Continental Realty Corporation has expanded into the Southern California retail property market with the acquisition of a 292,000sqft lifestyle centre.

The US real estate fund manager, investing on behalf of Continental Realty Opportunistic Retail Fund I (CRORF), has acquired the South Coast Collection (SoCo) in Costa Mesa, an asset IPE Real Assets understands is worth around $110m (€103m).

The luxury home furnishing and design lifestyle centre with 60 stores is 97% leased.

Josh Dinstein, SVP of acquisitions at Continental Realty Corporation, said: “SoCo is the only shopping venue of its kind in an extensive, high net worth trade area. An irreplaceable asset strategically located in a top-tier infill urban market, it features an attractive, customer-friendly layout and a synergistic tenant mix that includes some of the nation’s top home design and furniture stores.”

Dinstein said the asset’s “institutional quality and strong value-add potential”, plus its location in the heart of Orange County, made it the perfect acquisition for Continental Realty’s entry into southern California.

Continental Realty Corporation’s CEO JM Schapiro, said: “We believe in the enduring strength of the Southern California marketplace, and we are confident that the unique ecosystem at SoCo, low sub-market vacancy and lack of new supply are key factors that will enable us to execute our strategic plan to add value and deliver a solid risk-adjusted yield to our investor group.”

The SoCo transaction is the second asset acquired by Continental Realty on behalf of CRORF this year, following a $78m deal to buy Lakeside Village, a nearly 460,000sqft regional lifestyle centre located east of Tampa, Florida. 

CRORF targets diversified portfolio of distressed, opportunistic and value-add retail properties throughout the US.

With the latest transaction, Baltimore-based Continental Realty has now acquired nearly $740m worth of retail real estate over the past three years.  The manager is active in 11 states, managing over $3.7bn assets.

To read the latest IPE Real Assets magazine click here.