob Shepko, president of Balfour Beatty. The development will also house the university’s Entrepreneurship Academy, which will help students develop their own business opportunities and better navigate the greater business world. Other project features include a variety of amenities, including a fitness center, laundry facilities, community kitchens, parking and flexible classroom space. The project is primarily funded with tax-exempt bonds through the Maryland Economic Development Corp. Balfour Beatty Construction is and Smoot Construction are serving as contractors for …

March 20, 2020

California Company News Indiana Midwest Retail Top Stories Western

Simon, URW Among Latest to Temporarily Close Retail Centers Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

by Alex Tostado March 19, 2020

INDIANAPOLIS AND LOS ANGELES — Simon Property Group and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) have announced they will temporarily close their respective shopping centers across the United States amid the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak. Simon (NYSE: SPG) closed all of its U.S. properties at 7 p.m. local time Wednesday. URW will close its properties starting today. URW, which is headquartered in Paris and has offices in Los Angeles and New York City, operates 47 properties in the U.S. Due to European governments implementing crowd bans, URW began shuttering centers in France, Spain, Poland, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia on March 16. In a corresponding move, the company began actively reducing non-staff expenses and deferring non-essential capital expenditure. Unless instructed otherwise by local authorities, URW will reopen its properties March 29. URW says “essential” retailers will remain open. Essential stores are typically defined as grocery stores, pharmacies, convenient stores, etc. “We have not made this decision lightly and believe this is in the best interest of protecting our various stakeholders. We look forward to reopening these centers in the very near future,” says Jean-Marie Tritant, U.S. President of URW. “In the meantime, we are doing everything possible to make sure that ‘essential’ retail outlets …

March 19, 2020

Acquisitions Georgia Office Southeast Top Stories

Lone Star Funds Acquires Ernst & Young-Anchored Office Building in Downtown Atlanta

by Kristin Harlow March 18, 2020

ATLANTA — An affiliate of Lone Star Funds has acquired 55 Allen Plaza, a Class A office building totaling 342,854 square feet in Atlanta’s Innovation Corridor. The purchase price was not disclosed. Completed in 2007 and anchored by professional services firm Ernst & Young, the 14-story property includes a recently constructed tenant lounge and conference center, as well as an innovation lab. It is situated at 55 Ivan Allen Jr Blvd., less than a mile from the World of Coca-Cola, the Georgia Aquarium and Centennial Olympic Park. Richard Reid, Ryan Clutter, Ralph Smalley and Huston Green of JLL represented the seller, a state pension fund advised by Lincoln Property Co. Ed Coco and Matt Casey of JLL arranged a five-year, floating-rate acquisition loan on behalf of the buyer through NXT Capital. In 2011, the property traded hands for $57 million, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Lone Star is a private equity firm advising funds that invest globally in real estate, equity, credit and other financial assets. Since 1995, the firm has organized 20 private equity funds with aggregate capital commitments totaling approximately $85 billion. — Kristin Hiller and Alex Tostado

March 18, 2020

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