Property Types Retail
Tough Times In Sight
Oct 28, 2008
By: Coreen Bailor, Research Editor

Retail real estate is in for a rough ride, according to the latest “Emerging Trends in Real Estate” report by the Urban Land Institute and PricewaterhouseCoopers L.L.C. “Retail stays down for a while,” the report stated.

According to the report’s assessment of the prospects for 11 subsectors--three of which are retail--neighborhood/community centers have the best outlook among the retail subsegments. On a scale of 1 to 9, with 1 meaning “abysmal,” 5 representing “fair” and 9 signifying “excellent,” that subsegment earned a mark of 4.67 for investment projects and a tally of 4.08 for development prospects. Power centers pulled in a score of 4.06 for investment prospects and 3.5 for development prospects.

Regional malls are forecast to have a more challenging time. That subsector’s score for investment prospects came in at 3.89, while its score for development projects was 3.11.

By December 2009, the expected cap rate for neighborhood/community centers is forecast to be 7.54 percent, a 73-basis-point uptake from July 2008’s 7.01 percent. The cap rate for power centers is expected to hit 7.57 percent, up 66 basis points from 6.91 percent in July 2008, while regional malls are projected to achieve a cap rate of 7.83 percent, up 52 basis points from 6.19 percent in July of this year.

“Shopping center owners brace for value losses and declining operating incomes,” the report predicted. “Replacing lost tenants will prove difficult as retailers retrench. Until job growth resumes and gasoline costs moderate, consumers’ enthusiasm lags.” Higher interest rates coupled with decreased housing values won’t make matters any easier.



 
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.