Bass Pro sells Brandon outdoor store

Bass Pro Shops has sold its Tampa-area outdoor superstore for $28.6 million, property records show.

The Springfield, Mo.-based company sold the Brandon store, at 10501 Palm River Road, last month to an affiliate of Starwood Capital Corp., the giant Connecticut-based investment firm.

A company official described the sale and leaseback arrangement with Starwood a “common practice.”

“We will continue operating in Tampa and throughout Florida as we have in the past,” a Bass Pro spokesperson wrote in an email. “Under the new agreement, we are simply a tenant with a long-term lease in this location.”

Bass Pro officials did not indicate how long their lease extends for the store.

The 130,000-square-foot Brandon store, one of a dozen the chain operates in Florida, opened in July 2015. The store features an 11,000-gallon freshwater aquarium and an 8,000-square-foot restaurant alongside merchandise for boating, camping, hunting and fishing.

Starwood officials did not respond to inquiries for comment on the purchase.

In all, Bass Pro operates more than 100 stores nationwide and generates annual sales in excess of $4 billion.