PropertyEU - January 30, 2009
Warehousing group WDP has expanded its Belgian portfolio with the acquisition of three logistics sites from DHL's parent company Deutsche Post for a total of nearly EUR 30 mln. The all-share transaction reflects a gross yield of 8.7%. The sites, with a total area of 85,000 m2, will be leased back by DHL, WDP said on Thursday.
The transaction will take the form of a merger and three partial de-mergers whereby WDP will issue shares for an amount of nearly EUR 22 mln and will be transferred debt of EUR 8 mln. The deal is due for completion in the first quarter of 2009.
The assets consist of the Belgian 33,000 m2 head office of DHL Exel Supply Chain in Mechelen, a site of 33,923 m2 leased with a five- to nine-year contract and a 19,000 m2 site in Meer. The total rent amounts to EUR 2.7 mln per year.
Sphere: Related Content
Monday, February 02, 2009
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Home Depot Completes $59.2 Million Sale Leaseback of Two Distribution Centers
CoStar Group - January 27, 2009
Home Depot sold two distribution centers in Alabama and Georgia to The Inland Real Estate Group of Cos. Inc. for $59.2 million, or approximately $45 per square foot. The Atlanta-based home improvement retailer also leased back the nearly 1.32 million square feet in industrial space for 18 years.
Inland said the buildings, known as rapid deployment centers, are key hubs in Home Depot’s supply chain.
The one-year-old facilities each measure 657,600 square feet. The first is at 6400 Jefferson Metropolitan Parkway in McCalla, AL, about 20 miles southwest of Birmingham. The second one is just outside of Valdosta, GA, at 6201 Peterson Road in Lake Park. It’s nearly five miles from the Florida state line and about two hours northeast of Tallahassee.
CB Richard Ellis represented Home Depot. Inland used in-house representation. Sphere: Related Content
Home Depot sold two distribution centers in Alabama and Georgia to The Inland Real Estate Group of Cos. Inc. for $59.2 million, or approximately $45 per square foot. The Atlanta-based home improvement retailer also leased back the nearly 1.32 million square feet in industrial space for 18 years.
Inland said the buildings, known as rapid deployment centers, are key hubs in Home Depot’s supply chain.
The one-year-old facilities each measure 657,600 square feet. The first is at 6400 Jefferson Metropolitan Parkway in McCalla, AL, about 20 miles southwest of Birmingham. The second one is just outside of Valdosta, GA, at 6201 Peterson Road in Lake Park. It’s nearly five miles from the Florida state line and about two hours northeast of Tallahassee.
CB Richard Ellis represented Home Depot. Inland used in-house representation. Sphere: Related Content
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Sale Leasebacks Revived as Companies Look for Cash
Property Week - January 22, 2009
Big-name owner-occupiers attempt to raise capital from property portfolios
A host of the world’s biggest companies are turning to their property portfolios in an attempt to raise cash to shore up their declining balance sheets.
Property Week understands that builders’ merchant Travis Perkins and communications company Cable & Wireless are investigating ways to raise capital from their properties.
The potential is huge, predicts GVA Grimley, which estimated in spring 2008 that the value of freehold properties held on the FTSE 200 companies’ balance sheets totalled £163bn.
Julian Lyon, chairman of the Confederation of British Industry’s property group and manager of European real estate at General Motors, said: ‘All companies must keep under constant review how they raise working capital. ‘Several options for raising capital have disappeared, so companies have to look at alternatives.’
Rumours have swept the market that other corporate occupiers such as Credit Suisse, builders’ supplier Wolseley and Honda may be considering sale and leasebacks. They would follow General Motors, which, advised by Jones Lang LaSalle, put $750m (£536m) of sale-and-leasebacks properties on the market at the end of last year, including its Detroit headquarters, the Renaissance Center.
Matthew Richards, director of corporate capital markets at JLL, said enquiries of this type had doubled over the last six months.
However, most companies are at early stages in their investigations. Cable & Wireless, which is advised by Doherty Baines, has a small portfolio of technical sale-and-leaseback properties on the market.
Credit Suisse reviews its freehold property every six months and is thought to be considering the sale-and-leaseback option for the future.
Wolseley was unavailable for comment.
Honda’s property manager, Gordon Hunt, said it was not yet the right time.
‘We are not looking at sale and leasebacks as it doesn’t appeal to us because of a simple commercial reason: the yields are not where they need to be.’
Hunt’s comments demonstrate a crucial point: that some owner-occupiers only consider them when they are desperate for cash, but others, such as Tesco and Travis Perkins, have long pursued them as a sensible business initiative.
Property director of Travis Perkins, Martin Meech, who has a sale and leaseback portfolio on the market, said: ‘Sale and leasebacks are part of an ongoing portfolio strategy for us.’
Tom Betts, finance director at Topland, which has invested in several sale-and-leaseback transactions in the past, agreed and said: ‘We are seeing a few things in their infancy at the moment. But it should not just be cash-raising to sort a problem.
We are a long-term investor and we want someone who is going to be there for the long term. Sphere: Related Content
Big-name owner-occupiers attempt to raise capital from property portfolios
A host of the world’s biggest companies are turning to their property portfolios in an attempt to raise cash to shore up their declining balance sheets.
Property Week understands that builders’ merchant Travis Perkins and communications company Cable & Wireless are investigating ways to raise capital from their properties.
The potential is huge, predicts GVA Grimley, which estimated in spring 2008 that the value of freehold properties held on the FTSE 200 companies’ balance sheets totalled £163bn.
Julian Lyon, chairman of the Confederation of British Industry’s property group and manager of European real estate at General Motors, said: ‘All companies must keep under constant review how they raise working capital. ‘Several options for raising capital have disappeared, so companies have to look at alternatives.’
