Connecticut

Industrial, Office Investment Demand Rises in Westchester, Fairfield Counties

by Taylor Williams July 17, 2019

The investment markets for office, industrial and flex properties in Westchester and Fairfield counties have seen significant activity over the last 12 months. Both debt and equity capital have been flowing into the urban and suburban areas of the counties, demonstrating that these submarkets are viable alternatives to New York City. This year has witnessed one of the largest transactions to ever take place in Westchester and Fairfield counties since we have been recording statistics. This past spring, HFF sold a portfolio of 52 industrial flex assets in multiple parks in both Westchester and Fairfield counties for $488 million, or $167 per square foot. The demand was very strong for these industrial assets, and the buyer pool spanned from private groups to some of the largest money managers in the world. In addition, cap rates are in the 4.25 to 4.85 percent range for more traditional industrial product. Cap pricing is absolutely on track to surpass $200 per square foot, as there is a lack of available land for development and institutional funds’ continue to display an insatiable appetite for the product type. Consequently, these kinds of deals continue to dominate the conversations and market activity. Office Market Interest …

July 17, 2019

Connecticut Market Reports Northeast Northeast Market Reports Retail

Retail Landscape Evolves in Fairfield, Westchester Counties

by Taylor Williams July 12, 2019

Main Street isn’t dead. It’s being refreshed, rebranded and reimagined. Creating a compelling experience in today’s retail environment is a critical element to being successful. Property owners are working hard to make their retail sites attractive and relevant. This includes placing emphasis on curb appeal and redeveloping spaces that may previously have been occupied by big box tenants. Many landlords are turning larger vacancies into multiple spaces to accommodate junior anchors and smaller tenants at as retailers are rightsizing and working to maximize efficiencies. At the same time, landlords are replacing building façades and updating landscaping, parking areas and lighting to enhance visual appeal. Main Street in Westport, Connecticut, represents a prime example of this retail renaissance. This area is in the midst of a complete reboot. Over the past year or so, the talk of the town was that the storefronts along Westport’s commercial corridor are not as lively as they had been in the past. But appearances can be deceiving, and perception isn’t always reality. The truth is that Westport’s retail scene is very much alive and is being revived with new and fresher brands. New Players We’re seeing brands like Sundance, an apparel catalog company created by …

July 12, 2019

Market Reports New Hampshire Northeast Northeast Market Reports

Entertainment, Restaurant Sectors Expand Rapidly in Southern New Hampshire

by David Cohen January 23, 2019

Retail inventory in Southern New Hampshire totaled 29.8 million square feet in 2018, a nominal gain of 42,900 square feet from 2017. Vacancy increased 41,200 square feet, equating to a vacancy rate of 9.3 percent compared to 9.1 percent last year. The higher rate can be mainly attributed to closings by Toys ‘R’ Us (four namesake stores and two Babies ‘R’ Us stores) and Walmart (two Sam’s Clubs). Offsetting these closings were openings that filled several large vacancies. Three vacant Sports Authority stores were occupied by HomeGoods, Sierra Trading Post, Cost Plus World Market, Guitar Center, Party City and DSW. BJ’s Wholesale Club opened in the vacant Sam’s Club in Manchester. A vacant center in Merrimack, now known as Merrimack 360, is under redevelopment. Planet Fitness opened there and an Altitude Trampoline Park is planned. Other announced tenants include Dollar General, Great Clips and The Thirsty Moose Taphouse. As a result of these changes, absorption was flat for the year. The retailer adding the most space in the region was BJ’s Wholesale Club, which opened 108,900 square feet in Manchester. Cardi’s Furniture and NH1 Motorplex Indoor Karting were next, filling space at Seacoast Shopping Center in Seabrook. Sam’s Club, Toys …

