SAN DIEGO AND LAKE FOREST, CALIF. — Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK) and Del Taco Restaurants (NASDAQ: TACO) have entered into a merger agreement valued at approximately $575 million, inclusive of existing debt. Under the terms of the agreement, Jack in the Box will acquire Del Taco for $12.51 per share in cash. The deal, which is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022, would yield a company with more than 2,800 restaurants across 25 states. In addition, the new entity plans to grow its store count by 4 percent annually by 2025. “This is a natural combination of two like-minded, challenger brands with outstanding growth opportunities,” says Darin Harris, CEO of Jack in the Box. “Together, Jack in the Box and Del Taco will benefit from a stronger financial model, gaining greater scale to invest in digital and technology capabilities and unit growth for both brands.” “Del Taco has a loyal, passionate guest base and a strong operating model, and we believe that we can leverage our infrastructure, experience refranchising and development strategy to support Del Taco’s growth plans and expand Del Taco’s footprint,” continues Harris. “In recent years, we have uniquely positioned Del Taco …
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GOODLETTSVILLE, TENN. — Dollar General (NYSE: DG) has unveiled plans to open approximately 1,000 new Popshelf stores by the end of fiscal year 2025, including roughly 100 stores in fiscal year 2022. Each Popshelf store spans approximately 9,000 square feet and offers seasonal and home décor, health and beauty products, cleaning supplies and party goods. The target customer is primarily female, lives in the suburbs and maintains an annual household income ranging from $50,000 to $125,000, according to the retailer. Dollar General, which is based in Goodlettsville near Nashville, debuted the Popshelf concept last fall and opened its first two stores in Tennessee in October 2020. At the end of its fiscal third quarter, Dollar General operated 30 Popshelf stores in six states and 14 store-within-a-store formats, which combine the offerings of Popshelf with DG Market, a larger footprint store that focuses on groceries. By February 2022, Popshelf is on track for 50 stores, as well as up to 25 store-within-a-store formats. “Throughout Popshelf’s first year, we’ve been very pleased by the customer demand for the concept’s on-trend merchandise, price points and shopping experience,” says Emily Taylor, Dollar General’s executive vice president and chief merchandising officer. “Popshelf is an integral …
MRA Group Acquires Life Sciences Campus in Wilmington, Delaware, Begins $500M Redevelopment
by Katie Sloan
WILMINGTON, DEL. — MRA Group has acquired Chestnut Run Lab Campus, a 163-acre life sciences and manufacturing campus in Wilmington, from industrial engineering firm DuPont for an undisclosed price. MRA Group is underway on a $500 million redevelopment of the property, which is being rebranded the Chestnut Run Innovation & Science Park (CRISP). Located at 984 Centre Road, the development is currently home to 780,000 square feet of lab, research and advanced manufacturing space. Redevelopment plans for the campus include the addition of a hotel, fitness center, conference space, an outdoor amphitheater and restaurant space. The first renovated building is set to be delivered in late summer 2022. DuPont will continue to lease 190,000 square feet located across two buildings at the property. “We are excited to be back in Delaware with such an incredible opportunity,” says Lawrence Stuardi, founder and CEO of MRA Group. “Our vision for CRISP will set a new standard for innovative campus redevelopment in the region, as we believe it will become Delaware’s leading biotechnology and science hub.” Delaware has the fourth-highest concentration of science, engineering and health employees with doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in the nation, according to MRA. The CRISP campus marks …
BOSTON — Cabot Properties Inc. has sold its Value Fund V portfolio in two separate transactions for a total of $2.8 billion. Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust Inc. (BREIT) acquired the portfolio, which features logistics properties in the United States and Europe. The U.S. portfolio includes 102 properties totaling 15.2 million square feet located in major logistics markets such as the Inland Empire, California; Eastern Pennsylvania; South Florida; and the New York metropolitan area. In a separate transaction, Blackstone’s European Core Plus business and its affiliates acquired the remaining European properties, which feature 22 properties totaling 2.2 million square feet of industrial space. The properties are located in European markets such as the Midlands, North West and South East in the United Kingdom; Amsterdam; and Düsseldorf in Germany. “The sale of our Value Fund V portfolio completes our most ambitious logistics property investment program over the past 20 years,” says Franz Colloredo-Mansfeld, chairman and chief executive officer of Cabot. “This portfolio was created through 90 transactions, including 24 development projects throughout the U.S., U.K. and Europe completed over the past five years. We are pleased to have now completed approximately $5 billion in three transactions with Blackstone Real Estate over …
LOS ANGELES — ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAC, VIACA) has entered into a definitive agreement to sell CBS Studio Center in Los Angeles to a partnership formed by Hackman Capital Partners LLC and Square Mile Capital Management LLC. The sales price of approximately $1.85 billion includes associated businesses of CBS that operate within the 1 million-square-foot complex. Situated on a 55-acre site in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Studio City, the property includes 22 stages, production offices and support buildings, third-party tenant offices, the Broadcast Center and filmable backlot locations. Shows filmed at the studio over the years have included Seinfeld, Mary Tyler Moore, Parks and Recreation, The Talk, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, That 70’s Show and Gunsmoke. At closing, ViacomCBS subsidiary CBS Broadcasting Inc. will enter into a long-term leaseback of the Broadcast Center, which is home to TV stations CBS 2 and KCAL 9. ViacomCBS will continue to occupy stages and produce content on the lot, as well as enter into a short-term leaseback of certain portions of the property in order to manage the transition of its employees to other locations. “This sale is part of an ongoing optimization of ViacomCBS’ real estate and operations portfolio and …
