RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust Q4 2025 Earnings Report

RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust EPS Results

• Actual EPS: C$0.43
• Consensus EPS: N/A
• Beat/Miss: N/A
• One Year Ago EPS: N/A

RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust Revenue Results

• Actual Revenue: $347.92 million
• Expected Revenue: N/A
• Beat/Miss: N/A
• YoY Revenue Growth: N/A

RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust Announcement Details

• Quarter: Q4 2025
• Date: 2/17/2026
• Time: After Market Closes
• Conference Call Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026
• Conference Call Time: 10:00AM ET

RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust (TSE:REI.UN) is a Canadian real estate investment trust which owns, develops, and operates Canada's portfolio of retail-focused, increasingly mixed-use properties. The REIT's property portfolio includes shopping centers and mixed-use developments, with most of its properties located in Ontario, Canada. Riocan's tenants consist of grocery stores, supermarkets, restaurants, cinemas, pharmacies, and corporates. By geography, the company operates in Canada, which generates the majority of total revenue, and in the United States.

RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript

Key Takeaways

• Positive Sentiment: RioCan reported strong operating momentum with Q4 Same-Property NOI up 4.5% (3.6% FY), retail committed occupancy at 98.5%, record blended leasing spreads of 21.1%, and a 93.1% tenant retention rate.
• Positive Sentiment: Management repatriated substantial capital (about CAD 788M total disposals reported), repurchased CAD 179M of units, improved net debt-to-EBITDA to 8.6x, and finished the year with CAD 1.5B of liquidity and a CAD 9.2B unencumbered asset pool.
• Positive Sentiment: RioCan introduced a Core FFO metric and guided 2026 Core FFO of CAD 1.60–1.62 and Same-Property NOI growth of 3.5%–4%, noting ~75% of expected 2026 Core FFO is contractually secured and 10.1M sq ft of leases will mature over the next three years (mark-to-market upside).
• Neutral Sentiment: The RioCan Living disposition program is progressing (CAD 628M closed toward a CAD 1.3–1.4B target; residual condo balance ~CAD 130M) and development intensity is set to decline in 2026, but execution and timing remain market-dependent.

Presentation

[Operator]

Good day, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust fourth quarter of 2025 conference call and webcast. As a reminder, this conference call is being recorded. I would like to turn the conference over to Ms. Jennifer Suess, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, ESG, and Corporate Secretary. Ms. Suess, you may begin.

[Jennifer Suess, SVP, General Counsel, ESG, and Corporate Secretary at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Thank you, and good morning, everyone. I am Jennifer Suess, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, ESG, and Corporate Secretary of RioCan. Before we begin, I am required to read the following cautionary statement. In talking about our financial and operating performance, and in responding to your questions, we may make forward-looking statements, including statements concerning RioCan's objectives, its strategies to achieve those objectives, as well as statements with respect to management's beliefs, plans, estimates, and intentions, and similar statements concerning anticipated future events, results, circumstances, performance, or expectations that are not historical facts. These statements are based on our current estimates and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the conclusions in these forward-looking statements.

[Jennifer Suess, SVP, General Counsel, ESG, and Corporate Secretary at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

In discussing our financial and operating performance and in responding to your questions, we will also be referencing certain financial measures that are not generally accepted accounting principles measures, GAAP under IFRS. These measures do not have any standardized definition prescribed by IFRS and are therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other reporting issuers. Non-GAAP measures should not be considered as alternatives to net earnings or comparable metrics determined in accordance with IFRS as indicators of RioCan's performance, liquidity, cash flows, and profitability. RioCan's management uses these measures to aid in assessing the trust's underlying core performance and provides these additional measures so that investors may do the same.

