GlobeNewswire Inc | Jan 19, 2021 08:30AM EST

January 19, 2021

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Retail Opportunity Investments Corp. (NASDAQ: ROIC) announced today the federal tax treatment of the 2020 distributions on its shares of common stock. The federal tax treatment of the 2020 distributions as it is expected to be reported on Form 1099-DIV is as follows:

Total Ordinary Section Total Return ofRecord Payable Distribution Income 199A Capital Capital perDate Date per Share per Share Dividends^1 Gain per Share Share3/16/2020 3/30/2020 $0.2000 $0.2000 $0.2000 $0.0000 $0.0000

1 Represents dividends eligible for the 20% qualified business income deduction under Section 199A and is included in Ordinary Income Per Share.

Stockholders are encouraged to consult with their personal tax advisors as to their specific tax treatment of ROICs distributions.

ABOUT RETAIL OPPORTUNITY INVESTMENTS CORP.

Retail Opportunity Investments Corp. (NASDAQ: ROIC), is a fully-integrated, self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in the acquisition, ownership and management of grocery-anchored shopping centers located indensely-populated,metropolitan markets across the West Coast. As of September 30, 2020, ROIC owned 88 shopping centers encompassing approximately 10.1 million square feet. ROIC is the largestpublicly-traded,grocery-anchored shopping centerREIT focused exclusively on the West Coast. ROIC is a member of the S&P SmallCap 600 Index and has investment-grade corporate debt ratings from Moody's Investor Services, Standard & Poors, and Fitch Ratings, Inc. Additional information is available at: www.roireit.net.

When used herein, the words "believes," "anticipates," "projects," "should," "estimates," "expects," guidance and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements with the meaning of that term in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and in Section 21F of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Certain statements contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results of ROIC to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Information regarding such risks and factors is described in ROIC's filings with the SEC, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is available at: www.roireit.net.

Contact:Carol Merriman, Investor Relations858-255-7426cmerriman@roireit.net