EPIC.L Regulatory News (EPIC)

28 June 2018

Ediston Property Investment Company plc

Birmingham, St Philips Point - Lease restructure

Ediston Property Investment Company plc (LSE: EPIC) ('the Company') announces that it has restructured its lease terms with Weightmans LLP ('Weightmans') at St Philips Point, Birmingham.

Weightmans occupy 37,395 sq. ft. across three floors, on three leases which expire in July 2019. The current annual rent is £606,452. The Company has signed an agreement to restructure the terms of Weightmans' occupation of the property, effective from 1 August 2018.

Under the agreement Weightmans will take a new ten year lease with a five year break option, on each of the upper ground and third floors, which extend to a total of 23,187 sq. ft. They will pay a rent of £507,430 per annum, a 45.7% increase on the rent currently being paid on these floors, and will receive an incentive of six months' rent free. 

Under the agreement, the tenant will surrender the lease on the first floor, which extends to 14,208 sq. ft. and the Company will refurbish and market this floor to let. It is anticipated that this floor will achieve a rental level in excess of the current passing rent, which could result in an overall increase in net income from the property of c. £220,000 per annum.

Calum Bruce, Director of Investment at Ediston Properties Limited, the Company's Investment Manager, said: "Weightmans has been a tenant in the building for over eight years, so we are pleased to have been able to structure a deal which extends their stay. The increase in the rental tone shows that there will always be demand for good quality offices in the right locations.

We have always said that void space is an opportunity and the first floor is just that. We are confident that with the right refurbishment we will identify a tenant to lease this space and secure additional income for the Company."

For further information:

Ediston Properties Limited (Investment Manager) 0131 225 5599

Calum Bruce

Canaccord Genuity Limited 020 7523 8000

Will Barnett

Neil Brierley

Dominic Waters

David Yovichic

Lansons

David Masters 07825 427 514

Michael Lach 020 7294 3645

Maitland Group (Company Secretary) 0131 550 3763

Donald Cameron

Notes to editors:

Ediston Property Investment Company plc is a UK real estate investment trust (REIT) with a premium listing on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange. The Company invests in UK commercial real estate assets to achieve its objective of providing its shareholders with an attractive level of income together with the potential for capital and income growth. It invests principally in three commercial property sectors: office, retail (including retail warehouses) and industrial, without regard to a traditional property market relative return benchmark. The Company launched in October 2014 and as of 31 March 2018 it owned 17 properties with a value of £325.4m.

Portfolio management services are undertaken by Ediston Properties Limited, which currently manages property assets across the UK for institutional investors.