Archives for September 2022

The era of aggressive outlier bids for grocery-anchored shopping centers is over as capital costs rise, say the sector’s players.

Ask anyone involved in the grocery-anchored retail sector whether it’s a buyer’s or a seller’s market right now, and you’ll get a range of answers. Some say it’s a seller’s market since these centers have emerged as one of the most in-demand retail property types. Others say it’s a buyer’s market because rising interest rates have forced many investors to the sidelines, clearing the field for buyers who don’t rely on leverage.

“In the last two years, we were in a seller’s market created by outlier bids that were very aggressive,” says Jeff Edison, CEO of Phillips Edison & Co. (PECO), a REIT specializing in grocery-anchored centers that owned 269 properties as of June 30, 2022. “But we don’t see many of those wild outlier bids now, so it’s a more normalized market.”

Ask anyone involved in the grocery-anchored retail sector whether it’s a buyer’s or a seller’s market right now, and you’ll get a range of answers. Some say it’s a seller’s market since these centers have emerged as one of the most in-demand retail property types. Others say it’s a buyer’s market because rising interest rates have forced many investors to the sidelines, clearing the field for buyers who don’t rely on leverage.

“In the last two years, we were in a seller’s market created by outlier bids that were very aggressive,” says Jeff Edison, CEO of Phillips Edison & Co. (PECO), a REIT specializing in grocery-anchored centers that owned 269 properties as of June 30, 2022. “But we don’t see many of those wild outlier bids now, so it’s a more normalized market.”

While most investors agree that the market is in the middle of a pricing discovery that ignited when the Fed began increasing rates, there’s little consensus on when prices will stabilize or how much of a valuation reset will occur.

“The two sides of the acquisition equation are fighting it out,” Edison says, referring to the rising cost of capital and the current operating environment, which he describes as “really good.” He adds: “It’s way too early to know what the full outcome will be, but it would be unrealistic to think it would be a dramatic change.”

Private capital dominates

Investor sentiment toward grocery-anchored shopping centers is the strongest it’s been since the mid-2000s, and interest in acquisitions remains strong. But the increased cost of capital has not only slowed dealmaking activity, it changed the composition of today’s buyer pool, says Chris Angelone, senior managing director of retail at commercial real estate services firm JLL.

Ninety days ago, the average grocery-anchored deal would’ve received 10 to 15 offers from a mix of investors, including from private investors, institutional buyers and listed and non-listed REITs. Today, that same property would receive seven to 10 offers, mostly from private buyers.

Pension fund advisors are too concerned about the overall economic outlook to make big bets on any property type right now. REITS, meanwhile, are challenged to make acquisitions pencil out, largely because it’s too expensive to raise money in the public market.

PECO’s Edison acknowledges the Cincinnati-based REIT has tapped the brakes on transaction activity. “We’re moderately buying and moderately selling,” he says. “We’re not in a big hurry. We want to see how the market works its way out over the next three to 12 months.”

This represents a meaningful shift for PECO compared to its level of transaction activity earlier this year. During the first half of 2022, the REIT acquired four retail properties and one outparcel for roughly $170 million, according to its most recent 10-K filing. One of those acquisitions was Centennial Lakes, a 198,000-sq.ft., Whole Foods-anchored center in an upscale suburb of Minneapolis.

“Private capital previously has accounted for a sizeable concentration of retail deals between $10 million and $50 million,” says Angelone. “Now, that concentration of buyers is private capital with an exclamation point.”

One private investor hoping to take advantage of the decreased competition is Westwood Financial, a Los Angeles-based firm that owns and operates more than 124 shopping centers in major metro markets including Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., Dallas, Denver, Jacksonville, Fla., Los Angeles, Orlando, Fla., Phoenix, and Raleigh, N.C.

Late last month, Westwood Financial partnered with CrowdStreet to raise money for a retail deal it closed in February: Village at Peachtree Corners, an 88,850-sq.ft., grocery-anchored center in Atlanta.