Rumours have swept the market that other corporate occupiers such as Credit Suisse, builders’ supplier Wolseley and Honda may be considering sale and leasebacks. They would follow General Motors, which, advised by Jones Lang LaSalle, put $750m (£536m) of sale-and-leasebacks properties on the market at the end of last year, including its Detroit headquarters, the Renaissance Center.
Matthew Richards, director of corporate capital markets at JLL, said enquiries of this type had doubled over the last six months.
However, most companies are at early stages in their investigations. Cable & Wireless, which is advised by Doherty Baines, has a small portfolio of technical sale-and-leaseback properties on the market.
Credit Suisse reviews its freehold property every six months and is thought to be considering the sale-and-leaseback option for the future.
Wolseley was unavailable for comment.
Honda’s property manager, Gordon Hunt, said it was not yet the right time.
‘We are not looking at sale and leasebacks as it doesn’t appeal to us because of a simple commercial reason: the yields are not where they need to be.’
Hunt’s comments demonstrate a crucial point: that some owner-occupiers only consider them when they are desperate for cash, but others, such as Tesco and Travis Perkins, have long pursued them as a sensible business initiative.
Property director of Travis Perkins, Martin Meech, who has a sale and leaseback portfolio on the market, said: ‘Sale and leasebacks are part of an ongoing portfolio strategy for us.’
Tom Betts, finance director at Topland, which has invested in several sale-and-leaseback transactions in the past, agreed and said: ‘We are seeing a few things in their infancy at the moment. But it should not just be cash-raising to sort a problem.
We are a long-term investor and we want someone who is going to be there for the long term. Sphere: Related Content
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Atos Origin Completes EUR 28 Million Sale Leaseback of Offices in Madrid
PropertyEU - January 16, 2009
Germany's Real I.S. said it has acquired a property in the Julian Camarillo office district of Madrid in a EUR 28 mln sale and leaseback with IT company Firma Atos Origin. The asset is earmarked for the institutional investment fund BGV Bayerische Grundvermögen III SICAV FIS. The four-storey building has a rentable surface of 8,000 m2, and an underground parking garage with 92 spaces. The property is fully leased.
Real I.S. is the Munich-based subsidiary of Bayern LB. This is the fifth investment made by the company on behalf of its institutional fund. Sphere: Related Content
Germany's Real I.S. said it has acquired a property in the Julian Camarillo office district of Madrid in a EUR 28 mln sale and leaseback with IT company Firma Atos Origin. The asset is earmarked for the institutional investment fund BGV Bayerische Grundvermögen III SICAV FIS. The four-storey building has a rentable surface of 8,000 m2, and an underground parking garage with 92 spaces. The property is fully leased.
Real I.S. is the Munich-based subsidiary of Bayern LB. This is the fifth investment made by the company on behalf of its institutional fund. Sphere: Related Content
Monday, January 12, 2009
Tesco Completes £308 Million Sale Leaseback of Seven Stores
Property Week - January 9, 2009
Tesco has completed another two sale and leasebacks totalling £308m. It has sold three Tesco stores into a £199m joint venture with the separately run Tesco Pension Scheme. The pension scheme will take a 50% stake. A further four stores will be sold to a Prupim annuity fund client in a £109m sale and leaseback. The initial yields on all the transactions are 5.25%-5.3%. Prupim and GL Hearn advised the Prupim fund; Morgan Williams advised Tesco on both transactions; Cushman & Wakefield advised the Tesco Pension Fund. Sphere: Related Content
Tesco has completed another two sale and leasebacks totalling £308m. It has sold three Tesco stores into a £199m joint venture with the separately run Tesco Pension Scheme. The pension scheme will take a 50% stake. A further four stores will be sold to a Prupim annuity fund client in a £109m sale and leaseback. The initial yields on all the transactions are 5.25%-5.3%. Prupim and GL Hearn advised the Prupim fund; Morgan Williams advised Tesco on both transactions; Cushman & Wakefield advised the Tesco Pension Fund. Sphere: Related Content
Telereal to Buy Trillium for £750 Million
PropertyEU - January 9, 2009
London-based property investment and services firm Telereal has agreed to acquire Land Securities' outsourcing business Trillium for £750 mln (about EUR 831 mln).
The investment volume is considerably lower than the £1 bn-plus valuations of Trillium in 2007-2008. But the deal does not include Trillium's Accor hotel portfolio which will remain within Land Securities.
In a statement, Land Securities said the headline enterprise value of £750 mln was based on Trillium's balance sheet - excluding the Accor hotels - at end-March 2008. The gross assets of Trillium (excluding Accor) were £1.57 bn end-March 2008 and £1.3 bn at end-September 2008. The sale of Trillium is expected to complete on 12 January.
Land Securities, the largest real estate investment trust in the UK, unveiled plans back in November 2007 to demerge into two separate listed companies for retail property and the London office portfolio. The group planned either to sell Trillium, or failing that list it as a separate entity. However, the worsening of the global financial crisis stymied the re-organisation, with the sales process for Trillium taking much longer than expected. Land Securities suspended the demerger plans for its retail and office divisions in November last year.
The UK REIT said on Thursday that the sale of Trillium will generate cash proceeds of £444 mln which will be used to reduce the group's net debt.
Francis Salway, CEO of Land Securities, said: 'We are pleased to have concluded this sale in a challenging economic environment. We will now focus on our core property investment and development activities. The cash proceeds will strengthen our balance she" Sphere: Related Content
London-based property investment and services firm Telereal has agreed to acquire Land Securities' outsourcing business Trillium for £750 mln (about EUR 831 mln).
The investment volume is considerably lower than the £1 bn-plus valuations of Trillium in 2007-2008. But the deal does not include Trillium's Accor hotel portfolio which will remain within Land Securities.
In a statement, Land Securities said the headline enterprise value of £750 mln was based on Trillium's balance sheet - excluding the Accor hotels - at end-March 2008. The gross assets of Trillium (excluding Accor) were £1.57 bn end-March 2008 and £1.3 bn at end-September 2008. The sale of Trillium is expected to complete on 12 January.
