It's Been A Long, Hard Slog For Suburban Retail, But Things May Be Brightening At Last Like a lot of suburban retail, The Arboretum of South Barrington is a financially troubled property that may finally be on its way back to recovery. Although New York-based lender Union Bank filed for foreclosure on the 480K SF lifestyle center in September 2020, Houston-based Star Cinema Grill just signed a 15-year lease for a 38K SF standalone building there that previously housed iPic Theaters. The deal does more than fill a hole in the property’s tenant lineup. It could also bring back a flood of customers lost when iPic shuttered its cineplex. “It’s going to be a huge traffic generator,” Peak Properties Managing Partner Mike Zucker said. “It’s a huge win for the community and a huge win for the center because it shows there’s confidence in the market.” 
Confidence in this kind of suburban retail isn't misplaced, at least over the long term, according to Richard Spinell, managing broker of Chicago-based Mid-America Real Estate Group. Retail took a double hit in the past few years, first from the rise of e-commerce and then from…  Read the full story here. | 
