BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MICH. — Vision Growth Partners has entered into an agreement to acquire 65 salons in Michigan from Regis Corp. (NYSE: RGS). The store acquisitions will take place in small groups and will be completed by spring 2019. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The stores are currently branded as BoRics, Hair Masters and Fiesta Salons, but will transition into Supercuts franchises upon acquisition. The agreement also includes 13 existing Supercuts corporate stores. Super C Group LLC, an entity managed by Vision Growth Partners, will operate the salons. In addition to the acquisitions, Super C Group plans to open 10 new Supercuts locations in Michigan over the next several years, making the entity the largest Supercuts franchisee in the Midwest. “We are very excited to enter the salon space in a significant way in our home state of Michigan,” said Michael Sarafa, managing partner of Vision Growth and Super C Group. “Regis is a great partner with great employees, and we look forward to growing the Supercuts brand and building a culture of teamwork and success.” Over the next 10 months, Super C Group will renovate the acquired properties. The investment level will vary by location, but Crain’s …
NEW YORK CITY — Moody’s Corp. (NYSE: MCO) has agreed to acquire all outstanding shares of Reis Inc. (NASDAQ: REIS) in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $278 million. Reis is a provider of commercial real estate (CRE) data. The acquisition expands Moody’s Analytics’ network of data and analytics providers in the CRE space, including recent investments in start-ups that apply innovative approaches and new technologies to source data and deliver tools to the market. Under the terms of the merger agreement, Moody’s will commence a tender offer to acquire all issued and outstanding shares of Reis common stock for $23 per share in cash. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Moody’s expects to complete the acquisition in the fourth quarter of 2018.
LOS ANGELES AND NEW YORK — CBRE Global Investors (NYSE: CBRE) has formed a joint venture with Brookfield Property Partners (NASDAQ: BPY) to purchase three super-regional malls totaling 3.7 million square feet from General Growth Properties (NYSE: GGP). As part of the transaction, CBRE is purchasing a 49 percent stake in the three malls from BPY. The sales price for the portfolio was not disclosed, but The Wall Street Journal reports the deal is valued at more than $1 billion. The assets include Cumberland Mall, a 1 million-square-foot mall in northwest Atlanta; Ridgedale Center, a 1.2 million-square-foot mall in the western Minneapolis suburb of Minnetonka; and The Parks Mall at Arlington, a 1.5 million-square-foot mall in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. The three malls were 98 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants including Amazon Pop-Up, AMC Theatres, Apple Store, Barnes & Noble, The Cheesecake Factory, Chick-fil-A, Costco, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Dillard’s, Disney Store, DSW, H&M, JC Penney, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, Old Navy, Pottery Barn, Sears, Starbucks Coffee, Williams-Sonoma and Victoria’s Secret. “We believe that Class A, super-regional malls remain one of the most attractive investments available today,” says David Morrison, chief investment officer of the Americas at CBRE Global …
SAN DIMAS, CALIF. — Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, has arranged the sale of The Trails at San Dimas, a multifamily property located 444 N. Amelia Ave. in San Dimas. Stockbridge Capital Group and CNS Focused Investments sold the property to Korda Group for $78.5 million, or $272,569 per unit. The Trails at San Dimas features 288 apartment units in a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom layouts. On-site amenities include a resident lounge with Wi-Fi, resort-style swimming pool, dog park with dog wash station, fitness center, outdoor grilling area, covered parking, laundry facilities and tennis courts. Kevin Green, Greg Harris and Joseph Grabiec of IPA represented the sellers and procured the buyer in the transaction.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Lowe’s Cos. Inc. (NYSE: LOW) has announced it will close all 99 of its Orchard Supply Hardware stores by Feb. 1. Founded in San Jose, Calif., in 1931 and acquired by Lowe’s in 2013, Orchard Supply Hardware operates locations in California, Oregon and Florida. Lowe’s is closing the stores to focus on its core home improvement business. “Our strategic reassessment is ongoing as we evaluate the productivity of our real estate portfolio and non-retail business investments,” said Marvin Ellison, president and CEO of Lowe’s, in an earnings statement. “While it was a necessary business decision to exit Orchard Supply Hardware, decisions that impact our people are never easy.” In addition to shuttering Orchard Supply stores, Lowe’s said it plans to “aggressively” tighten its store inventory, reducing lower-performing stock and increasing the depth of high-selling items. Mooresville-based Lowe’s increased sales 7.1 percent, year-over-year, in the second quarter of 2018. However, the company adjusted its full-year earnings and profits forecast to account for closing costs. The Orchard Supply closure is expected to cost the company between $390 million and $475 million. The company lowered the forecast for its full-year increase in sales from 5 percent to 4.5 percent. Store …
PLANO, TEXAS — CAVA Group Inc., a privately held restaurant group specializing in Mediterranean cuisine, will acquire Zoës Kitchen for approximately $300 million. The Plano-based fast casual chain has about 260 restaurant locations throughout the country. Under the terms of the agreement, shareholders of Zoës Kitchen will receive $12.75 in cash for each share of common stock, a premium of approximately 33 percent over the closing share price on August 16, 2018 (the stock price opened at $13.30 per share on Tuesday, August 21). The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter.
