Thor Equities

Thor Equities is a real estate development, leasing and management firm, with headquarters in New York City, London and Mexico City.^[2] Thor Equities owns property in the United States, Canada, Europe, Russia, India and Latin America, including London's historic Burlington Arcade and the Palmer House Hilton.^[3][4][5] In New York City, Thor owns retail, office and residential properties on Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue as well as in SoHo, Flatiron, the Meatpacking District, and Brooklyn including Coney Island. Thor also has investments in major U.S. cities including San Francisco's Union Square; Georgetown in Washington, D.C.; Robertson Boulevard in West Hollywood; Collins Avenue; Lincoln Road; Wynwood and the Design District in Miami.^[6] Thor offers investment vehicles for institutional investors through its Thor Urban Property Funds.^[7] Thor Equities also has several subsidiary companies including retail advisory and tenant representation firm Thor Retail Advisors.^[8]

Thor Equities

Type	Private Ownership
Industry	Private Equity
Founded	1986; 37 years ago (1986)
Founder	Joseph Sitt
Headquarters	New York City, New York, United States
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Real estate, Hotels, Shopping Centers, Retail, Mixed Use
Total assets	$10 billion ^[1]
Website	www.thorequities.com

Background

Thor Equities was founded in 1986 by President & CEO Joseph J. Sitt. His first investment was a property sold at tax auction on East Tremont Avenue in the Bronx, a chronically under served retail area, where he built a one-story retail structure with money from family and friends.^[9] He proceeded to secure national retailers Rite Aid Pharmacy and Payless Shoes after convincing them of the value of this location.^[10]

Ashley Stewart

 

Ashley Stewart in Roxbury, Massachusetts

From Sitt's early realization of the retail gap that left broad swathes of inner city consumers largely underserved by major retailers, he founded Ashley Stewart (a name inspired by Laura Ashley and Martha Stewart) in 1991. Ashley Stewart sold modern and fashionable clothing to women.^[9]

Each Ashley Stewart store hired from within the community, and the company was recognized by President Clinton for its contribution to the Welfare-to-work program.^[11] Ashley Stewart quickly grew to over 380 stores in more than 100 cities, which prompted many national retailers to follow suit and helped change the urban retail landscape.^[9][11] Sitt was also part owner of the Children's Place kids clothing chain as well as Marianne Stores, a retail outlet specializing in clothing for Latina women.^[11]

As business boomed, Sitt sold his interest in 2000 to concentrate on urban real estate through his company Thor Equities.^[9]

In 2004, Sitt was profiled by Crains New York in its annual "40 Under 40" issue, which celebrates those individuals in New York City who have achieved success in business before turning 40.^[10]

Development Activities

Thor Equities is a global full service real estate development and investment company specializing in acquisitions, financial management, development, property management, and leasing. Thor specializes in value-added investments in retail, hotels and mixed-use urban projects. Today, Thor's portfolio transactions and development pipeline total over 20 million square feet and is valued at more than $10 billion.^[12]

Thor also created an investment platform tailored to institutional investors. Thor Urban Property Funds investors include investment banks, pension funds, college endowments, and foundations. The fund's size was over one billion dollars as of 2013^[update].^[7]

In recent years, Thor has expanded its holdings internationally to include properties in cities like Mexico City, London, Paris, Montreal, Cannes, Milan and Madrid.^[13][14]

Notable Global Developments and Acquisitions

Thor acquired London's iconic Burlington Arcade in 2010 for £104 million. The property, located in the West End shopping district, was built in 1819 and is London's first covered shopping street.^[15] Thor's London assets also include 145 Oxford Street, 105-109 Oxford Street, 1 Dover Street, and Bond Street House at 14 Clifford Street.

In 2012, Thor acquired a major retail property at 65 Boulevard de la Croisette in Cannes, France.^[16][17]

In Paris, the company has acquired several properties including 51-53 Boulevard Haussmann, a 30,225-square-foot building; 65-67 Avenue des Champs Elysees; and 102 Avenue des Champs-Élysées.^[18]

In February 2015, Thor acquired a retail property at 777 Saint Catherine Street in Montreal, a historical building located in Montreal's shopping corridor that is currently occupied by Banana Republic.

