Office Real Estate Investors Will Bypass Primary Markets in 2022

By Lynn Pollack Globest.com

Despite a relatively strong end to the fourth quarter, office investors are still likely to remain on the sidelines in primary markets as rent remains flat and outpaced by inflation and high borrowing costs.

A new analysis from research economist Scholastica Cororaton of the National Association of Realtors predicts that secondary office markets will continue to drive demand in 2022 as they did last year. The fourth quarter saw 14.5 million square feet in absorption, an improvement over Q3’s 5.6 MSF. But “given the massive amount of space given up during 2020 Q2 through 2021 Q2, office occupancy is still down by 117.8 million square feet as of 2021 Q4,” she says. 

Citing CoStar data, Cororaton notes that “secondary markets drove the absorption of office space in the second half of 2021,” led by Atlanta (3.3 MSF), Austin (2 MSF), San Jose (2 MSF), Dallas-Fort Worth (1.9 MSF), Houston (1.3 MSF), Seattle (1.3 MSF), Palm Beach (1.1 MSF), and Nashville (1 MSF). 

By contrast, Chicago, New York, and Washington D.C. all showed losses in office space occupancy. Notwithstanding a relatively improved second half of the year, 117. 8 MSF of office space remains unoccupied, with at least 10 MSF of office space released to the market since 2020 Q2 across New York (-29 MSF), Los Angeles (-10.5 MSF), Washington, D.C. (-10.2 MSF), San Francisco (-9 MSF), Chicago (-8.2 MSF), and Boston (-5 MSF).

“The office market will continue to see significant headwinds in 2022 arising from the impact of inflation on investor office acquisitions and the effect of the omicron variant on office re-entry,” Cororaton writes. “The high inflation rate is likely to have an impact on office acquisitions in metro areas that are suffering large office vacancy rates, which are mainly the major office markets. With inflation currently hovering at 7%, with construction costs up 15%, and with a tight labor market with wage growth hovering at 4.5%, investors are facing negative real returns. Rents are not likely to rise on pace with inflation in the primary major markets of New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and San Francisco given the large vacancy rate in these markets. So, expect investors to remain on the sidelines in these markets.”

That aligns with reports from late last year, which pointed to suburban assets continuing to be the focus of investor favor. Buyers socked more than $25 billion into these properties in the third quarter alone, while just $9.6 billion was allocated to CBD locations. Boston was the most active city for office investment in the first three quarters of the year, according to Colliers,  with $8.5 billion of sales closed. San Jose and Seattle followed behind at $4.9 billion and $4.8 billion, respectively.

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The Industrial Real Estate Market: Be Prepared For 2022 w/ Dr. Peter Linneman (Video)

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Dermody Properties to Redevelop 342K-SF Warehouse in York, PA

 By Ingrid Tunberg Globest.com

Privately-owned real estate investment, development and management firm, Dermody Properties has acquired 29.5 acres of land in York, PA.  The company plans to redevelop the former Glen-Gery manufacturing site into a 342,720-square-foot warehouse.

The state-of-the-art warehouse will be known as LogistiCenter, which is a nationally-trademarked brand owned and developed by Dermody Properties. The LogistiCenter brand represents the firm’s philosophy of developing class A distribution and logistics facilities that meet supply-chain requirements for companies.

Dermody Properties originally acquired the property in April 2021 from Glen-Gery Corp., which has occupied the site for more than 50 years. Glen-Gery Corp. will lease back the facility for two years, until development on the LogistiCenter begins.

Located one mile away from the new Interstate 83 interchange, the property is situated within the industrial region of Spring Garden Township. The site is zoned for warehouse development and Dermody Properties also plans to complete roadwork improvements to the adjoining intersection.

“This is a rare opportunity to build a new warehouse in an infill location with access to a newly constructed interchange,” says Robert Borny, East region partner at Dermody Properties. “The York submarket continues to be one of the best-performing submarkets in Central Pennsylvania.”

“Though redevelopment of the site will not happen for some time, industrial vacancies are expected to remain minimal for several years as consumers continue to respond to e-commerce trends,” says Tim Walsh, partner and chief investment officer at Dermody Properties. “We appreciate the opportunity to work with Glen-Gery on the acquisition of this project and look forward to being able to offer it to our customers.”

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National Coatings & Supplies, Inc. Signs a Long Term Lease in Reading, PA

 National Coatings & Supplies, Inc. (“NCS”) at signed a 119,537 SF lease at Berks 222, Building A, located in Reading, PA.  The lease with NCS kicks off leasing at the recently developed two building, Class A 327,000 square foot park.

“A key to our growth is working with proven partners like Endurance that can deliver differentiated solutions” stated Bruce Cuthbertson, Chief Operating Officer of NCS.  “This distribution center provides an excellent operational backbone and enables NCS to successfully meet the unique needs of our expanding customer base.”

