Selected Experience

Samuels & Company, Inc. has been involved in numerous projects throughout the country with an emphasis in California. The following is a brief description of some of the Company’s current and recent activities:

PROJECTS CURRENTLY UNDER DEVELOPMENT

 

Merlin Entertainments Group:  Provides exclusive tenant representation and advisory services for the expansion of Merlin’s attractions through out the North American market.  Successfully negotiated leases for Madame Tussauds in Hollywood, California and Washington, D.C.; LEGOLAND Discovery Centres in Illinois, New Jersey; and Texas; SEA Life Centers in Arizona and Texas. Provided extensive consulting and brokerage services for a lease for the Pepsi Globe Observation Wheel at Meadowlands project. Assisted in the acquisition of Underwater Adventures Aquarium at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which will be re-branded into a SEA Life Center.  Merlin Entertainments Group (Merlin) has over 60 attractions, 6 hotels and two holiday villages in 13 countries on 3 continents.  Merlin is the leading name in location based, quality family entertainment, and is known for such brands as Madame Tussauds, Sea Life Centres, The Dungeons, London Eye, and LEGOLAND Discovery Centres.

 

 

 

Construction Laborers Pension Trust of Southern California (Canyon Springs Marketplace) Riverside, CA:  Directing the design, leasing, development, entitlement and construction process for the Canyon Springs Marketplace project in Riverside, California with TDA Investment Group, Inc. This power/community center consists of approximately 180,000 square feet with anchor tenants including Marshalls, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Old Navy, Cost Plus World Markets, Petco, and Jo-Ann Stores, as well as other retail (Lane Bryant, Osh Kosh/Carter's) and restaurants (Starbucks, Rubio’s) and specialty stores (FedEx /Kinko’s).

 

 

Decathlon (Oxylane Group): Co-brokering the site selection and acquisition in Southern California for the introduction of Decathlon (“All sports under one roof”) stores to the US, in Southern California.  A division of the Oxylane Group, Decathlon is the world’s largest sporting goods company. with annual sales of over $1 billion.  They design and manufacture athletic apparel and equipment for over 65 different sports.  Oxylane operates approximately 480 sporting goods superstores in 15 countries worldwide and conducts on-line retail.

 

 

Thomas Safran & Associates (Rittenhouse Square / Carson City Center):  Currently the exclusive Advisor / Broker for leasing of ground floor retail of two mixed-use projects in Carson and South Los Angeles.  Rittenhouse Square is a 100 unit tax credit property for seniors 55 years of age and older with ground floor retail space.  Carson City Center is a 230-unit apartment building with 28,000 square feet of street level retail.  Thomas Safran & Associates specializes in developing affordable housing projects and owns and manages over 3,000 units of rental housing in California.

 

PRIOR AND/OR COMPLETED PROJECTS

 

 

AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group)/LA LIVE: Advised international entertainment/real estate conglomerate in the specific merchandising and leasing strategy for a $2.5 billion mixed-use development adjacent to Staples Center arena , known as LA LIVE, in Los Angeles, California. The responsibilities included preparing, administering and evaluating a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a major national theatre tenant as one of the anchor tenants of the project. Additionally, providing leasing services as the Owner’s Representative to submit and negotiate leases for multiple national, regional, and local restaurateurs, as well as several entertainment type retailers.  

LA Center
Advising New York Based Moinian Group and the exclusive broker for the retail component of the $1.2 billion mixed-use project across the Staples Center arena that will include 250,000 square foot of retail/entertainment leisure time users with 860 residential units.

Redding Oasis – Redding, CA:
Advising in the planning, leasing, entitlement and overall development for a major project in Redding, California totaling over 1,100,000 square feet. This proposed town center/lifestyle center is designed to be one of the dominant retail commercial centers located in the Northern Central Valley area of California serving the local, regional and tourist trade.  

Mid-Town Plaza (Pico/San Vicente/Venice):
Provided consulting and development services for all aspects of the planning, designing, leasing, obtaining entitlements and arranging public and private financing for a near $100 million, 440,000 square foot project anchored by Costco and Home Depot in the mid-town area of Los Angeles, California.

Robertson Properties (affiliate of Pacific Theaters):
Represented ownership in entitling property in Lakewood for a Kohl’s store; analyzed two residential zoned properties and one industrial property for heir highest and best use; consulted on various leasing and development aspects for other real estate holdings.

Farmers Market/Gilmore Estate:
Consulted with property owner of the Gilmore Estate analyzing responses to their Request for Proposals in the selection of the developer for the development of The Grove in Los Angeles, California; assisted in negotiating the Master Ground Lease with Caruso Affiliated Holdings.

Colony Capital:
Advised ownership on re-leasing and redevelopment efforts that included an entertainment/retail component to an existing super regional mall in San Jose, California; also, consulted on urban entertainment project in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Primestor Development Inc.:
Assisted in the due diligence of a potential major acquisition of existing mall, including analysis of mall/tenant occupancies, economic modeling, and overall yield projections.

Lehman Brothers:
Advised asset manger on redevelopment plans for regional mall in Birmingham, Alabama; reviewed and analyzed assets for disposition in Honolulu, Hawaii.

MCC Realty Investments/AEW:
Advised new opportunity fund in re-leasing and redevelopment efforts for community shopping centers in Diamond Bar and Phillips Ranch, California; assisting fund in identifying acquisitions of “value added” projects.

Reliable Properties:
Provided advisory and design development services on a high rise Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in the mid-Wilshire area of Los Angeles, California.

Regent Properties:
Negotiated substantial lease agreement by and between Crate & Barrel and the City of Beverly Hills for a new store in Beverly Hills.

Sol Price (founder of Price Club):
Provided leasing and development analysis for a potential power center development in Roseville, California.

TrizecHahn Development, Inc.:
Served as Senior Development Director on a proposed regional retail project in Honolulu, Hawaii; analyzed and provided advisory services for potential developments in Seattle, Washington and Denver, Colorado.

Combined Properties, Inc.:
Provided advisory services for entitlements and community outreach for a potential re-development of an existing asset in Sherman Oaks, California; assisted in due diligence for the purchase of a large shopping center portfolio (over 50 centers) in Southern California.

DDR/Oliver McMillan:
Served as Senior Development Director for the leasing and development of several large regional and community retail/entertainment centers in California.

Forest City Enterprises:
Analyzed economic viability of a proposed retail/entertainment center in Anaheim, California.

Glimcher Realty Trust:
Performed due diligence for acquisition and development of several regional centers in Southern California.

Elder and Enrico Trusts:
Negotiated leases with McDonald’s and Safeway Supermarket for private family holdings.

Granite Partners:
Assisted in analysis and disposition strategy of regional outlet project in San Diego, California; assisted in several presentations to institutional owners for dispositions of assets.

House of Blues:
Directed all leasing and development efforts for creating new facilities in San Diego and San Jose, California and Tokyo, Japan.

AMC Entertainment, Inc.:
Assisted in leasing and development efforts for a mixed-use urban entertainment project in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.

New Zealand Natural:
Developed initial strategy for Southern California for expanding international high-end ice cream.

The Mattress Store:
Represented this regional retail chain in new store site acquitions throughout Los Angeles County. 

Other Retailer Experience:
Represented National Geographic Society, Children’s Time Machine, Mervyn’s Department Stores, Thrifty-Payless (predecessor to Rite-Aid) and General Mills Specialty Retail in their site selections, leasing strategies and transactional negations.