Land Securities, the largest real estate investment trust in the UK, unveiled plans back in November 2007 to demerge into two separate listed companies for retail property and the London office portfolio. The group planned either to sell Trillium, or failing that list it as a separate entity. However, the worsening of the global financial crisis stymied the re-organisation, with the sales process for Trillium taking much longer than expected. Land Securities suspended the demerger plans for its retail and office divisions in November last year.
The UK REIT said on Thursday that the sale of Trillium will generate cash proceeds of £444 mln which will be used to reduce the group's net debt.
Francis Salway, CEO of Land Securities, said: 'We are pleased to have concluded this sale in a challenging economic environment. We will now focus on our core property investment and development activities. The cash proceeds will strengthen our balance she" Sphere: Related Content
Thursday, January 08, 2009
UniCredit Completes €800 Million Sale Leaseback of Milan HQ and 70 Bank Branches Across Italy
Property Week - January 6, 2009
Italian bank UniCredit has packaged a portfolio of domestic real estate, including its Milan headquarters, into a fund and sold 62% of the units to institutional investors.
The fifteen year investment fund, managed by Italian real estate manager Fimit, comprises a portfolio of the bank’s historic Palazzo Broggi building in the heart of Milan (pictured) and Livio Cambi in the city, as well as 70 banking branches and has an overall value of €800m.
UniCredit, which will lease the properties back for 18 years, will keep a 33% stake in the remaining fund units and sell a further 5% by February.
Italy’s second largest bank is under to pressure to boost its core tier one capital ratio – a key measure of balance sheet strength – to 6.7% before the end of the year.
The deal is expected to yield UniCredit a €280m profit for the fourth quarter of 2008. In the three months to September, net profit at the bank fell 54% to €551m compared with the same period last year, but beat market forecasts of €425m.
The sale is one of three disposals worth just over €2bn for the bank. It has also raised €1bn from the sale of profit sharing rights by UniCredit’s Bank Austria for €1.1bn and a stake in Atlantia, an Italian highway tolls operator, for €248m.
In October UniCredit said it needed to raise €6.6bn in additional capital through scrapping its cash dividend and tapping shareholders for extra cash. Sphere: Related Content
Italian bank UniCredit has packaged a portfolio of domestic real estate, including its Milan headquarters, into a fund and sold 62% of the units to institutional investors.
The fifteen year investment fund, managed by Italian real estate manager Fimit, comprises a portfolio of the bank’s historic Palazzo Broggi building in the heart of Milan (pictured) and Livio Cambi in the city, as well as 70 banking branches and has an overall value of €800m.
UniCredit, which will lease the properties back for 18 years, will keep a 33% stake in the remaining fund units and sell a further 5% by February.
Italy’s second largest bank is under to pressure to boost its core tier one capital ratio – a key measure of balance sheet strength – to 6.7% before the end of the year.
The deal is expected to yield UniCredit a €280m profit for the fourth quarter of 2008. In the three months to September, net profit at the bank fell 54% to €551m compared with the same period last year, but beat market forecasts of €425m.
The sale is one of three disposals worth just over €2bn for the bank. It has also raised €1bn from the sale of profit sharing rights by UniCredit’s Bank Austria for €1.1bn and a stake in Atlantia, an Italian highway tolls operator, for €248m.
In October UniCredit said it needed to raise €6.6bn in additional capital through scrapping its cash dividend and tapping shareholders for extra cash. Sphere: Related Content
Marsans Completes €115 Million Sale Leaseback of Madrid HQ
Iberian Lawyer - January 6, 2009
Uría Menéndez has advised Grupo Marsans in the sale and leaseback of its headquarters in the emblematic "Edificio Pórtico" in Campo de las Naciones in Madrid.
The transaction consisted of the sale of the property for approximately €115 million to the German investment fund Union Investment Real Estate (UIRE), and the subrogation of the purchaser to the mortgage loan granted by Eurohypo for the building’s original acquisition.
A lease agreement for the entire premises was entered into simultaneously to the formalising of the sale and purchase deed, with the vendor thus becoming the lessee. The initial term of the lease is eight years, the lessee being entitled to extend this term for two additional successive periods of three years each.
Uría Menéndez’s team included Diego Armero, Maria Luisa Vara, Pablo Garrote and Francisco Bengoetxea (real estate); Carlos López Quiroga (transport); and Guillermo Canalejo and Francisco de la Puente (tax).
UIRE was advised by Gómez-Acebo & Pombo and Eurohypo by its own in-house lawyers. Sphere: Related Content
Uría Menéndez has advised Grupo Marsans in the sale and leaseback of its headquarters in the emblematic "Edificio Pórtico" in Campo de las Naciones in Madrid.
The transaction consisted of the sale of the property for approximately €115 million to the German investment fund Union Investment Real Estate (UIRE), and the subrogation of the purchaser to the mortgage loan granted by Eurohypo for the building’s original acquisition.
A lease agreement for the entire premises was entered into simultaneously to the formalising of the sale and purchase deed, with the vendor thus becoming the lessee. The initial term of the lease is eight years, the lessee being entitled to extend this term for two additional successive periods of three years each.
Uría Menéndez’s team included Diego Armero, Maria Luisa Vara, Pablo Garrote and Francisco Bengoetxea (real estate); Carlos López Quiroga (transport); and Guillermo Canalejo and Francisco de la Puente (tax).
UIRE was advised by Gómez-Acebo & Pombo and Eurohypo by its own in-house lawyers. Sphere: Related Content
Monday, December 22, 2008
Spanish Savings Bank CAM Enters EUR 63 Million Sale Leaseback of Three Office Buildings in Spain
PropertyEU - December 18, 2008
The employee pension fund of Spain's savings bank Caja de Ahorros del Mediterraneo (CAM) has acquired three office buildings from the bank for EUR 63 mln. The assets are located in Alicante, Valencia and Barcelona, and have been leased back to CAM for a period of 20 years with an option to extend for a further 10 years.
