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National Retail Trends of Grocery Expansion, Backfilling Vacant Stores Evident in Hampton Roads

by John Nelson January 15, 2018

December of this year will mark the 30th anniversary of the movie “Wall Street” and the introduction of the antihero, Gordon Gekko. In that movie, Gordon delivers the iconic “Greed is Good” speech to the shareholders of a besieged paper company. While things in the end did not turn out well for Gekko due in large part to his greed, the undertones of that speech are uncontentious: Performance and adaptation will come about when there are strong incentives to evolve. The evolutionary spirit of retail real estate is taking shape here in Hampton Roads and great things are happening. Grocers Take Battle Positions The Hampton Roads grocery industry has evolved over the years in large part due to fierce competition from Aldi and Lidl. These two German-based competitors will collectively bring over 20 new locations to the region, and bring with them a new no-frills experience with staple grocery items at a lower price point. Additional grocer announcements in the market include the first Wegmans that committed to a site near Town Center of Virginia Beach, Kroger’s four new developments throughout the region (although a recent freeze in capital projects have stalled those) and Walmart’s recently opened store in Virginia …

January 15, 2018

Arkansas Retail Southeast Top Stories

Sam’s Club to Shutter 63 Stores, Convert 12 to E-Commerce Facilities

by Kristin Harlow January 12, 2018

BENTONVILLE, ARK. — Sam’s Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT), has announced that it will close 63 club locations across the country. The company will convert up to 12 of the impacted clubs into e-commerce fulfillment centers in efforts to speed delivery of online orders. In addition, the company’s legal name will become Walmart Inc. effective Feb. 1 to reflect its growing status as an omnichannel retailer. Sam’s Club is a retailer that offers wholesale sizes and prices to individual buyers who purchase a membership to the store. “Transforming our business means managing our real estate portfolio, and Walmart needs a strong fleet of Sam’s Clubs that are fit for the future,” says John Furner, president and CEO of Sam’s Club. After the closures are completed over the next few weeks, Sam’s Club will operate a total of 597 locations nationwide. A list of affected stores was not disclosed. A facility in Memphis, Tenn. will be the first club to be converted into an e-commerce center. In addition to focusing on its e-commerce business, Sam’s Club is expected to improve its grocery selection and private-label offerings, according to national media reports. Competition from Costco and BJ’s Wholesale …

January 12, 2018

Industrial Top Stories

Blackstone Property Partners to Acquire Pure Industrial Real Estate Trust for $3.8B

by Katie Sloan January 9, 2018

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA — An affiliate of Blackstone (NYSE: BX) has entered into an agreement to acquire Vancouver-based Pure Industrial Real Estate Trust (PIRET) (TSX: AAR-UN) for $8.10 per trust unit — $3.8 billion — in an all-cash transaction. The transaction price represents a 21 percent premium to the closing price of PIRET units on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Jan. 8. Blackstone will complete the acquisition through its real estate investment arm, Blackstone Property Partners. “The trust has accomplished tremendous growth in the 10 years since the initial public offering in August 2007,” says Rick Turner, chairman of PIRET’s Board of Trustees. “Since inception, we have generated a total return in excess of 345 percent and we have built a platform that has made us a leader in the Canadian industrial REIT space.” The transaction is structured as a statutory plan of arrangement under the British Columbia Business Corporations Act. Completion of the transaction, which is expected to occur in the second quarter of this year, is subject to customary conditions. PIRET will continue to pay its normal monthly distributions through closing of the transaction. BMO Capital Markets is acting as financial advisor to PIRET, while Greenhill & Co. Goodmans …

