WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CALIF. — Just over three weeks after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Guitar Center appears ready to already emerge from the process. In its original filings, the Westlake Village-based musical instrument and supplies retailer reported its business of instrument purchases, rentals, repairs and music lessons suffered amid the upheaval stemming from government-mandated shutdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. At a virtual hearing Thursday, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Huennekens, based in Richmond serving the Eastern District of Virginia, approved Guitar Center’s bankruptcy plan, according to Bloomberg. The retailer expects to emerge from the Chapter 11 process before the end of next week, reducing its debt load by around $800 million. The company worked out a restructuring support agreement that includes new financing from existing creditors, $165 million in new equity from owner Ares Management Corp., Carlyle Group and Brigade Capital Management, Bloomberg reports. Recently sold bonds will also help pay for the move. The judge noted that creditors will still be paid in full as a result of the new structure, and creditors unanimously supported the deal. No plans were released regarding Guitar Center’s 297 brick-and-mortar locations. When it originally filed for bankruptcy, the company also hired A&G …
Walker & Dunlop Arranges $86M in Financing for Two Seniors Housing Communities in California, Hawaii
PALO ALTO, CALIF., AND HONOLULU — Walker & Dunlop Inc. has arranged a total of $86 million in financing for two seniors housing properties. The loans provided $45 million to EWS Real Estate Investment Co. for Palo Alto Commons, a 181-unit property in Palo Alto, and $41 million to The MW Group for The Plaza at Moanalua, a 160-bed community in Honolulu. Both properties offer assisted living, independent living and memory care. Palo Alto Commons, built in 1989 and 2010, is a three-story, two-building complex with a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom units. The Plaza at Moanalua is a Class A seniors housing community built in 2011. Russell Dey led Walker & Dunlop’s team in structuring the financing for MW Group, while Dey and Jay Thomas worked together to complete the loan for Palo Alto Commons. Both transactions were arranged with Freddie Mac financing and featured fixed rates and an interest-only component.
LOS ANGELES — A public-private partnership between American Campus Communities and the University of Southern California (USC) has completed a second phase of a student housing development. The residence hall is located at 1630 San Pablo St. near the university’s Curry Hall and the LAC+USC Medical Center. Shared amenities at the property include outdoor and indoor study areas, retail space and a rooftop courtyard. “We were able to commit 35 percent of the overall area to open space,” says Benjamin Kasdan, principal at KTGY Architecture + Planning, which designed the community. “This is desirable not only during the COVID period, but beyond. The project includes many trends and features we expect to see in the future based on input from students and housing developers.”
SAN FRANCISCO — Thor Equities Group has completed the sale of 634 Second Street, a mixed-use commercial building located in San Francisco’s SOMA neighborhood. Terms of the transaction were not released. The 46,752-square-foot property features three stories, a rooftop deck and 100 feet of frontage along Second Street. At the time of sale, the property tenants included Okta, a cloud security company; Cloudflare, a hosting provider; and Sajj Mediterranean, a restaurant. Kyle Kovac, Mike Taquino and Mandy Lee of CBRE represented Thor Equities in the transaction. Ben Vago and Avram Posner of Wachtel Missry LLP served as legal counsel for Thor Equities.
LOS ANGELES — CBRE Capital Markets’ Debt & Structured Finance team has arranged $69 million for the recapitalization of a four-property industrial portfolio totaling 991,634 square feet across the southwestern United States. Shaun Moothart, Bruce Francis, Jennifer Ansari, Dana Summers, Bob Ybarra and Doug Birrell of CBRE secured the 20-year, 2.13 percent loan on behalf of the borrower, Moulton Co., a family-owned and operated private equity asset management firm based in Southern California. The portfolio consists of four core industrial assets: Harbor Gateway, located at 20100 S. Western Ave. in Torrance, Calif. Longley Commerce Center at 6550 Longley Lane in Reno, Nev. The Landing at PMG, located at 7613-7753 E. Ray Road in Mesa, Ariz. Northgate Distribution Center at 4800 E. Tropical Parkway in Las Vegas At the time of sale, all four facilities were fully leased.
SAN DIEGO — A joint venture between San Diego-based Hills Properties and a fund managed by Westport Capital Partners has acquired an industrial portfolio in San Diego’s Miramar industrial neighborhood. Providence II Camino Santa Fe LLC sold the assets for $11.3 million. Located at 8250-8260 Camino Santa Fe, the two-building portfolio features 61,000 square feet of multi-tenant industrial space. Evan McDonald of Colliers International represented the seller in the deal.
LOS ANGELES — A private developer has completed the sale of California Marketplace, a shopping center located at 450 S. Western Ave. in the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles. A private investment company acquired the asset for $57.5 million. A Korean grocery store occupies the three-story retail property, which features an adjacent, four-level parking structure. At the time of sale, the property was 86 percent leased to 25 tenants, including Gaju Market, Pacific City Bank, Myungrang Hot Dog and BMB Medical. Michael Shustak, Derrick Moore, Chris Caras and Phillip Sample of CBRE’s downtown Los Angeles office represented the seller in the deal.
SAN JOSE, CALIF. — Panattoni Development Co. has completed the disposition of an industrial property located at 2144 Oakland Road in San Jose. TA Realty acquired the asset for $26.6 million. The County of Santa Clara occupies the 82,900-square-foot building, which was recently constructed. Steven Golubchik, Edmund Najera, Jonathan Schaefler, Darran Hollak and Jack Phipps of Newmark represented the seller in the transaction.
VISTA, CALIF. — JLL has arranged the sale of a portion of Vista Terrace Marketplace, a retail property in Vista. Black Lion Investment Group sold the asset to an undisclosed buyer for $10.6 million. The transaction included three retail pads occupied by O’Reilly Auto Parts, Dunkin Donuts, AT&T and Verizon Wireless. Daniel Tyner and Gleb Lvovich of JLL represented the seller in the transaction. Brian Pyke and Connor Stevens of Retail Insite handle the leasing on behalf of the owner. Black Lion still owns two pad site and the anchor building at the retail center.
Bed Bath & Beyond Agrees to Sell Cost Plus World Market to Private Equity Firm, Including 243 Stores
UNION, N.J. AND LOS ANGELES — Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBY) has agreed to sell Cost Plus World Market, a specialty retail chain that sells home furniture, décor and international food products. The buyer, Los Angeles-based private equity firm Kingswood Capital Management, expects to continue operations under the Cost Plus World Market banner. The purchase agreement includes 243 brick-and-mortar locations, the World Market digital business, two distribution facilities and a corporate office located in Alameda, Calif. Both companies have agreed to a transition services agreement (TSA) following the close of the transaction to help ensure business continuity. The sales price was not disclosed. Cost Plus World Market opened its first store in 1958 on San Francisco’s famous Fisherman’s Wharf. Today the company operates stores in 39 states coast to coast, as well as one in Washington, D.C. Bed Bath & Beyond acquired Cost Plus World Market in 2012. The transaction is scheduled to close prior to the end of Bed Bath & Beyond’s fiscal year on Feb. 27, 2021, and is subject to customary closing conditions. Advisors to Bed Bath & Beyond on this transaction included B. Riley Securities Inc. and Bryan Cave. In addition to the sale …