Out-of-State Investors Target Florida's Grocery-Anchored Retail Market

Florida has become a top landing ground for retail investors looking for grocery-anchored deals. The recent sale of the Tiger Point Pavilion is a prime example. The 66,000-square-foot property traded hands for $19.9 million between MAB American and DRA Advisors and buyer ExchangeRight. The property is anchored by a Publix grocer, and is exemplary of the demand in throughout the state for similar investment opportunities.

“The retail investment market in Florida has undergone tremendous change over the past few months,” Brad Peterson, senior managing director at JLL, tells GlobeSt.com. “Six to 12 months ago, retail faced challenges broadly, but now grocery-anchored investments in Florida are some of the most highly sought after real estate investments in the entire nation.” Peterson represented the seller in the deal along with JLL senior director Whitaker Leonhardt and analyst Tommy Isola.

Investors are arriving outside of the state to take advantage of the attractive retail deals, and in some cases investors are trading out of other asset classes to enter the market. “We are seeing real estate investors sell properties in states where residents are moving out and re-deploying those proceeds in Florida because of the surge of population and employment in-migration,” says Peterson. “We are seeing investors selling apartment, industrial and single-tenant net-lease properties at premium pricing and buying high-quality grocery-anchored retail because it provides a little higher yield.”

Tiger Point Pavilion checks all of the boxes for investors. Publix is the top grocer in Florida, and it is shadow anchored by several other retailers in the area. The grocer makes up 57% of the income at the property, but there is also a healthy mix of other retailers, including Aspen Dental, AT&T, Dickey’s Barbeque, Great Clips and Select Physical Therapy. The shopping center is 98% leased.

In addition to the strong dynamics at the property, the surrounding area is also attractive to retailers. Located at 1430 Tiger Park Lane in Gulf Breeze, the property is in an affluent and tourist-friendly area with average income levels above $100,000 annually.

While the demand is hot for retail properties like this, opportunities for investment are becoming more competitive. “Now, the problem is there are not enough high-quality grocery-anchored investments in Florida currently on the market for sale to match the demand from investors,” says Peterson. “Fortunately, we have a few new high-quality offerings coming soon, and I expect there will be more Florida retail properties for sale in 2021 due to the strong demand and pricing.”