[Jennifer Suess, SVP, General Counsel, ESG, and Corporate Secretary at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Additional information on the material risks that could impact our actual results and the estimates and assumptions we applied in making these forward-looking statements, together with details on our use of non-GAAP financial measures, can be found in the financial statements filed yesterday and management's discussion and analysis related thereto, as applicable, together with RioCan's most recent annual information form, that are all available on our website and at www.sedarplus.com. I will now turn the call over to RioCan's President and CEO, Jonathan Gitlin.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Thank you, Jennifer, and good morning to everyone joining us today. We're pleased to report RioCan's fourth quarter and full year results. At our 2025 Investor Day, we were clear about our priorities: driving growth through our productive retail core and supporting that growth through disciplined strategic capital allocation. We're delivering on those commitments. In the fourth quarter, the strength of RioCan's portfolio and the effectiveness of our retail-focused strategy were once again demonstrated by 4.5% Same Property NOI growth. This was propelled by the continued outperformance of our core retail assets. We delivered on our capital allocation priorities, repatriating CAD 742 million of capital to strengthen the balance sheet and support NCIB activity.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Net debt to EBITDA was reduced to 8.6x, and we repurchased CAD 179 million of units through 2025 and year to date, 2026. Our NCIB activity reflects our conviction that the current unit price does not capture the value and earnings power of our business. We're investing in a portfolio with tremendous growth prospects. Our performance is underpinned by a proven future-focused platform. We continue to strengthen our operational and technological capabilities while maintaining top-tier employee engagement results, even as we further reduced G&A. RioCan's disciplined execution is complemented by strong ESG performance, including our number one ranking among North American retail peers in the 2025 GRESB Real Estate Assessment. Taken together, our results reflect the power of our productive retail core, the quality of our assets, and a platform that delivers consistent performance.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

In a market characterized by a shortage of well-located retail space, RioCan continues to deliver consistent and durable growth. RioCan's operating momentum remained strong through the fourth quarter. Retail committed occupancy ended the year at 98.5%. Leasing performance continued to be exceptional, with record full-year blended leasing spreads of 21.1%. Our 2025 retention ratio of 93.1% underscores the value tenants place on RioCan's locations and its operating capabilities. It also enables us to enhance income quality, improve portfolio resilience while minimizing capital outlay. Commercial Same Property NOI growth accelerated to 4.5% in the fourth quarter and totaled 3.6% for the full year, highlighting the consistency and resilience of our cash flows. These results are not coincidental.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

They are the direct outcome of a portfolio concentrated in Canada's largest and most desirable markets, anchored by necessity-based retailers and supported by structurally constrained new supply. We're seeing the benefits of what we believe is a leasing super cycle for our portfolio. This is a time when many long-term leases that were signed in the early 2000s are expiring. Shorter-term leases negotiated during the pandemic are also maturing. This gives us flexibility and discretion to shape our tenant base. We're retaining and resetting rents for high-quality tenants. We're equally deliberate in replacing those tenants that no longer align with our strategic objectives. Now, RioCan is an independent Canadian REIT. Our independence means we are accountable solely to our unitholders, with no parent company or sponsoring owner influencing our leasing or operational decisions.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

This independence, combined with strong retailer demand and the depth and expertise of our leasing team, puts us in the advantageous position of being highly selective. We can choose the right tenants on the right terms. Premium retail space in Canada's major markets is scarce, and in my opinion, given the high barriers to entry in the Canadian market, this will be an enduring condition. Retailers are focused on well-located centers with strong demographic attributes and compelling co-tenancies. This precisely describes the centers in RioCan's portfolio. In recent years, we introduced grocery to a significant number of assets. Today, 86% of our sites include a grocery component. This anchors daily traffic and supports consistent performance through all market cycles. Beyond grocery, we're deliberately curating the ideal tenant mix for the communities that we serve. We know these communities well, and we understand the daily needs of their residents.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

As a result, the vast majority of our portfolio is aligned with necessity-based daily uses, including retailers such as Loblaws, Metro, Sobeys, Shoppers Drug Mart, and Dollarama. These are the retailers that fulfill essential, everyday shopping needs and drive reliable repeat visits. These attributes create daily use destinations that generate consistent traffic, strong sales productivity, and resilient income through all market cycles. Our tenants are not simply maintaining their footprints; they're actively investing and expanding. This sustained demand continues to validate the long-term strength of our retail platform. Our leasing strategy continues to unlock meaningful mark-to-market opportunities throughout our portfolio. In 2025, we completed leases for 5 million sq ft. The average net rent for new leases was about CAD 29.65 per sq ft, which is approximately 28% higher than our overall average rent. This highlights the mark-to-market growth potential embedded in RioCan's portfolio.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

