The administrator of Edge Early Learning entered into a conditional agreement with Goodstart, a nonprofit childcare operator, to sell 31 Edge-operated childcare businesses. Arena REIT leases 27 sites to Edge, and 20 of them are included in the proposed deal. Arena's shares have risen 18% since.
The Australian government projects a small improvement in the fertility rate by 2035 due to a period of delayed family formation. This, combined with government incentives and a higher takeup rate of childcare services, could drive childcare demand.
Bears
The hurdles of building new childcare centers are relatively low. In the past decade, a slew of new supply was added to the market.
Arena REIT is an internally managed Australian property trust. The REIT specializes in leasing social infrastructure properties, with close to 300 childcare centers and about a dozen healthcare facilities in its portfolio. Typically, tenants enter into long-term leases with inflation-linked or fixed rental escalations every year. All leases are “triple net,” meaning tenants pay for all statutory and operating outgoings and costs, such as land tax, insurance, electricity, and maintenance. The tenant profile is concentrated—almost three quarters of rents are generated from the top five tenants. Arena actively grows its property book through acquisitions and developments, and historically added on average 10 sites, net of divestments, per year.