PHILLIPSBURG, N.J. — A joint venture between J.G. Petrucci Co. and PGIM Real Estate is set to break ground on a 511,200-square-foot industrial building in Phillipsburg, located just across the Delaware River from Allentown, Pennsylvania. The project — to be named the Phillipsburg Logistics Center at 78 — will be located on a 66-acre site less than three miles from Route 22 and Interstate 78, providing access to many of the Northeast’s major metropolitan areas. The property is less than 70 miles from both Philadelphia and New York City. “The site provides excellent connectivity between the Northern and Central New Jersey industrial markets and to the Lehigh Valley Market along the I-78 corridor,” says Peter Polt, executive vice president at J.G. Petrucci. The speculative industrial facility will feature 36-foot clear heights, LED Lighting, wide column spacing, two drive-in doors, and “ample” trailer parking stalls and loading positions, according to the developers. Jon Mikula and John Plower of JLL represented J.G. Petrucci Co. in the arrangement of the joint venture partnership. Jeff Lockard, also of JLL, will lead lease-up efforts at the site upon its completion, which is scheduled for summer 2021. J.G. Petrucci Co. is a privately held development firm specializing …
Search results for
"stock"
By J.F. Finn and Duncan Paterson of Gensler Across the globe, people have replaced in-person visits to sports and entertainment venues, retail centers, convention facilities and other mixed-use environments with virtual gatherings and Zoom meetings. Yet the prevailing view in commercial real estate is that virtual engagement is not a long-term solution for authentic human interaction. In fact, the current crisis is only reinforcing the vital role that public spaces play in bringing people together and promoting health and well-being. The question is, “What has to change for mixed-use developments to be both safe and vibrant?” Here are some scenarios and opportunities we believe can help designers and developers transition into the “new normal” requirements for mixed-use environments and public spaces. Modular Building Will Gain Traction COVID-19 has created an acute need for pop-up, flexible and adaptable spaces — facilities that are tailor-made for modular construction. This current surge in demand will both accelerate the removal of many existing barriers to the growth of modular construction and provide some very compelling advantages in the future. These changes should usher in more viable U.S. manufacturers to market as other industries begin to recognize the many benefits of modular construction. Fabricating and …
NEW YORK CITY — Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M) reported approximately $3.56 billion in net sales across its Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury brands during its fiscal second quarter ending Aug. 1, a 34.7 percent decline from the same period in 2019. However, the New York City-based retailer said its second-quarter performance exceeded expectations, thanks largely to a 53 percent spike in year-over-year sales across its digital platforms. Digital sales represented 54 percent of Macy’s total revenue figure for the quarter. Macy’s CEO Jeff Gennette also said that the successful reopening of a number of stores helped the company beat expectations for the second quarter, and that Macy’s top priority moving forward was the execution of a successful holiday shopping season. Macy’s stock price opened at $7.45 per share on Wednesday, Sept. 2, up 8 percent from the previous day but down nearly 50 percent from $14.65 per share a year ago.
With a historic drop in oil prices amid a global pandemic, fate dealt Houston a bad hand in 2020, to put it mildly. But this is not the first time the city has seen bleak conditions — and faced them down. In 2015-2016, the metropolitan area was throttled by a double whammy of an oil bust and the Memorial Day and Tax Day floods, decimating a full 10 percent of its multifamily housing stock. Yet, by 2020, the city’s job growth exceeded the national rate for the 25th consecutive month, and its multifamily market was set to deliver nearly 17,000 units, double the volume from 2019. Before the oil crash and COVID-19 pandemic hit, Houston’s increasingly diverse economy meant that its fundamentals were strong, and demand was growing for multifamily. Through hurricanes, floods, tornados, boom-and-bust cycles in the oil and gas markets and more, Houston persevered. Houston has one of largest metropolitan populations in the U.S. and is growing, adding more than a million people since 2010. This 2-percent-per-year average growth is more than twice the 0.7 percent average for the United States. Of the 10 largest metropolitan areas, only Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston have been able to grow at …
NEW YORK CITY — New York City-based investment firm RFR has purchased 522 Fifth Avenue, a 23-story office tower in Midtown Manhattan. Morgan Stanley, which currently occupies the building, sold the property for $350 million. The office building neighbors Bryant Park and is situated near Grand Central Terminal and Rockefeller Center. RFR is hoping to find a single tenant to fully occupy the 575,000-square-foot property when Morgan Stanley moves out in 2024. Morgan Stanley’s CEO James Gorman told Bloomberg TV that the firm will need much less real estate going forward and that 90 percent of the company’s workforce is working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aby Rosen, co-founder and CEO of RFR, and A.J. Camhi, executive vice president and head of RFR’s internal leasing team, are leading the leasing efforts for 522 Fifth Avenue. “We acquired 522 Fifth Avenue with the vision of working with a single user to create a custom, marquee headquarters in the premier midtown location,” says Rosen. “The vacancy is a remarkable blank canvas, well-positioned to respond to the requirements of a forward-thinking company looking for the prestige and exclusivity of a full building and New York City presence.” In 2014, Morgan Stanley sold …
SAN FRANCISCO — Driven by a 95 percent surge in online sales, San Francisco-based Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) reported a 13 percent increase in its comparable sales for the fiscal second quarter, which ended Aug. 1. Gap’s decision to make face masks early on in the COVID-19 pandemic paid off, bringing in $130 million in sales, according to the company. Gap has produced face masks for individuals as well as the city of New York, the state of California and Kaiser Permanente. Net sales were down 18 percent year over year, reflecting a 48 percent decline in store sales, which was driven by partial closures due to the pandemic, according to Gap. Approximately 90 percent of Gap’s stores were open as of Aug. 1. Gap sells clothing and accessories under the brands Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta, Intermix, Janie and Jack, and Hill City. The company’s stock price closed at $17.54 per share Friday, Aug. 28, up from $15.59 per share one year ago.
