Wake Forest and Chapel Hill, N.C. — Wegmans will open two new grocery stores in 2021 in Wake Forest and Chapel Hill. The New York-based grocer plans to add 500 full-time jobs and nearly 900 total jobs at the two stores. The store in Wake Forest will span 104,000 square feet and will house 200 full-time employees. The property, located at 11051 Ligon Mill Road, is expected to open in May. The asset in Chapel Hill is expected to open in late February and will house 300 full-time jobs. The …
Alex Tostado
Buford, Ga. — Topgolf Entertainment Group will open a new 72-bay Topgolf venue in Buford in spring 2021. Construction is currently underway at the two-level property, which will feature climate-controlled bays. The asset will be situated within The Exchange at Gwinnett, 35 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta. Topgolf Entertainment expects to hire 250 employees at the new site. This will be the fourth Topgolf in Georgia, joining locations in Alpharetta, Midtown Atlanta and Augusta. Fuqua Development is building The Exchange at Gwinnett, which is located adjacent to the Mall of …
Fullerton, Calif. — Calbay Development has completed the disposition of a single-tenant restaurant building located at 1101 S. Harbor Blvd. in Fullerton. A Los Angeles-based high-net-worth buyer acquired the property for $6.2 million, or $2,067 per square foot. Constructed in 2020, the 3,000-square-foot property has a fully entitled drive-thru. Starbucks Coffee occupies the building and recently signed a 20-year, absolute, triple-net ground lease with no termination rights for the asset. Adam Friedlander of JLL Retail Capital Markets represented the seller in the deal.
Batavia. Ill. — JLL Capital Markets has brokered the $2.5 million sale of a Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers ground lease in Batavia within suburban Chicago. The 3,343-square-foot, single-tenant retail building sits on one acre at 1998 McKee St. Construction of the building was completed this year. Alex Sharrin and Alex Geanakos of JLL represented the seller, Kensington Development Partners. A family trust was the buyer. Raising Cane’s has more than 520 restaurants in 28 states.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, retail and restaurant space has been severely impacted by government-mandated shutdowns. While some stay-at-home orders have been lifted, the sector has struggled to return to its pre-pandemic norms. As a result, lenders have shied away from retail, whether it be construction, refinancing or acquisition loans, according to an expert panel assembled by France Media, Inc. Retail has “lost a lot of favor” with lenders, said Pierce Mayson, managing principal of SRS Real Estate Partners, during a webinar panel titled “Southeast Retail Investment Outlook: …
Invesco Completes Phase I Redevelopment of Former LA Times Facility in Orange County
Costa Mesa, Calif. — Invesco Real Estate, along with Steelwave and 5_Ronin, has completed the base build for Phase I of The Press in Costa Mesa. The development team is transforming the former Los Angeles Times newsroom, printing press and distribution facility into a mixed-use creative work campus and social hall. Upon completion in fourth-quarter 2020, the project will offer 380,856 square feet of modern creative office space and 50,909 square feet of retail space. Situated on 24 acres at 1375 Sunflower Ave., the property features a 1.5-acre park and improved …
Apparel, Accessories Retailer Francesca’s to Close 140 Stores, May Pursue Bankruptcy
Houston — Francesca’s Holdings Corp. will close 140 stores throughout the country by Jan. 30, 2021, the Houston-based women’s apparel and accessories retailer announced on Monday. According to The Wall Street Journal, the 140 shuttered stores represent about 20 percent of the company’s total store count. Francesca’s also said that if the company is unable to raise sufficient capital to continue funding operations and paying obligations, it will likely seek to restructure its debt load by filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Francesca’s stock price opened at $3.53 per share Tuesday, Nov. …
Atlanta — The Home Depot has reported that its third-quarter sales reached $33.5 billion, a 23.2 percent increase over third-quarter sales for 2019. Net earnings for the third quarter were $3.4 billion, or $3.18 per diluted share, compared with net earnings of $2.8 billion, or $2.53 per diluted share, in the same fiscal period of 2019. The Atlanta-based retailer’s third quarter ended on Oct. 31. Chairman and CEO Craig Menear cited demand for home improvement projects in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic as a steady driver for increased sales. …
Wegmans to Open Two New Grocery Stores in North Carolina Next Spring Totaling 203,000 Square Feet
Wake Forest and Chapel Hill, N.C. — Wegmans will open two new grocery stores in 2021 in Wake Forest and Chapel Hill. The New York-based grocer plans to add 500 full-time jobs and nearly 900 total jobs at the two stores. The store in Wake Forest will span 104,000 square feet and will house 200 full-time employees. The property, located at 11051 Ligon Mill Road, is expected to open in May. The asset in Chapel Hill is expected to open in late February and will house 300 full-time jobs. The …
Merrionette Park, Ill. — Newport Capital Partners has purchased Stonebrook Plaza in Merrionette Park, located about 17 miles southwest of Chicago. The purchase price was undisclosed. Stonebrook Plaza is a 95,825-square-foot shopping center anchored by grocer Jewel-Osco. It is currently 96 percent leased. Other tenants include Blink Fitness and Pet Supplies Plus as well as eateries and personal care tenants. Jewel-Osco has operated at the property since 1985. Jacksonville, Fla.-based Regency Centers was the seller. Chicago-based Newport specializes in the acquisition and management of neighborhood shopping centers throughout major metro …