Half Yearly Report
Invista European Real Estate Trust SICAF today announces its results for the six month period ending 31 March 2014, including its unaudited Net Asset Value ("NAV") for the last quarter, calculated using International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union and adjusted to add back the deferred taxation liability position at the period end.
Highlights
· Unaudited NAV per share decreased by 13% over the quarter and 20% over the six month period to €0.20 or £0.17 (30 September 2013: €0.25; 31 December 2013: €0.23) principally from the reduction in valuation of the Company's property portfolio by €16.9 million (5.34%) in the first six months of the financial year on a like for like basis.
· Property portfolio valued at €299.7 million on 31 March 2014 (30 September 2013: €316.6 million; 31 December 2013: €309.3 million on a like-for-like basis) comprises 31 properties.
· Successfully executed the sales of four assets for total gross proceeds of €7.6 million, at a weighted average discount to valuation of 15.6%. Thirteen other properties being actively marketed as part of a disposal programme, with encouraging levels of buyer interest.
· A number of active management initiatives over the last six months have resulted in the signing of new leases on 21,546 sqm of space, representing 4.21% of total portfolio area, contributing to the reduction of rental vacancy across the portfolio from 19.8% as at 30 September 2013 to 15.6% as at 31 March 2014.
· Debt repayment of €14.7 million during the six month period (€7.3 million of outstanding debt was repaid through sales proceeds and a further €7.4 million was repaid from cash reserves.
· Agreed an extension of the maturity of the Company's credit facility with Bank of Scotland Plc ("BoS") for four months from 31 December 2013 to 30 April 2014. Post quarter-end the Company successfully refinanced this loan.
Debt Refinancing
The Company announced on 1 May 2014 that it had entered into a new credit facility (the "New Loan") with Blackstone Real Estate Debt Strategies ("BREDS"), an affiliate of the Blackstone Group LP ("Blackstone"). As a result, it has repaid all outstanding amounts due to BoS, the economic interest of whose loans to IERET had been sold in November 2013 to funds affiliated to Cerberus Capital Management, LP. The New Loan is structured so as to be closely aligned with the disposal programme underway and the Company is exploring additional means of raising capital to cover, inter alia, capital expenditure requirements related to certain properties in the portfolio.
Tom Chandos, Chairman, commented:
"The Company has made progress during the first half of the current financial year as the continued pursuit of its disposal strategy has contributed towards further reductions in vacancy, enhanced also by letting activity. This was particularly helpful in the refinancing of the portfolio, and the terms of the new credit facility are closely aligned with our ongoing disposal plans."