Reviving Malls: Shifting Perspectives on Retail's Potential

In today’s highly competitive and constantly evolving real estate market, sponsors of retail commercial properties need a reliable financial partner to help them navigate the complexities of this space. There is a perception that capital is non-existent for this sector, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Peachtree Group Credit has emerged as an industry leader – ranking as the 16thlargest U.S. commercial real estate retail lender ranking as the 16th largest U.S. commercial real estate retail lender – providing creative financing solutions to help clients realize their vision for maximizing return on investment.

The fact is retail, including malls, is experiencing strong leasing momentum with increased foot traffic allowing sponsors to stabilize cash flow levels, which took a hit during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Brick-and-mortar retail locations are a necessary and growing component of a retailer’s multi-channel strategy. While traditional retail struggled before COVID, the pandemic has brought greater appreciation for in-store experiences for certain shopping items. This trend bodes well for retail as an investment.

To remain competitive, retail investors must accelerate their plans and expand their thinking to find ways to keep their retail locations relevant in a changing landscape.

Retail investors are looking at this sector with compelling strategies, including reimagining portions of the property to bring in new tenants, densifying the property by spinning off excess parking into pad sites or value-add components with a plan for re-leasing and some potential redevelopment opportunities.

Peachtree provides needed liquidity for maturing loans, new acquisitions and construction projects.

Some of the recent coast-to-coast mall transactions completed, include:

  • Bellis Fair Mall – Originating a$24.0 million first mortgage loan for the 774,264 square-foot shopping mall in Bellingham, Washington.
  • Cumberland Mall – Originating a$28.8 million first mortgage loan for the 953,313 square-foot shopping mall in Vineland, New Jersey.
  • Greenwood Mall – Originating a$42.3 million first mortgage loan for the 970,523 square-foot shopping mall in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
  • The Mall at Robinson – Originating a$25.5 million first mortgage loan for the 874,000 square-foot shopping mall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
  • TownCenter at Cobb – Originating a $42.0million first mortgage for a 1,200,000 square-foot shopping mall in Kennesaw, GA
  • Fairlane Town Center – Originating a $28.0million first mortgage for a 1,450,000 square foot shopping mall in Dearborn, MI

Peachtree actively collaborates with sponsors from the initial concept stage until closing, offering expedited financing explicitly tailored for their business, allowing all parties to achieve a best-in-class financial outcome. Throughout the process, Peachtree keeps up regular touchpoints, ensuring the transactions go smoothly. This further demonstrates Stonehill’s commitment to supporting sponsor capital strategies with execution certainty amid a highly unpredictable funding landscape, increasingly a critical variable impacting retail real estate acquisition competition outcomes.

Having access to an experienced lender can provide valuable expertise and guidance to help you with your investment. With specific retail knowledge, Peachtree can provide insights into effective strategies for success. At Peachtree, we have the expertise to guide you through your options.

 

Greg Koenig is a senior vice president at Peachtree Group Credit. Before joining Peachtree, he was an executive director at A large private equity firm, focusing on debt originations in all asset classes. Prior to that, Greg was a senior vice president at Newport RE, a German-based real estate investment company, focusing on acquisitions and asset management for its U.S. portfolio. Previously, he was a vice president at Rialto Capital, where he helped underwrite and asset-manage loan portfolios. Before joining Rialto, Greg worked at TriMont Real Estate Advisors facilitating loan workouts and maximizing returns on distressed assets. Greg holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut, where he majored in Real Estate and UrbanEconomics.

Contact Greg at gkoenig@peachtreegroup.com or 1-860-833-2285.

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Peachtree Group Names Michael Brunner as Executive Vice President, Credit Investments

Peachtree Group announced the appointment of Michael Brunner as executive vice president, credit investments. With an extensive background in securitized products, asset finance and commercial real estate, Brunner will be critical in elevating Peachtree’s credit platform and driving its strategic growth initiatives.

ATLANTA (Feb. 12, 2025) – Peachtree Group (“Peachtree”), a diversified commercial real estate investment platform, announced the appointment of Michael Brunner as executive vice president, credit investments. With an extensive background in securitized products, asset finance and commercial real estate, Brunner will be critical in elevating Peachtree’s credit platform and driving its strategic growth initiatives.

Brunner has more than 25 years of experience at top-tier financial institutions, including ATLAS SP Partners, where he was instrumental in the warehouse finance and securitized products business. He also held leadership roles at Credit Suisse, where he contributed to the Securitized Products Asset Finance division, focusing on commercial real estate finance and commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS). Earlier in his career, he spent 18 years in real estate capital markets at J.P. Morgan, where he managed a loan securitization team, led a loan underwriting team and worked with bond investment clients on new issue offerings.  

“Michael’s leadership in securitized finance and commercial real estate finance makes himan invaluable addition to our team,” said Michael Harper, president, hotel lending at Peachtree. “His deep institutional relationships and ability to streamline deal execution will strengthen our credit platform, broaden our market reach and enhance our portfolio. With Michael on board, we are well-positioned to optimize our credit strategies, unlock new capital sources and drive superior risk-adjusted returns for our stakeholders.”

Brunner holds an MBA from theUniversity of Florida and a Bachelor of Science in construction science from Texas A&M University.

“I am thrilled to join Peachtree Group at such an exciting time for its credit platform,” Brunner said. “Peachtree’s ability to pivot across the capital stack, combined with its track record in private credit, positions it as a commercial real estate market leader. I look forward to contributing to its continued success and growth.”

“Peachtree’s credit platform has consistently delivered strong results, supported by a team of seasoned professionals dedicated to originating, underwriting and managing private credit investments. With Michael’s leadership, the credit platform is poised for further growth, reinforcing its position as an industry leader,” Harper added.