This result isn't a one-off. Rents on new leases since 2022 were, on average, about 27% above those of existing leases. We expect this trend to continue for at least the next three years. During this period, we have 10.1 million sq ft of leases maturing, hence my reference to a leasing super cycle. Combined with contractual rent steps and disciplined capital deployment, there is a clear and sustainable runway for continued Core FFO growth. As we move into 2026, our business is simpler, focused, and exceptionally well-positioned to capitalize on favorable retail fundamentals and the significant embedded mark-to-market opportunity within our portfolio. Our leasing momentum, together with long-term contractual rent steps and disciplined capital deployment into the high-return retail opportunities, flows directly into the durability and predictability captured in our Core FFO.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Core FFO provides a clear measure of the durable earnings power of our retail platform. It represents an important evolution in how we reflect the performance of our business. Core FFO captures the recurring earnings generated through leasing execution and disciplined capital deployment while removing items that are not representative of the underlying operating strength of the portfolio. Because it is driven primarily by occupied space, contractual rents, and the intentional allocation of capital to high-return uses, Core FFO provides a clear line of sight into the stability and predictability of our income. As we look ahead to 2026, we're guiding to Same-Property NOI growth of 3.5%-4% and Core FFO of CAD 1.60-CAD 1.62 per unit. This Core FFO guidance is in line with the three-year outlook we provided at Investor Day.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

In many ways, Core FFO best captures what differentiates RioCan today: a high-quality, necessity-based retail portfolio operating in supply-constrained markets, where leasing momentum and disciplined capital allocation work together to provide consistent, repeatable results and high risk-adjusted returns. Our outlook reflects confidence in our ability to deliver resilient income, sustainable distributions, and long-term value creation. This quarter's performance is not an outlier. It is another clear validation of the strength of our portfolio and our strategy.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

In closing, RioCan enters 2026 with considerable momentum, an exceptional portfolio, and a disciplined strategy that consistently generates results. We're in the midst of a multi-year value creation phase, underpinned by visible and sustained growth that we believe is not fully reflected in RioCan's current unit price valuation. Our team remains highly focused, our capital is positioned to drive ongoing growth, and our portfolio is well aligned with the evolving needs of retailers and communities. Thank you for your continued trust and support, and I will hand the call over to Dennis Blasutti and then look forward to your questions.

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Thank you, Jonathan, and good morning to everyone on the call. I'll start with some additional detail on our 2025 results, and then I'll walk through our 2026 outlook. Starting with FFO, we delivered CAD 1.87 per unit in 2025, near the high end of our guidance range. This performance was underpinned by same-property NOI growth of 3.6%, slightly ahead of guidance, reflecting continued strength in our retail-focused strategy. Record operating KPIs, such as 21.1% blended leasing spreads, were key drivers. This strong organic growth excludes one-time items, such as lease termination fees, and highlights the strength of our team and portfolio. Core FFO for the year was CAD 1.55 per unit, in line with our Investor Day projections. We view Core FFO as a durable earnings base that we will grow from, compounding value as our income grows.

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

We have reached the natural conclusion of our development cycle. With several key projects now complete, the capital intensity of our business is moderating. Total development spend in 2025 came in at CAD 254 million, and we expect this to significantly decline next year, which I will touch on later. During the year, we delivered 366,000 sq ft of completed developments from PUD to IPP. This included 102,000 sq ft of retail. These deliveries included finalization of The Well, Clarkson Crossings, new Winners and HomeSense, and Mega Centre Notre Dame's Dollarama and Service Canada, as well as residential projects such as Fourth Street Lofts and Queen & Ashbridge. We also made strong progress on capital recycling.

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

We sold CAD 406.6 million of RioCan Living assets and closed CAD 221.7 million of condos, for a total of CAD 628.3 million. Subsequent to year-end, we also went firm on the disposition of our Underwood residential building in Calgary for CAD 46.5 million. Taken together, we are halfway towards our CAD 1.3 billion-CAD 1.4 billion target, with a number of other assets in negotiations. Through successful condo closings, we have reduced our residual condo balance to CAD 130 million, which is immaterial in the context of RioCan's balance sheet. In addition, we sold CAD 113.4 million of non-core and lower-growth commercial assets, bringing the total capital repatriation to CAD 788.2 million.

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Through this disciplined capital recycling program, we continue to improve our portfolio quality while funding growth and improving our balance sheet. We allocated much of this capital to debt reduction and unit repurchases. As a result, net debt to EBITDA improved 8.6x, a half-turn improvement from the 9.1 times at the end of last year and well within our target range. Our balance sheet is in a strong position, supported by a suite of improved credit metrics. We ended the year with CAD 1.5 billion of liquidity. Our ratio of unsecured debt to total debt improved to 63% from 56% last year, which, as a result, increased our unencumbered asset pool by CAD 1 billion to CAD 9.2 billion.

