Private equity firm Blackstone Group will pay about $9.4 billion for nearly 600 U.S. shopping malls and other properties of Australia's debt-laden Centro Properties , a source with direct knowledge of the transaction said on Monday. Blackstone beat rival bidders including Morgan Stanley Real Estate, which had teamed up with Starwood Capital Group, and New York-based NRDC, which also made pitches for the property portfolio, said the source, who was not authorised to talk to the media and did not want to be identified. The portfolio includes 560 U.S. shopping centres, whose tenants include top grocers such as The Kroger, Safeway and Ahold USA Inc. It is the latest addition to Blackstone's rapidly expanding property empire, which includes the Hilton hotels chain.
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