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Newmark Grubb Knight Frank (NGKF) Retail announced today it represented Goodwill of Greater Washington in its twelfth lease transaction as part of an effort to implement a new operations plan for the nonprofit in the greater Washington, DC metro area. Since 2009 Goodwill has more than doubled the number of retail stores locally.
“Studies recently conducted by Goodwill determined that by locating its stores closer to more affluent donors, it had the opportunity to significantly increase the volume of quality donated goods and therefore increase retail sales,” said NGKF Senior Managing Director Edward Goldmeier. “With this fundamental shift in strategy, we were tasked with identifying new retail locations and changing landlords’ and developers’ perception of Goodwill. The nonprofit also engaged Gensler & Associates to redesign the look of the stores, resulting in clean, bright, well-organized and contemporary spaces.”
In the last year, the NGKF retail team of Goldmeier and Managing Director Glenn Ulick led Goodwill of Greater Washington in strategic planning and site selection. They also represented the nonprofit in more than 210,000 square feet of leases securing existing and built-to-suit space for a combination of retail outlets and donation centers in Maryland and Northern Virginia.
Several new larger stores ranging from 20,000 to 25,000 square feet can accommodate a higher volume of donations and allow Goodwill more space to process merchandise. Larger locations in Maryland, at Bowie Town Center and the re-use project for the former Office Depot in Clinton, represent Goodwill’s first expansion in Prince George’s County in a decade. Northern Virginia locations include Annandale Plaza in Annandale and Ashdale Plaza in Dale City.
“Using Goodwill’s new operations strategy, we identified ideal solutions to further the success and growth of this respected organization,” said Ulick. “This includes a new, 18,000-square-foot ground-up built-to-suit store at Prince William Gateway in Manassas, which will open in the summer of 2017 as well as a 17,739-square-foot anchor space at Sully Station in Centreville, Virginia, which will deliver in the fall of 2017.”
The dramatic increase in retail sales due to new locations, quality donations and revitalized branding have allowed Goodwill to refocus on its original mission, allocate more money to help those in need by providing more opportunities for them to learn marketable job skills, seek sustainable employment and rise above the poverty line.
As a part of the nonprofit’s increasing presence in DC, the Goodwill Excel Center opened at 1776 G Street, N.W. in August of 2016. The Excel Center provides free education and training to adult DC residents without a high school diploma and is the first adult public charter school in the District to award a high school diploma and industry recognized credentials rather than a GED. Goodwill designed this program to overcome some of the most common barriers that normally prevent adults from completing their education. They will offer transportation stipends, on-site daycare and other benefits to help these adults break the cycle of poverty and gain the skills to improve their quality of life.
“Our business is changing, so we’re actively pursuing avenues like The Goodwill Excel Center to enhance the services we offer our community,” said Brendan Hurley, chief marketing officer for Goodwill of Greater Washington. “Selecting and securing the right locations are critical to our success, which translates into serving more people facing barriers to employment, including adults with disadvantages or disabilities.”
Successful repositioning of retail locations combined with quality donations have helped make Goodwill into a vintage and thrift-shopping destination for shoppers of all ages. Goodwill continues to explore opportunities to make donating easier by developing the first mobile donation receipt management tool and piloting a program that will allow donors to mail their donations. Rebranding the organization and reaffirming its integral place in the Metropolitan Washington, DC community by establishing The Goodwill Excel Center have proven to be vital steps in the broader strategy to refresh operations and perceptions of the 114-year-old global nonprofit.
About Newmark Grubb Knight Frank
Newmark Grubb Knight Frank (NGKF) is one of the world’s leading commercial real estate advisory firms. Together with London-based partner Knight Frank and independently-owned offices, NGKF’s 14,100 professionals operate from more than 400 offices in established and emerging property markets on six continents.
With roots dating back to 1929, NGKF’s strong foundation makes it one of the most trusted names in commercial real estate. NGKF’s full-service platform comprises BGC’s real estate services segment, offering commercial real estate tenants, landlords, investors and developers a wide range of services including leasing; capital markets services, including investment sales, debt placement, appraisal, and valuation services; commercial mortgage brokerage services; as well as corporate advisory services, consulting, project and development management, and property and corporate facilities management services. For further information, visit www.ngkf.com.
NGKF is a part of BGC Partners, Inc., a leading global brokerage company servicing the financial and real estate markets. BGC’s common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol (NASDAQ: BGCP). BGC also has an outstanding bond issuance of Senior Notes due June 15, 2042, which trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol (NYSE: BGCA). BGC Partners is led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Howard W. Lutnick. For more information, please visit http://www.bgcpartners.com/.