January 23, 2019

Connecticut Market Reports Multifamily Northeast Northeast Market Reports

Strategic Opportunities Drive Record Investment in New Haven Apartments

by David Cohen January 16, 2019

A strengthening rental market is drawing more multifamily investors toward the New Haven metro area. Property fundamentals are rapidly improving, aided by greater renter demand and a lack of new supply pressure. Solid apartment performance, an array of multifamily assets well-positioned for upgrades and region-leading yields offer opportunities for investors, contributing to a record level of deal volume for the market in 2018. Apartment properties in New Haven have performed better over the past 24 months than they have at any point in the last 10 years. Positive job growth has renewed renter demand, facilitating vacancy declines and rent gains. Vacancy has fallen 350 basis points since September 2016 to its current rate of 4.1 percent, and as vacancy contracted, rent growth accelerated. Effective rents began rising in 2017. The pace of growth has been trending upward in 2018, reaching a trailing 12-month appreciation rate of 5.9 percent in September, a four-year high. These improvements are just as evident in the surrounding suburbs south along the I-95 Corridor and north along the I-91 Corridor as they are in the city of New Haven. The increase in absorption and the resulting impact on multifamily operations has been positive in part because …

January 16, 2019

Connecticut Market Reports Northeast Northeast Market Reports

In Fairfield County, New Challenges Call for New Retail Strategies

by David Cohen August 1, 2018

America’s $3.5 trillion retail sector is going through tough times. E-commerce has cut into the conventional brick-and-mortar market by roughly 12 percent, an impact that has decreased rents, increased retail vacan- cies and left landlords increasingly anxious. But even in this period of widespread adjustment, the number of store openings nationwide has outpaced closings. We see this in Fairfield County, Connecticut, with first-quarter vacancy rates in 2018 totaling 3.7 percent, 30 basis points lower than one year ago, according to CoStar Group. The retailers that aren’t surviving are those that aren’t adapting to con- temporary market dynamics. Techno- logical and social disintermediation create the chaotic decision-making process of adapt or perish. Still, amid today’s anxieties, here are three examples of adaptation that offer promise. Selling an Experience Stores that are succeeding today are often the ones that have realized that retail is now less about selling goods and more about selling an experience. Below we offer two examples in Fairfield County, both designed to add a stimulating overlay of experience into typically more tepid retail settings. The first illustration of a retail experience is the indoor adventure ropes course located within furniture and mattress retailer Jordan’s 150,000-square-foot showroom along New Haven’s Long Wharf. Touted …

August 1, 2018

Connecticut Market Reports Multifamily Northeast Northeast Market Reports

Rent Growth, Higher Demand Lead to Improved Outlook for Connecticut Multifamily Market

by David Cohen July 25, 2018

More apartments are being rented in Southern Connecticut, which is benefiting multifamily properties in the Fairfield County/New Haven region in several important ways. For New Haven, this means the return of rent growth. In Fairfield County, the added demand for rentals continues to support new development. An improved outlook for both markets has also positively influenced investment activity. In 2017, multifamily operators in the New Haven metropolitan area had one of their best years since the recession, thanks to improvements on multiple fronts. Appeal for apartments has generated the second-highest net absorption level so far this decade. Demand increased in the city itself, where Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital offer numerous employment opportunities, as well as in the surrounding greater New Haven suburbs. Absorption of rental units surpassed that of deliveries by a multiple of three, facilitating a major drop in vacancy. The metro’s overall vacancy rate at the end of the first quarter was 4.7 percent, 270 basis points below where it was just two years ago. Equally important, healthier demand has also aided rent values. Monthly effective rates started to rise in 2017 after retreating in 2015 and 2016, with rent growth nearing 6 percent year over …

July 25, 2018

Connecticut Market Reports Northeast Northeast Market Reports Retail

Winners and Losers in Connecticut Retail

by Taylor Williams December 13, 2017

The retail market in Connecticut is alive and well. Sure it’s changing but what industry doesn’t experience change? There are numerous retail categories that continue to post healthy sales while also keeping their new store counts in a growth trajectory. Other categories will adapt to consumer trends and stay relevant in the world of brick and mortar. As we close 2017, we see that traditional shopping centers, especially grocery-anchored centers, are the solid performers in the sector. The “services” or “daily needs” category of retail continue to flock to these centers mainly because of consumer routine. The “services/daily needs” category includes health/fitness, traditional sit-down restaurants, quick-service restaurants, pharmacies, pet supply retailers, wireless communications, medical (walk-ins) and banking. Traditional neighborhood centers are becoming more conscious about merchandising with this specific category while trying to avoid deals with the more risky retail categories, such as off-priced apparel. The big-box power centers and the centers with large chunks of vacancy are another story, and there will be winners and losers. Geography plays a big role here and it’s not the dead-end road that some suggest. Over the past 18 months, my team’s exclusive leasing portfolio has had two Kmart closures in two separate …

