Bentonville, Ark. — Walmart’s e-commerce sales jumped 97 percent in the second quarter, which ended July 31. The Bentonville-based retailer increased its e-commerce capabilities, including increasing same-day delivery and curbside pick-up options as well as hiring at least 200,000 people during the pandemic. Walmart includes a grocery section, deeming the retailer essential and allowing it to remain open through the crisis. Additionally, the U.S. government passed the CARES Act, which included stimulus checks for millions of Americans. As a result of increased spending, Walmart’s same-store sales increased 9.3 percent in the …
Atlanta — The Home Depot released its second-quarter results, which revealed the home improvement retailer saw a 23.4 percent increase in sales on a year-over-year basis. Sales totaled $38.1 billion in the second quarter, which ended Aug. 3. Because of the coronavirus outbreak and The Home Depot’s status as an essential retailer, meaning the stores have remained open through the pandemic, the company invested approximately $480 million in benefits for its associates, including weekly bonuses for hourly associates in stores and distribution centers.
Phoenix — Orion Investment Real Estate has brokered the sale of The Shops at 38th Street, a shopping center located in Phoenix’s Arcadia neighborhood. Richard Oliver sold the asset to Alturas Shops at 38th LLC for $6.1 million, or $265 per square foot. The approximately 23,018-square-foot property was fully occupied at the time of sale. Tenants include the Whining Pig, Crumbl Cookies, Club Pilates, H&R Block, Blind Tiger Tattoo, Team 44 Fitness, BoSa Donuts and Autumn Court. Nick Miner of Orion Investment Real Estate represented the seller in the deal.
Los Angeles — Fresh. Authentic. Tasty. (FAT) Brands has agreed to purchase the Johnny Rockets restaurant chain from an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners for $25 million. The deal will be funded through cash on hand and proceeds generated from FAT’s securitization facility. The transaction is slated to close in September. With the acquisition of Johnny Rockets, FAT Brands will have more than 700 franchised and company-owned restaurants around the globe with annual system-wide sales exceeding $700 million. Johnny Rockets was founded in 1986 with its first location on Melrose …
Washington, D.C. — Retail sales in July rose 1.2 percent on a month-over-month basis, the U.S. Commerce Department reported in its advanced estimate this morning. Total sales for the month clocked in at $536 billion, up from $529.4 billion in June. The Commerce Department reported sales reached $527 billion in February, marking the first time during the pandemic that retail sales have exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Furthermore, the Commerce Department revised its May to June growth up 90 basis points to 8.4 percent. Despite the growth, the total volume of retail …
Fort Worth, Texas — Dallas-based developer StreetLevel Investments has opened the 250,000-square-foot Shops at Chisholm Trail Ranch retail power center in Fort Worth. Specific stores that have opened at the center, which is 90 percent leased, include Ross Dress for Less, Old Navy, Ulta Beauty, Five Below, Tuesday Morning, AT&T, Sprint and others. Restaurants now open include Chick-fil-A, Whataburger and MOD Pizza. The 40,000-square-foot Studio Movie Grill is expected to open at the end of summer.
Lake Elsinore, Calif. — Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors has arranged the sale of a multi-tenant retail building within Lake Elsinore Marketplace, a shopping center in Lake Elsinore. Irvine-based Pacific Castle sold the asset to a Torrance-based private investor for $3.8 million. Built in 2006 at 29261 Central Ave., the 7,203-square-foot pad building is fully occupied. Tenants include Navy Federal Credit Union, iBrows Threading Salon, Submarina and Juice It Up!. Anchors at the larger, 144,034-square-foot Lake Elsinore Marketplace include Costco, Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse, Grocery Outlet, PetSmart and Dollar …
Jacksonville, Fla. — Discount retailer Stein Mart Inc. (NASDAQ: SMRT) has filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida. The motion is an effort to maintain operations, including “the payment of employee wages and benefits without interruption, payment of suppliers and vendors in the normal course of business and the use of cash collateral.” Jacksonville-based Stein Mart expects to close a significant portion, if not all, of its brick-and-mortar stores. The company has launched a store closing …
New York City — Sour Patch Kids has opened a 3,300-square-foot flagship store for children at the corner of Bond Street and Broadway near the SoHo shopping district in New York City. IT’SUGAR, a retailer specializing in candy and similar confections and subsidiary of BBX Sweet Holdings LLC, will operate the store. In addition to offering a range of merchandise, the store will also feature entertainment activities for children, including the making of candy mix, posing for photos with Sour Patch Kids characters and enjoying reimagined sweets such as smoothies, …
Washington, D.C. — Retail imports at major U.S. ports are expected to see their lowest annual totals in four years as the coronavirus continues to affect the economy, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). The NRF forecasts year-end 2020 totals to reach 19.6 million TEUs, which would be a 9.4 percent decrease from 2019 and the lowest number seen since the 19.1 million TEUs of imports in 2016. The NRF and Hackett Associates released their monthly Global Port Tracker report, which found that U.S. ports handled 1.6 million 20-foot …