FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Bell Partners Inc.
336.232.1900

Steven D. Bell & Company To Co-Develop Canton Marketplace

Greensboro-based Steven D. Bell & Company has purchased 80 acres of surburban Atlanta property in a joint venture that will lead to the completion of a $76.5 million retail center by mid-2007.

Bell’s venture partner is The Sembler Company, a widely known developer and partner in existing Bell real estate investments in the Southeast. Sembler has been named the top retail property developer in Atlanta for the last four years.

Bell and Sembler will develop Canton Marketplace in Canton, Ga., envisioned as a 695,000 square foot shopping complex at the intersection of Interstate 575 and Georgia Highway 20 about 25 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta. Construction is expected to begin in March of 2006.

Bell President Ed Harrington commented, “We are again pleased to be working with Sembler as a developer partner. Given the location of Canton Marketplace and the strong tenant mix being put together, we believe this will be an outstanding investment in the long run.”

The retail center will be anchored by Target and Lowe’s Home Improvement and will also host retailers including Best Buy, Kohl’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Walgreens and Pier One. There will also be a group of smaller tenants featuring popular local retailers.

The development of Canton Marketplace will be overseen by Sembler, along with management and leasing activity. Steven D. Bell & Company will be the asset manager. A Bell-sponsored limited liability company provided the equity required to get the project underway.

The Bell firm, founded in 1976, now has more than 850 employees working in Bell investment property locations across the Southeast and Texas.

Steven D. Bell & Company manages a property portfolio valued at more than $2 billion. The portfolio is made up of approximately 18,200 apartment units under management, 18 senior living facilities and about 4 million square feet of retail space in 25 shopping centers and three office buildings.

The Sembler Company, from its main offices in Atlanta and Tampa, Fla., oversees one of the nation’s largest networks of retail shopping centers. For more than 40 years, has been notable for its combination of excellent locations, prestigious tenant mix, progressive design and strong management.