In 2015 and 2016, Thor expanded its European holdings with the acquisition of 9 Puerta del Sol and 11 Puerta del Sol in Madrid, and 26 Via della Spiga in Milan.^[19]

Thor also owns several luxury retail properties in Mexico City on Avenida Presidente Masaryk, and has attracted such retailers as Gucci and Salvatore Ferragamo.^[20][21] In 2016, Thor's hospitality division debuted the Thompson Playa del Carmen, a boutique hotel in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.^[22]

Manhattan

Thor is a major retail property owner on New York's Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue.^[20][23] Sitt has been seen as one of the market makers on Fifth Avenue, helping push retail growth further below the traditional southern border at 49th Street.^[24]

Thor has also made significant investments in the Meatpacking District, betting on the area to continue its climb as a premier retail destination in Manhattan, driven in part by the High Line and arrival of the new Whitney Museum.^[25][26][27]

Thor is also heavily active in New York's SoHo area and owns numerous properties in the district. In 2013, Sitt partnered with several investors to purchase 529 Broadway for $150 million.^[28] In March 2015, the company leased its entire 15,000-square-foot building at 155 Mercer Street in SoHo to Dolce & Gabbana for the brand's flagship retail store.

Other areas of Manhattan where Thor owns properties include Tribeca, Madison Avenue, Chelsea, Bowery, Flatiron, the Upper East Side, and its headquarters near Bryant Park.^[20]

In 2014 and 2015, Thor purchased a number of residential buildings in Manhattan including 98 Morningside Avenue and 838 West End Avenue, as well as a portfolio of more than two dozen apartment buildings such as 250 West 19th Street.^[29]

Brooklyn

Thor owns a large portfolio of Brooklyn properties located in Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, Downtown Brooklyn, Williamsburg, and Red Hook.^[20][30]

A notable development is Albee Square Mall in Downtown Brooklyn. After Thor purchased the mall in 2001, it made various facility improvements in an effort to attract new tenants.^[31] Later in 2005, Thor announced plans to build the first tower at the site also known as City Point.^[32] The building was to be the tallest tower in Brooklyn. After the city changed its zoning to permit development of the site, Thor sold the site and development plan for $125 million to a financial company.^[33]

Coney Island

In 2005, the company bought a parcel of land west of the amusement district in Coney Island for $13 million, and sold it 14 months later for $90 million.^{[citation needed]} Thor then reinvested in more land on Coney Island along Stillwell Avenue as well as some Boardwalk property including Astroland. In 2006, Thor announced plans for a $1.5 billion Las Vegas-style amusement park resort, which required several zoning changes. The city had a competing vision for Coney Island and attempted to buy Thor's land, but Thor did not accept the city's offer. Astroland ceased operations on September 7, 2008. Interim amusement rides and a flea market opened in the summer of 2009 and closed later that year.

On November 11, 2009, Sitt reached a deal with New York City to sell part of his 12.5 acres (51,000 m2) of land in Coney Island for $95.6 million so that the city and Thor could jointly redevelop Coney Island, completing the three-year negotiation.^{[citation needed]}

In May 2015, Thor Equities unveiled Coney Art Walls, a public art wall project curated by former director of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Jeffrey Deitch and Thor CEO Joseph Sitt. Located at 3050 Stillwell Avenue, the project featured established and new artists. Coney Art Walls returned in 2016 with 21 new murals.^[34]

Chicago

Thor bought the historic Palmer House Hilton Hotel in Chicago's Loop area in 2005 for $230 million and undertook an award-winning $150 million renovation.^[11][35][36] The Lockwood Restaurant at the Palmer House was also named a James Beard Award winner. In October 2012, the company refinanced Palmer House Hilton in Chicago for $365 million.^[37]

Thor owns several retail properties on South State Street including 1-15 East Oak Street, home to the Chicago flagship of Barneys New York. South State Street is one of the main shopping streets located inside Chicago's Loop area, where vacancies were at a 10-year low in 2013.^[38]

San Francisco

Thor owns the landmarked Phelan Building, a Victorian-style steel-framed structure reminiscent of New York's Flatiron building, at 760 Market Street in San Francisco. Thor acquired the property in 2008 from the Westcore Group. The building is home to the San Francisco office of the Sears Corporation as well as Twitter co-founder Evan Williams' startup Obvious Corp.^[39][40] In a press release announcing the lease to Obvious, Joseph Sitt cited the growing trend of Silicon Valley tech companies moving to the surrounding area to set up shop.^[41]

