Retail

Evolution of Seaport District as a Retail Hotspot, Other Trends to Watch

by Taylor Williams February 28, 2018

From new mixed-use developments popping up in the skyline to the increase of small-format stores, 2017 saw robust growth in downtown Boston’s retail landscape. Specifically, stabilizing rental rates have led to an uptick in retail leasing activity, showing the strength of both traditional retail destinations such as Newbury Street, as well as new mixed-use developments like One Seaport Square. While the downtown retail market is poised to remain stable, 2018 will welcome new trends fueled by e-commerce and omnichannel retailers, new leasing models, shifting consumer shopping behaviors and the ongoing challenge to accommodate millennials’ evolving preferences and expectations. The Seaport’s Emergence as a Retail Destination Historically, Back Bay has served as Boston’s premier neighborhood for retail with Newbury Street as its crown jewel and nearby Prudential Center, Copley Place and Boylston, all within a few minutes’ walking radius from the famous street. While Back Bay will continue to be a hotspot in 2018, Boston’s Seaport neighborhood is breaking out as a retail destination to watch as it transitions into one of Boston’s premier work-live-play destinations. Most recently, retailers Bluemercury, Mr. Sid, TravisMathew, Filson, L.L. Bean, and Lululemon are finding the value in meeting Boston’s young professionals where they work, live and …

February 28, 2018

Idaho Retail Top Stories Western

Albertsons to Buy Drugstore Chain Rite Aid

by Nellie Day February 21, 2018

BOISE, IDAHO — Boise-based grocery chain Albertsons Cos. has agreed to acquire Rite Aid Corp. (NYSE: RAD), one of the nation’s largest drugstore chains, for an undisclosed sum. The integrated company will operate about 4,900 locations, 4,350 pharmacy counters, and 320 clinics across 38 states and Washington, D.C., serving 40 more than million customers per week. The majority of Albertsons’ pharmacies will be rebranded as Rite Aid. The company will continue to operate Rite Aid standalone pharmacies. The Rite Aid merger will allow Albertsons to go public. Under the terms of the agreement, in exchange for every 10 shares of Rite Aid common stock, Rite Aid shareholders can receive either one share of Albertsons common stock plus about $1.83 in cash, or 1.079 shares of Albertsons stock. Depending upon the results of cash elections, upon closing of the merger, shareholders of Rite Aid will own a 28 percent to 29.6 percent stake in the combined company, while current Albertsons shareholders will own a 70.4 percent to 72.0 percent stake in the combined company on a fully diluted basis. The combined company plans to seek expanded opportunities in Albertsons’ many brands, including O Organics and Lucerne, along with its manufacturing and …

February 21, 2018

Market Reports North Carolina Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Triangle Riding High Amid New Retail Development in Downtown Submarkets

by John Nelson February 19, 2018

The Triangle continues to attract national attention due to job growth, relatively low cost of living, economic diversity, a central East Coast location and its access to three world-class universities. Additionally, the Triangle’s unemployment rates are below the state and national averages. These are some of the driving forces that bring nearly 80 residents a day to the metro area, as recently published by U.S. News & World Report. Triangle retailers, developers and investors are taking advantage of this momentum, and the local retail market is thriving as a result. At the conclusion of third-quarter 2017, the Triangle retail vacancy was 6.7 percent. This represents a 60-basis point increase year-over-year. However, there was over 340,000 square feet of positive net absorption during the same quarter. This stat marks the highest quarter of positive absorption for the market since the second quarter of 2014. There were several notable retail deliveries in 2017, such as Carolina Square, containing nearly 50,000 square feet of ground floor retail space. The mixed-use project is located along Franklin Street in Chapel Hill and is a joint venture between Cousins Properties and Northwood Ravin. The retail portion of Carolina Square delivered 84 percent preleased and is anchored …

February 19, 2018

Midwest Ohio Retail Top Stories

UK-based EG Group to Buy Kroger’s Convenience Store Business for $2.1B

by Nellie Day February 7, 2018

CINCINNATI — United Kingdom-based EG Group has agreed to acquire Kroger’s (NYSE: KR) convenience store business for $2.1 billion. Kroger’s convenience store arm employs 11,000 workers in 18 states across 66 franchise operations. The stores operate under the brands Turkey Hill, Loaf ‘N Jug, Kwik Shop, Tom Thumb and Quik Stop. Kroger’s convenience store business generated $4 billion in revenue, including the sale of 1.2 billion gallons of fuel, in 2016. EG Group will establish its North American headquarters in Cincinnati and continue to operate the stores under their established brand names. It is the company’s first venture in the United States. Kroger’s supermarket fuel centers and its Turkey Hill Dairy are not included in the sale. Kroger plans to use net proceeds from the sale to repurchase shares and to lower its ratio of net total debt to adjusted EBITDA. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC is acting as exclusive financial advisor to Kroger, with Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP acting as legal advisor. Morgan Stanley, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Barclays are acting as financial advisors to EG Group, while Allen & Overy is acting as legal advisor. EG Group was founded in 2001 by brothers Zuber and …

