AEW Long Lease acquires Industrial Estate for £9m

RNS Number : 9987U

AEW UK Long Lease REIT PLC

31 October 2017

 

31 October 2017

AEW Long Lease acquires Industrial Estate for £9m

AEW UK Long Lease REIT plc ("the Company") is pleased to announce the acquisition of Pocket Nook Industrial Estate, St Helens for £9.0m reflecting a net initial yield of 5.4%. The 16.1 acre site is let to three tenants and provides a weighted average unexpired lease term of 66 years to expiry, with 49% of the income let to Biffa Waste Services Ltd until 2134.

The estate comprises two industrial units, a small office with a large yard and an area of storage land, with an additional unit currently under construction by the vendor and pre-let to Biffa. 76% of the income is backed by the strong covenants of Biffa and the Driving Standards Agency on uncapped RPI linked leases that are reviewed 5 yearly. The Merseyside site is located 0.8 miles away from St Helens town centre and benefits from its proximity to the M57, M6 and M62.

Alex Short, Director of AEW UK Investment Management LLP, and Portfolio Manager of the Company said: "This industrial site adds to the diversity of our growing portfolio of properties, which so far includes two hotels, a waterpark and a gym.  We are also pleased by the strength of the income that this asset provides and, in particular, Biffa's increasing commitment to the location with the addition of a second unit"

The transaction increases the total amount invested by AEW UK Long Lease REIT plc since listing to £31.1m. In addition to this, the Manager has a further 6 assets under offer and expects to make additional announcements in the coming weeks.

AEW UK Long Lease REIT plc raised £80.5m from institutional and retail investors at its IPO in June and at that time it stated its expectation to substantially invest the net proceeds within nine months of listing. The Company is targeting an annual dividend of 5.5 pence per share paid quarterly, once fully invested and levered, with an ambition to grow in line with UK inflation (RPI or CPI) thereafter.

The Company entered the REIT regime with effect from 13 October 2017 following the submission of the application to HM Revenue and Customs.

ENDS

About AEW UK Long Lease REIT

AEW UK Long Lease REIT plc (LSE: AEWL) aims to generate a sustainable, secure and predictable income return, whilst at least maintaining capital values in real terms, by investing in a diversified portfolio of UK properties, with an attractive entry yield, predominately in alternative and specialist sectors. It will invest in a diverse range of sectors that are underrepresented in institutional portfolios including leisure, healthcare, education, hotels, student accommodation, supported living and automotive. At its IPO on 6 June 2017, AEWL raised £80.5m from institutional and retail investors. At least 85% of gross passing rent from the portfolio's leases will contain inflation-linked rent reviews, and average initial unexpired leases in excess of 18 years at the time of investment.

About AEW UK Investment Management LLP

AEW UK Investment Management LLP is a 50:50 joint venture between the Management Team and AEW. It employs a well-resourced team comprising 25 individuals covering investment, asset management, operations and strategy. It is part of AEW Group, one of the world's largest real estate managers, with €58.5 billion of assets under management as at 30 June 2017. AEW Group comprises AEW SA and AEW Capital Management L.P., a U.S. registered investment manager and their respective subsidiaries. In Europe, as at 30 June 2017, AEW Group managed €26.0 billion in value in properties of all types located in 15 countries, with over 380 staff.

AEW UK

Alex Short	[e-mail]
Laura Elkin	[phone] [e-mail]
Nicki Gladstone	[phone] [e-mail]
	[phone]
Company Secretary
Capita Company Secretarial Services Limited	[e-mail] [phone]
Temple Bar Advisory Ed Orlebar Tom Allison Lucy Featherstone	[e-mail] [phone] [phone] [phone]

About AEW Europe

AEW is one of the world's largest real estate asset managers, with €58.5bn of assets under management as at 30 June 2017. AEW has over 600 employees, with its main offices located in Boston, London, Paris and Hong Kong and offers a wide range of real estate investment products including comingled funds, separate accounts and securities mandates across the full spectrum of investment strategies. AEW represents the real estate asset management platform of Natixis Global Asset Management, one of the largest asset managers in the world.

As at 30 June 2017, AEW managed €26.0bn of real estate assets in Europe on behalf of a number of funds and separate accounts. AEW has over 300 employees based in 10 offices across Europe and has a long track record of successfully implementing core, value-add and opportunistic investment strategies on behalf of its clients. In the last five years, AEW has invested and divested a total volume of over €17.5bn of real estate across European markets.

 

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