ACQUISITION OF A 22,500M² LAND PLOT ADJACENT TO PROMENADA IN WARSAW
€33.3 MILLION SALE OF NON CORE ASSETS IN TURKEY AND RUSSIA
Jersey, 2 February 2011. Atrium European Real Estate Limited (“Atrium” or the "Company")
(VSE/ Euronext: ATRS), one of the leading real estate companies focused on shopping centre
investment, management and development in Central and Eastern Europe, announces further
progress in the implementation of its strategy to rationalise its pipeline of developments and
improve its portfolio with the €10.7 million acquisition of a 22,500 sqm land plot next to its recently
acquired Promenada Shopping Centre (“Promenada”) in Warsaw and the sale of a land plot in
Samsun, Turkey, and of 422 apartments in Ufa, Russia, for a total consideration of approximately
€33.3 million.
WARSAW - PROMENADA
Atrium has agreed to acquire the public ground lease (Perpetual Usufruct until 2089) of a land
plot adjacent to its Promenada shopping centre in Warsaw, Poland from Pirelli Pekao Real Estate
for €10.7 million (Polish złoty 41.5 million). Atrium had already planned to increase Promenada’s
retail offering by building on the current site and the acquisition of this 22,500m² plot provides
Atrium with the potential to further extend those plans in order to create additional value. The
transaction is subject to a number of conditions precedents, including the closing of the
acquisition of Promenada, as announced in December 2010, which is expected in Q2 2011.
Promenada has a total gross lettable area (“GLA”) of 53,840m², comprising 41,778m² of retail
over three floors with 12,062m² of offices. When Atrium announced the acquisition of
Promenada, it stated that it had already identified a number of value enhancing initiatives
including progressing the retail development potential of the asset. This transaction represents a
significant step forward in that strategy.
Atrium has signed an agreement to sell its wholly owned subsidiary company which owns a land
plot in the city of Samsun on the Black Sea Coast in Turkey, to Renaissance Development, one
of the main retail developers in Turkey for $25 million (€18.3 million). The transaction is expected
to complete in the second half of 2011.
The sale price approximates Atrium’s book value for the asset and was implemented as the
Samsun project no longer fits with Atrium's development strategy for Eastern Turkey.
UFA
Atrium has also completed the sale of 422 residential apartments (21,820m²) in Ufa, Russia, to
the municipality of Ufa for a total consideration of approximately €15.0 million (Rub 606.5 million).
The construction of the apartments was completed in 2009 as part of the Company’s 2005
agreement with the municipality of Ufa. In return for the construction of new residential
apartments for the citizens living on the plot at the time, Atrium was to obtain a lease agreement
to a land plot, on which it had planned to develop a shopping centre.
The sale, which is financially neutral to the Company, allows Atrium to divest this non-core and
non-income producing asset.
Commenting on the transactions, Rachel Lavine, Chief Executive Officer of Atrium, said:
“When we acquired Promenada in December last year we were clear that this was a great quality
asset which not only complemented our other Warsaw centres, Reduta and Targowek, but had
the potential for value enhancement through asset management and development. To have
acquired the land plot adjacent to Promenada so soon after agreeing to buy the centre itself is
real evidence of our ability to identify opportunities and then react quickly to realise them. I am
now looking forward to continuing this momentum as we enter the next stage of Atrium’s growth.
"In addition, the sale of the two assets in Russia and Turkey allows Atrium to divest itself of two
legacy assets which do not fit with Atrium's current investment and development strategy. Their
sale is neutral to the Company, it further rationalises Atrium’s pipeline and allows us to focus our
resources on those sites and developments that we believe have significant potential and better
complement our existing portfolio.”
http://www.aere.com/Files/News/11%20...0-%20FINAL.pdf