Mexico

Joseph Sitt is chairman of Thor Urbana Capital, based in Mexico City. The venture's first project was a full block high-end retail development along Playa del Carmen's Quinta Avenida.^[42][43] In 2016, Thor's hospitality division opened the Thompson Playa del Carmen, a boutique hotel. As of 2017^[update], the company is also developing the Ritz-Carlton in Mexico City's financial district, among other properties.^[44][45]

Subsidiary Companies

Thor Retail Advisors

Thor Retail Advisors, led by CEO Joseph Sitt, is an affiliate of Thor Equities that provides tenant representation, brokerage and advisory services to retailers. The company has offices in New York, London, Paris, and Mexico City.^[46][47][14]

Thor Digital

Thor Digital, is the latest division launched in early 2022, and focuses on the acquisition and development of data centers across Europe with an equity commitment of up to US$3 billion and goal of US$9 billion in acquisitions value.^[48]

Non profit activities and honors

Global Gateway Alliance

Joseph Sitt is the chairman and founder of the not-for-profit Global Gateway Alliance (GGA), which was created in 2012 to address the infrastructure challenges that New York's airports face.^[49][50][51]

Additional non profit activities and honors

Joseph Sitt is an active board member of the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, a community development organization. He was instrumental in helping restore Restoration Plaza, the neighborhood's Town Square and the BSRC's main asset, and bringing to the area more retail options including its first family sit-down restaurant and supermarket.^[52][53] In 2007, Harvard professor Michael Porter and the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) honored him for his commitment to fostering healthy competitive business conditions and new opportunities in inner city neighborhoods.^[54]

Sitt is a managing director of Venetian Heritage, a not-for-profit organization that works to restore the Jewish museum and ancient synagogues of the Ghetto of Venice.^[55]

Sitt is also a frequent speaker and lecturer at various universities including Columbia University, New York University, Baruch, and Notre Dame. He serves on the board of the Real Estate Roundtable in Washington D.C., the Department of Real Estate at Baruch College, and is a member of the Partnership for New York City.^[56]

Mr. Sitt has been named by New York Observer in its annual list as one of the Most Powerful People in New York Real Estate.^[57]

Lawsuit

In May 2020, Thor 's offer to sell 933 Broadway to Mactaggart fell apart. When they clashed over a crucial deadline in an approximately $24 million Flatiron District retail contract, Thor Equities and Mactaggart Family & Associates pulled out their abacus and calendar according to new lawsuit.^[58]

