Why This Opportunity Zone Investor Sees the Best Returns in Retail

Johnney Zhang

Orange County-based investment firm Primior is focusing on retail assets in opportunity zone markets. Retail, according to the firm’s founder and CEO Johnney Zhang, offer the best returns in these markets. Earlier this year, Primior launched two opportunity zone funds and already has two retail centers in pre-construction phases. Looking ahead, it will continue to focus on retail projects in these markets.

“The returns are above average because of the higher rent that our corporate tenants are paying,” Zhang tells GlobeSt.com. “We are currently working on more acquisitions in opportunity zones. Our strategy is simple. It is not to create a blind fund for investing in multiple projects that have not even been identified, with the fund having only 180 days to deploy the capital or fail the six-month test. We concentrate on finding projects  first and then creating a qualified opportunity zone fund for them. That way, our investors can see the project they invest in, and we don’t have to worry about the six-month test.”