TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwired – June 7, 2017) – DREAM GLOBAL REIT (TSX:DRG.UN)(FRANKFURT:DRG) today announced that it has signed a purchase and sale agreement with Landesbank Baden-Wurttemberg (LBBW) for Bollwerk, a multi-tenant office property located in Stuttgart, Germany, for approximately EUR92.0 million ($139.6 million), representing a going in capitalization rate of 5.3%. The purchase price will be financed through the proceeds from the Trust’s recent equity offering and a new EUR55.2 million mortgage for 10 years at a fixed interest rate of approximately 1.7%. The acquisition is expected to close in early July. Together with the recently announced Airport Plaza transaction, the Trust will have fully deployed the proceeds from its March equity offering, acquiring a combined EUR187.9 million in properties at a weighted average cap rate of approximately 6.2%.
Centrally Located Office Complex with Excellent Transportation Access – Bollwerk is fully occupied, with a weighted average lease term of 4.9 years. The office complex is comprised of four multi-storey wings that surround the main courtyard, totalling 306,200 sf of gross leasable area (“GLA”) with parking, onsite restaurant and other amenities. The building’s lead tenants, comprising 94% of the GLA, are five separate and distinct subsidiaries of LBBW (Germany’s largest state-backed Landesbank) that have staggered lease maturities. The property is located in central Stuttgart and benefits from excellent access to public transport with a U-Bahn train station and tram station located directly outside of the building. In addition, Stuttgart’s central shopping district and the main railway station are both within walking distance.
Expanded Presence in a Top German Office Market – The acquisition of Bollwerk will increase the Trust’s exposure to the Big 7 office markets in Germany. Together with its existing assets, which include Z-Up, Oasis III and Officivm, the Trust will own approximately 773,700 sf of GLA in Stuttgart or approximately 6% of total portfolio GLA. At 3.4%, the vacancy rate in Stuttgart is the lowest amongst all major office markets in Germany and has declined 90 bps year-over-year. The new supply pipeline remains low and prime rents have increased 7.5% in the past year.
“We are pleased to add Bollwerk, a high quality and prominent asset located in the heart of Stuttgart, a market that has one of the lowest vacancy rates in the world,” said Jane Gavan, Chief Executive Officer of Dream Global REIT. “With this acquisition, we have increased our presence in not only one of our favourite markets in Germany, but one of the best office markets globally.”
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Dream Global REIT is an unincorporated, open-ended real estate investment trust that provides investors with the opportunity to invest in commercial real estate exclusively outside of Canada. Dream Global REIT’s portfolio currently consists of approximately 13.6 million square feet of gross leasable area of office, industrial and mixed-use properties across Germany, Austria and Belgium. For more information, please visit www.dream.ca/global.
Forward-looking information
This press release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, including statements regarding expected interest expense savings. Forward looking information is based on a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Dream Global REIT’s control that could cause actual results to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking information. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, global and local economic and business conditions; the financial condition of tenants; our ability to refinance maturing debt; leasing risks, including those associated with the ability to lease vacant space; and interest and currency rate functions. Our objectives and forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions, including that the Canadian and European economies remain stable, interest rates remain stable, conditions within the real estate market remain consistent, competition for acquisitions remains consistent with the current climate and that the capital markets continue to provide ready access to equity and/or debt. All forward-looking information in this press release speaks as of the date of this press release. Dream Global REIT does not undertake to update any such forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as required by law. Additional information about these assumptions and risks and uncertainties is contained in Dream Global REIT’s filings with securities regulators, including its latest annual information form and MD&A. These filings are also available at Dream Global REIT’s website at www.dreamglobalreit.ca.
P. Jane Gavan
President and Chief Executive Officer
(416) 365-6572
jgavan@dream.ca
Dream Global REIT
Tamara Lawson
Chief Financial Officer
(416) 365-6560
tlawson@dream.ca
Dream Global REIT
Alexander Sannikov
Senior Vice President, Commercial Properties
(416) 365-4106
asannikov@dream.ca