Despite upbeat sales projections from retailers, strong consumer-confidence levels and a host of other positive-trending economic indicators, retailers are still struggling to find the best approach to funding growth in the new U.S. retail marketplace. According to BDO USA’s ninth annual analysis of risk factors cited by the 100 largest U.S. retailers in their most recent annual report filings, concerns over how best to spend on growth initiatives remain high, despite promising year-over-year performance across the industry… Read more »
More than 30,000 sales tags to redo. Hundreds of new products to stock. New signage to install, walls to be painted and displays to be changed out. And 200 workers and 40 hours to do the work. That’s what it takes to convert a former Albertsons into a Haggen grocery store. The store on the southwestern corner of Carefree Highway and Scottsdale Road is one of three former Albertsons and Safeway locations… Read more »
Commercial real estate owners posted strong net operating income (NOI) growth last year. For the properties reporting year-end 2014 financials, NOI grew by 2.8% on average, compared to growth of 2.64% in 2013, according to Wells Fargo Securities. Wells Fargo based its analysis on NOIs reported by properties collateralizing loans in conduit CMBS transactions. More than half of those properties have now reported full-year 2014 financials… Read more »
As we come to the end of the second quarter, many are wondering if the tremendous volume of loans maturing in 2015 will have an impact on financing for commercial owners and investors. Loan maturities are expected to increase to more than $340 billion dollars per year for the next two years. This substantial increase (a hike of 72 percent from 2014 to 2015) is the direct result of loans that originated at the height of the market… Read more »
In 2009 and 2010, a lot was written about the calamitous effects that waves of CMBS maturities could have on the market. But by 2012, it appears, those ominous clouds hanging over the apartment industry were disappearing as a flood of capital cascaded into the market, bailing out many of the once-overleveraged borrowers. Right now, prices are 27% above the 2007 levels… Read more »