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

We continue to view unit repurchases as an attractive use of capital, particularly when our units trade at a significant discount to our historical norms. At current prices, our units imply a forward multiple of approximately 12x, using 2026 Core FFO, representing a 20% discount to our long-term historical average of 15x. Our IFRS NAV, which is valued bottom-up, also implies a multiple of 15x, consistent with our long-term average. Given the improvements we've made to our business and our positive outlook, we believe this dislocation in our valuation presents a highly attractive entry point for investors. Since the beginning of 2025, we have allocated CAD 179 million to unit repurchases, and since 2022, we have repurchased 19 million units or 6% of the company, reinforcing our focus on long-term value creation for unitholders.

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Subsequent to year-end, we closed on the previously announced acquisitions from the HBC JV. All backfill tenants at Georgian Mall and Oakville Place are now signed. Total capital for these build-outs is less than previous projections at approximately CAD 20 million or CAD 100 per sq ft, with a stabilized NOI yield of 20% on costs, with annual growth in the leases thereafter. Turning now to our forward-looking targets. Our 2026 guidance is aligned with the framework that we outlined at our Investor Day, striking the appropriate balance of opportunity and risk. We expectCore FFO per unit of CAD 1.60-CAD 1.62, representing a growth rate consistent with our Investor Day projections. This is supported by same-property NOI growth of 3.5%-4%.

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

We have strong visibility into this target, given that approximately 75% is contractually secured through rent steps and ramp-up of previously signed leases. With the strong operating backdrop, we expect to steadily grow this high-quality earning stream. We also continue to see opportunities to invest within our existing portfolio. In 2026, we expect to invest CAD 95 million-CAD 150 million into retail-focused projects, including Yonge Eglinton Centre Improvement Plan, the new Costco at Burloak, Georgian Mall, and Oakville Place backfills, including the addition of grocery to both those centers, Westgate Shopping Centre de-malling, in addition of a grocery store, and additional infill pad density at Windfields Farm. Consistent with our Investor Day framework, we apply a 9% unlevered IRR hurdle rate for these types of projects.

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

For the projects included in our 2026 plan, we expect to outperform this target with a going-in yield averaging 8%-9%, plus future growth averaging approximately 3%. We expect mixed-use development expenditures of CAD 45 million-CAD 55 million in 2026, a significant decline from prior years. 2026 spending represents a small amount of cost to complete and pipeline advancement costs. Maintenance CapEx is expected to return to normalized levels of approximately CAD 55 million, a decrease of CAD 16 million from 2025. Note that we report our AFFO using a normalized CapEx, so this decrease in spend will not impact our reported AFFO growth rate, which will approximate our FFO growth rate. However, for any of you who use actual CapEx when calculating AFFO results, this lower spend will lead to a higher year-on-year growth rate in this metric.

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

We are reaffirming our target range for net debt to EBITDA of 8x-9x, a range that, when taken together with our suite of balance sheet metrics, results in low financial risk. We continue to manage financial risk by growing our unencumbered asset pool, with our percentage of unsecured debt to total debt expected to be in the high 60s by the end of 2026 as we progress toward our 70% target. We also remain focused on maintaining a well-balanced debt ladder and ensuring that we have strong liquidity. Lastly, we continue to advance our RioCan Living disposition program.

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

While execution and timing remain market dependent, the quality of this portfolio gives us confidence to achieve our CAD 1.3 billion-CAD 1.4 billion target. In closing, we have a highly productive retail portfolio that is positioned to deliver resilient, durable cash flows. We have the capital to grow and a strong balance sheet that de-risks our growth trajectory. As we execute our plan over time, we believe the value of our business will be appropriately reflected in our unit price. With that, I'll turn the call back over to the operator for questions.

[Operator]

Of course. We will now begin the question and answer session. If you would like to ask a question, please press star followed by one on your telephone keypad. If for any reason you'd like to remove that question, please press star followed by two. Again, to ask a question, press star one. As a reminder, if you are using a speakerphone, please remember to pick up your handset before asking a question. We'll pause here briefly as questions are registered. Our first question comes from the line of Sam Damiani with TD Securities. Sam, your line is now open.

[Sam Damiani, Equity Research Analyst at TD Securities]

Thank you. Good morning, everyone. Just want to say it's great to see the results, you know, coming in with expectations and, the predictability of the new Core FFO metric. So it's, just makes following the company much, much easier. Thank you very much. I guess first off, just on the guidance for Core FFO, it's a very tight range of CAD 1.60-CAD 1.62. I'm just wondering, is there any reason why you didn't start with a wider range?

