Newmark Grubb Knight Frank (NGKF) has recently signed two digital-media companies to leases for office space on upper floors at historic Faneuil Hall Marketplace. The real estate services firm was hired in March by Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp. to lead the office positioning and leasing as renovation plans proceed for the marketplace, which draws 18 million visitors a year to its boutiques, pushcarts and restaurants.
Criteo, a fast-growing company that develops web advertising, was signed to 5,666 square feet and Streetwise Media, the start-up developer of bostoninnovation.com and other web sites, took 3,405 square feet to establish a first headquarters at the site widely known as the “Cradle of Liberty.” Jim Griffin and Peter Bean, senior managing directors in NGKF’s Boston office engineered the deals, with NGKF Managing Principal John Hennessey representing Criteo and Cassidy Turley Associate Colin Greenhalgh representing Streetwise.
“These two companies, with rapidly expanding workforces of young high-tech experts, have found ideal locations at the one of the most vital and successful urban revitalization sites in the county,” said Griffin.
“We’ve been very encouraged by companies’ positive response to the Faneuil Hall space, especially considering today’s erratic economy,” noted Bean. “About 90 percent of the 150,000 square feet of office space is now occupied.”
Criteo originated in Paris, opened its first U.S. office in Silicon Valley in 2009 and recently expanded its New York City office presence with the assistance of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank. It will employ 50 people at its new Boston office. The company develops software that tracks consumers’ online shopping preferences and places tailored ads on websites they visit.
Streetwise Media, which has created community-based web sites in Boston, Washington D.C. and New York over the past year, is setting up a corporate headquarters in Faneuil Hall. The company was launched after winning a MassChallenge competition for tech’ start-up funding.
Faneuil Hall was built in 1742, three grand buildings surrounding a cobblestone promenade that were the gift of wealthy merchant Peter Faneuil to the city. Pre-Revolutionary patriots gathered to speechify there, and Samuel Adams famously called for American independence at the site. Today, it serves as a retail/restaurant centerpiece in Boston’s redeveloped waterfront area, offering outdoor entertainment along the promenade. The marketplace is also situated conveniently close to the city’s financial district and government center.
About Newmark Grubb Knight Frank
A part of BGC Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:BGCP), Newmark Grubb Knight Frank is one of the largest commercial real estate service firms in the U.S. It brings together the strategic consultative approach to creating value for clients and leading position in the New York market that are hallmarks of Newmark; the complementary strengths of Grubb & Ellis in leasing and management, investment sales, valuation and capital markets services; and BGC’s financial strength, proprietary technology, expertise in global capital markets and deep relationships with many of the world’s leading financial institutions.
Newmark Grubb Knight Frank and its London-based partner Knight Frank together operate from more than 300 offices in established and emerging property markets on five continents. This major force in real estate is meeting the local and global needs of tenants, owners, investors and developers worldwide.