Ron Burkle’s Yucaipa Cos. is going hog wild in the Meatpacking District with contracts to buy two major properties for a combined $146 million.
After earlier scooping up an interest in retailer Scoop, Burkle, a London-based supermarket magnate, is now buying its building, along with the nearby digs inhabited by the celebrity-packed SoHo House club.
Area values have skyrocketed as rents for offices are pushing triple digits, while retailers are paying up to $500 a foot.
Sources said Burkle signed a contract Thursday to pay $81 million for the 86,000-square-foot SoHo House building at 33 Ninth Ave. The seller is a company controlled by developer Charles Blaichman and the Katz family.
The lease for the SoHo House club ends this year but has three, 10-year options. It shares the building with restaurant Spice Market and furniture company Vitra.
Last week, Burkle also bought a 50 percent stake for an undisclosed amount in the SoHo House club, the Daily Mail reported, buying shares from club founder Nick Jones and restaurateur Richard Caring.
Burkle’s partners in the deal for 33 Ninth Ave., Joseph and Michael Cayre of Midtown Equities, could end up controlling the retail portion of the building in the future, with Burkle owning the office piece. The sale is expected to close in the first quarter of next year.
Sources said Burkle also previously signed a contract to pay $65 million to BlackRock for the 62,000-square-foot building at 430 W. 14th St., which occupies the entire blockfront on Washington Street. Along with Scoop, retailers include Bond No. 9 and the rowdy Hogs & Heifers bar. That deal should close before Christmas, sources said.
Both properties have been on the market with the Jones Lang LaSalle team of Richard Baxter, Ron Cohen, Scott Latham and Jon Caplan. Calls to the brokers and Cayre were not returned. A spokesman for Yucaipa declined to comment.