NEW YORK CITY — Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (NYSE: BKD) has agreed to sell Brookdale Battery Park, an independent living community in Manhattan, for $194 million. The buyer is Chicago-based REIT Ventas Inc. (NYSE: VTR), which expects the deal to close by year’s end. The sales price includes debt and translates to an exit capitalization rate of 5 percent for Brookdale. The 14-story property features 217 units overlooking the Hudson River and offers convenient access to areas such as Tribeca, SoHo and the Financial District. Amenities include a library, arts and crafts studio and a beauty/barber shop. “The Battery Park acquisition firmly establishes Ventas as the market leader in seniors housing in the elite Manhattan market,” says Debra A. Cafaro, chairman and CEO of Ventas. “Battery Park adds an irreplaceable, well-established community to our high-quality seniors housing portfolio and is uniquely positioned to benefit from New York City’s strong demographics.” HFF represented Brookdale, will continue to operate the property following the change in ownership, in the sale. Brookdale is the largest owner and operator of seniors housing communities in the United States, managing 988 communities in 46 states as of June 30. The company is undergoing a massive restructuring after …
The Federal Reserve met during the second week of June, and as expected, the nation’s central bank opted to raise short-term interest rates for the second time this year. In short order, this means that borrowing costs for banks are going up, which means that increased borrowing costs for consumers will follow close behind. At least one more rate hike is anticipated to occur before year’s end as part of the Fed’s stated goal of increasing the federal funds rate from its current range of 1.75 percent to 2 percent to 2.5 percent by year’s end. In addition, the Fed has pledged to continue its rate hikes through 2019 and potentially into 2020 as it pursues a tighter monetary policy. The capital markets behind commercial real estate in Texas have long seen these rate hikes coming — necessary measures to choke off inflation brought on by tax cuts, a ballooning stock market, an 18-year low unemployment rate and near-3-percent annual growth in GDP (2.9 percent in the first quarter). Some borrowers have been able to refinance existing debt and lock in favorable rates in advance of the Fed’s hikes. Those who didn’t, perhaps because their loans were too far removed …
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — JLL has secured a 77,000-square-foot office lease for local advertising firm Simpli.fi in Fort Worth. The space is situated within the historic Fort Worth Stockyards, which is currently being renovated by Stockyards Heritage Development Co., a partnership between California-based Majestic Realty Co. and Fort Worth-based The Hickman Cos. Simpli.fi is planning to bring more than 450 employees to its new offices. Ryan Matthews and Matt Montague of JLL represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Seth Koschak and Tyler Maner of Stream Realty Partners represented Stockyards Heritage Development.
In a series of citywide events on June 13, the city of Cedar Rapids celebrated the recovery efforts from the historic flood of 2008 that crested that day 10 years ago. The events also remembered those that lost so much in the residential and business community. Many are still impacted by this natural disaster. As I have previously noted in past articles, the city’s recovery efforts have been nationally recognized, including: • All-America City Award in 2014 from the National Civic League, which recognizes communities where citizens work to identify and overcome citywide challenges and achieve uncommon results. • Phoenix Award in 2018 from the American Planning Association for outstanding achievement and innovation relating to environmental and community issues in the NewBo District redevelopment after the 2008 flood. • In July, Cedar Rapids ranked No. 13 on WalletHub’s list of the “Best-Run Cities in America.” The study compared the operating efficiency of 150 of the largest U.S. cities. But more than the above recognition, Cedar Rapids city government, businesses and citizens joined together to use temporary flood projection of earthen berms and sand filled defensive (Hesco) barriers to hold back a major flood event in September 2016, limiting damage to …