Refresco inks large Tampa industrial deal

Refresco Beverages US Inc., a North American subsidiary of a Netherlands-based soft drink bottler and distributor, has signed a 364,082-square-foot lease for an entire Tampa warehouse building.

The company’s deal for 5210 S. 16th Ave., a former Southern Glazer Wine & Spirits distribution center, represents one of the largest new industrial leases in the Tampa market since 2014.

“This shows that distribution users in Tampa are generally getting larger in size,” says Ryan Vaught, a, executive managing director at commercial real estate brokerage firm Colliers International, in Tampa, who together with Robyn Hurrell, a Colliers managing director, represented landlord RealOp Investments LLC in the transaction.

“And it makes a lot of sense for another beverage distributor to open and operate there.”

For Refresco, the 10-year lease valued at more than $18 million will grow its footprint in Tampa by about 50%.

Greenville, S.C.-based RealOp bought the Tampa industrial project on 31 acres last July for $16.5 million, according to Hillsborough County property records. Southern Glazer relocated its operations to Lakeland a few years ago.

In the wake of its purchase, RealOp indicated it planned improvements to the 31-year-old building’s lighting, HVAC systems and dock doors.