January 9, 2018

Georgia Office Southeast Top Stories

NCR, Cousins Open $450M Global Office Campus in Midtown Atlanta

by John Nelson January 8, 2018

ATLANTA — NCR Corp. (NYSE: NCR), an ATM maker and financial tech firm, and Cousins Properties have opened NCR’s two-tower global office campus in Midtown Atlanta. Development costs comprising both private and public investment are estimated at $450 million. The 750,000-square-foot development is situated at the corner of 8th and Spring streets and is expected to house roughly 5,000 employees, who will begin moving into the first tower today, with the second tower opening later this year. “This campus symbolizes the power of reinvention, says Bill Nuti, chairman and CEO of NCR, which moved its headquarters from nearby Duluth in Gwinnett County. “Our move to Midtown is part of our vision for transforming Atlanta into the Silicon Valley of the East.” NCR and Cousins Properties (NYSE: CUZ) entered a long-term, build-to-suit lease for the campus, which will be owned by Cousins. Construction of the first 20-story tower began in November 2015, and in September 2016 NCR announced it would expand the campus and build a second 14-story tower. “We are proud to have helped NCR achieve its vision for a new cutting-edge corporate headquarters in Midtown,” says Larry Gellerstedt, chairman of the board and CEO of Atlanta-based Cousins Properties. “This …

January 8, 2018

Illinois Midwest Ohio Retail Top Stories

Sears, Kmart, Macy’s Unveil List of Store Closures for Early 2018

by Kristin Harlow January 5, 2018

HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILL. AND CINCINNATI — Sears Holdings Corp. has announced that 64 Kmart stores and 39 Sears stores will close nationwide between March and early April of this year. Sears had previously unveiled an effort to close unprofitable stores and “right size” store footprints. Eligible associates impacted by these store closures will receive severance and will have the opportunity to apply for open positions at area Kmart or Sears stores. Liquidation sales will begin as early as Jan. 12 at the stores set to close. The company is closing three Kmart stores and three Sears stores in its home state of Illinois. For a full list of store closings, click here. Meanwhile, Cincinnati-based Macy’s has also announced the planned closure of 11 stores, four of which were previously disclosed. With these closures, the retailer will have completed 81 of the approximately 100 planned store closures announced in August 2016. The company intends to close approximately 19 additional stores as leases or operating covenants expire or sales transactions are completed. Including the newly announced stores, Macy’s has closed 124 stores since 2015. A majority of the Macy’s stores closing in early 2018 are located in California and Florida. A full list is available here. …

January 5, 2018

Data Centers Industrial Market Reports Texas Texas Market Reports

Data Centers Double Down on Size

by Taylor Williams January 5, 2018

Demand for data center space stems from a variety of sources. The vast majority of companies across most industries have some sort of web presence, and their customer and employee records and information are stored electronically. At the same time on the consumer side, smartphones and tablet devices are all but ubiquitous, their owners constantly upping their usage of apps and social media platforms. Nonprofit communications firm CTIA tracks aggregate wireless data usage across the country on an annual basis. The Washington, D.C.-based company found that in 2013, Americans used approximately 3.2 trillion megabytes of data. By 2015, a year in which there were about 228 million smartphones and 41 million tablet devices in circulation, that figure had increased threefold to 9.6 trillion megabytes. By 2016, a year in which there were more than 261 million smartphones in circulation, wireless data usage had exceeded 13.7 trillion megabytes. That total represents more than 35 times the volume of data traffic recorded in 2010, according to CTIA’s website. Web presences, records storage and electronic communications — not to mention the ever-expanding role of e-commerce in retail today — each contribute marginally to the growing demand for data center space. However, when combined …

January 5, 2018

California Office Top Stories Western

CIM Commercial Trust Agrees to Purchase Nine-Story Office Building in Beverly Hills for $130M

by John Nelson January 4, 2018

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF. — CIM Commercial Trust Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCT), a REIT that owns and manages Class A office assets, has signed a definitive agreement to purchase a nine-story office building located at 9460 Wilshire Blvd. in the Golden Triangle area of Beverly Hills. The sales price was undisclosed, but multiple media outlets are reporting the Dallas-based REIT bought the Class A office building from Beverly Union Co. for approximately $130 million. The acquisition is expected to close this quarter. “9460 Wilshire is in a highly desirable and high-barrier-to-entry office market. It is a strong addition to CIM Commercial Trust’s portfolio,” says Charles Garner, CEO of CIM Commercial Trust. “The property has not changed ownership in almost 40 years, and is positioned for growth by tapping CIM’s operational expertise and long-term experience in the Los Angeles market.” The 97,000-square-foot office building was built in 1959 and last renovated in 2008. The building is located at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Beverly Drive, adjacent to the Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire Hotel and one block from the future Metro Purple Line Wilshire/Rodeo Station. Beverly Hills is situated within the Los Angeles West office submarket, which had a vacancy rate of 12.7 …