Anchored by Lidl, the center was just 74 percent occupied when Westwood Financial put it under contract. Within six months of closing, the firm’s leasing team brought the center to 100 percent occupancy.

“This is the best buyer’s market in the last eight years,” says Westwood Financial’s CEO Mark Bratt. “It’s a great buyer’s market for Westwood as we compete primarily against private buyers.”

Though Westwood Financial typically has no financing contingency, when it acquires a property, it expects to be compensated for higher debt costs with lower prices, Bratt says. “As financing becomes more expensive, prices need to adjust five to 10 percent,” he notes. “But some sellers are digging in their heels regarding pricing. Because they got it before, they still want it, and if they can’t get it, they’re not selling.”

Aggressively priced deals fall out of contract

Like Westwood Financial’s Bratt, most investors expect property values to reflect the cost of capital. To that end, valuations for all retail properties have decreased 5.0 percent to 15.0 percent this year, according to JLL’s Angelone. However, the reset for grocery-anchored centers has been on the lower end of the range, depending on the location and quality of the grocer.

Sales data has yet to reflect the slowdown and the valuation changes. For the first half of 2022, transaction volume for all retail centers increased 157 percent year-over-year to $31.9 billion. Likewise, second quarter volume increased 105 percent year-over-year to $16.6 billion, according to data firm MSCI Real Assets.

For the same period, the RCA Hedonic Series for cap rates on shopping centers fell 50 basis points year-over-year to hit 6.5 percent. This number dropped 20 basis points relative to the first quarter of 2022, when interest rates were lower.

It’s worth noting, however, that the deals that closed during the second quarter were likely negotiated and put under contract prior to the Fed’s initial rate hike. Some buyers were able to re-trade their deals as the cost of capital increased, depending on the seller’s flexibility.

One such buyer is Pikesville, Md.-based America’s Realty. The private investment firm, which invests in discount retail properties in “blue-collar Middle America,” buys an average of 10 to 12 grocery-anchored centers annually. So far this year, it has acquired eight grocery-anchored centers across Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, bringing its portfolio to more than 125 properties totaling roughly 12 million sq. ft.

Carl Verstandig, president and founder of America’s Realty, knows exactly how much the firm can pay for a property before it requires a price reduction. “We know our cost within a quarter of a point, and if the debt changes, I’m honest with the seller and tell them that I need a reduction—sometimes up to a million dollars on some of the larger deals,” he says. “Ninety-five percent of the time, the seller is realistic, and they’ll go ahead and drop the price. They don’t want to start with somebody new when the rates might increase again, and the new buyer might hit them up for even more price relief.”

Verstandig has worked with Marc Tropp, a senior managing director with Eastern Union and leader of the company’s Mid-Atlantic office, to obtain more than $73 million in acquisition financing for America’s Realty’s recent deals. Tropp says buyers who’ve experienced periods of rising interest rates and renegotiate pricing are more likely to close deals than those who move forward with aggressive pricing.

“When buyers who’ve offered aggressive pricing actually start down the financing path and understand the terms, such as the service coverage ratio and how much they’ll be able to return to their investors, they end up falling out of contract nine times out of 10,” he notes.

All-cash buyers have an advantage

While investors continue to want to purchase best-in-class grocery-anchored centers, rising interest rates and their corresponding impact on cap rates demand a more conservative approach to underwriting.

“Many investors moved to the sidelines during the summer months or became more selective in terms of what they are underwriting,” says Mark Gilbert, Cushman & Wakefield’s retail capital markets leader for the Americas. “Investors are working with a bit more caution.”

Caution is certainly the name of the game for First National Realty Partners (FNRP). Despite the firm’s aggressive acquisition goals, it is approaching the current deal environment cautiously, according to Matt Annibale, a senior acquisitions director with the Red Bank, N.J.-based investment firm.

“Many deals that would have penciled in the past don’t currently and may not in the future,” Annibale says. “It is all about underwriting deals conservatively to account for all risk to make sure we are doing right by our investors and also the landlords we are working with.”