 Berks 222 Industrial Center is a newly constructed two building industrial complex which features 32’ clear heights, LED lighting and ESFR sprinkler systems in both buildings. The Property is also the recipient of a full 10-year LERTA.  The Property is located minutes from Routes 61, 222, 22, 422 and Interstates 78 and 76, placing over 44 million people within a four-hour drive of the property and over one third of the total US population within a day’s drive. Building B has a 46,460 SF suite that is available. Building A has 160,212 SF available. 

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Cost Segregation Made Simple (Video)

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Realty Resource Capital Corp. Snags Bucks County Shopping Center for $22.5 Million

 Realty Resource Capital Corp. has purchased Warrington Plaza, a fully occupied shopping center in Warrington, Pennsylvania, for $22.5 million.

The Woodbury, New York-based real estate investment and commercial financing firm acquired the shopping center from Valley Forge Investment Corp.

Located at the intersection of Street and Easton roads, two of the busiest commercial arteries in Bucks County, Warrington Plaza totals 87,581 square feet and is anchored by a 35,000-square-foot regional specialty home improvement retailer Avalon Floor & Tile.

"The property was resilient during COVID, retaining 100% of its existing tenants while also getting anchor tenants Avalon and Rite Aid to sign long-term leases. Warrington is one of Avalon's highest-grossing locations of the 17 stores in the chain."

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Rihanna Brand Savage X Fenty To Open Five Stores Including Philadelphia

 By Linda Moss CoStar News

In another endorsement of brick-and-mortar retail, singer-entrepreneur Rihanna is opening five stores for her lingerie line, kicking off with Las Vegas later this month.

The beauty-and-fashion tycoon, who was deemed a billionaire by Forbes last year, plans to open Savage X Fenty stores in Los Angeles, Houston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., as well as Nevada’s gambling capital.

Rihanna, whose full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, announced the news on her Instagram account but didn’t disclose exactly where the store sites will be. Savage X Fenty is the latest digital-native company — a group that ranges form e-commerce giant Amazon to eyewear maker Warby Parker and footwear seller Allbirds — that has opted to debut physical stores as a way to expand its reach and market share.

“On the heels of the brand’s incredible growth since first launching in 2018, this new direct-to-consumer experience is the next step to bringing a fuller expression of the brand to consumers in key markets,” Savage X Fenty said in a statement to the media on the planned stores.

The company made waves by being the antithesis of mall staple Victoria’s Secret. Instead of promoting and doing marketing featuring what critics have called unrealistically slim models, the so-called Victoria's Secret Angels, Rihanna's collection sells intimate apparel online for women of all sizes, with her marketing including images of women of all body types. It offers sizes from 30A to 42H in bras and extra small to 3X in underwear and sleepwear.

With young women abandoning structured push-up bras for more comfortable lingerie such as bralets, and some women bristling at conventional wisdom of what they should look like, Reynoldsburg, Ohio-based Victoria’s Secret struggled and eventually retooled its marketing efforts. The retailer still has a formidable brick-and-mortar presence, with roughly 1,400 stores globally. The chain was spun off from L Brands last August and just posted a strong holiday season.

‘Coming in Hot’

Regarding her planned stores, on Instagram Rihanna posted that in “2022, we coming in HOT! we bout to bring you a whole new #SavageXFenty experience with the launch of our brick-and-mortar retailer stores!”

A rendering on Instagram depicts the Savage X Fenty store has having bright blue, red and yellow colors.

And under “stores locations,” Savage X Fenty’s website now says, “The Wait Is Almost Over. Check back here for more details.”

Savage X Fenty is based at 2150 Park Place in El Segundo, California, according to CoStar data.

Last October, a Savage X Fenty marketing chief first disclosed to Bloomberg News that the brand would be opening up physical stores in 2022.

While Rihanna, a pop icon, has had much success with her cosmetics line, Fenty Beauty, her partner luxury conglomerate LVMH — parent of brands such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermès and Gucci — put a hold on plans to launch a Fenty luxury apparel line in February last year.

Also that month, Savage X Fenty completed a $115 million Series B fundraising round to support its growth, an infusion led by the growth fund of L Catterton, the largest global consumer-focused private-equity firm, with participation from existing investors such as Marcy Venture Partners and Avenir. L Catterton is controlled by Bernard Arnault, LVMH’s CEO.

Last year, Jon Owsley, co-managing partner of L Catterton’s growth fund, in a statement said Savage X Fenty in just a couple of years had achieved remarkable success by disrupting the intimates category.

“The brand strikes a unique balance between affordability, fashion, and comfort, stands deeply for inclusivity and diversity, and has differentiated itself by building an extraordinary level of affinity and unmatched customer loyalty,” he said. “We believe the opportunities ahead for Savage X Fenty are enormous.”

Last August, Forbes identified Rihanna as the wealthiest female musician in the world, and ranking No. 2 behind Oprah Winfrey as the richest female entertainer. It estimated her wealth as $1.7 billion, with $1.4 billion from the value of Fenty Beauty and $270 million from Savage X Fenty.

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