The fund said this sale-and-leaseback transaction is expected to 'give more stability to its real estate portfolio, as it provides a stable income stream which is less subject to market volatility. Sphere: Related Content
The employee pension fund of Spain's savings bank Caja de Ahorros del Mediterraneo (CAM) has acquired three office buildings from the bank for EUR 63 mln. The assets are located in Alicante, Valencia and Barcelona, and have been leased back to CAM for a period of 20 years with an option to extend for a further 10 years.
The fund said this sale-and-leaseback transaction is expected to 'give more stability to its real estate portfolio, as it provides a stable income stream which is less subject to market volatility. Sphere: Related Content
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Caixa Catalunya Seeking EUR 500 Million Sale Leaseback of 824 Bank Branches Across Spain
Reuters - December 14, 2008
Spanish savings bank Caixa Catalunya is seeking to sell 824 of its 1,200 buildings in Spain in a bid to raise 500 million euros ($663.4 million), La Vanguardia reported on Sunday, citing sources at the bank.The bank wants to strike a deal with potential buyers to continue to rent the branches, with a buy-back option for 10, 15 and 20 years, and wants to sell them in lots of 5 million euros, which would include 10 to 15 premises, the paper said.
The bank is in particular targeting its private banking clients as potential buyers, it added.
Its head office in Barcelona is not up for sale, added the report. No one was immediately available at the bank on Sunday to comment.
Other Spanish banks have also closed leaseback deals on their property, notably Spain's largest bank Santander (SAN.MC), which has sold more than 1,150 of its branches and other buildings and its headquarters complex at Boadilla del Monte on the outskirts of Madrid. Sphere: Related Content
Spanish savings bank Caixa Catalunya is seeking to sell 824 of its 1,200 buildings in Spain in a bid to raise 500 million euros ($663.4 million), La Vanguardia reported on Sunday, citing sources at the bank.The bank wants to strike a deal with potential buyers to continue to rent the branches, with a buy-back option for 10, 15 and 20 years, and wants to sell them in lots of 5 million euros, which would include 10 to 15 premises, the paper said.
The bank is in particular targeting its private banking clients as potential buyers, it added.
Its head office in Barcelona is not up for sale, added the report. No one was immediately available at the bank on Sunday to comment.
Other Spanish banks have also closed leaseback deals on their property, notably Spain's largest bank Santander (SAN.MC), which has sold more than 1,150 of its branches and other buildings and its headquarters complex at Boadilla del Monte on the outskirts of Madrid. Sphere: Related Content
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Tesco Pursuing €212 Million Sale Leaseback of Six Properties in Ireland
Property Week - December 12, 2008
Tesco plans to sell properties in the Republic of Ireland worth €212m (£184m), including shopping centres Golden Island in Athlone and Artane Castle, Artane, north Dublin.
It is looking for €60m (£52m) for Golden Island, which would reflect a net initial yield of 6.15%, and €35m (£30m) for Artane Castle – a yield of more than 6%.
DTZ Sherry FitzGerald is quoting €116.9m (£101m) for a sale and leaseback of four other stores. Sphere: Related Content
Tesco plans to sell properties in the Republic of Ireland worth €212m (£184m), including shopping centres Golden Island in Athlone and Artane Castle, Artane, north Dublin.
It is looking for €60m (£52m) for Golden Island, which would reflect a net initial yield of 6.15%, and €35m (£30m) for Artane Castle – a yield of more than 6%.
DTZ Sherry FitzGerald is quoting €116.9m (£101m) for a sale and leaseback of four other stores. Sphere: Related Content
Sunday, December 07, 2008
European Banks Look to Sale Leasebacks for Liquidity Amid Tight Capital Markets
Property Week - December 5, 2008
European banks have embarked on a slew of sale and leasebacks in an attempt to raise cash amid the global economic turmoil.
Collapsed Belgian bank Fortis, BBVA and Banco Sabadell have all put portfolios on the market.
Almost every other top European bank, from Italy’s UniCredito to Royal Bank of Scotland in the UK, is also scrutinising its property holdings to see where money can be made.
A report by Merrill Lynch found that Europe’s leading banks need to raise a further €73bn (£61bn) to keep their finances steady.
Cushman & Wakefield found that the top 43 European banks have €63bn (£52bn) of property assets on their balance sheets (see table).
Matthew Stone, head of occupier strategy at Cushman & Wakefield, said: ‘One increasingly popular method for banks to raise capital is through sale and leasebacks. The Spanish banks, BBVA and Banco Sabadell, and Fortis of Belgium, have all recently announced plans for billions of euros of sale and leaseback transactions, and many other European banks are actively considering them as a cost-efficient method of raising finance.
‘Leading European banks have over €63bn of land and buildings on their balance sheets which, if fully monetised, would meet almost all the €73bn of additional capital needs estimated by Merrill Lynch.’
There are investors willing to buy this kind of property. The fact that some banks have been bailed out by governments provides reassurance that they are safe from insolvency and are good covenants. Sphere: Related Content
European banks have embarked on a slew of sale and leasebacks in an attempt to raise cash amid the global economic turmoil.
Collapsed Belgian bank Fortis, BBVA and Banco Sabadell have all put portfolios on the market.
Almost every other top European bank, from Italy’s UniCredito to Royal Bank of Scotland in the UK, is also scrutinising its property holdings to see where money can be made.
A report by Merrill Lynch found that Europe’s leading banks need to raise a further €73bn (£61bn) to keep their finances steady.
Cushman & Wakefield found that the top 43 European banks have €63bn (£52bn) of property assets on their balance sheets (see table).
Matthew Stone, head of occupier strategy at Cushman & Wakefield, said: ‘One increasingly popular method for banks to raise capital is through sale and leasebacks. The Spanish banks, BBVA and Banco Sabadell, and Fortis of Belgium, have all recently announced plans for billions of euros of sale and leaseback transactions, and many other European banks are actively considering them as a cost-efficient method of raising finance.