Most recently, FNRP closed on its first West Coast acquisition: Heritage Park in Suisan City, Calif. Located about 40 miles from both Sacramento and Oakland, the 167,000-sq.ft. center is anchored by a Raley’s grocery store. With this acquisition, the firm now owns properties in 20 states.

FNRP is focused on fixed-rate financing options, which are best suited for core/core-plus deals and currently provide the highest returns for its investors, according to Annibale. The firm is also evaluating more deals with attractive assumable debt.

“We are seeing deals get dropped by other buyers due to inability to get financing,” Annibale notes.

“Rates could very well increase again, so we will need to be more selective about which deals we pursue and which we pass on.”

Given the increased cost of capital and the growing difficulty of obtaining debt financing at 75 percent loan-to-value (LTV), all-cash buyers have a huge advantage over financed buyers, according to Gilbert.

That advantage is one reason JLL Income Property Trust (JLL IPT) shifted its financing strategy for retail assets from leveraged to unleveraged, according to CEO Allan Swaringen. Grocery-anchored centers are the only retail property type in which the non-listed, daily NAV REIT currently invests.

“We usually use modest leverage—under 50 percent—and we’re happy to get six to eight percent total returns,” Swaringen notes.

Grocery-anchored centers account for 15 percent of JLL IPT’s current portfolio. So far this year, the REIT has added two grocery-anchored centers to its holdings and is in the middle of selling one. “Though we did anticipate putting accretive leverage on those acquisitions, we didn’t re-trade them and instead altered our strategy to buy all-cash,” Swaringen says. “The cash returns worked for us.”

It’s the more highly leveraged investors who are being left out of the market today, Swaringen adds. Those buyers are trying to get enough leverage to secure returns in the mid-teens, and “that’s just not achievable today.”

Source: “Grocery-Anchored Shopping Centers Remain in Demand. But They Are Going Mostly to Private and All-Cash Buyers.”

 

A recent investor survey by Marcus & Millichap reveals that while CRE transactions may level out this year, investor sentiment remains strong.

The mid-year survey’s headline index value of 159 is “somewhat reminiscent of the trend we saw in 2016,”in which sentiment declined a bit as higher interest rates bit into the market, says Marcus & Millichap’s John Chang. ”But they’re not down by as much as people might expect,” he says.

In 2016, the index declined 12 points and the number of CRE transactions flattened. This year, the index has declined 11 points and that could deliver relatively similar results, in what Chang calls a “relatively modest softening.”

“Yes, the market is going through a recalibration as investors rework numbers based on the rising costs of capital, but the survey respondents aren’t telegraphing a significant market change,” he says.

According to the survey, the top two investor concerns are interest rates and inflation. About two-thirds said interest rate increases aren’t affecting their investment plans, and almost 9% said they’d buy more commercial real estate because of rising interest rates. On the sell side, 77% said the rate increases haven’t caused them to change plans and 11% said they plan to sell more.

Respondents were even more dismissive of inflation, according to the survey. Twenty-four percent of respondents said they’d buy less CRE but almost 12% said they’d buy more. The buying intentions with respect to more inflation-resistant property types like apartments, hotels and self-storage indexed higher, with about 14.4% of investors overall saying they’d buy more of those assets because of elevated inflation.

Cap rates are expected to rise as a result of rising interest rates as well, with 14% of investors surveyed saying they think cap rates will rise by 50 basis points or more over the next year. About 35% think they’ll go up by less than that, and 27% expect no change. And Chang says  since there’s still a lot of capital coming into CRE, yields and stability look compelling.

“Consider that the last 12 months ending in the second quarter of 2022 was by far the most active commercial real estate investment transaction year on record,” Chang says. “Even if activity steps back a bit over the next 12 months, it will still likely rank as the second most active year.”

Source: “Here’s What CRE Investors Are Thinking As Inflation Ticks Up“

Technology offers a platform for business leaders to reimagine their facilities management (FM) strategy, creating a workplace that improves employee productivity and enhances operational efficiency. There is an opportunity to advance the physical, mental and social wellbeing of building occupants, and to ultimately drive down lifecycle costs.

