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Cushman & Wakefield Files for IPO

by Kristin Harlow

CHICAGO — Cushman & Wakefield has filed registration with the SEC for an initial public offering (IPO). The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the proposed offering have yet to be determined. Chicago-based Cushman & Wakefield is among the largest real estate services firms in the world with 48,000 employees in approximately 400 offices and 70 countries. The 101-year-old firm, which reported revenues of $6.9 billion last year, manages approximately 3.5 billion square feet of commercial real estate space on behalf of institutional, corporate and private clients. The company could seek to raise about $1 billion in the IPO and seek a valuation in excess of $5 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal. In its filing, Cushman & Wakefield states five strategies for growing revenue and profitability: hiring top talent; expanding margins; leveraging breadth of services; deploying capital around its infill M&A strategy; and utilizing technology. The decision is likely a move to better compete with CBRE and JLL, both of which are publicly traded entities. CBRE’s revenue for 2017 was $14.2 billion while JLL’s was $7.9 billion. Cushman & Wakefield ranked No. 3 on Lipsey’s 2017 Top 25 Commercial Real Estate Brand Survey. Cushman & …

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AcquisitionsRetailTexasTop Stories

Rent-A-Center Stock Rebounds Following News of Buyout

by Taylor Williams

PLANO, TEXAS — After announcing on Monday, June 18, it had entered into an agreement to be acquired by Vintage Capital Management, Rent-A-Center Inc. (NASDAQ/NGS: RCII) has seen its stock price increase steadily throughout the week. The company’s stock price opened at $14.78 per share on Thursday, June 21. This figure represents a nearly 23 percent increase in the span of just one week, but remains a far cry from the peak price of $40 per share in summer 2013. Vintage Capital agreed to acquire Rent-A-Center for $15 per share in a transaction that is valued at approximately $1.4 billion and which will take the Plano-based retailer private. The deal is expected to close before year’s end. The price represents a premium of approximately 49 percent over Rent-A-Center’s closing stock price of $10.07 per share on Oct. 30, 2017. According to one retail analyst, Rent-A-Center’s struggles stemmed from several factors, including a high number of new competitors in the home goods sector and the lack of financial resources to establish robust online sales. “Rent-A-Center is an interesting case because it kind of bleeds into that personal services category, yet it’s not especially resistant to e-commerce because of the physical goods …

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AcquisitionsFloridaHospitalitySoutheastTop Stories

CBRE Brokers $170.6M Sale of Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina

by David Cohen

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — CBRE Hotels has brokered the sale of the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, a 589-room hotel located at 1881 17th St. in Fort Lauderdale. Situated along the Intracoastal Waterway, the nine-acre property is third-largest hotel in Broward County. The Blackstone Group sold the asset to Thayer Lodging Group, a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management, for $170.6 million, according to reports by the South Florida Business Journal. The hotel was built in 1980 and 1981, and has been renovated several times, most significantly in 2008. The property includes a 33-slip marina, business center, meeting rooms, fitness center, jogging track and a swimming pool. Christian Charre, Paul Weimer, Natalie Castillo and Jennifer Jin of CBRE arranged the transaction on behalf of the seller. “The Hilton Marina is a strategic property in an area with extremely high barriers to entry,” says Charre. “We encountered a great amount of interest from the investor community and had multiple rounds of competitive bidding.” Located in the Fort Lauderdale Marina, the hotel is surrounded by multiple demand generators that include the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center, Port Everglades and the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. “With tremendous potential for future redevelopment, this truly unique investment …

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AcquisitionsCivicDistrict of ColumbiaOfficeSoutheastTop Stories

Easterly Government Properties Agrees to Buy 1.5 MSF Government-Leased Office Portfolio for $430M

by John Nelson

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Easterly Government Properties (NYSE: DEA) has agreed to purchase a 14-property office portfolio across the United States for $430 million. The nearly 1.5 million-square-foot portfolio is 94 percent leased by the U.S. government and 99 percent leased overall. The seller was undisclosed. “We believe the acquisition of this portfolio is a wonderful opportunity for the company,” says William C. Trimble III, CEO of Easterly. “This acquisition is expected to grow our portfolio by approximately 39 percent on a rentable-square-foot basis, while still maintaining the same high-quality standard of assets Easterly is known for.” The portfolio includes the following assets: • A 267,766-square-foot office building in Buffalo, N.Y., housing Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and a regional office for the National Labor Relations Board • A 239,331-square-foot building next to Chicago O’Hare International Airport that houses the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Great Lakes Regional Office and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) • A 225,057-square-foot facility in Portland, Ore.’s Central City Plan District housing the USDA, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (ACOE), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) • A 182,500-square-foot build-to-suit property in Parkersburg, …

