ROSEMONT, ILL. — Nicholas & Associates is nearing completion of its new $34.5 million indoor ice arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont. With precast concrete up and joists and roof decking installed, the building’s shell is 95 percent finished. Construction is on track for an August 2025 opening. Located on 3 acres north of Allstate Arena, the 103,000-square-foot arena will offer ice time for youth hockey groups and figure skating, evening ice time for adult hockey leagues and exclusive daytime use by the Chicago Wolves professional hockey team, which currently practices in Hoffman Estates and plays games at Allstate Arena. Designed by architectural firm ARCON Associates Inc., the project will feature a family-friendly mezzanine-level restaurant, bar with viewing area overlooking both rinks, grab-and-go concept and a physical therapy clinic and gym. The arena will be operated by the Nicholas Family of Cos.’ Spectate Group, which also manages Nicholas Sportsplex, an indoor-outdoor sports complex in Mount Prospect. Spectate Group will pay the Village of Rosemont an annual licensing fee to operate and manage the year-round facility. Under the agreement, both parties will be able to sell naming rights and sponsorships inside and outside the building.
Retail
TEMPLE TERRACE, FLA. — SRS Real Estate Partners has brokered the $4 million sale of Telecom Village, a 6,323-square-foot, multi-tenant retail property in the Tampa suburb of Temple Terrace. At the time of sale, the property was fully occupied by four tenants: Foxtail Coffee Co., Zoom Tan, Hummus Republic and Barberitos. Located at 7021 E. Fletcher Ave., the asset sits on roughly 1.1 acres. Patrick Nutt and William Wamble of SRS represented the seller, a Florida-based private investor, in the transaction. The buyer was a Tampa-based private investor who purchased the property at a 6.2 percent cap rate. Both parties requested anonymity.
COSTA MESA, CALIF. — Liberated Brands, a licensed operator of several sport, outdoor and lifestyle apparel brands, has initiated Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, according to court documents filed in Delaware. Liberated Brands’ portfolio of retailers includes Volcom, Billabong, Quiksilver, ROXY, Honolua Surf, RVCA, Beachworks, Becker Surfboards, ZJ Boarding House, Spyder and Boardriders. According to Gordon Brothers, which is providing real estate advisory services to the retailer, Liberated Brands plans to close its 122 stores throughout the country. Gordon Brothers — which earlier this year entered into a sales transaction with Big Lots upon the latter’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing — has initiated closing sales at each of the 122 retail locations. In a statement, Liberated Brands CEO Todd Hymel cited “a series of major headwinds and challenges,” including the rise in interest rates, inflation, supply chain delays, declining consumer demand, shifting customer preferences and substantial fixed costs. Additionally, in December 2024, the company’s North American license rights for its wholesale operations under the Volcom, RVCA and Billabong brands were terminated due to a default. Founded in 2019 by Hymel, Costa Mesa-based Liberated Brands briefly enjoyed a sharp increase in product demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, with revenue increasing from $350 million in …
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. — Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, has brokered the $24 million sale of Westend Square, a 152,335-square-foot shopping center in Tallahassee. Douglas Mandel of IPA represented the seller, Steven Leoni, and procured the buyer, New York-based Milbrook Properties, in the deal. Mandel says the shopping center has upside potential as the property’s current rental rates are 25 percent below market rates. Situated within a mile from Florida State University’s campus, Westend Square was 98 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants including Five Below, Planet Fitness, Pet Supermarket, Aaron’s Rent To Own, Little Caesars Pizza, the U.S. Post Office and Citi Trends. Aldi shadow-anchors the center, which was renovated in 2022.
LITTLE ELM, TEXAS — Kroger has purchased 14 acres at the corner of U.S. Highway 380 and FM 2931 in Little Elm, located north of Fort Worth, with plans to open a new store. The deal follows last year’s announcement of developer Weber & Co. buying 22 acres at the same intersection for a 225,000-square-foot, Target anchored retail center that will be known as Bates Towne Crossing. Edward Bogel, Ryan Turner and David Davidson Jr. of Davidson Bogel Real Estate represented Kroger in the land acquisition. Stewart Flowers internally represented the locally based seller, Dollar-Flowers Realty Partners. A timeline for opening was not disclosed.
SOUTHBRIDGE, MASS. — Regional brokerage firm Chozick Realty has arranged the $11.1 million sale of Southbridge Fair, a 113,500-square-foot shopping center located along the Massachusetts-Connecticut border. Big Y World Class Market anchors the center, which was originally built on 13 acres in 1972 and renovated in 1996. The center was fully leased at the time of sale, and other tenants include Advance Auto Parts, Aubuchon Hardware, McDonald’s, Family Dollar and Great Clips. Tom Boyle of Chozick Realty represented the seller and procured the buyer, both of which requested anonymity, in the transaction.
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Lee & Associates Report: Final Quarter 2024 Net Absorption Trends in Industrial, Office Likely Temporary; Multifamily, Retail Net Absorption Trajectories Stickier
Lee & Associates’ 2024 Q4 North America Market Report looks back at the tenant demand, absorption rates and vacancy trends for industrial, office, retail and multifamily sectors nationwide to extrapolate what might be on the horizon for 2025 and beyond. While net absorption in industrial and retail is down from the same period in 2023, the reasons — too much supply in the pipeline versus too little — are opposite for each sector. Similar mirroring due to reverse factors can be seen in the net positive absorption last quarter in office and multifamily. Net industrial absorption was down 45 percent in the last quarter of 2024, compared to the same quarter in 2023. However, vacancy rates are likely to decline this year due to a lower volume of construction starts completing in 2025. New in-office policies among prominent companies contributed to the office market’s second consecutive quarter of positive absorption, but overall, office vacancy numbers are expected to continue rising until 2026. Low vacancy and factors challenging development meant very few options for retail tenants seeking new, high-quality space. Retail tenants in the food and beverage arena have been taking advantage of increased national spending on food outside the home …
NEW BRAUNFELS, TEXAS — Discount wholesale retailer Costco will open a new store in New Braunfels, a northeastern suburb of San Antonio, according to reports from multiple local news sources, including Community Impact Newspaper and My San Antonio. According to the former publication, the store will span about 158,000 square feet and will be located within Mayfair, an 1,800-acre master-planned development by Southstar. The latter publication reports that construction of the store carries a $33.8 million price tag and is expected to be complete in March 2026.
ADDISON, TEXAS — JLL has brokered the sale of Quorum II Plaza, a 77,319-square-foot shopping center in the northern Dallas metro of Addison. Built on 5.7 acres in 1981, the center is home to tenants such as Verizon Wireless, Salata, Tasty Tails, Sellinger’s Powergolf, Tiff’s Treats and Jimmy John’s. Adam Howells, Barry Brown, Chris Gerard and Erin Lazarus of JLL represented the seller, Los Angeles-based Westwood Financial Corp., in the transaction. Last Mile Investments purchased the center for an undisclosed price.
MANSFIELD, TEXAS — Locally based brokerage firm STRIVE has arranged the sale of Owen Plaza, an 11,944-square-foot retail property in Mansfield, about 20 miles southwest of Dallas. The multi-tenant property was fully leased at the time of sale. Parker Tims and Jennifer Pierson of STRIVE represented the seller, an undisclosed local investor, in the transaction. The buyer was also not disclosed.