December 13, 2017

Connecticut Market Reports Northeast Northeast Market Reports Office

Connecticut’s Fairfield County Office Market Displays Healthy Indicators

by Taylor Williams December 6, 2017

Connecticut’s Fairfield County ranks among America’s 40 wealthiest counties with a median household income of $81,268 in 2010. And while some of its current office market data stand at low levels, many indicators point to a bright future. Year-to-date office leasing activity reached 1.7 million square feet as of the third quarter. This amounts to a 21 percent increase relative to the same period one year ago. While this figure stands 3.1 percent below the five-year historical average, overall leasing volume does not take into account a 500,000-square-foot, build-to-suit lease undertaken by Charter Communications at Gateway Harbor Point in Stamford. For the quarter, aggregate office leasing in the county totaled 555,629 square feet. Stamford and Greenwich accounted for more than 77 percent of the total. Major transactions included Bank of America’s 166,000-square-foot lease at 600 Washington Boulevard in Stamford and AQR Capital’s 90,000-square-foot expansion at One Greenwich Plaza. In August, Stamford scored its most impactful corporate attraction of the year when the German-based multinational Henkel moved its North American headquarters from Scottsdale, Arizona, to 155,000 square feet within the BLT Financial Centre at 200 Elm Street. The consumer products firm said its laundry, beauty and home-care divisions are employing approximately …

December 6, 2017

Connecticut Hospitality Northeast Top Stories Western

Summit Hotel Properties Acquires Four-Hotel Portfolio for $164M

by Nellie Day November 29, 2017

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Summit Hotel Properties (NYSE: INN) has purchased a four-property hotel portfolio for $164 million. The portfolio contains a total of 652 guestrooms. The acquisition includes the 207-room Courtyard New Haven at Yale in New Haven, Conn.; the 148-room Hilton Garden Inn Boston/Waltham in Waltham, Mass.; the 175-room Residence Inn Cleveland Downtown in Cleveland; and the 122-room Homewood Suites by Hilton Tucson/St. Philip’s Plaza University in Tucson, Ariz. The Courtyard New Haven is situated adjacent to Yale University. It is the only Marriott-branded hotel within nearly 10 miles of downtown New Haven. The hotel underwent a renovation of all public spaces and guestrooms in 2016. The Hilton Garden Inn Boston/Waltham is centrally located along the Route 128/Interstate 95 corridor known as America’s Technology Highway. The hotel benefits from strong corporate demand with 16.4 million square feet of office space within three miles of the property and another 1 million square feet under construction. The recently renovated Residence Inn Cleveland Downtown is positioned within the Central Business District’s 9.5 million square feet of Class A office space, which includes the headquarters of Fortune 500 companies Sherwin-Williams, KeyCorp and Cliffs Natural Resources. The Homewood Suites by Hilton Tucson/St. Philip’s Plaza …

November 29, 2017

Connecticut Industrial Market Reports Northeast Northeast Market Reports

Connecticut’s Tight Industrial Market may Limit Opportunity for Growth

by Jaime Lackey July 31, 2017

One might expect that the industrial real estate market is in rough shape in a state with a projected $1.7 billion state budget deficit, where the capital city (Hartford) has discussed bankruptcy, and where one of the most famous employers (General Electric) has moved out — not to mention the state’s high taxes and high wages. However, the industrial real estate market is one of the tightest I’ve seen in Connecticut in more than 31 years. Each region in the state is experiencing varied levels of success, but overall the industrial market is healthy, with dropping vacancy rates, increasing rental rates, and decreasing cap rates. The game changer is big box distribution and third-party logistics activity throughout the region. In a market where a 75,000-square-foot deal used to be major news, we have seen numerous leases and new construction deals over 200,000 square feet in the past two years. E-commerce activity includes Amazon (1.5 million square feet in Windsor), FedEx (550,000 square feet in Middletown), and UPS (239,000 square feet in Windsor). Other significant transactions include Trader Joe’s (750,000 square feet in Bloomfield), Mobis Parts America (291,000 square feet in South Windsor), Vistar NE (296,000 square feet in South Windsor), …

July 31, 2017

Newer Posts

Older Posts