TORRANCE, CA-Publisher Western Psychological Services will consolidate its headquarters here in a 65,635-square-foot building that it has acquired, and toy retailer Hobbytron.com will relocate its headquarters to from San Fernando to Valencia, where it has leased a 93,221-square-foot industrial building.

Western Psychological, which publishes psychological and educational assessments, was located in multiple West Los Angeles buildings for over 60 years. It is scheduled to move into its new building, which is at 625 Alaska Ave., in April of next year after extensive tenant improvements, according to brokers from the Klabin Co. /CORFAC International who represented the firm. The publishing company paid $8 million for the building, which it bought from Gateway Pacific Properties.

Aleks Trifunovic of Klabin's Los Angeles office says that Western Psychological Services’ move down the 405 Freeway to a single free-standing building in Torrance "underscores a historical trend of companies moving south for more modern, cost-effective facilities convenient to their employees.” He emphasized that a big draw of the Torrance facility for WPS was the inclusion of over 30,000 square feet of office space. “The client needed more office space than is commonly found. That made this building important to them,” Trifunovic said.

Trifunovic was part of a Klabin team including Tibor Lody and Ron Rader who represented Western Psychological in the acquisition. Gateway Pacific was represented by David Stromath and Dean Haney of CB Richard Ellis.

Hobbytron.com's new headquarters, which will also serve as a distribution facility, is at 24700 Avenue Rockefeller in the master-planned Valencia Industrial Center. The company is expanding from 40,000 square feet in San Fernando, according to Van Nuys-based Delphi Business Properties, which represented the toy retailer in its lease.

Delphi's Peter Steigleder, who was part of a team including David Hoffberg and Jerry Scullin who represented the toy retailer, says that the lease "underscores that businesses are looking to take advantage of rental rates that are substantially below rates of two and a half years ago.” Hoffberg adds that “This business mindset is currently driving the market and illustrates the willingness of companies to expand despite the economic uncertainty.”

Hobbytron.com has already moved into its new space, where it employs 32 workers. The company, an online retailer of remote control and Airsoft toys, leased the space from Lincoln Industrial Center II, which was represented by Craig Peters and Doug Sonderegger of CB Richard Ellis.