Singapore-listed lodging trust CapitaLand Ascott Trust (CLAS) has divested four mature serviced residences in regional France for €44.4 million (S$64.7 million).
The four properties are Citadines Croisette Cannes, Citadines Prado Chanot Marseille, Citadines Castellane Marseille and Citadines City Centre Lille.
The four properties were divested at 63% above book value[ and net proceeds of the divestment is approximately €34.1 million (S$49.7 million). The exit yield is about 4% and CLAS received a net gain of approximately €1.2 million (S$1.8 million).
Post-divestment, CLAS has 12 properties in France. The properties are predominantly located in Paris, including La Clef Tour Eiffel Paris and Citadines Les Halles Paris that are undergoing asset enhance initiatives (AEI) to uplift their value and profitability.
AEI works include refurbishment of guest rooms and general public areas and both properties will remain open, receiving rent throughout the AEI.
Serena Teo, Chief Executive Officer of CapitaLand Ascott Trust Management Limited and CapitaLand Ascott Business Trust Management Pte. Ltd. (the Managers of CLAS), said: “We have divested the four mature properties as part of our active portfolio reconstitution strategy to deliver sustainable returns to our Stapled Securityholders. As these properties have reached the optimal stage of their life cycles, the divestment enables CLAS to redeploy the proceeds to higher-yielding assets. Proceeds from the divestment will be used for our AEI in Europe. It will also be used to partially finance CLAS’ recent proposed acquisition of three prime lodging assets in the capital cities of London, Dublin and Jakarta.”
“Over the past three years, we have successfully divested properties at a premium to book value and invested the proceeds in higher-yielding assets, increasing our total distribution. With the recent proposed acquisition, we expect to further increase our total distribution by S$13.5 million and our Distribution per Stapled Security (DPS) by 1.8% on a FY 2022 pro forma basis[1] upon completion of the acquisition. The EBITDA yield of the proposed acquisition is 6.2%[2] on a FY 2022 pro forma basis, more than 2% higher than the exit yield from the divestment of the four properties in regional France. Post-renovation for The Cavendish London and Temple Bar Hotel as well as Milestone Payments for the acquisition, we expect to achieve an increased yield of 6.8%,” added Teo.
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