Progressive business leaders now see their spaces as living, breathing assets of the company that require continuous monitoring and assessment in order to address needs as they evolve. Hybrid models are quickly becoming the norm, compelling employers across all industries to think about how the post-pandemic workplace should operate and how technology can inform that vision. The EY Future Workplace Index¹ found:

• 84% of respondents are adjusting their future plans for office space and real estate use.
• 48% are redesigning offices with a heightened focus on collaboration and networking.
• 42% are assessing new technology associated with employee health and safety.

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives are additional key considerations to the new FM puzzle as businesses strive to promote health and wellness while also reducing their carbon footprints. Strong FM leadership can help a company make sense of all these variables and develop a cohesive, customized strategy to maintain an environment that supports ESG and the needs of those working in the space.

Technology drives building performance

Today’s FM strategy is interwoven into the way a company and its workspace function. Real-time communication through building technologies, occupants and the cloud enable a company to harness data and use that knowledge to continuously monitor and improve the occupancy experience. Rather than relying on disparate information sources and stand-alone technologies, a focused FM strategy creates a platform to build predictive analytics and modeling tools that support a more consistent work environment for employees. If one side of the building gets more sun in the morning, the company can program the blinds to be closed during that time. Automated tools can be set up to monitor climate, lighting, maintenance and cleaning schedules, and other routine needs. But that’s just scratching the surface of how a tech-driven FM strategy can drive performance, as well as boost employee attraction and retention.

Technology process automations meet new requirements of operational excellence across four key areas:

• Safety – How do you ensure an optimal and safe environment (physical and virtual) for your customers and workforce?
• Security – How do you safeguard your assets – facilities, employees and customers?
• Maintenance and inspections – How do operational procedures provide assurance of strict compliance with standards?
• Business continuity – How can organizations maintain resilience and plan for quick response to an interruption?

In these uncertain times, a consistent and reliable work experience is as important as ever. Technology improves the transparency of a building’s performance and, when necessary, allows for agile pivots. It uses both current and historical data to inform decision-making and creates value through integrations. FM strategy can be continuously adjusted to meet needs as they arise, ensuring that the focus of occupants is always on the task at hand, and not concern about the environment in which they are working. Real estate becomes an extension of a company’s brand. It’s not just bricks and mortar, but an integral component of the organization. Through smart technologies, buildings are structured to reduce energy waste, protect the environment and contribute to health and wellness. And when they are integrated into a company’s FM strategy, they support employee attraction and retention, and lead to a better environment for everyone who enters the space.

FM talent is sorely needed

One of the looming challenges to FM is finding qualified professionals with the right experience who can identify and leverage the right technology tools for their clients. FM in particular has been challenged by the steady decline in trade skills being taught in schools. The good news is that skilled trade education is poised to make a comeback as more students question the value of investing in traditional four-year colleges and consider the shortages in the labor market. But for now, the current FM talent landscape is aging out and the available technical expertise and knowledge is falling short of what the market needs. Clients are looking for technical skills, combined with analytical capabilities, to provide real-time solutions that can address and support their on-demand operating requirements.

The new era scope of FM stretches beyond “keeping the lights on” and the “set it and forget it” operating approach to managing facilities. The ideal FM professional brings a strategic, long-term, value-add mindset to their work. They utilize analytics, engage in dialogue with people at all levels of the organization to better understand organizational culture, and craft recommendations that meet the immediate and long-term objectives of the organization and its stakeholders. One FM approach that can take time to bear fruit is to groom leaders in your organization who have the acumen to manage. Provide them with opportunities for continuous education, both in how a building functions and the ability to think and act strategically. If that’s not a road you want to pursue, outsourcing is a viable option. The ultimate key is finding those you can make connections with to increase the value of your space to the organizational objectives — and the benefits it can provide to boost productivity with your workforce.

Source: “How Technology Automates And Empowers Facilities Management Strategy“