Arcadia, Calif. — Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) has sold Westfield Santa Anita, a 1.5 million-square-foot regional mall located roughly 15 miles northeast of Los Angeles in Arcadia, for $537.5 million. The transaction represents the largest price paid for a regional mall in the U.S. since 2018, according to Eastdil Secured, which acted as financial advisor to the seller.
The buyer is an undisclosed real estate investor that owns other retail assets in Southern California. The acquisition was funded through a combination of equity and new debt, and reflects a sub-6 percent net initial yield and a 10.7 percent discount to the property’s latest appraisal price.
The Class A regional mall was 96 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants including J.C. Penney, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Sephora, Free People, Kate Spade, Fabletics, Coach, lululemon, Michael Kors, Steve Madden, Victoria’s Secret, Zara and Abercrombie & Fitch, among others.
The property is also home to AMC Theatres; entertainment concepts such as Bowlero, Luxy Karaoke and Dave & Buster’s; and restaurants including The Cheesecake Factory, Benihana, California Pizza Kitchen and Din Tai Fung.
URW made headlines earlier this week with the announcement of redevelopment plans for Westfield Garden State Plaza, a 2.1 million-square-foot regional mall in the Northern New Jersey community of Paramus. Development plans for the property include the addition of 550 luxury apartments and a “main street” outdoor district with restaurants and retail space.
The sale of Westfield Santa Anita is part of an ongoing effort by the company to reduce its financial exposure to the U.S. The Paris-based owner and developer boasts a portfolio of commercial real estate assets valued at $55 billion, including 82 shopping centers and 53 flagship regional malls across Europe and the U.S.
—Katie Sloan