Elite Commercial REIT Management Pte. Ltd – the manager of the Singapore real estate investment trust, Elite Commercial REIT (Elite REIT) – that was established with the investment strategy of principally investing, directly or indirectly, in commercial real-estate related assets in the UK, is expanding its investment strategy to include Build to Rent properties.
The expanded investment strategy would enable Elite REIT to capitalise on emerging market trends and sectors showing strong growth potential, such as the Living Sector, which includes Build to Rent assets.
The strategic location of Elite REIT’s assets which are highly accessible to key transportation nodes and amenities is complementary to the Build to Rent asset class.
The move will see Elite REIT reposition some if its properties to support the expansion, with the diversification further enhancing the resilience of the portfolio. High-potential, high-yield assets within its current portfolio have already been identified for strategic asset repositioning.
The geography boundary in terms of operations within the UK provides investors a UK pure-play investment mandate and exposure, increasing institutional investor appeal.
“While market uncertainty persists, we have reinforced our capital structure with new credit facilities and have started putting our asset repositioning strategies into action.
“Unlocking value for Unitholders remains a key priority. This entails further strengthening of our balance sheet and exploring ways to unlock the intrinsic value of our portfolio.
“With our expanded investment mandate to include the defensive Living Sector, we have identified several potential opportunities in our portfolio. The UK student housing market and Build to Rent segments are currently facing a supply-demand imbalance, which presents an opportunity for our assets to be repositioned to fill this gap. We remain focused on bolstering our foundation for future growth.”
Mr. Joshua Liaw, Chief Executive Officer, Elite Commercial REIT Management
Elite REIT is the only UK REIT listed in Pound sterling on the Singapore Exchange.