News
To the Point
August 11, 2010
| KeyPoint Partners is leasing an extra 3k SF for its Burlington HQ, not just because it's a tenants' market. The investment sales, retail research and brokerage, management, shopping center marketing, design, and construction firm has been growing. Its managed portfolio of 22M SF is up from 12M SF in ?06, with more to come. |
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| We snapped partners Mark Becker and Bob Lemons with property management VP Alicia Busconi (part of a full-time staff that's now at 100). Mark and Bob, with partners William Lawler and Brian Kelley, now own the business founded in ?53 as Finard & Co. With seven offices in New England and the DC area, KeyPoint?s management portfolio extends from Maine to North Carolina, with retail accounting for 18M SF. The partners say the business has grown with new institutional clients like RREEF and in the shuffle of service providers sparked by foreclosures during the downturn. From other investors, KeyPoint earlier this month announced 2M SF of new assignments in seven states. Still, the four partners weigh in on every assignment. |
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| Industry insiders know KeyPoint for the retail research produced by Robert Sheehan (seated), whom we snapped with broker Michael Branton. Of course, the company's GRIID database of 27k properties (255M SF) with 60k tenants is used to advise clients. It helps tenants decide where to locate and landlords determine which retailers will work in their properties. Robert says retail leasing activity is picking up and vacancies stabilizing at 9.5%: ?New England has likely bottomed out and is one of the healthiest regions in the country.? Rents for trophy shopping centers are starting to plateau and for the rest, the downdraft is ?beginning to moderate.? In the strongest retail market, Newbury Street, he says rents are coming back. |
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| Stephanie French (right), with leasing administrator Kris Smith, has launched a new shopping center marketing service to help clients retain tenants. Stephanie helps the centers connect to their communities with TV and radio ads, a presence on social media, and events like the concerts at Wayside Commons near its HQ and Derry Meadows in N.H. At the Super Stop & Shop Plaza in Stoughton, she helped organize Belle of the Ball to collect and distribute prom dresses to neighborhood kids. She's also offering branding with a logo, tag line, and Facebook pages. She's even got a little something for the heat wave (not that sweater she's wearing): free ice cream and a discount movie ticket. |