See also

• Lions Group NYC
• Triple Five Group
• Webb and Knapp

References

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2. "Company Overview of Thor Equities, LLC". Businessweek. Archived from the original on April 10, 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
3. Boston, William (2010-10-22). "U.S. Investor to Buy Burlington Arcade". Wall Street Journal. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
4. "Thor Equities Acquires Retail Space in Montreal". WWW.com. 2015-02-27. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
5. "Palmer House owner scores big payout in $420 million refinancing". Chicago Real Estate Daily. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
6. "Exclusive: N.Y. developer unveils plans for massive Kirby mixed-use (Video)". Houston Business Journal. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
7. "Thor Urban Property Funds". ThorEquities.com. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
8. "ThorEquities.com homepage". ThorEquities.com. Thor Equities. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
9. "How I Did It: Joe Sitt, Thor Equities", Inc. Magazine, January 2006
10. . Archived from the original on 2010-12-26. Retrieved 2014-01-19. "Joseph J. Sitt, 39", Crainsnewyork.com, 2004
11. “An Eye for Opportunity”, Stern Business, Spring/Summer 2008
12. Valley, Matt. "JLL SECURES $365 MILLION IN FINANCING FOR PALMER HOUSE HILTON". REBusiness Online. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
13. "Thor Equities acquires first Spanish property at 9 Puerta del Sol in Madrid". Europe Real Estate. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
14. Geiger, Daniel (2012-07-31). "Joe Sitt: International Man of Mystery". Commercial Observer. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
15. Boston, William (2010-10-22). "U.S. Investor to Buy Burlington Arcade". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
16. Wallace. "Thor Equities' 65 Croisette buy financed by €71m in Heleba senior and LaSalle mez". CoStar's Finance Blog. Costar. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
17. "ThorEquities.com - 65 Croisette". ThorEquities.com. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
18. "Thor bets on Paris economy with French nighclub purchase". Financial Times. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
19. "Thor Equities acquires first Italian property featuring original Dolce & Gabbana store". Europe Real Estate. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
20. "ThorEquities.com - Portfolio". ThorEquities.com. ThorEquities.com. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
21. Brandt, Nadja. "New York Developer Raises 500 Million for Projects in Mexico". Bloomberg (article sourced from ThorEquities.com). Bloomberg. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
22. "Thompson Hotels Announces the Debut of Thompson Playa del Carmen". RobbReport. 2015-09-28. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
23. Kussin, Zachary (2012-04-26). "Thor files demolition plans for three adjacent Midtown properties". The Real Deal. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
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25. Trefethen, Sarah. "Gutsy Meatpacking move for Thor, Taconic". Real Estate Weekly. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
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27. "Thor, Taconic's $200M sale of Meatpacking building sets record". TheRealDEal. 2015-01-28. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
28. Pincus, Adam (2013-01-08). "Inside the record-setting, no-contract purchase of Soho's 529 Broadway". The Real Deal. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
29. "Sitt's Thor buys three Manhattanville rentals for $34M". TheRealDeal. 2016-01-27. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
30. "Brooklyn Office-Building Boom Expands on Red Hook's Waterfront". Bloomberg. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
31. “Gloom to Glamour”, Shopping Centers Today, June 2004 July 4, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
32. "Towers Grow in Downtown Brooklyn", New York Times, October 19, 2005
33. Fung, Amanda (June 28, 2009). "Coney Island keeper". Crain's New York Business. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
34. "Coney Island bring backs the popular street art exhibition, "Coney Art Walls"". TimeOut. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
35. "Thor Buys Historic Palmer House Hotel from Hilton Hotels Corporation;Plans to Add New Retail Space", Business Wire, August 17, 2005
36. "Thor High Street - Joseph Sitt Bio". thorhighstreet.com. Thor High Street. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
37. "Thor Equities Refinances Chicago's Palmer House Hotel for $365M". Commercial Property Executive. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
38. "Thor Portfolio". Thor Equities. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
39. "Mayor Newsom Announces Sears Holdings Establishes New Apparel Office in San Francisco". Office of the Mayor - City and County of San Francisco. City and County of San Francisco. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
40. Dineen, J.K. "N.Y. developer scoops up S.F.'s Phelan building". San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
41. "Thor Equities Lands Evan Williams' Obvious Corp. for 75k Square Feet at 760 Market St". PR Newswire. PR Newswire. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
42. Kussin, Zachary (2012-12-05). "Sitt's Thor Urbana Capital will develop high-end retail in Mexico". The Real Deal. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
43. "ThorUrbana.com Target Markets". ThorUrbana.com. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
44. "Spotlight: Ritz-Carlton to Sparkle in the Crown of Chapultepec Uno". 3 August 2018.
45. Whelan, Robbie (13 February 2018). "Why So Many Shopping Malls Are Being Built in Mexico". Wall Street Journal – via www.wsj.com.
46. Edelson, Sharon (2011-12-19). "Thor's Joseph Sitt, Sitting High". Women's Wear Daily.
47. "ThorRetailAdvisors.com". Services.
48. Group, Thor Equities (2022-08-11). "Thor Equities Group Chairman, Joe Sitt, Makes Guest Appearance on Fox Business". GlobeNewswire News Room. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
49. Goldmark, Alex. "NY's Airports So Old, Millionaire Is Putting Up Private Fortune to Lobby for Renovations". Transportation Nation, WNYC. WNYC. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
50. . globalgatewayalliance.org. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
51. "Global Gateway Alliance - Board Members". GlobalGatewayAlliance.org. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
52. "Effort to Revive Retail Plaza Gains in Bedford-Stuyvesant", NY Times, May 12, 2004
53. "Restoration Plaza", restorationplaza.org
54. "8th Annual New York Inner City Leadership Ceremony Honors Joseph J. Sitt and Comptroller William Thompson". thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
55. "Joseph Sitt and Diane von Furstenberg behind $12 Million Venice Ghetto Renewal". JewishBusinessNews. 2014-11-11. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
56. "Joseph Sitt Bio". ThorEquities.com - History. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
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58. "Thor Equities sues Mactaggart over latest broken deal". The Real Deal. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.

External links

• Official website
• Fred A. Bernstein, "A Hotel Looks Back to Its 1920s Glamour", New York Times, October 25, 2008