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EW Capital Management, a Boston-based real estate firm, has acquired Bar W Marketplace, a 190,000-square-foot strip mall in Leander's North Austin area. The property is anchored by Texas-based grocery store H-E-B and features a fully leased tenant roster including Chase Bank, Wells Fargo, Whataburger, Chili’s, Torchy’s Tacos, and 7Brew Coffee.

    Manulife Real Estate Finance provided a $28 million fixed-rate loan for AEW, with John Hancock Life Insurance Company serving as the lender. The loan amounts to $147 per square foot. Located at the intersection of State Highway 29 and Ronald Reagan Boulevard, Bar W Marketplace is situated in Leander, one of the fastest-growing cities in the country.

    Leander added nearly 17,000 residents between 2020 and 2023, according to the Texas Demographic Center. As a result of volatility in multifamily and office markets, real estate investors have turned to retail properties, which have become increasingly lucrative due to a decade-long lack of construction and resulting inventory shortage.

    Austin's retail market vacancy rate remains low at 3.4 percent, with only slight increases over the past year, according to Partners Real Estate. This trend suggests that retail strips like Bar W Marketplace are highly sought after by investors in Texas.