This is my first post in a very long time. The only reason I am posting today is because I didn’t really have to do anything to put this post up. The following analysis is from an email I just received breaking down a recently listed retail center. Needless to say, the property is way [...]
May
02
Movie Gallery to Close All 2,415 Stores
Filed under Another Tech Takedown: From Zero Hedge: Movie Gallery’s Chapter 22 just turned into a 7. The WSJ reports that the firm has decided to shutter all of its 2,415 stores and liquidate completely. Previously, the bankrupt movie rental chain had hoped to continue operating with a trimmed down asset base, and close just [...]
Apr
25
Breakdown: My Analysis of a Deal That Was Too Good To Be True
I have been asked by more than a handful of friends and colleagues to write a post on a specific listing in Simi Valley, CA that was recently brought to market by CBRE. I decided to put my thoughts in writing and attempt to explain how exactly I would break this particular deal down and [...]
Apr
12
12 Amazing Walmart Stats
I just got this email and had to share. There are some pretty amazing facts about Walmart here (assuming all are true). 1. Americans spend $36,000,000 at Wal-Mart every hour of every day. 2. This works out to $20,928 in profit every minute! 3. Wal-Mart will sell more from January 1st to St. Patrick’s Day [...]
Apr
08
Walmart Growth Visualized
This is a cool visualization showing the growth of Walmart from the opening of its first store in 1962 to present. The graphic does not show international growth but based on past history, world domination should not be far off. I’m pretty sure Walmart has already announced plans to enrich uranium and build centrifuges.
Mar
30
Phoenix Retail Sucking Wind
The Phoenix Business Journal published a not-so-surprising article this past Friday about the state of retail shopping centers in the Phoenix MSA. The article paints a dismal picture for the state of retail in Phoenix. According to David Wetta, director of Marcus & Millichap’s national retail group, there are 1,753 retail properties in the Valley [...]
Mar
02
Are CAP Rates Heading Back Down?
That is a pretty broad question. I can’t say for sure for every single product type nor do I really care about CAP Rate trends for multi-tenant office/industrial/multi-family/etc. buildings in the midwest/south/east/etc. I can make an intelligent guess and say no, CAP Rates are not heading back down, they are continuing to rise – industry-wide. [...]
Mar
01
Sale/Leaseback Article from Phoenix Business Journal
This article published on Friday, February 26th, 2010 is quite possibly one of the worst articles you will ever read discussing the merits of a sale/leaseback transaction. I feel sorry for the brokers quoted in the publication. It feels like the author chopped up their quotes and used them where she thought best rather than [...]
Jan
19
Fresh & Easy Real Estate Director Making Empty Threats
I just had to post this. I just closed a Fresh & Easy ground lease that was purchased by Fresh & Easy on 12/31/09. Earlier today, we sent out an email blast announcing the sale of the property. I received the following email (with his attorney cc’d as well) from UK transplant Tom Scorer, Real [...]
Dec
02
A Little Shameless Self-Promotion
Here is a “Just Closed” email flyer I sent out this morning for a deal I just closed. I don’t really want to use this blog to promote all things PCI, but I thought I’d share anyway because the fact that this deal closed in 1 week start-to-finish with a holiday and weekend in the [...]
Nov
25
New “Green” McDonald’s Logo
Just found this interesting tidbit online: McDonald’s is apparently changing its logo in Europe, eliminating the red background and replacing it with a “deep hunter green” background to tout their environmental credentials. You can read the article on greenbiz.com here.
Nov
12
Comments on CoStar Article About Institutional Transactions
This morning, CoStar published an article entitled Institutional Investors Throwing Big Money Around Class A Quality Retail Property. The article highlights several recent large transactions that have taken place and interviews guys from CBRE, Marcus & Millichap and Jones Lange LaSalle for opinions. A few of the points/quotes caught my attention and I thought I’d [...]
Oct
29
First Look: Microsoft Retail Store Grand Opening
So today I decided to go check out the grand opening of the Microsoft retail store at Simon’s Shops at Mission Viejo. I must say the store is impressive but the design does remind me of another retail store but I just can’t quite put my finger on which store that might be….. The store [...]
Oct
28
Vitamin Shoppe Completes I.P.O.
Vitamin Shoppe has just completed an IPO, raising about $155 million. You can read more about it at DealBook. What I thought was most interesting was the fact that this was first I.P.O. by a traditional retailer since December 2007! The proceeds from the offering are being used to pay down debt and to pad [...]
Oct
28
Buyer Requirement Email Done Properly
Yesterday I wrote a post about a buyer requirement email that was so all encompassing it was essentially useless to the author. This morning a new buyer requirement email landed in my inbox and, as luck would have it, the email was well targeted and gives me some good content for a follow-up post. If [...]