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Sure. Thanks, Sam, and thanks for your earlier comment. The reason is because Core FFO is quite predictable. It's quite hard to come by additional Core FFO, and it's quite hard, we hope, to lose Core FFO, given that it's rooted in a lot of very predictable operational outcomes. So we felt that it was prudent and also more accurate, and in giving that tighter guidance range. We felt this would help shape a lot of analyst views as well as investor views, and we have quite a bit of confidence in that tighter range. So that's the backdrop.

[Sam Damiani, Equity Research Analyst at TD Securities]

Appreciate that. And, and just, I guess, going back to Q4, the Core FFO print, you know, came in sort of right at sort of the outlook, the guidance. But, but I think the guidance was technically for at a minimum of CAD 1.55 for 2025. Is there any reason why the results didn't, didn't exceed the minimum of that, of that guidance for 2025?

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

I think that ultimately the guidance was in line with what we'd suggested at Investor Day. It might have been on the lower end of the guidance, but I think it was just a matter of timing on certain, you know, certain income that we had coming in. I don't think there's any technical reason, Sam, that I can give you at this point. Dennis, I don't know if there's anything you can offer.

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

No, I wouldn't expand much on that. I think there's just be maybe a bit of timing items on, you know, whether it's costs or other things as well. So it's just a few little small things like that. Just, you know, it was never expected to be that much different than CAD 1.55 anyway, so we're just, I think, pleased that it came in as expected.

[Sam Damiani, Equity Research Analyst at TD Securities]

Yeah, for sure, and it was a small amount regardless. So thank you very much. Last one for me, just on and you did address this, Dennis, in your comments, but any more specific commentary you can offer in terms of the quantity and cadence of RioCan Living dispositions in 2026, you know, beyond the Underwood, of course?

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

We're feeling good about it, Sam. There's a high quality of assets and therefore a high degree of interest in those assets. The market will do what the market will do, but we've had a lot of preliminary, actually, I'd say advanced discussions on a number of the existing RioCan Living assets, and so we feel quite confident that there's gonna be a nice consistent cadence throughout the course of the year. And, you know, as Dennis suggested in his remarks earlier, we feel confident that the ultimate target of approximately CAD 1.3 billion is very much achievable. Whether that falls on either side of 2026 or early 2027, again, like I said, some of it is market dependent. But, as a whole, we feel quite confident that we'll achieve that number.

[Sam Damiani, Equity Research Analyst at TD Securities]

That's great. Thank you, and I'll turn it back.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Thanks, Sam.

[Operator]

Thank you for your questions. Our next question comes from the line of Lorne Kalmar with Desjardins. Your line is now open.

[Lorne Kalmar, Managing Director and Real Estate Analyst at Desjardins Capital Markets]

Thanks. Good morning. Maybe just sticking with the disposition side, but switching over to the commercial side, because you guys have done this, done some good work there. Wondering if you can give us an idea of, of the quantum of non-core commercial dispositions you expect to do in 2026.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

We, we haven't put out guidance in that regard. We are, you know, obviously always in. We're getting a lot of inbounds, Lorne, for what has become a highly sought-after product type in, necessity-based open-air shopping centers. And, really, we've, we've also pruned our portfolio such that we don't have a lot of non-core retail assets. That being said, if there are certain low-growth, assets, then we would, we would consider entering into either joint ventures or selling them, on a, on a wholesale basis. But we did not provide any specific guidance along, along the lines of how much we would dispose of any commercial assets.

[Lorne Kalmar, Managing Director and Real Estate Analyst at Desjardins Capital Markets]

Okay, fair enough. And then I guess with, you know, with all this repatriation of capital, the few levers to pull here, obviously, debt is a priority. But beyond that, you know, you've been active on the NCIB. Just wondering how you make the capital allocation decision, whether to go on the NCIB or acquisitions or prioritize debt.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Well, the first priority is keeping the balance sheet in good shape, Lorne. As we suggested at our Investor Day in November, it's critical for us to have between 8x and 9x net debt to EBITDA, along with a whole suite of other debt metrics, including liquidity, including debt service coverage ratios, including unencumbered asset pool. All of those things we feel are in good shape. Because of that, it permitted us to take some of our additional capital and put it towards NCIB, which at this point is such a logical use of capital. It's really a way of giving back to our shareholders. I really do feel that we are, and obviously, it's a biased view, but I do believe that RioCan's units are undervalued relative to the future performance prospective we have.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Therefore, we thought that buying back units in that type of pricing, in that type of pricing range was a very prudent use of capital and in line with what we had suggested at our Investor Day. So that was really the decision-making process. There are other uses of capital that Dennis had alluded to in his remarks, such as putting money towards our property, building out pads and strips, and also just, you know, reshuffling tenancies in certain, in certain properties, like at Burloak, where we've, we're in the process of erecting a Costco. And I think those will also be part of the decision-making process. But in this type of market, it is definitely, NCIB stands out as a very clear-cut, creative use of capital.

