Cautious, But Growing

This year’s Fastest-Growing Acquirers show both the downside and upside of bulk purchases of shopping centers. While Centro Properties Group has repeated as the year’s top acquirer, its purchase of New Plan Excel Realty has plunged the Australian company into financial distress. Other repeat companies are more fortunate: Developers Diversified Realty (which moves up one spot to second place) and The Inland Real Estate Group of Cos. (down one spot to fifth) both have made significant acquisitions and remain strong.

The industry’s largest players fill out the list: Simon Property Group (third) and General Growth Properties (fourth), which took very different methods to achieve their rankings.

But what will happen this year is anyone’s guess, as financing remains difficult.