CARLSBAD, CA—Anchored shopping centers offer the best investment opportunity, especially in centers with centers in which supermarkets hold the anchor position, according to Real Capital Markets' May 2017 Retail Sentiment Report. Based on RCM's survey of retail investors earlier this month, the report finds anchored centers cited by more than 40% of respondents, due largely to the relative ease of underwriting these properties.

“Anchored centers, whether highlighted by a grocery store or another strong big box retailer, remain the category where the majority of investors see the greatest opportunity,” says Steve Shanahan, executive managing director with Carlsbad, CA-based RCM. “Though e-commerce is highly disruptive for so many businesses, grocery stores may be among the least vulnerable.”

If anchored centers offer the most attractive investment opportunity, then shifting buying habits among consumers are viewed as the biggest threat—although not so decisively as to rule out other factors. Nearly 36% of respondents chose consumers' buying habts, followed by the impact of e-commerce and big-box vacancy rates.