Two Tampa-area centers part of $261M in deals

TAMPA BAY — A real estate investment trust connected to Cincinnati-based retail development firm Phillips Edison & Co. acquired two Gulf Coast shopping centers, part of a 15-center expansion.

In total, Phillips Edison-ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc. announced it's acquired 15 grocery-anchored centers in eight states since Jan. 1: Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. Properties include the 75,405-square-foot Publix-anchored Goolsby Pointe in Riverview and the 69,232-square-foot Sweetbay-anchored Towne Centre at Wesley Chapel.

The total purchase price for all the acquisitions was $261 million, according to the firm. The acquisitions also marked the REIT's first properties anchored by a Sweetbay.