By Taylor Williams Demand for industrial space continues to surge throughout New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania, prompting developers to undertake more projects on a speculative basis and avail themselves to the classic mantra of “If you build it, they will come.” E-commerce users, spanning every industry from building materials to electronics to food, continue to spearhead the demand side of the equation. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2020, a year in which a global health crisis spurred furious increases in online shopping, e-commerce sales accounted for 14.4 percent of all retail sales, up from 7.3 percent in 2015. That figure is expected to grow to nearly 20 percent by 2024. Lenders are eager to finance speculative industrial projects, and developers are scouring the Mid-Atlantic for viable sites as spec projects increasingly account for bigger portions of their portfolios. “Pre-COVID, and even dating back several years, you might see 20 percent of the Mid-Atlantic industrial projects being done as build-to-suits,” says Rob Borny, senior vice president of capital deployment and head of the East Region for Nevada-based Dermody Properties. “It’s now moving toward being significantly less [build-to-suit activity] due to robust tenant demand, as well as the shorter lead …
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SAN DIEGO — Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX), in partnership with TruAmerica, plans to acquire 66 multifamily communities in San Diego County for more than $1 billion. The sale is one of the largest real estate transactions in county history, according to reports by The San Diego Union-Tribune. The seller, Conrad Prebys Foundation — a philanthropic organization created by local real estate owner Conrad Prebys — began shopping its multifamily portfolio in February, according to KPBS, a public broadcasting service in San Diego. The assets largely feature below-market-rate rents for low-income renters. The report by KPBS lists that the portfolio includes Conrad Villas apartments in Spring Valley, alongside communities located in San Ysidro, Imperial Beach, Chula Vista, National City, Lemon Grove, Lakeside, Spring Valley, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, El Cajon, Escondido, Ramona and Santee. The 5,800-unit, market-rate portfolio is set to undergo $100 million in renovations under the new ownership, according to the Union-Tribune. Blackstone also plans to partner with the nonprofit organization Pacific Housing to provide services for residents, including after-school tutoring, financial literacy classes, and health and wellness initiatives at no cost. The deal will add to Blackstone’s existing portfolio of $4.5 billion worth of assets in San Diego …
COLUMBUS, OHIO — The board of directors for L Brands Inc. (NYSE: LB) has unanimously approved a plan to separate the company into two independent, public companies consisting of Bath & Body Works and Victoria’s Secret. L Brands expects to create these companies through a tax-free spinoff of Victoria’s Secret to the shareholders of L Brands. “The spinoff will enable each company to maximize management focus and financial flexibility to thrive in an evolving retail environment and deliver profitable growth,” L Brands stated in a news release. As separate businesses, each will benefit from a sharpened focus on pursuing growth strategies best suited to each company’s customer base and strategic objectives, adds Sarah Nash, chair of the board for L Brands. The Columbus-based retailer had been evaluating the possibility of either a spinoff or a sale of Victoria’s Secret with input from its financial advisors, Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan. Ultimately, the board decided that the spinoff would provide shareholders with more value than a sale. The transaction is expected to close in August. L Brands reported net sales of $3 billion for the first quarter of the company’s 2021 fiscal year that ended May 1, compared with $1.6 billion …
KANSAS CITY, MO. — Trammell Crow Co. and its capital partner, Clarion Partners LLC, have broken ground on two Class A warehouse and distribution facilities within the KCI Intermodal Business Centre in Kansas City. Located adjacent to the Kansas City International Airport, the buildings will total 676,000 square feet. Completion is slated for the fourth quarter. The first building will span 216,320 square feet with a clear height of 32 feet, 48 dock positions, four private entrances, two drive-up ramp dock doors, parking for 62 trailers and parking for 225 cars. The second building will span 459,680 square feet with a clear height of 36 feet, 88 dock doors, three private entrances, four drive-up ramp dock doors, parking for 110 trailers and parking for 366 cars. Kadean Construction, M+H Architects and Stock & Associates make up the project team. KCI Intermodal Business Centre is a master-planned industrial business park spanning 687 acres. It currently includes six fully built facilities. Plans call for an additional 1.2 million square feet across three buildings.
INDIANAPOLIS — David Simon, CEO and president of Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group (NYSE: SPG), says he is pleased with the company’s first-quarter results and that business has “substantially improved after addressing the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.” According to Simon, the mall owner is experiencing cash flow growth, increasing shopper traffic, increasing retailer sales and leasing momentum across its portfolio. Additionally, Simon says it is experiencing similar results in its recently acquired Taubman Realty Group portfolio, and is “encouraged by collective progress in increasing profitability.” Simon reported that its first-quarter revenue fell to $1.2 billion, compared with $1.3 billion the same period a year ago. For the three-month period ending March 31, occupancy at Simon’s U.S. malls and outlet properties totaled 90.8 percent, compared with 94 percent the year prior. Simon’s stock price closed at $126.75 per share Monday, May 10, up from $55.08 per share one year ago. Simon’s global property portfolio is comprised of more than 200 malls and outlet centers. It also owns an 80 percent interest in Taubman Realty Group, which owns 24 retail assets in the U.S. and Asia.