‘Leading European banks have over €63bn of land and buildings on their balance sheets which, if fully monetised, would meet almost all the €73bn of additional capital needs estimated by Merrill Lynch.’
There are investors willing to buy this kind of property. The fact that some banks have been bailed out by governments provides reassurance that they are safe from insolvency and are good covenants. Sphere: Related Content
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Renown Agrees to $89.3 Million Sale Leaseback of Two Properties in Japan
Trading Markets.com - December 1, 2008
Japan's Renown Inc. (TSE:3606) said Friday that it will sell its headquarters building in Tokyo and an office building in Osaka for a total of 8.5 billion yen (US$89.3 million). The apparel company, which is undergoing rehabilitation, plans to use the proceeds to reduce interest-bearing debt and renovate stores.
Renown will sell the Tokyo property to building-leasing firm TOC CO. (8841) for 6 billion yen and the Osaka property to condominium builder Haseko Corp. (TSE:1808) for 2.5 billion yen.
It will sign lease contracts with the buyers and continue using the buildings. Sphere: Related Content
Japan's Renown Inc. (TSE:3606) said Friday that it will sell its headquarters building in Tokyo and an office building in Osaka for a total of 8.5 billion yen (US$89.3 million). The apparel company, which is undergoing rehabilitation, plans to use the proceeds to reduce interest-bearing debt and renovate stores.
Renown will sell the Tokyo property to building-leasing firm TOC CO. (8841) for 6 billion yen and the Osaka property to condominium builder Haseko Corp. (TSE:1808) for 2.5 billion yen.
It will sign lease contracts with the buyers and continue using the buildings. Sphere: Related Content
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Dearth of Financing Slows Sale Leasebacks
Financial Week - November 30, 2008
The credit crunch is killing the trend of using sale-leasebacks to raise capital, because frozen conditions have made it nearly impossible to get deals done.
Through Nov. 1, sale-leasebacks totaled $6.2 billion, less than half of the $14.2 billion in such transactions seen during 2007, according to Real Capital Analytics. Most of the deals that do close are one-off, single-tenant transactions amounting to less than $100 million each, experts say, a change from the large portfolio deals that dominated the market in years past.
From 2002 through 2007, sale-leasebacks gained popularity with private equity firms, which sold real estate assets from acquisitions to pay off the loans used to bankroll their leveraged buyouts. Having less invested capital increased PE firms’ net returns on assets and equity.
But few other corporations saw the need for them because the liberal lending atmosphere made capital promptly and cheaply obtainable. As that lending has dried up, sale-leasebacks, like most other forms of financing, have become both more desirable and less available.
Sale-leasebacks have slowed dramatically,” said Dan Fasulo, managing director of Real Capital Analytics. “It’s counterintuitive, because you’d think that they would be thriving in this type of environment. But it doesn’t matter how good the tenants are, the lenders just are not there.”
One reason is that lenders can no longer package loans for sale-leasebacks into securities as they did during the real estate boom.
“If the debt is available, it’s available in smaller denominations, because you are working directly with a lender, not from a securitization anymore,” said Mindy Berman, the managing director of corporate capital markets at Jones Lang LaSalle.
In addition to providing another source of capital, sale-leasebacks offer a way to reap gains on property that has been on the balance sheet. Companies have been depreciating their real estate assets for years, so the book value of those assets is low and companies should realize hefty profits on sales. But commercial real estate prices have come down considerably from their 2007 highs, and some executives harbor unrealistic expectations regarding the value of their properties, experts said.
“There is still a real spread between sellers’ expectations and what buyers are willing to pay,” said Arthur Greenberg, an executive vice president in the Washington office of real estate broker Studley. “There is a lot of money sitting on the sidelines, but it is primarily private equity money, and [private equity] has higher yield expectations than the current market is offering.”
Potential investors will only consider deals for top-notch properties whose tenants have stellar credit, and they’re looking for long-term leases that stretch to 15 years instead of 10. Medical office building sale-leasebacks represent a bright spot in the industry, while deals have dried up in sectors that have suffered more from the financial slowdown, such as retail or automotive.
“Underwriting has changed significantly in the sale-leaseback realm,” said Ms. Berman of Jones Lang LaSalle. “We’re back to basics. You need to underwrite the credit of the tenant and the property fundamentals.”
Still, Ms. Berman said her office fields calls every day from companies interested in determining the value of their property and the feasibility of a sale-leaseback.
“In today’s market, everyone is desperate,” said Bill Pollert, president of CapLease, a real estate investment trust that specializes in single-tenant properties. “They’re looking for every possible way to generate capital. It’s hard for companies that are not in real estate to justify owning property.”
Experts expect the sector to lead the rebound in commercial real estate once credit conditions relax.
“Fundamentally, the economics that justify sale-leasebacks are strong and viable,” Mr. Pollert said. “It’s a segment that will come back and will be strong once the debt markets come back. There is a lot of pent-up demand out there.” Sphere: Related Content
The credit crunch is killing the trend of using sale-leasebacks to raise capital, because frozen conditions have made it nearly impossible to get deals done.
Through Nov. 1, sale-leasebacks totaled $6.2 billion, less than half of the $14.2 billion in such transactions seen during 2007, according to Real Capital Analytics. Most of the deals that do close are one-off, single-tenant transactions amounting to less than $100 million each, experts say, a change from the large portfolio deals that dominated the market in years past.
From 2002 through 2007, sale-leasebacks gained popularity with private equity firms, which sold real estate assets from acquisitions to pay off the loans used to bankroll their leveraged buyouts. Having less invested capital increased PE firms’ net returns on assets and equity.
But few other corporations saw the need for them because the liberal lending atmosphere made capital promptly and cheaply obtainable. As that lending has dried up, sale-leasebacks, like most other forms of financing, have become both more desirable and less available.
