4 Apr 2016 07:00
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Sirius Real Estate Limited
("Sirius" or "the Company" or "the Group")
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Trading Statement and Directorate Change
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Sirius Real Estate, the leading operator of branded business parks providing conventional space and flexible workspace in Germany, is pleased to announce the following trading statement for the twelve months to 31 March 2016.
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Trading Update
This has been another strong year for Sirius, which has seenĀ annualised rental income exceed ā¬60Ā millionĀ for the first timeĀ as at 31 March 2016. The Group is also in advanced stages of negotiating more favourable terms on its largest debt facility including securing further funding at a significantly lower interest rate. The Company expects the results for the 12 months to 31 March 2015 to be in line with market expectations and is well positioned to make a strong start to the new financial year. WeĀ anticipate good ongoing growth inĀ rental income next year and beyond as we continue with our capital investment programme and with making selective acquisitions.
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The main highlights of the period include:
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Ā· Ā In October 2015 the Company completed two acquisitions, a second multi-let business park located in Aachen and a site in CƶllnParc, Cologne. This completed the acquisition portfolio, announced on 4 June 2015. These two sites together, added ā¬2.0m to the rent roll and ā¬1.9m to Net Operating Income ("NOI") on an annualised basis.
Ā· On 30 March 2016, Sirius completed a further acquisition of a business park in Mainz for ā¬25.1m including acquisition costs which will add a further ā¬2.2m to the rent roll and ā¬2.0m āto NOI. This acquisition was partly funded āby a new ā¬16.0m 5-year facility from Deutsche Genossenschafts-Hypothekenbank AG with a fixed interest rate of 1.58% for the full term.
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Ā·Ā Ā The CompanyĀ is in advanced discussionsĀ to refinanceĀ itsĀ existing BerlinHyp/PBB facilityĀ which hasĀ ā¬111mĀ outstanding and three years remaining of its term.Ā Under discussion is aĀ new ā¬137mĀ facilityĀ with the existingĀ syndicateĀ at an improved interest rate and extended term. The newĀ facility would provide anĀ additionalĀ ā¬26mĀ debt capacity which the Company would use for acquisitions.
Ā· The Company hasĀ notarised two new business park acquisitions in Krefeld and Markgrƶningen whichĀ areĀ expectedĀ toĀ completeĀ in May 2016. These two assets will addĀ a further ā¬2.5m toĀ annualisedĀ rental incomeĀ and ā¬2.0mĀ toĀ NOI.
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Ā· Ā Ā TheĀ Company's capital investmentĀ programme continues to be the strongest driver of organic rental growth. At 31 March 2016Ā aroundĀ 65% of theĀ originalĀ programme to transform approximately 100,000 sqm of previously unlettable or under-rented spaceĀ has beenĀ completed.Ā This,Ā along with the capital investment programmes initiated onĀ recentĀ acquisitionĀ sitesĀ and on space returned through terminations in the first half of this financial year,Ā is expectedĀ toĀ have aĀ positive impact on the like-for-likeĀ rents in theĀ period.
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Directorate Change
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Ā· The Company also announces that Rolf Elgeti, a non-executive director, has decided to step down from the Board from today. Rolf has been a key member of the Board since joining in 2011 and has played a significant role in developing and implementing the growth strategy of Sirius.
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The Board would like to thank Rolf for his valuable contribution and looks forward to providing a more detailed report on the Company's performance and outlook when it announces its full year results for the twelve months to 31 March 2016 at the end of May.
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Andrew Coombs, CEO of Sirius Real Estate, commented:
"This has been anotherĀ good year for Sirius.Ā Prevailing market conditionsĀ remain supportive for the business. The German economy is robust and we continue to capitalise on the low interest rate environment to reduce our cost of debt significantly, diversify our lenders and extend the weighted average expiry of our funding. In addition, byĀ investing in our assets to increase rental incomeĀ andĀ with ongoing reductions in non-recoverable service charge costs,Ā the Company continues toĀ enhance cash flows, improve asset values and increase its funds from operations.
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The combination of these factors mean we will deliver on target for this year and are well placed for the new financial year."
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Enquiries:
SiriusĀ Real Estate
Andrew Coombs, CEO +49 (0)30 285010110
Alistair Marks, CFO
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Peel Hunt - Nomad and Joint Broker
Capel Irwin +44 (0)20 7418 8900
George Huntley
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PSG Capital
David Tosi +27 (0)21 887 9602
Willie Honeyball
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Canaccord Genuity Limited - Joint Broker
Bruce Garrow +44 (0)20 7523 8000
Chris Connors
Mark WhitmoreĀ
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Novella
Tim Robertson +44 (0)20 3151 7008Ben Heath
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