About Peachtree Group
Peachtree Group is a vertically integrated investment management firm specializing in identifying and capitalizing on opportunities in dislocated markets, anchored by commercial real estate. Today, the company manages billions in capital across acquisitions, development and lending, augmented by services designed to protect, support and grow its investments. For more information, visit www.peachtreegroup.com.

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Commercial Mortgage Alert: Peachtree Group Backs Multifamily Project

Green Street News: The developer of an apartment complex in northwest Washington state has lined up $57.5 million of senior debt from Peachtree Group, including $29 million of commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy financing.

This article is republished with permission from Green Street News.

CAD image Harrington CPACE deal

The developer of an apartment complex in northwest Washington state has lined up $57.5 million of senior debt from Peachtree Group, including $29 million of commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy financing.

Grandview North is on track to complete the 350-unit Harrington Place, in Ferndale, by January 2026. Atlanta-based Peachtree funded $13 million of the debt at closing on Jan. 28.

The fixed-rate C-PACE loan has a 30-year term. The rest of the senior financing package, brokered by CapNorth, was structured as a $28.5 million, floating-rate construction loan with an initial term of 18 months, plus extension options.

As part of the deal, the term of an outstanding $20 million mezzanine loan from Hickory CRE Lending was adjusted to match that of the Peachtree floater. The project is expected to cost $90 million, which pegs the overall loan-to-cost ratio at roughly 86%.

New York-based Hickory originated its fully funded subordinate loan as part of a $77 million debt package that Arlington, Wash.-based Grandview lined up in April 2023. The package also included a $57 million senior-debt commitment from Bayview Asset Management of Coral Gables, Fla. Bayview’s portion, which never funded because construction was postponed due to permitting delays, was split between a $45 million construction loan from its Oceanview Life and Annuity affiliate and $12 million of C-PACE financing from its Bayview PACE unit.

Developers can use C-PACE loans, which are repaid via assessments collected with property taxes, to help finance commercial buildings that meet certain standards for energy efficiency and sustainability. For its part, Peachtree offers borrowers debt throughout the capital stack by providing such financing in conjunction with traditional construction and bridge loans, president Daniel Siegel said.

Harrington Place will comprise 11 buildings on an 18-acre site that Grandview has owned since late 2020. The 101 studios and 150 one-bedroom, 63 two-bedroom and 36 three-bedroom units will have quartz counters, stainless-steel appliances and full-size washer/dryers.

Amenities will include fitness, game and party rooms, a lounge, a playground, indoor and outdoor athletic courts, and a patio with grills. The property is at 6276 Portal Way, a half-mile west of the Nooksack River and 10 miles northwest of Bellingham, a growing city between Vancouver, Canada, to the north and Seattle to the south.

Image of construction site of Harrington CPACE deal

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Peachtree Group Exceeds $1.0 Billion in Commercial Real Estate Originations

Peachtree Group announced that its credit team has surpassed $1 billion in loan originations year-to-date.
Header Photo that says Peachtree Group Exceeds $1.0 Billion in Commercial Real Estate Originations with a Commercial Building facade in the background

ATLANTA (Oct. 14, 2024) – Peachtree Group ("Peachtree") announced that its credit team has surpassed $1 billion in loan originations year-to-date, marking a major milestone and setting a new benchmark for the firm's performance this early in the year. The firm anticipates that its credit team will surpass $1.75 billion in loan originations in 2024.

“While the Federal Reserve has lowered rates to provide some relief to the overall economy, the commercial real estate sector will continue to face significant headwinds over the next few years,” said Jared Schlosser, executive vice president of hotel lending and head of CPACE for Peachtree.

Quote Card that says "While the federal reserve has lowered rates to provide some relief to the overall economy, the commercial real estate sector will continue to face significant headwinds over the next few years" by Jared Schlosser, EVP of Hotel Lending and Head of CPACE at Peachtree Group

The wave of debt maturities in the trillions of dollars positions private credit lenders like Peachtree to step in and close the funding gap left by traditional capital sources.

“With conventional lenders still on the sidelines, we have seen a significant shift in capital markets with private credit lenders supporting the industry as it faces a sharp rise in debt maturities potentially approaching $1.5 trillion through 2025,” Schlosser said.

Peachtree is ranked as the seventh-largest U.S. commercial real estate investor-driven lender by the Mortgage Bankers Association in its latest loan origination rankings.

As a direct lender in the commercial real estate space, Peachtree offers a wide range of financing solutions, including permanent loans, bridge loans, mezzanine loans, CPACE (Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy) financing and preferred equity investments across all commercial real estate sectors.

Hotels represented the largest sector and surpassed $639 million in credit transactions year-to-date, marking a 176% increase compared to the same period last year. Multifamily originations are the next most significant sector, with the two asset classes accounting for 80% of all credit transactions.

Notable credit transactions closed this year:

·      $47.0 million first mortgage loan for a multifamily property in Bradenton, Fla.  

·      $41.9 million first mortgage loan for a Kimpton Sylvan hotel in Atlanta, Ga.  

·      $40.0 million CPACE financing for an AC hotel in San Diego, Calif.

·      $38.5 million first mortgage loan for a multifamily property in Miami, Fla.

·      $26.4 million first mortgage loan for a Hampton Inn in Columbus, Ohio

“Peachtree has built a strong financial foundation over the years, giving it the stability to support commercial real estate owners in securing the funding needed for acquisitions, recapitalizations and development projects,” Schlosser concluded.

About Peachtree Group
Peachtree Group is a vertically integrated investment management firm specializing in identifying and capitalizing on opportunities in dislocated markets, anchored by commercial real estate. Today, the company manages billions in capital across acquisitions, development and lending, augmented by services designed to protect, support and grow its investments. For more information, visit www.peachtreegroup.com.