The robustness of the logistics component of the real estate market was demonstrated by updates from warehouse landlords Tritax Big Box REIT (BBOX) and Segro (SGRO) this morning.
Segro was down 0.4% to 911.2p and Tritax slipped 0.2% to 145p after both enjoyed decent runs in recent months.
Property investor Segro said it had offered breathing space to tenants for rent worth £9 million that was due in advance for the third quarter.
When those tenants were excluded, it had received 93% of £37 million rent due in advance for the third quarter of 2020.
The rent was related to the UK quarterly payment date of 24 June 2020 and the figure was taken as of Tuesday.
'We continue to work proactively and constructively to support customers impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic on a case by case basis,' Segro said.
'As a result, £9 million of rent ordinarily due on the UK quarterly payment date has been re-profiled, mostly to be paid in the second half of 2020.'
STRONG RENT COLLECTION
With regards to the second quarter, 98% of the £88 million rent due had been paid by across the company's UK and Continental European portfolio after adjusting for re-profiled rent agreed with customers of £13 million.
For its part, Tritax expects 97% of rent due for the third quarter in line with expectations outlined in an April 2020 trading update. The company said 96% of second quarter 2020 rent was paid within the respective quarter.
Of the 4% of second quarter 2020 rent not paid within the period, it expects 1% to be paid imminently and the remaining 3% to be collected over the course of 2020 and 2021.
Analysts at investment bank Jefferies commented: ‘Some tenants have moved to monthly rents for two months with no rent-free concessions or rent reductions to date, with the small level of uncollected rent expected to be deferred into 2021.
‘The resilience and strength of group cash flows will be augmented by the 2.3 million square foot Amazon pre-letting coup.’
On 15 June Tritax announced it had pre-let a 2.3 million square foot Littlebrook development to a ‘world leading online retailer’ - widely reported to be Amazon.
