Property Types Retail
Commission to Consider Lavonia Mall Redevelopment Plan
July 3, 2008

With most of Livonia Mall's tenants having negotiated lease terminations, the road has been paved for a massive remake of the shopping center just outside of Detroit, Mich., and the Livonia Planning Commission intends to give the plan the once-over on July 15, according to Crain's Detroit Business. Livonia Phoenix L.L.C.--a team consisting of Konover South, Grand Sakwa Properties and Lormax Stern Development Co.,--acquired the 46-year-old enclosed mall in May. Site plans for the project detail 320,000 square feet of retail space divided among several structures surrounded by green space and walkways. If the Planning Commission, which is scheduled to vote on the project July 22, gives the green light, Livonia Phoenix will then seek the approval of the Livonia City Council.


 
Recent Retail Headlines
Bankrupt Filene's Basement Assets Snapped Up by Men's Wearhouse in $67M Auction
Clothing retailer Men's Wearhouse has emerged victorious from a feverish nine-hour auction of assets belonging to off-price chain Filene's Basement, which fell victim to the retail market's downward spiral and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in early May, just two weeks after its purchase by Buxbaum Group affiliate FB Acquisition II. Acting through its affiliate, K&G Acquisition Corp., Men's Wearhouse put forth the winning bid of $67 million for 17 to 20 of Filene's store leases, as well as the leases on the company's Massachusetts corporate headquarters and distribution center, its Maryland storage facility and-- possibly most important--the Filene's Basement trade name.
Economic Update - Starwood Eyes Distressed Sector with $500M Fund
Yet another deep-pocketed real estate entity has jumped into the grave-dancing game—only please, don’t call it that, but rather strategic investment in distressed properties. The player is a newly formed investment company called Starwood Property Trust Inc., a creation of Starwood mogul Barry Sternlicht, which filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission late last week for a public offering that aims to raise half a billion dollars to do the distressed-property boogie. It will invest in not only physical properties, but mortgages and mortgage-backed securities.
Economic Update - Retailers See May Malaise
May comparable-store sales numbers are filtering down from various retailers, and the results aren't inspiring confidence in the prospects for recovered consumer spending. Actually, most analysts expected average retail same-store sales to decline in May 2009 when compared with May 2008, but the trouble was they declined more than expected.