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

The only thing I'd add there, Lorne-

[Lorne Kalmar, Managing Director and Real Estate Analyst at Desjardins Capital Markets]

Okay, thank you very much.

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

The only thing I'd add there is that-

[Lorne Kalmar, Managing Director and Real Estate Analyst at Desjardins Capital Markets]

Yep.

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

I think one thing to kind of think about in this environment is rates have come down, with spreads tightening and the underlying is moving to a level where, paying down debt is simply not accretive to FFO per unit or value. And so it's something to just sort of think about, when we have so many other stronger opportunities from an accretion perspective, that, you know, we've kept our range intentionally a little wide to, on net debt to EBITDA to allow for us to take advantage of opportunities, to reinvest in our own portfolio, et cetera.

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

And then really thinking about the balance sheet, as, you know, from a financial risk perspective, anywhere inside that range in conjunction with a, you know, our ladder, and all the other suite of metrics that Jonathan mentioned, is a low-risk balance sheet, in our view. So we do. You know, we've intentionally left ourselves flexibility to take advantage of accretive opportunities. You know, things like, you know, acquiring Georgian Oakville, those are accretive opportunities. We're gonna add a ton of value through the re-leasing effort. But at day one, it is a negative impact on net debt to EBITDA because you have to wait for the EBITDA to ramp up, but four quarters later, it's a positive impact. Right?

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

So there's a timing lag in the metrics, but ultimately, you know, we think buying those assets was, is gonna be a very good-is gonna bear out to be a very good decision.

[Lorne Kalmar, Managing Director and Real Estate Analyst at Desjardins Capital Markets]

Okay, and then maybe just sticking with that, one last one. Is there a reality where you guys go below the 8x net debt to EBITDA or you don't see much point in that?

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Anything is possible. It really depends on what the other opportunities are. But when we have such accretive and logical uses of capital outside of just paying down debt, we are gonna take advantage of those. And we see that, you know, we have a runway with respect to our stock price being where it is and the availability of capital because of the repatriation of RioCan Living assets. So I think for the foreseeable future, that's where we'll focus our efforts, along with some of the other property-level improvements and build-outs that I was talking about before. But again, we're committed to that range of 8x-9x. Going below that, it's not something in the short to medium term that we see happening.

[Lorne Kalmar, Managing Director and Real Estate Analyst at Desjardins Capital Markets]

Okay, thank you so much. I'll turn it back.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Thanks, Lorne.

[Operator]

Thank you for your questions. Our next question comes from the line of Mike Markidis with BMO. Your line is now open.

[Mike Markidis, Managing Director of Global Markets at BMO]

Thanks, operator. Good morning, Team RioCan. Just a quick question on the reinvestment CapEx of CAD 95 million-CAD 115 million of the existing portfolio. Is that sort of what we should be thinking about what you're capable of delivering, or is there potential for that to ramp higher in 2027 and 2028?

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

So I think it is a fairly good estimate for going forward. It will depend, Mike, on what the opportunity set is in 2027 and 2028. But right now, I think that as a run rate is a reasonable assessment.

[Mike Markidis, Managing Director of Global Markets at BMO]

Okay, great. Thanks for that. And then, Jonathan, you had mentioned some, or you alluded to strong demand for the types of asset RioCan owns. What's the acquisition market like out there? I mean, obviously the pricing is tight. Is there a lot of product available for sale? And, if so, would RioCan potentially look at doing—I mean, I think you mentioned, JVs on some non-core assets, but what about on core assets in terms of trying to expand your platform?

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Mm-hmm. Sorry, to buy or to sell, Mike?

[Mike Markidis, Managing Director of Global Markets at BMO]

Well, it could go both ways. You could see the JV-

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Yeah

[Mike Markidis, Managing Director of Global Markets at BMO]

And then continue to expand.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Right.

