Brookfield to buy Tritax EuroBox for $1.44 bln, sparking potential takeover battle
Tritax EuroBox to withdraw support for Segro offer
Brookfield's offer values Tritax at 69 pence apiece
Tritax EuroBox shares rise 2.2% after Brookfield bid
Adds Segro's response in paragraph 4, updates share moves in paragraph 5
By Shanima A and Tommy Reggiori Wilkes
Oct 10 (Reuters) -Canada's Brookfield Asset Management BAM.TO will buy European logistics real estate firm Tritax EuroBox EBOX.L, the companies said on Thursday, the latest sign of booming investor interest in warehouses and distribution centres.
The deal, for 1.1 billion pounds ($1.44 billion) including debt, could kick off a bidding war for Tritax EuroBox, which backed last month an all-share takeover deal by British warehouse owner Segro SGRO.L.
Tritax said on Thursday it planned to withdraw its backing for the Segro offer and support the Brookfield bid instead.
Segro said its all-stock offer would enable Tritax EuroBox shareholders to retain exposure to the European industrial and logistics sector, or later cash in on their holdings given the "significant liquidity" in the FTSE 100 company's shares.
Shares of Tritax EuroBox were last up 2% at 70.5 pence while Segro stock gave up earlier gains and was down 0.3%.
British-listed commercial real estate companies have witnessed a flurry of deals this year including the $1.2 billion purchase of UK Commercial Property by Tritax Big Box BBOXT.L, the UK-focused publicly traded fund of the Tritax group, and LondonMetric LMPL.L's deal for LXI.
European logistics, including warehouses, have been a bright spot in a struggling commercial real estate market, as the boom in e-commerce creates demand for more space. Private equity giant Blackstone BX.N last month agreed to buy an 80% stake in a European warehouse portfolio run by landlord Burstone BTNJ.J.
STRATEGIC OPTIONS
The cash deal for Tritax Eurobox with Brookfield's real estate private funds values each Tritax EuroBox share at 69 pence, while Segro's all-share offer had valued it at about 68.4 pence apiece.
"A cash offer from Brookfield would provide increased certainty for Tritax EuroBox shareholders as compared to continued market risk between now and completion for the SEGRO offer," Tritax EuroBox's board said in a statement.
Tritax EuroBox, whose shares had been struggling over the past three years, losing nearly half of their value from an all time high reached in 2021, had explored strategic options in April, including a managed wind down and a significant share buyback funded by asset sales.
Tritax's properties span seven countries in mainland Europe, focusing on logistics and distribution supply chains, serving clients in the manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, retail, and e-commerce sectors.
Brookfield, one of the world's largest owners and operators of real estate, intends to actively manage the Tritax EuroBox portfolio within its broader European logistics platform, it said.
($1 = 0.7653 pounds)
Reporting by Yadarisa Shabong and Shanima A in Bengaluru and Tommy Reggiori Wilkes in London; Editing by Janane Venkatraman, Mrigank Dhaniwala, Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Sharon Singleton
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