Sale-leasebacks have slowed dramatically,” said Dan Fasulo, managing director of Real Capital Analytics. “It’s counterintuitive, because you’d think that they would be thriving in this type of environment. But it doesn’t matter how good the tenants are, the lenders just are not there.”
One reason is that lenders can no longer package loans for sale-leasebacks into securities as they did during the real estate boom.
“If the debt is available, it’s available in smaller denominations, because you are working directly with a lender, not from a securitization anymore,” said Mindy Berman, the managing director of corporate capital markets at Jones Lang LaSalle.
In addition to providing another source of capital, sale-leasebacks offer a way to reap gains on property that has been on the balance sheet. Companies have been depreciating their real estate assets for years, so the book value of those assets is low and companies should realize hefty profits on sales. But commercial real estate prices have come down considerably from their 2007 highs, and some executives harbor unrealistic expectations regarding the value of their properties, experts said.
“There is still a real spread between sellers’ expectations and what buyers are willing to pay,” said Arthur Greenberg, an executive vice president in the Washington office of real estate broker Studley. “There is a lot of money sitting on the sidelines, but it is primarily private equity money, and [private equity] has higher yield expectations than the current market is offering.”
Potential investors will only consider deals for top-notch properties whose tenants have stellar credit, and they’re looking for long-term leases that stretch to 15 years instead of 10. Medical office building sale-leasebacks represent a bright spot in the industry, while deals have dried up in sectors that have suffered more from the financial slowdown, such as retail or automotive.
“Underwriting has changed significantly in the sale-leaseback realm,” said Ms. Berman of Jones Lang LaSalle. “We’re back to basics. You need to underwrite the credit of the tenant and the property fundamentals.”
Still, Ms. Berman said her office fields calls every day from companies interested in determining the value of their property and the feasibility of a sale-leaseback.
“In today’s market, everyone is desperate,” said Bill Pollert, president of CapLease, a real estate investment trust that specializes in single-tenant properties. “They’re looking for every possible way to generate capital. It’s hard for companies that are not in real estate to justify owning property.”
Experts expect the sector to lead the rebound in commercial real estate once credit conditions relax.
“Fundamentally, the economics that justify sale-leasebacks are strong and viable,” Mr. Pollert said. “It’s a segment that will come back and will be strong once the debt markets come back. There is a lot of pent-up demand out there.” Sphere: Related Content
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Trent Ltd Considers Sale Leaseback of Retail Portfolio in India to Fund Expansion
mydigitalfc.com - November 16, 2008
Trent Ltd, the fashion retailer headed by Noel Naval Tata, is considering sale of some of its prime properties to raise cash for expansion. Because the retail business needs physical space, Trent will take the properties back on lease.
Senior Trent officials told Financial Chronicle that, at current realty prices, up to Rs 700 crore ($9 Billion) could be raised by selling its properties across India, the combined space of which is almost 300,000 sq ft.
The properties include an office building in Mumbai’s suburban business district of Bandra Kurla complex, Spencer’s Plaza in Chennai and a property each in Delhi and Ahmedabad.
“We could enter into a sale and leaseback agreement, thus freeing up a considerable amount of cash for our expansion without having to raise fresh equity through a rights issue,” a top Trent official said.
The money along with internal accruals is expected to help Trent fund its Rs 2,000 crore investment in the Star India Bazaar hypermarket chain and Westside retail stores. The company also needs money to expand its Landmark book and music stores and for its new value-retail format and investments in setting up or expanding its upmarket Sisley, Topman and Topshop retail stores.
Among listed retailers in India, Trent has the highest gross margins in terms of percentages of sales and per sq ft of space used, according to a recent study by the brokerage, CLSA. Sphere: Related Content
Trent Ltd, the fashion retailer headed by Noel Naval Tata, is considering sale of some of its prime properties to raise cash for expansion. Because the retail business needs physical space, Trent will take the properties back on lease.
Senior Trent officials told Financial Chronicle that, at current realty prices, up to Rs 700 crore ($9 Billion) could be raised by selling its properties across India, the combined space of which is almost 300,000 sq ft.
The properties include an office building in Mumbai’s suburban business district of Bandra Kurla complex, Spencer’s Plaza in Chennai and a property each in Delhi and Ahmedabad.
“We could enter into a sale and leaseback agreement, thus freeing up a considerable amount of cash for our expansion without having to raise fresh equity through a rights issue,” a top Trent official said.
The money along with internal accruals is expected to help Trent fund its Rs 2,000 crore investment in the Star India Bazaar hypermarket chain and Westside retail stores. The company also needs money to expand its Landmark book and music stores and for its new value-retail format and investments in setting up or expanding its upmarket Sisley, Topman and Topshop retail stores.
Among listed retailers in India, Trent has the highest gross margins in terms of percentages of sales and per sq ft of space used, according to a recent study by the brokerage, CLSA. Sphere: Related Content
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Banco Sabadell Considering EUR 500 Million Sale Leaseback of 600 Bank Branches Across Spain
Monereo Meyer Marinel Web Site - November 14, 2008
Banco Sabadell is considering selling approximately 50% of their branch offices. The entity is planning to sell 600 offices in its network under the sale and leaseback model, a transaction that provides investors with great security and a potential payoff of between 500 and 600 million Euros.
According to data from the Spanish newspaper Expansión, Banco Sabadell has confirmed that the transaction of the sale of up to 600 branches currently owned by the bank is in its initial phase, and would not take place until 2009. The transaction would involve the sale of blocks or parts of these assets, under the sale and leaseback model, with Sabadell remaining as a tenant for a period of between 25 and 30 years, with a final option of buying the property back, thus guaranteeing safe and steady income for the buyer. This type of transaction offers great security to investors since it is backed by an entity with a good rating. Market experts have said that the entity could earn between 500 and 600 million Euros.