[Mike Markidis, Managing Director of Global Markets at BMO]

Uh-

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

So yeah, the market is tight at this point. There's a lot of very strong retail that's held by a lot of very well-heeled entities, whether they're REITs or pension funds, and there's just no push or need to sell them. So you're not seeing a lot of high-quality assets that would fit RioCan's existing high-quality retail profile available to acquire. And when they do become available, they're at cap rates that are extremely tight, and they're generally getting those. So that allows me to flip to the other perspective, which is the ability to sell certain interest in assets.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

That's something we definitely are exploring, where we take, let's say, lower growth assets that are of high quality, bringing in a partner, and we use our platform to create value through a fee stream, but also a repatriate capital that we could put to work in a very accretive manner. I think that's something we would avail ourselves of. And, you know, we alluded to it in our MD&A that there are certain discussions taking place at this point in time in that regard. And I think that's a model that is definitely... Again, it really, it shows the strength of RioCan's platform, and I think a lot of partners would covet that type of management oversight.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

And then, once you have that type of partnership, I'm going to use an old term here, but it gives you a bit of a hunting partner, especially if you have a well-heeled institutional partner who has equal sensibility around what, you know, what is good to own. So I do think if we have capital available to us and we have the opportunity to utilize someone else's balance sheet, but we get a fee stream, it certainly makes acquisition a little more palatable. But in today's existing market, for us just to go out and buy 100% of a high-quality retail asset, I think it would be very hard-pressed to go over our 9% unlevered hurdle. Because you're just...

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

You know, if you're finding an asset that has 3% growth, it's not going to be at a 6 cap, it's going to be something lower. So that's the quandary that we'd be in from just a straight-out acquisition perspective. And quite frankly, Mike, just going back to the point I made earlier-

[Mike Markidis, Managing Director of Global Markets at BMO]

Okay

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

I've got an awesome portfolio right in front of me that I know, that I love, and if I could buy a piece of that at what is a much higher yield than what the open market or the private market would permit, I would do that all day long. Hence the CAD 175 million of NCIB that we participated in since early 2025.

[Mike Markidis, Managing Director of Global Markets at BMO]

Okay, got it. And then last one before I turn it back. I know you said exploring and discussions, that's probably, you may want to punt this question, but what would be the sort of potential range or quantum of assets that you would be looking to potentially sell to a JV partner?

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

I mean, again, it's really, we don't have it in our business plan at this point, so there's no specific number. We would just balance, as we always do, the considerations around what could we do with the capital and what the type of accretion would be from a fee stream perspective. And so there's no set quantum, Mike, but we would balance it with all the other considerations. I know it's a bit of a vague answer.

[Mike Markidis, Managing Director of Global Markets at BMO]

No, I get it. I understood. Can't help for trying. All right, I'll turn it back. Thanks so much. Good luck in the quarter.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Thanks, Mike.

[Operator]

Thank you for your questions, Mike. Our next question comes from the line of Mario Saric with Scotiabank. Mario, your line is now open.

[Mario Saric, Managing Director and Senior Equity Analyst at Scotiabank]

Thank you, and good morning. Just sticking to the potential kind of dispositions that are not in the plan. Jonathan, you mentioned to reference kind of low growth assets as being a possibility, you know, relative to your kind of three-year 3.5% same-property NOI target. What would you kind of consider as being low growth, and what percentage of the portfolio could that comprise?

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Yeah. So we've put out guidance, as you know, Mario, of between 3.5%-4%. We said at our Investor Day that for us, we expect to get at least 3.5% same-property NOI, and that came through, that those guidance numbers came through a very in-depth review of the entire portfolio, every single property, every single tenancy from bottom up. And it gives us, in doing that exercise and in very intense asset management, gives us a good perspective of what assets are going to contribute over the next three years and what assets are going to take away from that objective. And thankfully, the vast majority of our portfolio will contribute. There are some, however, that have larger anchor tenants that have, let's say, flat projections going forward.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

I'll give you, for instance, Walmart. We know that a lot of their historic leases have limited growth, if any, and but they're high quality. They're excellent and predictable creators of an income stream, which a lot of institutional investors I think would covet in this type of environment. So for us, those don't necessarily contribute to the quantitative output of 3.5%, but from a qualitative perspective, they're good, they're predictable, and they're very strong assets with limited risk. So for us, if we could keep a 50% interest, sell a 50% interest, and get a fee stream, all of a sudden it takes a lower growth asset, and it makes it a little more aggressively growth oriented because of the fee stream that is attached to it.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

For us, that's, there’s a few of those assets in our portfolio, not, as I said, an overwhelming amount because of all the work we've done over the last few years to really curtail the portfolio through dispositions and the addition of excellent properties through developments or acquisitions.

