Flurry of Leases and Renewals at Aon Center

CHICAGO-Three new companies will be leasing space at the Aon Center and one business is expanding in what the owners say is an increase in activity. Xerox Corp., Touch Nail Salon and Jimmy John’s have recently signed 10-year leases for the 2.5-million-sf Aon Center, 200 E. Randolph St., owned by Wells Real Estate Funds. Edelman is expanding its space in the building while a trio of businesses have renewed for 10-year terms, says Bert Collins, vice president of asset management for Wells.

Xerox Corp. is leasing 12,000 sf in what will be a new office for Xerox. “I believe the East Loop is coming back and they saw that as a good opportunity to service some of their clients in the East Loop,” Collins says. Touch Nail Salon will be opening a second downtown location in April with about 1,300 sf in the building and Jimmy John’s will open a location of about 1,000 sf sometime around May, he tells GlobeSt.com. Both leases will be for 10-year terms.

Edelman, a public relations agency, is increasing from 101,000 sf to 118,000 sf. Edelman’s lease runs through 2020. Ariel Capital Management, which leases 32,000 sf, has extended their lease through 2021. Starbucks and Bloomers Florist have also renewed their leases for 10-year terms, Collins says. Previously, ThoughtWorks signed a lease for 50,000 sf and ClubCorp signed a 20-year lease for 34,297 sf.