NORTHBROOK, ILL. — Dermody Properties has agreed to buy the metro Chicago headquarters campus of insurance company Allstate Corp. (NYSE: ALL) for $232 million. The purchase agreement is expected to close in 2022. The buyer, a Nevada-based industrial development and investment firm, plans to redevelop the 186-acre campus, which is located north of Chicago in Northbrook, into a Class A logistics and distribution hub. Doug Kiersey, president of Dermody Properties, said in an interview with REBusinessOnline that the preliminary redevelopment plan, which is subject to change based on tenant demands, currently calls for the delivery of approximately 3.2 million square feet of industrial space and a total capital investment of more than $500 million. Kiersey also discussed at length the aspects of the site that his firm found most appealing, including its location within a major population zone, its scale and its existing onsite and offsite infrastructure. “This particular site fits geographically into an area that can serve a lot of customers in a very short period of time,” he said. “Within a 10-mile radius, there are a lot of rooftops for companies to serve their customers. The site also represents an unusual combination of infill location and scale — …
TAYLOR, TEXAS — Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. has unveiled plans to build a $17 billion semiconductor manufacturing facility in Taylor, about 35 miles northeast of Austin. The facility will manufacture products based on advanced process technologies for application in areas such as mobile, 5G, high-performance computing and artificial intelligence. South Korea-based Samsung says the project marks its largest-ever investment in the U.S. and will improve supply chain resilience of crucial logic chips. The $17 billion investment includes buildings, property improvements, machinery and equipment. “As we add a new facility in Taylor, Samsung is laying the groundwork for another important chapter in our future,” says Kinam Kim, vice chairman and CEO of Samsung’s device solutions division. “With greater manufacturing capacity, we will be able to better serve the needs of our customers and contribute to the stability of the global semiconductor supply chain.” Construction is expected to begin in the first half of 2022 with completion slated for the second half of 2024. The Taylor site will span more than 53 million square feet and is expected to serve as a key location for Samsung’s global semiconductor manufacturing capacity along with its latest production line in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. Samsung says …
Inova Health to Anchor Landmark Mall Redevelopment in Alexandria with $1B Hospital Campus
by John Nelson
ALEXANDRIA, VA. — The City of Alexandria has signed Inova Health System, a nonprofit healthcare provider in Northern Virginia, to a 99-year ground lease at the site of the former Landmark Mall on the city’s west side. Inova plans to invest $1 billion to create a new medical campus that will be anchored by the relocation and expansion of its existing Alexandria hospital, which is located at 4320 Seminary Road. Inova expects the new campus to employ more than 2,000 healthcare workers. The hospital will include a large emergency room, private patient rooms and a prominent oncology department, according to reports from Patch.com. The healthcare campus will also include a medical office building. The landowner for the hospital portion, the City of Alexandria’s Industrial Development Authority (IDA), signed Inova to the longest ground-lease term possible. IDA purchased the 11-acre former Sears site recently from Landmark Land Holdings LLC for $54 million. Landmark Land Holdings LLC is the joint venture ownership comprising Foulger-Pratt, The Howard Hughes Corp. (NYSE: HHC) and Seritage Growth Properties (NYSE: SRG). Development plans for the remaining portions of the overall 52-acre Landmark Mall site include a mix of residential, retail, commercial and entertainment offerings. Plans also call …
TAMPA, FLA. — Atlanta-based developer ECI Group has sold Channel Club, a 22-story high-rise apartment building in Tampa, to Snell Properties, an investment firm based in the Washington, D.C. area. The sales price was $136 million. The property totals 324 units, which translates to a per-unit sales price of approximately $420,000. Apartments feature one- and two-bedroom floor plans and an average size of 911 square feet. Units are furnished with stainless steel appliances and private balconies. ECI Group developed Channel Club, which also houses a Publix grocery store and several levels of onsite parking, in 2019. The community offers amenities such as a pool, fitness center and a business center. The Publix was not included in the sale. ECI Group is also developing Parc Madison, a 351-unit apartment community on the same block as Channel Club. Both projects represent part of a broader effort to redevelop and revitalize one of Tampa’s former industrial districts. The block is also home to Madison Street Park. “ECI Group is excited to be continuing to invest in one of the most transformational downtowns in the nation with Parc Madison,” says ECI Group CEO Seth Greenberg. “We congratulate Snell on their purchase of Channel Club, …
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Health Corp. (NYSE: CVS) plans to close about 900 stores over the next three years, or about 300 stores a year, starting in the spring of 2022. The pharmacy retailer says the decision to close its stores was in order to focus more on its digital strategy. The store closures equal about 9 percent of the approximately 10,000 locations that the retailer currently operates. CVS says it will help those who lose their jobs as a result of the store closures to find a different role at another one of the retailer’s locations, according to CNBC. As part of the plan to close many of its stores, CVS Health will create new store formats. The retailer released three models for its new store layouts including sites dedicated to offering primary care services; an enhanced version of HealthHub locations with products and services designed for everyday health and wellness needs; and traditional CVS pharmacy stores that provide prescription services and health, wellness, personal care and other retail offerings. CVS Health plans to build 1,000 HealthHub locations by the end of the year, CNBC reports. This model includes a wider range of medical products and medical services from …