The R2.8bn (€193m) off-market transaction increases Vukile’s diversification, boosts its international exposure to 21% of total property assets, and grows its Spanish portfolio to 11 properties.
Vukile said the transaction gave it “immediate scale in Spain”. Vukile now offers the most focused exposure to Spanish property available in the South African Reit market.
The acquisition represents a 6.2% pre-geared property yield and, Vukile said, reaffirms its expectation of a 7%-8% increase in dividends in the current financial year, ending March 31 2018.
Vukile CEO Laurence Rapp said the deal gave traction to Vukile’s holistic investment strategy in the developed markets of western Europe.
It set Vukile apart from other South African Reits, many of which had focused their international expansion on eastern Europe.
“With this acquisition, Vukile has secured a significant growth platform in one of the most compelling investment stories in the eurozone today,” he said.
“We are very happy with the fundamentals of the deal and the investment value it signifies for Vukile. It creates a solid, significant base for accretive acquisitions in the region.”
This article originally appeared in BusinessDay.