January 4, 2018

Features Retail Top Stories

What Are the Prospects for an Amazon Merger With Target? Analysts Weigh In

by Jeff Shaw January 4, 2018

When Gene Munster, managing partner of Minneapolis-based venture capital firm Loup Ventures, predicted that e-commerce giant Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) would buy department store chain Target (NYSE: TGT) this year, he knew such a declaration would make waves. In a New Year’s Day post on the Loup Ventures website titled “8 Tech Predictions for 2018,” Munster admitted it was his “boldest prediction.” “Seeing the value of the combination is easy. Amazon believes the future of retail is a mix of mostly online and some offline,” wrote Munster. “Target is the ideal offline partner for Amazon for two reasons: shared demographics and a manageable-but-comprehensive store count.” Business websites and magazines were quick to respond with skepticism, authoring headlines such as “Stop The Insanity Amazon Will Not Be Buying Target” (TheStreet), “Amazon Buying Target Isn’t as Likely as One Tech Analyst Seems to Think” (Adweek) and “No, Amazon Isn’t Buying Target in 2018” (Forbes). Garrick Brown, vice president of retail research for the Americas with Cushman & Wakefield, says “the rumor’s been floating around for a while” that Amazon is looking to buy Target. He estimates the odds of the deal happening at between 25 percent and 33 percent. Jeff Green, president and …

January 4, 2018

California Office Top Stories Western

Douglas Emmett Acquires 146,300 SF Office Property in Beverly Hills for $143.6M

by Katie Sloan December 21, 2017

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF. — Douglas Emmett Inc. (NYSE: DEI) has acquired the Beverly Hills Financial Center, a 146,300-square-foot, Class A office property located at 9401 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills. Located at the corner of Wilshire and Canon Drive in Beverly Hills’ Golden Triangle, the property was initially constructed in 1972 and renovated in 1999. The building is home to tenants including Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP, Citibank, Bank of the West, Momentum Talent Agency and Mozaic LLC. As part of the transaction, Douglas Emmett received an acquisition loan with a principal balance of approximately $32.3 million and a 4.55 percent interest rate, which matures on June 1, 2038. The provider was undisclosed. To fund the remainder of the purchase price, Douglas Emmett used cash and issued approximately 2.6 million units in its operating partnership to the undisclosed seller at an equivalent price of $40.60 per common share. Paul Hastings LLP represented the seller, a partnership between Cando Partners and Wilshire-Canon Properties LLC, in the transaction. The company’s portfolio now consists of 71 office properties totaling approximately 18.4 million square feet, along with 10 apartment communities. The company is also developing residential buildings in Los Angeles and Honolulu. Douglas Emmett’s stock price closed on Wednesday, …

December 21, 2017

Loans Louisiana Multifamily Southeast

Greystone Provides $24.2M HUD Loan to Refinance Apartment Community in Baton Rouge

by Camren Skelton December 19, 2017

BATON ROUGE, LA. — Greystone has provided a $24.4 million HUD-insured loan to refinance The Highland Club Apartments, a 247-unit multifamily property in Baton Rouge. Jason Stein of Greystone arranged the 35-year fixed-loan. Other terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Greystone previously refinanced the property in 2012, and the new loan enables a combination of phased renovations and continued investment back into the property. The Highland Club Apartments is located roughly 15 miles from downtown Baton Rouge, and features a swimming pool, stocked lakes, putting greens, dog park, business center, fitness center and an on-site personal trainer.

December 19, 2017

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