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DevelopmentFloridaMixed-UseSoutheastTop Stories

Joint Venture Acquires 38 Acres in South Florida for $200M Mixed-Use Project

by Camren Skelton

BOCA RATON, FLA. — Giles Capital Group, Rosemurgy Properties, Schmier Property Group and Wheelock Street Capital have acquired 38 acres at the intersection of Glades Road and 95th Avenue South in Boca Raton for a $200 million mixed-use project. Dubbed Uptown Boca Raton, the 1.1 million-square-foot, pedestrian-friendly project will feature 150,591 square feet of retail space and 456 apartment units. Lucky’s Market and Silverspot Cinema will anchor the development, which will also house tenants such as Chick-fil-A and BankUnited. Katz & Associates is handling the project’s leasing assignment. “We are pleased to close on the property and to have the opportunity to deliver to West Boca Raton a lifestyle and entertainment project that will serve as a much-needed destination for the local community,” says Brian Schmier, CEO of Schmier Property Group. Developers will break ground on Uptown Boca Raton this month, with a projected retail opening in summer 2019. The multifamily portion of the project is expected to open in early 2020. Giles Capital Group is a real estate investment and development firm focused on multifamily communities in Florida. Founded in 1977, Boca Raton-based Rosemurgy Properties is a privately owned commercial real estate development, investment and management firm. Portfolio assets include multifamily, self-storage, …

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DevelopmentIllinoisMidwestTop Stories

Chicago Selects Elon Musk’s Boring Co. to Build, Operate Express Transit Line from Downtown to O’Hare Airport

by Kristin Harlow

CHICAGO — City of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has selected The Boring Company to build and operate a high-speed transit service between downtown Chicago and O’Hare International Airport. Founded by entrepreneur and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Boring plans to transport passengers between O’Hare and Block 37 in the Loop in approximately 12 minutes each way by utilizing electric vehicles that run through new twin underground tunnels. The project will be funded entirely by the company with no taxpayer subsidy. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that the project cost could be anywhere from $500 million to $1 billion. Boring was one of two final teams selected to respond to a request for proposals (RFP) issued in March by the Chicago Infrastructure Trust. The RFP was seeking a candidate to design, build, finance, operate and maintain an O’Hare Express service. The city will now begin one-on-one contract negotiations with Boring and present the agreement to the city council. The RFP required bidders to deliver express service from downtown to O’Hare in 20 minutes or less, cutting more than 50 percent off current travel times. Boring plans to reduce the trip even further to 12 minutes by utilizing autonomous “electric skates” that travel 125 …

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FloridaLoansRetailSoutheastTop Stories

Turnberry, Simon Refinance Aventura Mall in South Florida With $1.75B Loan

by Camren Skelton

AVENTURA, FLA. — Aventura Mall Venture, a partnership between Turnberry Associates and Simon Property Group (NYSE: SPG), has received $1.75 billion in financing for Aventura Mall in Aventura, a city in South Florida’s Miami-Dade County. JPMorgan Chase Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley Bank provided the financing. According to multiple news outlets, the loan will be used to pay off a $1.2 billion CMBS loan that Turnberry and Simon secured in 2013, and a $214 million loan that mall owners took out in 2016 to fund a 315,000-square-foot expansion. The new three-level wing includes experiential additions to the Arts Aventura Mall program, a 93-foot-tall Aventura Slide Tower, the first Topshop Topman in Florida, Zara, Under Armour, Treats Food Hall and new dining options offering indoor and outdoor seating. The nearly 3 million-square-foot Aventura Mall is home to more than 300 tenants, including Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Anthropologie, H&M, Urban Outfitters and a 24-screen AMC movie theater. Jack Kessler, Rebecca Livingston Lando, Bruce Booken, Jason D’Amico, George Cass, Rebecca Trinkler and Haley Ayure of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC provided legal representation for Turnberry and Simon. “This transaction is important because it enables Aventura Mall to …