MADISON, N.J. — New Jersey-based PGIM Real Estate has acquired a portfolio of 15 industrial buildings totaling 4.7 million square feet for $425 million. Four of the buildings are located in the Atlanta metros of Lithia Springs, Buford and Union City. Six of the buildings are located in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex, and two are located in the Phoenix suburb of Avondale. The remaining three buildings are located in the Denver area, but the addresses and submarkets of those assets were not disclosed. All of these developments are newly constructed projects or are nearing completion. In addition, the properties all feature 32- to 36-foot clear heights and ample dock doors, which the new ownership cites as key features in marketing to e-commerce users. “COVID-19 has not only supported the continued rise of e-commerce and distribution demand across the United States, but it has also significantly accelerated the existing trend,” says Cathy Marcus, global chief operating officer and head of U.S. equity for PGIM Real Estate. “As many more retailers and international corporations enter the U.S. industrial market or expand their presence in the sector, these state-of-the-art properties will be an attractive component of our broader industrial portfolio.” “This transaction …
COLUMBUS, OHIO — Big Lots Inc. (NYSE: BIG) has reported net sales of $1.6 billion in its fiscal second quarter, which ended Aug. 1. This figure is 31.3 percent higher than the second quarter of 2019, which totaled $1.2 billion. Bruce Thorn, president and CEO of the Columbus-based retailer, says the “record-breaking results” were driven by both in-store and online activity. Big Lots also reported net income of $452 million, which includes $341.9 million in earnings due to the sale-leasebacks of several distribution centers. The company’s stock price closed at $55.70 per share on Thursday, Aug. 27, up from $21.41 one year ago. Big Lots, which sells toys, furniture, clothing and small electronics, operates more than 1,400 stores nationwide.
SAN DIEGO — CBRE has arranged the sale of two ground leases covering three land parcels totaling 12.5 acres in San Diego’s Sorrento Mesa neighborhood. A private investor acquired the assets from San Francisco-based Stockbridge Capital Group for $41.5 million. Louay Alsadek, Hunter Rowe and Madison Mawby of CBRE represented the seller, while Bob Safai of Madison Properties represented the buyer in the transaction. Totaling 76,000-square-feet, the first parcel is under South Rim Business Park, a three-building flex office campus located at 5744, 5754 and 5764 Pacific Center Blvd. The second parcel is under two data center buildings totaling 115,000 square feet located at 5732 and 5738 Pacific Center Blvd., while the third parcel is a 0.85-acre open space adjacent to the two other properties.
While summer fairs and carnivals are mostly on hold, 2020 has taken us on a wild ride as the COVID-19 pandemic whipsawed the global economy in the first half of the year. The U.S. economy crashed downward in March as shelter-in-place rules drove unemployment to record numbers, surpassing peak levels of the 2008 Great Financial Crisis (GFC) in just one month. U.S. unemployment reached 14.7 percent in April, well above the 10.9 percent peak of the GFC. Including part-time workers who wish to work full-time (the U-6 rate), unemployment reached a staggering 22.8 percent in April. Real GDP fell by 5 percent in the first quarter of the year and by 32.9 percent in the second quarter of the year, the worst decline on record. Politicians scrambled to put a social net under the economy, again quickly surpassing levels of the GFC. The Fed balance sheet swelled by $3 trillion from March to May, more than double the amount during the GFC. Interest rates first spiked as lenders underwrote unforeseen risk, then crashed globally as countries began to backstop their economies. U.S. 10-year treasury yields have remained under 1 percent since early March, the lowest rates on record. But the …