Department store chain David Jones collapsed into administration, raising the prospect of store closures that would hit landlords. Charter Hall Long WALE owns a 50% stake in the David Jones flagship store in Sydney's central business district.
Charter Hall Long WALE’s income is relatively predictable for the next decade, secured by long-term tenancy agreements. Half the leases have inflation-linked rental uplifts baked in.
Bears
Long WALE assets lack flexibility. Charter Hall Long WALE’s rents may lag prevailing market rates, causing the portfolio to underperform.
Charter Hall Long WALE REIT is a listed investment vehicle established and managed by Charter Hall Group. The REIT pays management fees to the parent group. There are over 500 properties on balance sheet and in joint ventures, spanning retail, industrial, office, data centers and social infrastructure. The portfolio typically has near full occupancy and long weighted average lease expiry, or WALE, of around 10 years. About half the leases are subject to annual inflation-linked rental uplifts, and half to fixed annual increases (typically 3%). One third of the REIT’s income is rents collected from the properties held on its own balance sheet and the rest is co-investment earnings from a dozen joint ventures.