Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust Reports Results for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2025


Toronto, Ontario April 23, 2025 (BUSINESS WIRE) – Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust (“Choice Properties” or the “Trust”) (TSX: CHP.UN) today announced its consolidated financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2025. The 2025 First Quarter Report to Unitholders is available in the Investors section of the Trust’s website at www.choicereit.ca, and has been filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

“Choice Properties delivered a solid first quarter of 2025. Occupancy remained high, and same-asset NOI growth and leasing spreads continued to be strong,” said Rael Diamond, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Trust. “Supported by a resilient tenant base and our industry leading balance sheet, we continue to pursue growth opportunities, including the acquisition of $340 million of investment properties subsequent to quarter end.”

2025 First Quarter Highlights

  • Reported a net loss for the quarter of $96.2 million compared to net income of $142.3 million in the same prior year period. The loss in the current quarter is primarily due to an unfavourable fair value adjustment in the Trust’s Exchangeable Units(1).
  • Reported FFO(2) per unit diluted of $0.264, an increase of 1.9% compared to the same prior year period.
  • Period end occupancy was 97.7%: Retail at 97.8%, Industrial at 97.7%, and Mixed-Use & Residential at 94.9%.
  • Achieved leasing spreads(3) on long-term renewals of 10.3% and 16.6% in the Retail and Industrial portfolios, respectively.
  • Same-Asset NOI on a cash basis(2) increased by 2.9% compared to the same prior year period.
    ◦ Retail increased by 1.5%;
    ◦ Industrial increased by 6.1%; and
    ◦ Mixed-Use & Residential increased by 15.3% primarily due to a property tax incentive recognized in the current quarter.
  • Completed $95.2 million of transactions in the quarter, including the acquisition of one retail property, as well as the opportunistic disposition of three retail properties and a 50% interest in a retail land parcel.
  • Transferred $13.4 million of properties under development to income producing status, delivering approximately 97,600 square feet of new commercial GLA (including 72,600 square feet associated with a ground lease) on a proportionate share basis(2) through retail intensifications.
  • Invested $44.1 million of capital in development projects on a proportionate share basis(2).
  • Completed $436.0 million in financings:
    ◦ $300.0 million Series V senior unsecured debenture.
    ◦ $136.0 million at share mortgage secured by the Loblaw distribution centre at Choice Caledon Business Park.
  • Maintained a strong liquidity position with approximately $1.5 billion of available credit and a $13.1 billion pool of unencumbered properties.
  • Increased the distribution by 1.3% per annum, our third consecutive annual distribution increase.

Subsequent Events

Subsequent to the quarter, the Trust:

  • Completed $340.3 million in acquisitions:
    ◦ Acquired an industrial distribution centre in Ajax, ON from Loblaw, which was concurrently leased back to Loblaw.
    ◦ Acquired eight industrial outdoor storage sites located across Canada from a third party.

Issuance of ESG Report

On April 23, 2025, the Trust issued its 2024 Environmental, Social and Governance Report, available on the Trust’s website at www.choicereit.ca/sustainability.

(1) Exchangeable Units are required to be classified as financial liabilities at fair value through profit and loss under GAAP. They are recorded at their fair value based on the market trading price of the Trust Units, which results in a negative impact to the financial results when the Trust Unit price rises and a positive impact when the Trust Unit price declines.
(2) Refer to Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Additional Financial Information section.
(3) Long-term renewal spread is calculated as the difference between the average rate during the renewal term and the expiring rental rate.

Summary of GAAP Basis Financial Results



(i) Exchangeable Units are required to be classified as financial liabilities at fair value through profit and loss under GAAP. They are recorded at their fair value based on the market trading price of the Trust Units, which results in a negative impact to the financial results when the Trust Unit price rises and a positive impact when the Trust Unit price declines.
(ii) Fair value gains (losses) excluding Exchangeable Units includes adjustments to fair value of investment properties, investment in real estate securities, and unit-based compensation.
(iii) Includes Trust Units and Exchangeable Units.

Quarterly Results

Choice Properties reported a net loss of $96.2 million for the first quarter of 2025 compared to net income of $142.3 million in the same prior year period. The decrease of $238.5 million was primarily due to changes in certain non-cash adjustments to fair value including:

  • a $304.8 million unfavourable change in the adjustment to fair value of the Trust’s Exchangeable Units due to the increase in the Trust’s unit price; partially offset by
  • a $31.3 million favourable change in the adjustment to fair value of investment properties; and
  • a $20.7 million favourable change in the adjustment to fair value of the investment in real estate securities of Allied, driven by the change in Allied’s unit price in the quarter.

Summary of Proportionate Share(2) Financial Results



(i) Refer to Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Additional Financial Information section.
(ii) Includes Trust Units and Exchangeable Units.

