DEALS
* Agoura Hills-based Baralat Co., a real estate investment firm, has purchased Inland Empire Center, a 30-acre, 300,000-square-foot shopping complex at Interstate 10 and Sierra Avenue in Fontana, from Los Angeles-based MBK Southern California Ltd., a division of Irvine-based MBK Real Estate Ltd., for $28.1 million. The center’s tenants include a Vons supermarket, Toys R Us, Edwards Cinemas and several other major retailers, according to general partner Andrew M. Trachman of MBK Trachman Properties Ltd., which developed the property in 1990. Both buyer and seller were represented by a CB Richard Ellis team including Bill Dennis, Todd Goodman, Roger Kinoshita and Sam Alison.
* Nissan Motor Co. signed a 12 1/2-year, $25-million lease for a 380,582-square-foot industrial building at 741-745 W. Artesia Blvd. in Compton that has served as a parts distribution facility for the auto maker since 1979. Sares-Regis Group, which is the asset manager for the owner, an institutional investor, represented the landlord in the transaction. Mike Smith of the Irvine office of Staubach Co. represented Nissan.
* San Francisco-based BRE Properties, a real estate investment trust specializing in apartments, acquired the 250-unit Arbors at Warner Center apartment complex for $23.5 million from Ten West Associates. Ray Eldridge and Joe Leon of CB Richard Ellis’ Laguna Hills office represented the buyer and the seller in the sale.
* Lowe Enterprises bought a 12-story, 208,000-square-foot office building at 180 E. Ocean Ave. in Long Beach from WLB Partners for $19.1 million, according to broker Bob Safai of Madison Partners. Safai and Kevin Shannon of Seeley Co. represented both buyer and seller.
* Equity Marketing Inc., an entertainment licensing firm, has signed a seven-year, $12-million lease for 60,000 square feet of space at 6330 San Vicente Blvd. in Los Angeles. The five-story, 100,000-square-foot building was nearly vacant before a $2-million renovation by the owner, Kearny Real Estate Co. Equity Marketing, which is relocating from Beverly Hills, is one of three firms that have recently signed leases, bringing the building to 86% occupancy, according to a Kearny announcement. The others are the architectural firm Gruen & Associates, which signed a five-year lease for 17,000 square feet of space, and SK Management, an apartment management firm, which leased 9,500 square feet for five years. The combined value of the Gruen and SK leases is about $3 million, Kearny said. Kearny was represented in all three leases by Hunt Barnett of CB Richard Ellis. Bruce Schuman of Julien J. Studley Inc. represented Equity Marketing, and Richard Shapiro of Winco Asset Management represented Gruen and SK represented itself.
* Sportswear manufacturer Quiksilver signed a 15-year, $8-million lease for a new 81,120-square-foot corporate headquarters building being developed by managing partner Sares-Regis Group at its West County Commerce Center in Huntington Beach. The Quiksilver headquarters is one of two new buildings totaling 233,480 square feet that Sares-Regis Group is developing at the site, said Bruce Bearer, a senior vice president at Sares-Regis, which represented landlord West County Realty Holding Co. in the lease. Quiksilver was represented by Dan Zinke from the Anaheim office of CB Richard Ellis.
* Irvine-based Bascom Group has bought its ninth apartment complex in Orange County--the 100-unit Mile Square Apartments at 4800 McFadden Ave. in Santa Ana--for $6.3 million, according to Bascom Managing Director Jerome A. Fink. Fink said Bascom, which bought the building through a partnership called Mile Square Apartments, plans to spend $750,000 to remodel and improve the complex, which includes 12 two-story buildings. Bascom, which acquired the property from a trust in the name of Robert L. and Lucy Ann Stellrecht, was represented by John Croce of Millennium Realty Advisors. Joseph Yeager of Rainbow Real Estate represented the seller.
* The Century City law firm of Danning, Gill, Diamond & Kollitz has renewed and expanded its lease at 2029 Century Park East to 25,273 square feet in a seven-year deal valued at about $5.5 million. Beginning in January, the firm will move from its existing 18,892-square-foot offices on the 19th floor of the building and occupy the entire third floor, according to Gary Weiss, senior managing director in the West Los Angeles office of Julien J. Studley Inc., who represented the law firm in the transaction. Peter Best was the in-house representative for landlord Tooley & Co.
* Delma Properties Inc., a New York investment firm, bought a four-story, 46,698-square-foot office building at 22801 Ventura Blvd. in Woodland Hills Office Park for $4.9 million from a California limited partnership, according to Lynwood Fields and Brian Hennessey of Madison Partners, who negotiated the deal.
* Woodland Hills-based Sebastian International, a hair-care products company, has leased 118,350 square feet of warehouse space at 950 S. Dupont Ave. in Ontario’s California Commerce Center for 10 years in a transaction valued at about $4.7 million. According to Jim Hobson of Delphi Business Properties in Van Nuys, who represented Sebastian, the company is relocating its warehouse operations from an existing facility in Chatsworth and will employ about 100 workers at the Ontario site. The landlord, Lennar Partners, was represented by Peter McWilliams, Mike McCrary and Ruben Goodsell of Seeley Co.
* Carlsberg Management Group has purchased an 84,000-square-foot, four-story office building at 6171 W. Century Blvd. in Los Angeles from Century Property for $3.8 million. Bob Safai of Madison Partners, who represented the seller in cooperation with Rick Wolfen of Rock Asset Management, said the office building originally was built to house the Western Airlines reservations center but has since been converted to a multi-tenant building. Carlsberg was represented by Neil Resnick and Tim Vaughn of CB Richard Ellis.
* Burnett Polygon has acquired Plaza de Cafes, a food court on a 2.65-acre site near John Wayne Airport at 4881 Birch St. in Newport Beach, for $3.3 million from Carol Tsai of Honolulu. Dennis Vaccaro and David Lee of Faris Lee Investments represented both buyer and seller.
* Ledtronics Inc., a manufacturer of light-emitting diodes, has acquired a 50,660-square-foot industrial building at 23105 Kashiwa St. in Torrance for $2.8 million from Ikegami Electronics. David Grote of Klabin Co.’s Torrance office, who represented Ledtronics in cooperation with David Stromath of CB Richard Ellis, said the new building represents a tripling of space for Ledtronics and will serve as the company’s headquarters. Grote said Ledtronics will employ about 100 workers at the site, which is near the company’s former facility on Kashiwa Street. Gary Blau of Goodglick Co. represented Ikegami in the transaction.