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CaliforniaLoansOfficeTop StoriesWestern

Broadreach Secures $150M Financing for Google Build-to-Suit Office Building in Mountain View, California

by David Cohen

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. — Broadreach Capital Partners has secured $150 million in financing for 1625 Plymouth, a 245,738-square-foot, build-to-suit office development in the North Bayshore submarket of Mountain View. The property is 100 percent pre-leased to Google Inc. The closing of the loan coincided with the completion of construction of the shell of the building and delivery to Google for a tenant improvement build-out. The highly amenitized, LEED Platinum certified building will feature multiple outdoor deck spaces for functions and activities. HFF arranged the fixed-rate, permanent loan through the New York State Teachers Retirement System (NYSTRS). “Working with the team at Broadreach Capital Partners and assisting them in securing a new relationship with NYSTRS was a tremendous opportunity and we are excited to watch the continued progress on site as the tenant completes its work and occupies this best-in-class office building,” said Bruce Ganong, senior managing director at HFF. Architecture firm WRNS Studio designed the building. Broadreach Capital Partners is a Palo Alto-based real estate investment firm focused on development, acquisitions and asset management of commercial real estate in the Western states. — David Cohen

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AcquisitionsCompany NewsHospitalityMarylandProperty TypeSoutheastTop Stories

Pebblebrook Hotel Trust Revises Offer to Acquire LaSalle Hotel Properties, New Deal Valued at $4.17B

by John Nelson

BETHESDA, MD. — For the fourth time since March, Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (NYSE: PEB) has revised its merger proposal with LaSalle Hotel Properties (NYSE: LHO). Both hospitality REITs are based in Bethesda. Pebblebrook’s offer is contingent on LaSalle breaking off its current merger agreement with Blackstone Group. Pebblebrook submitted its offer to LaSalle’s board of trustees a few weeks after Blackstone and LaSalle came to terms on their merger. Blackstone’s deal was for $4.8 billion in an all-cash transaction. While a lower total dollar amount, Pebblebrook’s $4.17 billion offer excludes a debt portion, and The Wall Street Journal reports that Blackstone’s deal was valued at $3.7 billion when excluding debt. Pebblebrook’s board of trustees has unanimously approved the new deal. “The board of Pebblebrook remains convinced that a strategic combination with LaSalle represents a value-maximizing opportunity for the shareholders of both LaSalle and Pebblebrook,” said Jon Bortz, chairman, president and CEO of Pebblebrook. The hospitality REIT’s new offer represents a 13 percent premium over the Blackstone agreement. For each LaSalle common share held, each LaSalle shareholder may elect to receive $37.80 in cash (compared to Blackstone’s $33.50 per share offer) or a fixed exchange ratio of 0.92 Pebblebrook share. The …

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AcquisitionsIndustrialSoutheastTop StoriesVirginia

PS Business Parks Acquires 1.1 MSF Industrial Portfolio in Northern Virginia for $143.3M

by Taylor Williams

SPRINGFIELD, VA. — PS Business Parks Inc. (NYSE: PSB), a California-based office and industrial REIT, has acquired a portfolio of industrial properties totaling roughly 1.1 million square feet in northern Virginia. The purchase price was $143.3 million. The portfolio consists of the 19 buildings located within the 813,725-square-foot Northern Virginia Industrial Park and the 241,000-square-foot Fullerton Industrial Park. Both of these developments, which span a combined 65 acres, are located in Springfield, about 15 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. PS Business Parks already owns three industrial parks totaling 606,000 square feet in this area. Those properties have posted a historical average occupancy of 95 percent since 2000. With the acquisition of these two properties, the company’s footprint in the Springfield/Newington submarket totals approximately 1.7 million square feet, roughly 11 percent of the submarket supply. “We are confident that these properties will achieve the same occupancy and rent growth we have accomplished in our other locations in this market,” says Maria Hawthorne, president and CEO of PS Business Parks. “The location is superb as it is adjacent to Fort Belvoir and just south of the Pentagon in a densely populated area with excellent access to transportation.” The average lease size at …

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