NorthMarq

NorthMarq Hired by Three Investors to Manage 845,000 Sq. Ft. of New Retail Space

Calhoun Square Among Six New Assignments 

MINNEAPOLIS (Dec. 17, 2008) – NorthMarq announced today that it is strengthening its position in the Twin Cities commercial real estate market by adding six new third-party retail assignments to its retail property management and brokerage business. The six properties total 845,000 square feet and include Calhoun Square in Minneapolis, Southdale Square in Edina, The Shoppes at Oak Park Heights, Plymouth Town Center, Fountain Place in Eden Prairie and Fischer Marketplace in Apple Valley.

“These new assignments solidify NorthMarq’s position as the largest manager of retail properties in the Twin Cities,” said Jeff Eaton, president of NorthMarq Real Estate Services. “Our portfolio of retail assignments has grown 25 percent in the past year due to the breadth and depth of experience our retail specialists possess.”

NorthMarq has recently hired several well-known professionals to assist in these new assignments. Gayle Siegler, Jim Larson and Ken Seifert will be working on Calhoun Square, while Wendy Aaserud will be working on the remainder of the assignments. All of these recent hires have significant retail experience.

NorthMarq began overseeing leasing and management for Calhoun Square at the end of November. Located at the corner of Lake and Hennepin avenues in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis, the 170,000-sq.-ft. Calhoun Square is undergoing major renovations, including the addition of two levels to its parking ramp, interior redesign and exterior site work. NorthMarq’s sister company RJM Construction is acting as the project’s construction manager and oversees the work of general contractor Kraus-Anderson Construction. Renovations to the center, which is owned by global investment-management firm BlackRock, are expected to be complete in early 2010. Calhoun Square is 70 percent occupied and includes current tenants Kitchen Window, Figlio and Vision World. Irvine, Calif.-based LA Fitness will open a new 35,000-sq.-ft. facility in the center in 2009.

“NorthMarq’s dedicated team and solid position in the local market will strengthen Calhoun Square’s position as the heart of Uptown,” said Erik Grabowski, vice president-Asset Management at BlackRock. “It’s a challenge to take over management of a property during a period of extensive renovations, but we’re confident that NorthMarq’s personnel will make the transition as seamless as possible.”

Of the five other new retail assets, four are owned by Principal Real Estate Investors. They have selected NorthMarq to oversee these four properties:

  • Plymouth Town Center, a 26,000-sq.-ft. development with 100 percent occupancy. Tenants include New Reflections Salon and Applebee’s.
  • The Shoppes at Oak Park Heights, home to prominent tenants like Kohl’s, TJ Maxx, Michaels and Pier One. The center has 85 percent of its 173,000 square feet occupied.
  • Apple Valley’s Fischer Marketplace, which covers 251,000 square feet and is 93 percent occupied. Major tenants include Kohl’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, Michaels and Barnes & Noble.
  • Southdale Square, 115,000-sq.-ft. retail center with a 70 percent occupancy rate. Divided between the cities of Edina and Richfield, the center’s tenants include Golfsmith, Pier One and Jared The Galleria of Jewelry

The sixth new retail management assignment for NorthMarq is Fountain Place, owned by LaSalle Investment Management, Inc. Located in Eden Prairie, the center covers 110,000 square feet of retail space and is 100 percent occupied. Major tenants include HomeGoods, Sports Authority and Michaels.

About NorthMarq
NorthMarq offers a full range of commercial real estate solutions across the country from its headquarters in Minneapolis, Minn. NorthMarq Real Estate Services provides brokerage and property management, to investors and space users primarily in the Minneapolis/St. Paul market. NorthMarq Corporate Solutions works nationally with mid-sized corporate users to manage their real estate needs. The NorthMarq Capital group offers commercial real estate investment services, debt and equity financing, and commercial loan servicing in 30 offices coast-to-coast, with more than $13 billion in annual production volume and services a loan portfolio of more than $36 billion. For more information, please visit www.northmarq.com.


Contact:
Martha Nevanen
952.893.7539
martha.nevanen@marquettere.com

Jill Lewis
Maccabee Group

612.337.0087