Macy’s Proposes Overhaul of Herald Square Store in Manhattan, Including New Office Tower
by John Nelson
NEW YORK CITY — Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M) has unveiled plans to overhaul its flagship Herald Square store at the corner of 34th Street and Seventh Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The plan would add a commercial office tower atop the store. The size and design features of the office component were not disclosed. The plan includes a private investment totaling $235 million by Macy’s that would modernize the public spaces around the flagship store, including upgraded subway access, improved transit connections and pedestrian-friendly and car-free streetscapes at Broadway Plaza and Herald Square. Macy’s would improve Herald Square Subway Station’s entrances and add publicly accessible elevators at Seventh Avenue, Broadway, 34th Street and 35th Street that are compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The renewal plan is expected to generate $269 million annually in new tax revenues for New York City, support 16,290 annual jobs and spark $4.29 billion in annual economic output, according to Macy’s. “Today’s announcement is a resounding vote of confidence for Manhattan and the entire state, and a strong indication that New York’s retailers and consumers will drive this economic recovery,” says Melissa O’Connor, president and CEO of the Retail Council of New York State, the …
SHREVEPORT, LA. — Amazon Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZ) has planned a 650,000-square-foot fulfillment center in the northwestern Louisiana city of Shreveport. The Louisiana Economic Development (LED) organization claims the development will generate $200 million in capital investment and add more than 1,000 jobs to the local economy. The site of the multi-level building, which will feature automated inventory management and shipping technology, is located within Hunter Industrial Park, a 135-acre development situated within three miles of interstates 20,49 and 220. The property will also be LEED certified. The Shreveport Times reports that the fulfillment center will be Amazon’s first in northern Louisiana. The Seattle-based e-commerce giant announced a fulfillment center in Carencro, located outside of Lafayette in the southern part of the state, in December, and is also planning to convert the Cortana Mall in Baton Rouge into a fulfillment center, according to the local newspaper. Of the seven Amazon facilities that have been announced or are under construction in Louisiana, the Shreveport fulfillment center will be the largest. Construction is set to begin immediately with completion expected in September 2022. In addition to the 1,000 full-time jobs at the facility, development of the new fulfillment center is expected to create …
CINCINNATI — Phillips Edison & Co. Inc. (PECO) has filed a registration statement on Form S-11 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed public offering in conjunction with the listing of its stock on a national stock exchange. The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined. The Cincinnati-based retail REIT intends to list its stock under the ticker symbol “PECO.” Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, BofA Securities and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC will be acting as joint book-running managers for the offering. PECO is an owner and operator of grocery-anchored shopping centers. As of March 31, the company owned equity interests in 300 properties, including 278 wholly owned assets and 22 owned through two unconsolidated joint ventures with institutional partners. PECO’s first-quarter results presentation will take place Wednesday, May 19.
ROCK FALLS, ILL. — MAG Capital Partners LLC has acquired a 645,000-square-foot industrial property in the Northwest Illinois community of Rock Falls for an undisclosed price. Cimco Recycling LLC leases the property, which is known as the I-88 Distribution Center. Cimco has occupied the facility since 2018. It previously served as the home of a Stanley Black & Decker plant. Mary Garnett and Jim Tuesley of Barnes & Thornburg LLP represented MAG Capital Partners in the transaction. Kent Williams, Matt Taylor and Steven Weinstock of Marcus & Millichap represented the undisclosed seller. Fort Worth, Texas-based MAG Capital Partners is led by principals Dax T.S. Mitchell and Andrew Gi.
Institutional Property Advisors Brokers Sale of 28-Property Fred Meyer Portfolio in Pacific Northwest
by Jeff Shaw
LOS ANGELES — Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, has arranged the sale-leaseback of a 28-property portfolio of net-leased Fred Meyer stores in the West. While the price was not disclosed, Marcus & Millichap’s research department claims that the sale is the largest retail transaction since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fred Meyer is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kroger (NYSE: KR) and features a superstore-style format. Benderson Development acquired the 4.5 million-square-foot portfolio. The Fred Meyer portfolio is located in Shoreline, Bellingham, Everett, Lynnwood, Longview, Vancouver, Puyallup, Richland and Tacoma, Washington; Eugene, Salem, Albany, Beaverton, Corvallis, Portland, Medford, Oregon City, Roseburg, Springfield, The Dalles and Tualatin, Oregon; Nampa and Garden City, Idaho; and Anchorage, Alaska. “The Pacific Northwest has always been one of our top areas of interest to grow our national footprint,” says Randy Benderson, president and director of Benderson Development. “Fred Meyer is a leader in these markets and we’re very pleased to strengthen and enhance our long-term partnership with them.” Kroger will execute new 25-year absolute net leases for each property, with an initial portfolio-wide base rent totaling $25 million per year. Tom Lagos, Patrick Toomey, Jose Carrazana, Jessica Baram and Ryan …