February 7, 2018

Market Reports Retail Texas Texas Market Reports

A Retail Recalibration in Houston

by Taylor Williams February 2, 2018

For retail tenants and developers alike, Houston’s Space City moniker could easily be interpreted as a kind of tongue-in-cheek double meaning, mainly because space is one thing Houston always has plenty of. Commercial developers have taken full advantage of that space in recent years, adding an eye-opening 16.3 million square feet of retail product over the last 36 months, according to a report from Colliers International. Houston added somewhere between 4 million and 4.5 million square feet of new retail during last year alone. That pedal-to-the-metal pace has been the clear headline for so long now that it almost feels odd to talk about a change of pace. But that’s exactly what seems to be taking place in Houston, as the commercial development marketplace is in the midst of transitioning from the explosive growth of recent years into a more demand-based dynamic. This is not a slowdown so much as a stabilization or a recalibration — a sprinter taking a breath between laps. This is an interesting and perhaps even necessary turn of events. Houston is a development-friendly city with a relative abundance of available and affordable land and a streamlined and generally permissive regulatory environment that makes permits, zoning …

February 2, 2018

Illinois Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Retail

How to Find the Formula for Success in Chicago’s Retail Market

by Kristin Harlow February 1, 2018

Successful retail development, especially in today’s evolving retail environment, needs constant re-evaluation by developers as well as municipalities. In some cases, the old rules are being rewritten to allow for more creative uses of otherwise stagnant — and sometimes historic — properties. The city of Chicago’s Industrial Corridor Modernization Initiative, designed to relax zoning in areas once reserved for manufacturing, is an excellent example of a notable shift that will allow developers to execute new strategies for retail development, often in combination with other uses. The recently adopted guidelines for the North Branch Industrial Corridor, the first of 26 such areas in Chicago to be evaluated, suggest the formula that will be needed to help realize the city’s ambitious vision. Neighborhood workforce With employers increasingly focused on attracting and retaining talent in a tight labor market, they are seeking locations with a mix of retail amenities that their employees can take advantage of before, during or after the workday. Increasingly, this mix is found in neighborhoods outside the downtown core that offer a relative value when it comes to office rents — another benefit for companies looking to make a move. In some cases, office and retail are located in …

February 1, 2018

Florida Market Reports Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Seller’s Market for Jacksonville Retail Creates Opportunities for Investors

by John Nelson January 29, 2018

The Jacksonville and North Florida retail markets are seeing an increase and influx in new investment activity. Analysts are watching the volume, vacancy rate and new construction, and all signs point to a seller’s market, but compared with other Florida cities, the cap rate and the opportunities are still attractive to retail investors. What sets Jacksonville apart from other cities in Florida and across the country is the area’s strong employment growth and the amount of developable land still available. The rate of employment in Jacksonville is growing at double the national average. In addition, the city continues to attract back-office facilities for major banks and for Amazon, and its seaport is busier than ever. Housing also continues to boom in areas like Northern St. Johns County. According to third-quarter 2017 analyst reports, Jacksonville’s retail vacancy rate went down slightly from 4.6 percent in the previous quarter to 4.5 percent, or 93.5 million total square feet. Absorption totaled 710,101 square feet through the first three quarters of 2017, with about 590,000 square feet ready for occupancy or delivered, and 700,109 square feet under construction. Retail Tenant Shift Nationally, we saw stalled volume of sales during the downturn along with declining …

January 29, 2018

Market Reports Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports Virginia

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

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Missouri Retail

Mixed-Use Projects Breathe New Life Into Kansas City Retail Market

by Kristin Harlow January 4, 2018

The overall Kansas City retail market remains very healthy and active. As retailers continue to navigate through e-commerce challenges, developers continue to get creative with the redevelopment of existing centers, adding mixed-use components and consolidation of big box vacancies. Restaurants and hospitality seem to be catalysts in helping to kick-start these redevelopments from the retail side. Over the past year, retail spending in Kansas City has continued to increase, but there remains a limited amount of speculative construction in the market. Therefore, the vacancy rate has dropped from 6.2 percent in 2016 to 5.7 percent as of the third quarter of 2017. The average rental rate has increased from $12.85 to $13.05 per square foot as of the third quarter. Solid job creation from major employers like Cerner and Garmin has helped the unemployment rate of 3.7 percent stay below the national average of 4.1 percent. The restaurant sector is in the process of evolving just as the retail sector is. We are seeing a lot of the major chains slowly shuttering locations where the larger footprint is no longer viable. These properties are getting backfilled fairly quickly by retailers and smaller local restaurant groups. Retail investors have stayed active. …

January 4, 2018

Market Reports Retail Texas Texas Market Reports

Grocery, Home Goods Sales Rising in Houston

by Taylor Williams December 29, 2017

After Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Texas Gulf Coast, the storm’s impacts on commercial real estate were most immediately felt in the single- and multifamily spaces. As the recovery effort got underway, it became clear that some office buildings had been damaged, driving down occupancy in that sector, while demand for industrial materials and space rose. Perhaps because retail occupancy in Houston — which most recently clocked in at 94.6 percent, according to CoStar Group — has been strong throughout the oil downturn, or because most store closures stemmed from employees being unable to get to work, the storm’s impacts on the retail sector have been somewhat trickier to measure. Whatever the case, nearly four months after the storm, retailers in certain industries are seeing their sales figures climb dramatically, and without help from the holiday shopping rush. Grocers Lead the Way The grocery business — a form of brick-and-mortar retail thought to be somewhat insulated from e-commerce — has been at the forefront of retail segments seeing an uptick in sales following Harvey. Residents experiencing power outages and damaged refrigerators generated healthy and immediate demand for groceries. “Grocers were particularly impacted by Harvey, and in the aftermath it …

December 29, 2017

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