According to preliminary plans, the corporate offices would not be included in the transaction although sources close to the entity note that they have also been appraised. Banco Sabadell began appraising their real estate assets a year ago and confirms that they are in no hurry to sell and intend to wait for an interesting opportunity to present itself. In fact, the bank has strengthened its balance sheet this year by selling half of its bank insurance business to Zurich, with a capital gain of 512 million Euros.
Banco Sabadell will thus join Spanish financial institutions that have decided to sell off part of their real estate holdings, a trend Banco Santander started with BBVA, Banco Popular and Caixa Galicia following suit. Sphere: Related Content
Banco Sabadell is considering selling approximately 50% of their branch offices. The entity is planning to sell 600 offices in its network under the sale and leaseback model, a transaction that provides investors with great security and a potential payoff of between 500 and 600 million Euros.
According to data from the Spanish newspaper Expansión, Banco Sabadell has confirmed that the transaction of the sale of up to 600 branches currently owned by the bank is in its initial phase, and would not take place until 2009. The transaction would involve the sale of blocks or parts of these assets, under the sale and leaseback model, with Sabadell remaining as a tenant for a period of between 25 and 30 years, with a final option of buying the property back, thus guaranteeing safe and steady income for the buyer. This type of transaction offers great security to investors since it is backed by an entity with a good rating. Market experts have said that the entity could earn between 500 and 600 million Euros.
According to preliminary plans, the corporate offices would not be included in the transaction although sources close to the entity note that they have also been appraised. Banco Sabadell began appraising their real estate assets a year ago and confirms that they are in no hurry to sell and intend to wait for an interesting opportunity to present itself. In fact, the bank has strengthened its balance sheet this year by selling half of its bank insurance business to Zurich, with a capital gain of 512 million Euros.
Banco Sabadell will thus join Spanish financial institutions that have decided to sell off part of their real estate holdings, a trend Banco Santander started with BBVA, Banco Popular and Caixa Galicia following suit. Sphere: Related Content
Friday, November 14, 2008
Taylor Wimpey Pursuing £100m Sale Leaseback of 350 UK Show Homes
Property Week - November 14, 2008
Taylor Wimpey is to carry out a sale and leaseback of around 350 of its show homes in a bid to reduce debt and improve cashflow. The listed housebuilder plans to sell the UK-wide show home portfolio for between £70m and £100m and pay rental income to the buyer for up to three years. It is thought to have instructed King Sturge and last Wednesday sent details to selected institutional-type investors.
Taylor Wimpey needs working capital and access to the show homes, which have an average value of around £200,000, to market its developments. The buyer would gain a sizeable portfolio and a guaranteed three-year income stream without voids, and eventual ownership of 350 homes at a time when the housing market could be in recovery. It could provide investors with an initial yield of between 6% and 7%.
Packaging the homes up as a portfolio is thought to be an innovative way for Taylor Wimpey, led by chief executive Peter Redfearn, to reduce its £1.9bn debt burden. In an interim management statement on Tuesday, Taylor Wimpey said it was unlikely to agree a new debt package by January, when its covenants may be tested. Redfearn said Taylor Wimpey was ready to sell parts of its UK land banks or non-core parts of the business if necessary. The sale-and-leaseback plan would be one such option.
Taylor Wimpey is valued at around £142m, down from a high of £4.3bn last year. It has significantly reduced costs with 1,900 job cuts, land sales and a construction slowdown. Neil Batty, Knight Frank’s new homes investment head, said all housebuilders were looking at ways to extract value. Sphere: Related Content
Taylor Wimpey is to carry out a sale and leaseback of around 350 of its show homes in a bid to reduce debt and improve cashflow. The listed housebuilder plans to sell the UK-wide show home portfolio for between £70m and £100m and pay rental income to the buyer for up to three years. It is thought to have instructed King Sturge and last Wednesday sent details to selected institutional-type investors.
Taylor Wimpey needs working capital and access to the show homes, which have an average value of around £200,000, to market its developments. The buyer would gain a sizeable portfolio and a guaranteed three-year income stream without voids, and eventual ownership of 350 homes at a time when the housing market could be in recovery. It could provide investors with an initial yield of between 6% and 7%.
Packaging the homes up as a portfolio is thought to be an innovative way for Taylor Wimpey, led by chief executive Peter Redfearn, to reduce its £1.9bn debt burden. In an interim management statement on Tuesday, Taylor Wimpey said it was unlikely to agree a new debt package by January, when its covenants may be tested. Redfearn said Taylor Wimpey was ready to sell parts of its UK land banks or non-core parts of the business if necessary. The sale-and-leaseback plan would be one such option.
Taylor Wimpey is valued at around £142m, down from a high of £4.3bn last year. It has significantly reduced costs with 1,900 job cuts, land sales and a construction slowdown. Neil Batty, Knight Frank’s new homes investment head, said all housebuilders were looking at ways to extract value. Sphere: Related Content
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Eroski Agrees to EUR 361 Million Sale Leaseback of 15 Hypermarkets in Spain
Property Week - November 5, 2009
Topland has agreed the purchase of a 15-strong retail portfolio with Spanish retailer Eroski in Spain’s biggest hypermarket sale and leaseback deal.
Topland has paid €361m (£289m) for the portfolio, comprising 13 hypermarkets and two shopping centres, totalling 1.55m sq ft, in a deal which reflects a yield of approximately 6%. The properties are in the Basque area of Spain near the Pyrenees mountains.
The deal could be the first phase in a three-part sale and leaseback agreement between the two parties which could see Topland buying more than 50 Eroski properties for about €1bn (£808m).
Topland will provide equity for 30% of the first purchase with the remaining 70% coming from bank debt from a consortium of La Caixa, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, Banco De Sabadell, Banco Espanol De Credito, Banco De Vasconia and Caja Madrid.
Eroski has signed 25-year leases with fixed rental increases as part of the deal.
