A Growing Role at Boston’s ‘Quiet Giant’
Jennifer Francis has a day-to-day window into how all commercial real estate sectors are performing throughout the pandemic as an executive vice president of Newton-based RMR Group.
State: Over One-Third of Liquor Licensees Might Not Renew
Up to 35 percent of retail alcoholic beverage licensees and 20 percent of state licensees may not renew in the new year due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s “major economic toll” on bars and restaurants
Atlantic Retail, The Dartmouth Co. to Merge
Needham-based Atlantic Retail will merge with retail brokerage and property management firm The Dartmouth Co., the two firms announced today.
Pandemic Speeds Main Street Embrace of Online Retail Sales in Mass.
According to the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, 26 percent of its members reported selling on the internet last year, double what it was nine months ago.
Virus Keeps Black Friday Crowds Thin, Boosts Online Sales
The raging coronavirus pandemic kept crowds thin at malls and stores across the country on Black Friday, but a surge in online shopping offered a beacon of hope for struggling retailers after months of slumping sales and businesses toppling into bankruptcy.
Brokering the Right Fits in a Shifting Retail Market
Stephen Pleines founded Boston-based Eastern Land Co. in 2018. The Newbury Street brokerage represents such tenants looking for new locations as ATI Physical Therapy and juice bar CocoBeet, along with landlord representation.
Troubled Gym Chain BSC Sued By Mass. AG
The gym chain allegedly continued to charge membership fees even after closing its facilities in March because of the coronavirus pandemic, then failed to refund those fees when requested.
Deutsche Bank’s Work-from-Home Tax Is a Trojan Horse
An attempt to help service workers? Don’t make me laugh. In truth, the idea is an attempt to shield lenders from liability for their investment decisions as the pandemic rocks the real estate world.
Hot Property: Exchange 200
Boston-based Berkeley Investments has completed redevelopment of a former bank operations center into 310,000 square feet of mixed-use space.
Retail Property Owners Hedge their Bets
The pandemic has accelerated the reshaping of the retail industry and how malls will position themselves moving forward. Retail has always found a way to bounce back, and as developers and owners look to the future and how to create a successful property, two key areas of focus should be diversification and customer safety.
Get in on the Ground Floor
While complex, multi-faceted models of activating ground-floor space offer a potential strategy to reflect two trends in 2020 commercial real estate: a steady loss of industrial space in Boston’s urban core, and COVID-19-driven disruption to traditional retail and restaurant models.
Why You Should Care About a Beacon Hill Food Fight
Developers rely on hip eateries and a never-ending flow of new trendy new chains to generate the excitement and foot traffic needed get new projects off the ground. Now restaurants need the industry’s help amid a delivery fee battle.
Cafe and Shared Commercial Kitchen Coming to Sullivan Square
A husband-and-wife team that operates a commercial kitchen in Somerville’s Union Square will bring a restaurant and shared culinary workspace to the new Graphic Lofts development in Charlestown.
Bakery Joins Retail Roster at J. Malden Center
Malden Center’s signature development project has signed a French-Asian bakery franchise as a tenant and announced the opening of another retail anchor, the MaldenCenter Fine Wines Shop.
Turning Historic Assets into Economic Engines
Kathy Kottardis joined Historic Boston as its executive director in 2007. Her and HBI’s next goal: securing the designation from the city of Boston to restore and expand the former Nawn Factory in Roxbury’s Nubian Square
Boston Fed: Outdoor Dining Tied to Third of Restaurant Sales
Alfresco dining has become an important part of the restaurant industry in Massachusetts, having “dramatically increased” when state government prohibited indoor dining to slow the spread of the coronavirus, analysts at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston said.
Macy’s Loses $431M, but Beats Expectations
Macy’s Inc. on Wednesday reported a fiscal second-quarter loss of $431 million, after reporting a profit in the same period a year earlier.
Lord & Taylor to Shutter, Close MA Stores
Lord & Taylor, one of the country’s oldest department store chains, is going out of business after filing for bankruptcy earlier this month.
Malden Center Development Names Restaurant Tenants
Two growing restaurant chains will anchor the ground-floor space at a Malden Center commercial redevelopment.
Only Half of Still-Closed Small Businesses Could Reopen
Only half of Massachusetts small business owners whose operations are still closed said they are confident they will ever reopen, indicating lingering uncertainty months after forced shutdowns began to limit the spread of COVID-19, according to a new poll.
