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PITTSBURGH — ECHO Realty has purchased a portfolio of eight Harris Teeter- and Publix-anchored shopping centers in the Southeast for $125 million. The assets span more than 500,000 square feet. “We are very excited to have the opportunity to add these high-quality, grocery-anchored centers to our portfolio,” says Tom Karet, CEO of ECHO Realty. “The centers fit perfectly with ECHO’s strategy of acquiring well-located centers anchored by the No. 1 or 2 grocer in the market.” The portfolio comprises four Harris Teeter-anchored shopping centers in North Carolina, including Beau Rivage Marketplace in Wilmington, The Shoppes at Highland Creek in Charlotte, The Village at Byers Creek in Mooresville and a freestanding Harris Teeter on Croatan Highway in Kill Devil Hills. The other properties in the portfolio include two Publix-anchored properties in Florida: Partin Village in Kissimmee and Shoppes at Price Crossing in North Port; a freestanding Harris Teeter on Baltic Avenue in Virginia Beach; and one Publix-anchored property in Georgia: Riverwood Town Center in Evans. ECHO Realty is a privately held developer, owner and operator of commercial real estate. The company is headquartered in Pittsburgh with offices in Indianapolis and Washington, D.C. ECHO Realty’s portfolio consists of 190 properties totaling more …

CHICAGO — GLP, a global provider of logistics facilities, has entered into an agreement to acquire a $4.6 billion logistics portfolio from Industrial Income Trust (IIT). GLP intends to place the portfolio in its fund management platform. The portfolio comprises 58 million square feet of in-fill logistics assets spread across 20 major markets. The largest markets include Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania. The portfolio was 93 percent leased as of June 30, with a weighted average lease expiry of nearly 5.5 years. GLP is focused on increasing the lease ratio to 95 percent. GLP expects to own 100 percent of the portfolio upon closing by Nov. 16 and pare down its stake to 10 percent by April 2016. The portfolio will be acquired at a 5.6 percent cap rate. GLP’s target 10 percent equity stake of $190 million is expected to generate significant returns within the first year of investment, which includes the company’s share of operating results and fund management fees. “This is an accretive opportunity for GLP that allows us to strengthen our U.S. market presence and growth prospects with minimal incremental overhead,” says Ming Mei, CEO of GLP. “The fund management platform is one of GLP’s main …

BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — Medical Properties Trust Inc. (NYSE: MPW) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire real estate and operations of Capella Holdings Inc. (Capella), a privately owned hospital company headquartered in Franklin, Tenn., for $900 million. The $900 million total value of the transactions comprises a $600 million investment in Capella’s real estate, including the acquisition of seven hospitals, and an approximate $300 million investment in Capella’s operating entities, which is expected to be owned jointly by Birmingham, Ala.-based MPT and Capella management. “The acquisition of Capella, which in a single stroke accretively increases our portfolio of high-quality hospital real estate by nearly 20 percent, is simply the next step along our track record of creating strong double-digit growth,” says Edward Aldag Jr., chairman, president and CEO of MPT. With the acquisition, MPT will be adding to its acute care portfolio seven hospitals located in five states, with an aggregate 1,169 beds and more than 2 million square feet. MPT’s interest in the hospitals will be subject to sale-leaseback and mortgage loan arrangements. Following the acquisition, acute care facilities as a percentage of MPT’s portfolio will increase to 62 percent globally and 74 percent in the United States. …

LOS ANGELES — An ownership group led by Hankey Investment Co. and Jamison Services Inc. has unveiled plans for Circa, a $500 million mixed-use development in downtown Los Angeles. Spanning 1.6 million square feet, Circa will be located at 1200 S. Figueroa St. and tie together the South Park and Sports and Entertainment districts, including STAPLES Center, LA Live and the Los Angeles Convention Center. Circa will include two 35-story residential towers located on top of a 100-foot high platform, which will serve as a two-acre amenity deck for residents. The deck will feature a lounge pool with private cabanas, spas and a sun deck. Other amenities include a fitness center, barbecue stations, two dog parks, fire pits, an indoor bar, pool table, outdoor bar, two business center, private chef’s kitchen and dining room and a library/wine bar. The two towers will feature 648 one- and two-bedroom units, as well as several penthouse units. The project will also include 48,000 square feet of retail space, roughly 1,770 parking spaces and 15,000 square feet of digital signage. In addition to the digital signage, there will also be a combined 12,500 square feet of traditional signage facing Flower Street and on the …

CHICAGO — Piedmont Office Realty Trust Inc. (NYSE: PDM) has entered into a binding agreement to sell its largest asset, Aon Center, located at 200 E. Randolph St. in downtown Chicago, for $712 million, or $260 per square foot. The buyer is the 601W Cos., a private real estate investment company. The sale is expected to close early in the fourth quarter. Constructed in 1972, Aon Center is a 2.7 million-square-foot, 83-story office tower that is currently 86 percent leased. Situated on 3.5 acres in Chicago’s East Loop, Aon Center offers views of the city, Lake Michigan and Millennium Park. Last week, Piedmont announced that the Kraft Heinz Co., a global food and beverage giant, will relocate its Chicago headquarters from Northfield, Ill., to five floors of the building. “The successful sale of Aon Center will be the culmination of Piedmont’s long-term strategy of transforming the asset into one of Chicago’s most prestigious office towers,” says Piedmont president and CEO Donald Miller. “We have been fortunate to attract a number of distinguished tenants to Aon Center such as KPMG, Microsoft, United Health Group, Integrys, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago and, most recently, Kraft Heinz. Additionally, we have also …