The company has been sitting on the sidelines of the investment market having amassed £1bn of equity from refinancing parts of its £5bn portfolio and through the sale of its 50% interest in a 35-strong, £950m Tesco portfolio, to Pearl Group’s Axial Investment Management in September last year. Sphere: Related Content
Topland has agreed the purchase of a 15-strong retail portfolio with Spanish retailer Eroski in Spain’s biggest hypermarket sale and leaseback deal.
Topland has paid €361m (£289m) for the portfolio, comprising 13 hypermarkets and two shopping centres, totalling 1.55m sq ft, in a deal which reflects a yield of approximately 6%. The properties are in the Basque area of Spain near the Pyrenees mountains.
The deal could be the first phase in a three-part sale and leaseback agreement between the two parties which could see Topland buying more than 50 Eroski properties for about €1bn (£808m).
Topland will provide equity for 30% of the first purchase with the remaining 70% coming from bank debt from a consortium of La Caixa, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, Banco De Sabadell, Banco Espanol De Credito, Banco De Vasconia and Caja Madrid.
Eroski has signed 25-year leases with fixed rental increases as part of the deal.
The company has been sitting on the sidelines of the investment market having amassed £1bn of equity from refinancing parts of its £5bn portfolio and through the sale of its 50% interest in a 35-strong, £950m Tesco portfolio, to Pearl Group’s Axial Investment Management in September last year. Sphere: Related Content
Friday, November 07, 2008
Eroski Completes €361 Million Sale Leaseback of 15 Hypermarkets in Spain
Property Week - November 5, 2008
Topland has paid €361m (£289m) for the portfolio, comprising 13 hypermarkets and two shopping centres, totalling 1.55m sq ft, in a deal which reflects a yield of approximately 6%. The properties are in the Basque area of Spain near the Pyrenees mountains.
The deal could be the first phase in a three-part sale and leaseback agreement between the two parties which could see Topland buying more than 50 Eroski properties for about €1bn (£808m).
Topland will provide equity for 30% of the first purchase with the remaining 70% coming from bank debt from a consortium of La Caixa, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, Banco De Sabadell, Banco Espanol De Credito, Banco De Vasconia and Caja Madrid.
Eroski has signed 25-year leases with fixed rental increases as part of the deal.
The company has been sitting on the sidelines of the investment market having amassed £1bn of equity from refinancing parts of its £5bn portfolio and through the sale of its 50% interest in a 35-strong, £950m Tesco portfolio, to Pearl Group’s Axial Investment Management in September last year.
Cushman & Wakefield advised both parties. Sphere: Related Content
Topland has paid €361m (£289m) for the portfolio, comprising 13 hypermarkets and two shopping centres, totalling 1.55m sq ft, in a deal which reflects a yield of approximately 6%. The properties are in the Basque area of Spain near the Pyrenees mountains.
The deal could be the first phase in a three-part sale and leaseback agreement between the two parties which could see Topland buying more than 50 Eroski properties for about €1bn (£808m).
Topland will provide equity for 30% of the first purchase with the remaining 70% coming from bank debt from a consortium of La Caixa, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, Banco De Sabadell, Banco Espanol De Credito, Banco De Vasconia and Caja Madrid.
Eroski has signed 25-year leases with fixed rental increases as part of the deal.
The company has been sitting on the sidelines of the investment market having amassed £1bn of equity from refinancing parts of its £5bn portfolio and through the sale of its 50% interest in a 35-strong, £950m Tesco portfolio, to Pearl Group’s Axial Investment Management in September last year.
Cushman & Wakefield advised both parties. Sphere: Related Content
Sunday, November 02, 2008
British Land Selling Debenhams Flagship Store in London for £150 Million
Property Week - October 31, 2008
A Ukrainian investor is under offer to buy the British Land-owned Debenhams block in London’s West End for £150m.
It is thought the investor is the same Ukrainian company which recently purchased 1 Old Bond STreet for around £14m from Scottish Widows Investment Partnership in a deal reflecting a net initial yield of 3.9%.
The company approached British Land to buy the 366,700 sq ft building which occupies a prime position on London’s main shopping street and is the department store operator’s flagship store. It has been known for some time that British Land is seeking to reduce its in-town retail exposure.
British Land, the UK’s second-largest REIT, is an investor in 36 department stores, 24 owned directly and 12 owned within the British Land Fraser joint venture.
Of those owned directly, 22 are subject to leaseback to Debenhams for a minimum of 26 years unexpired. In total these comprise 3.3m sq ft in locations including the flagship London store, a 466,000 sq ft store on Market Street in Manchester, and a 140,000 sq ft store in St Davids, Cardiff.
The total gross annual rent passing is £30.3m. The leases provide for minimum 2.5% per annum rental increases and five-yearly open market reviews from 2019 onwards.
British Land declined to comment. Sphere: Related Content
A Ukrainian investor is under offer to buy the British Land-owned Debenhams block in London’s West End for £150m.
It is thought the investor is the same Ukrainian company which recently purchased 1 Old Bond STreet for around £14m from Scottish Widows Investment Partnership in a deal reflecting a net initial yield of 3.9%.
The company approached British Land to buy the 366,700 sq ft building which occupies a prime position on London’s main shopping street and is the department store operator’s flagship store. It has been known for some time that British Land is seeking to reduce its in-town retail exposure.
British Land, the UK’s second-largest REIT, is an investor in 36 department stores, 24 owned directly and 12 owned within the British Land Fraser joint venture.
Of those owned directly, 22 are subject to leaseback to Debenhams for a minimum of 26 years unexpired. In total these comprise 3.3m sq ft in locations including the flagship London store, a 466,000 sq ft store on Market Street in Manchester, and a 140,000 sq ft store in St Davids, Cardiff.
The total gross annual rent passing is £30.3m. The leases provide for minimum 2.5% per annum rental increases and five-yearly open market reviews from 2019 onwards.
British Land declined to comment. Sphere: Related Content
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
