Third Quarter Portfolio Update
NewRiver Retail Limited (AIM: NRR), the UK REIT specilaising in value-creating retail property investment and active asset management, announces the following portfolio update for the third quarter ending 31 December 2014.
The third quarter, inclusive of the key Christmas trading period, has been another highly active period for NewRiver. The Company completed a number of key acquisitions, growing the portfolio by 8.8% to £800 million at the end of December (Sept 2014: £735 million) and continued to deliver a significant number of value-enhancing asset management and development initiatives.
Highlights
§ Assets under management increased by 8.8% to £800 million (Sept 2014: £735 million)
§ Total of £30.3 million of acquisitions comprising two shopping centres, five high street units and two retail warehouses
§ Total rent roll under management increased by 4.9% to £70.7 million pa (Sept 2014: £67.4 million)
§ Completed 54 new leasing events of which new long-term leasing events achieved a rental income of 7.8% above valuation ERV with an average lease length of 7.6 years. Occupier incentives continue to decrease, now at an average of 5 months equivalent rent for the period
§ Weighted Average Lease Expiry ("WALE") for the retail portfolio was 7.6 years (Sept 2014: 7.9 years)
§ Maintained a stable retail portfolio occupancy rate of 96%
§ Sustained an affordable average retail rent of £12.72 per sq ft (Sept 2014: £11.87)
§ Top ten retailers within the portfolio defined by rental income remain strong national covenants and include Poundland, New Look, Superdrug, Primark, Wilkinson, Dixons Carphone, BHS, Boots and Argos
§ In the period 24 planning applications were submitted, which if granted will enable the Company to deliver over 78,000 sq ft of new development space for retail-led and mixed-use, including C-Store, hotels, leisure and residential
§ Footfall continues to grow across the portfolio delivering a 3.47% uplift in like for like figures for the period. This was boosted by the Christmas trade and Black Friday with various shopping centres reporting uplifts of between 6% and 20%; annual footfall for the portfolio totals over 122 million
§ Post period end, successful equity fundraise of £75 million at 275 pence per share, enabling the Company to acquire a major shopping centre portfolio with assets across the UK
§ Quarterly dividend policy commenced with a second interim dividend of 4.25 pence per share announced in November 2014 and a third interim dividend of 4.25 pence per share announced in December 2014.
Successful Equity Fundraise and Acquisition:
Post period end, NewRiver announced the successful completion of an equity fundraise of £75 million. The fundraise was voted on by shareholders at an EGM on Thursday 8 January 2015. Accordingly, the Company has issued 27,272,727 of new ordinary shares. The new shares were issued at 275p per share which was a 9.1% Premium to the reported EPRA NAV Per Share. Funds raised enabled NewRiver to acquire the remaining 90% of a major shopping centre portfolio for £71 million from LVS with assets across the UK, the completion of which was announced on 15 January 2015.
Quarterly Dividends:
In November the Board declared that a second quarterly dividend of 4.25 pence per share would be paid on 30 January 2015 to shareholders. On 03 December 2014 the Company announced a third quarterly dividend of 4.25 pence per share to be paid on 30 January 2015 to shareholders on the register on 5 January 2015. The Company expects to pay its fourth quarterly dividend for the year ended 31 March 2015 in April 2015.