DALLAS — Los Angeles-based investment and development firm CIM Group has sold Best Buy Plaza, a 177,434-square-foot shopping center located in North Dallas. Built on 14.6 acres in 1995, Best Buy Plaza was fully leased at the time of sale to tenants including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Total Wine & More, Cavender’s, Hyper Kidz and Best Buy. CIM Group originally acquired Best Buy Plaza in 2016 and subsequently implemented a capital improvement program. The buyer and sales price were not disclosed.
FORSYTH, GA. — Buc-ee’s has broken ground on a 74,000-square-foot travel center in Forsyth, roughly 60 miles southeast of Atlanta in Monroe County. The store is scheduled to open in spring 2027 and will become the fourth Buc-ee’s location in the state. Officials also stated that the site will be one of the largest in the company’s history and about 40 percent larger than the Buc-ee’s already operating in Warner Robins, about 30 miles to the south, according to WJCL. Situated at 1060 Rumble Road, the new store is expected to bring more than 200 full-time jobs to the area. Buc-ee’s currently operates 54 stores throughout its home state of Texas, as well as Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Ohio, Colorado, Virginia, Missouri and Tennessee.
SAN BERNARDINO, CALIF. — Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors has negotiated the $3.6 million sale of a single-tenant retail property leased to Starbucks Coffee in San Bernardino. The newly constructed, drive-thru-only café prototype spans 1,200 square feet and operates on a 15-year triple-net corporate lease with 10 percent rental increases every five years. The asset is located at 291 E. Hospitality Lane. Bill Asher and Jeff Lefko of Hanley represented the seller, a local developer, in the transaction. David Kluver of Lee & Associates represented the buyer, a local investor from Orange County.
OROVILLE, CALIF. — Valore Ventures has acquired a 2-acre development parcel at 350 Oro Dam Blvd. East in Oroville and signed a long-term ground lease with Chick-fil-A for the site. The quick-service restaurant will commence construction of a 4,266-square-foot dual drive-thru restaurant this month. Ryan Orn of Capital Rivers Commercial Real Estate represented the seller, Maverick, in the deal. The financial terms were undisclosed.
CHICAGO — Newmark has arranged the $41 million sale of the retail portion of 500 North Michigan Avenue along Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. The 21,565-square-foot space is fully leased to tenants such as Bank of America, Chick-fil-A and Vans. The asset traded at a cap rate of 5.93 percent. Keely Polczynski of Newmark represented the undisclosed seller. The buyer was a private investor.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, has arranged $113.7 million in acquisition financing for Presidio Junction, a portfolio of three contiguous retail centers totaling approximately 375,000 square feet in Fort Worth. The financing comprises life insurance debt and preferred equity. The centers — Presidio Towne Crossing, Tehama Towne Crossing and Vista Ridge — were fully leased at the time of the loan closing to tenants including T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods, Aldi, Petco, Old Navy, Sephora and Five Below. Adam Mengacci led the IPA team that arranged the financing on behalf of the borrower, Younger Partners Investments. The names of the direct lender and equity partner(s) were not disclosed.
WINTER GARDEN, FLA. — Orlando-based Foundry Commercial has brokered the $24.5 million sale of The Exchange, a mixed-use building located at 270 W. Plant St. in downtown Winter Garden, a suburb of Orlando. Delivered in 2021, the 42,800-square-foot property was fully leased to office tenants and retailers at the time of sale. The buyer is James Larweth, a private investor who has actively acquired assets in downtown Winter Garden. Chris DeMartino, Rick Helton, Dale Peterson, Joe Chick and Christine Mansour of Foundry represented the seller, the Keating family, in the transaction. Jay Strates of The Strates Group was the previous leasing agent for The Exchange and assisted the Foundry team in the sale.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — SimonCRE has acquired approximately 38 acres of land to develop Lobo Crossing, a 363,000-square-foot, open-air center located on the University of New Mexico’s south campus in Albuquerque. A timeline for the $150 million project was not disclosed. Target will anchor Lobo Crossing, which will feature 11 junior anchors and 45,000 square feet of space for small retail and restaurant operators. Committed tenants include Burlington, Marshalls, HomeGoods, Sierra, Boot Barn, Five Below and Michaels. Seven additional retailers are finalizing leases, according to the company. The center is currently 90 percent preleased. Lobo Crossing is set to be the largest retail center developed in New Mexico in recent decades, according to SimonCRE.
ARLINGTON, VA. — U.S. retail construction activity totaled 64.2 million square feet in the first quarter, down from 70 million square feet in first-quarter 2025 and well below the 10-year average (+90 million square feet), according to research from CoStar Group. Brandon Svec, national director of retail analytics at CoStar Group, points to multiple governors for new retail construction, including the popularity of e-commerce, competition from other property types and the previous cycles of broad-based expansion in the retail industry. Additionally, he says elevated costs for land, construction materials, labor and debt have made it difficult for retail developers to justify new construction. “The pullback in construction reflects a development environment that remains difficult to pencil in most markets,” says Svec. “Even in markets with strong population growth and leasing demand, achieving returns that justify ground-up construction has become increasingly challenging.” Data from the Arlington-based commercial real estate information and analytics firm shows that the nation’s retail development pipeline is sinking to levels not seen since the previous two cyclical lows: the early stages of the COVID-19 recovery and coming out of the Great Financial Crisis in 2011. Among markets tracked by CoStar, three Texas markets are leading the way …
LOS ANGELES AND HOUSTON — Investment firm Ares Management Corp. (NYSE: ARES) has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Whitestone REIT (NYSE: WSR) to purchase the company. Ares will acquire all outstanding Whitestone common shares and operating partnership units for $19 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at roughly $1.7 billion. Upon closing of the transaction, which is expected in the third quarter, Whitestone will become a private company and will no longer trade on the New York Stock Exchange. Houston-based Whitestone is a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on open-air neighborhood retail markets. As of March 2026, Whitestone’s portfolio comprised 56 retail properties totaling approximately 3.9 million square feet, including retail centers in Phoenix; Austin, Texas; the Dallas-Fort Worth metro; Houston and San Antonio. “Whitestone’s portfolio provides an attractive opportunity to further diversify Ares Real Estate’s footprint with necessity-based retail centers in high-demand, supply-constrained metro regions across Arizona and Texas,” says David Roth, global head of real estate strategy and growth with Ares Real Estate. Whitestone’s board of trustees unanimously approved the transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by Whitestone’s shareholders. “We believe this transaction with Ares is a testament to the …