Quarterly Results

For the three months ended March 31, 2025, Same-Asset NOI, Cash Basis(2) increased by $7.2 million or 2.9%, compared to the same prior year period primarily due to increased revenue from higher rental rates on renewals, new leasing and contractual rent steps mainly in the industrial and retail portfolios. Further contributing to the increase was a property tax incentive recognized in the mixed-use and residential portfolio.

FFO(2) increased by $3.8 million or 1.9% for the three months ended March 31, 2025 compared to the prior year period primarily due to an increase in net operating income and higher fee income. The increase was partially offset by higher net interest expense, lower lease surrender revenue and income from the sale of residential inventory recognized in the prior year.

Outlook

We are focused on capital preservation, delivering stable and growing cash flows and net asset value appreciation. Our high-quality portfolio is primarily leased to necessity-based tenants and logistics providers, who are less sensitive to economic volatility and therefore provide stability to our overall portfolio. We will continue to advance our development program, with a focus on commercial developments, which provides us with the best opportunity to add high-quality real estate to our portfolio at a reasonable cost and drive net asset value appreciation over time.

We are confident that our business model, stable tenant base, strong balance sheet and disciplined approach to financial management will continue to benefit us. In 2025, Choice Properties is targeting:

  • Stable occupancy across the portfolio, resulting in approximately 2%-3% year-over-year growth in Same-Asset NOI, Cash Basis;
  • Annual FFO per unit diluted in a range of $1.05 to $1.06, reflecting approximately 2%-3% year-over-year growth; and
  • Strong leverage metrics, targeting Adjusted Debt to EBITDAFV below 7.5x.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Additional Financial Information

In addition to using performance measures determined in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS” or “GAAP”), Choice Properties also measures its performance using certain non-GAAP measures, and provides these measures in this news release so that investors may do the same. Such measures and related per-unit amounts are not defined by IFRS and therefore should not be construed as alternatives to net income or cash flows from operating activities determined in accordance with IFRS. Furthermore, the supplemental measures used by management may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other real estate investment trusts or enterprises. The non-GAAP measures included in this news release are defined and reconciled to the most comparable GAAP measure below. Choice Properties believes these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to both management and investors in measuring the financial performance and financial condition of the Trust for the reasons outlined below.



The following table reconciles net loss, as determined in accordance with GAAP, to net loss on a proportionate share basis(2) for the three months ended March 31, 2025:



The following table reconciles net income, as determined in accordance with GAAP, to net income on a proportionate share basis(2) for the three months ended March 31, 2024:



The following table reconciles net (loss) income, as determined in accordance with GAAP, to Net Operating Income, Cash Basis for the periods ended as indicated:



The following table reconciles Net Operating Income, Cash Basis to Same-Asset Net Operating Income, Cash Basis for the periods ended as indicated:



The following table reconciles net (loss) income, as determined in accordance with GAAP, to Funds from Operations for the periods ended as indicated:



(i) Includes Trust Units and Exchangeable Units.

The following table reconciles Funds from Operations to Adjusted Funds from Operations for the periods ended as indicated:



(i) AFFO payout ratio is calculated as cash distributions declared divided by AFFO.
(ii) Includes Trust Units and Exchangeable Units.

The following table reconciles Net Asset Value(2) as at the dates indicated below:



Management’s Discussion and Analysis and Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes

Information appearing in this news release is a select summary of results. This news release should be read in conjunction with the Choice Properties 2025 First Quarter Report to Unitholders, which includes the unaudited interim period condensed consolidated financial statements and MD&A for the Trust, and is available at www.choicereit.ca and on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Conference Call and Webcast

Management will host a conference call on Thursday, April 24, 2025 at 9:00 AM (EDT) with a simultaneous audio webcast. To access via teleconference, please dial +1 (240) 789-2714 or +1 (888) 330-2454 and enter the event passcode: 4788974. The link to the audio webcast will be available on www.choicereit.ca/investors.

About Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust

Choice Properties is a leading Real Estate Investment Trust that creates enduring value through places where people thrive.

We are more than a national owner, operator and developer of high-quality commercial and residential real estate. We believe in creating spaces that enhance how our tenants and communities come together to live, work, and connect. This includes our industry leadership in integrating environmental, social and economic sustainability practices into all aspects of our business. In everything we do, we are guided by a shared set of values grounded in Care, Ownership, Respect and Excellence. For more information, visit Choice Properties’ website at www.choicereit.ca and Choice Properties’ issuer profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to Choice Properties’ operations and the environment in which the Trust operates, which are based on management’s expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to control or predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. Readers, therefore, should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Further, a forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made. Management undertakes no obligation to publicly update any such statement, to reflect new information or the occurrence of future events or circumstances, except as required by law.

Numerous risks and uncertainties could cause the Trust’s actual results to differ materially from those expressed, implied or projected in the forward-looking statements, including those described in Section 12 “Enterprise Risks and Risk Management” of the Trust’s MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2024 and those described in the Trust’s Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2024.

Contact

For further information, please contact investor@choicereit.ca

Erin Johnston
Chief Financial Officer
e: Erin.Johnston@choicereit.ca