[Mario Saric, Managing Director and Senior Equity Analyst at Scotiabank]

Okay, and it may or may not be related, but you're I was hoping you could expand on the commentary pertaining to RioCan tenant independence. I think you also highlighted that in the letter to unitholders this quarter. You know, perhaps maybe some examples where you think that benefit's been crystallized. Just curious on some expanded thoughts on these.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Sure. Look, we have a landscape in Canada where we've got a lot of exceptional REITs, but there are some of them that are affiliated with other entities. Operationally, I would have to think that there are certain constraints and limitations around what the landlord could do based on what the interests of the tenants are. We, of course, have similar considerations. We always take into consideration the needs of our tenants long term, but we are the ultimate decision makers.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

There is absolutely no influence from any other entity other than our own, and I think that does in a growth environment like we're in today, this, super cycle that I think we're in, it allows us to really, take the governors off and do what is best for our unitholders without having consideration to any other, to any other constituents. So I think, it, it puts us in a very, in a very, advantageous position going forward, relative to some of those that might have to take a much deeper view and consideration of their anchor tenants' wishes and desires. And it just means, you know, for things like if you have a vista, you can obstruct it a little bit, even if, you know.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

I would say that if you have an anchor tenant who is a more influential party, they would tell you not to do that. We can go ahead and do that. So there's little things like that, but of course, it also allows us to drive rents as aggressively as possible. And I think if you look at some of the sponsored REITs-

[Mario Saric, Managing Director and Senior Equity Analyst at Scotiabank]

Right. Okay.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

There are lower rent lifts than we get, and I think that's now starting to be demonstrative of the fact pattern I just talked about.

[Mario Saric, Managing Director and Senior Equity Analyst at Scotiabank]

Got it. Okay. My last, my last question, more of a qualitative question: Your comment on expected strong blended lease spreads over the next three years, you talked about a bit at the investor day. How, how much of that confidence would you say is RioCan specific versus a call on broader market expectations? And kind of, can you delve into a couple of the factors or top factors or trends that you think can, can sustain these types of blended lease spreads for that long? Three years is, is not a, a short time frame. Thanks.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

So Mario, I missed the first part of your question. I think you just said general retail fundamentals, or was there something more specific?

[Mario Saric, Managing Director and Senior Equity Analyst at Scotiabank]

Sorry, no. I was just, I was asking about your comment on the call earlier, just talking about expectation for strong blended lease spreads over the years.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Oh, leasing spreads. Sure.

[Mario Saric, Managing Director and Senior Equity Analyst at Scotiabank]

How much of that is RioCan specific, versus the broader market-

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Sure

[Mario Saric, Managing Director and Senior Equity Analyst at Scotiabank]

Confidence?

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Sure. So I feel very, I mean, the team feels very confident in our ability to continue to generate leasing spreads. I think it's a byproduct of the fact that, yes, it is a very strong retail market that will impact everyone, all retail landlords, in a similar manner. We just think it'll be more acute with RioCan because we do start from a bit of a, you know the mark-to-market opportunities are quite evident, with our average rents across the portfolio being about 28% lower than what we're getting now on new rents, and so I think that really helps us. I also think we've got, you know, a very significant improvements to our portfolio over the last little while and a high demographic profile that tenants are really, really following and in favor of.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

I think that allows us to really push rents and get them closer to where the overall market would permit. You know, I can't speak for our peers, but I certainly know that it gives us a great deal of confidence in capturing that mark to market, and that will drive growth for us going forward. As I said, we've gone through each one of our assets, each one of our tenancies, tenant-by-tenant, space-by-space, to get a good sense of what we can extract from them, and that's what is rooted in that guidance, or at least that's what the guidance is rooted in, and we feel very confident in our ability to capture that going forward.

[Mario Saric, Managing Director and Senior Equity Analyst at Scotiabank]

Okay. Thank you.

[Operator]

Thank you for your questions. Our next question comes from the line of Dean Wilkinson with CIBC. Dean, your line is now open.

[Dean Wilkinson, Managing Director and Head of Real Estate Research at CIBC]

Thanks, everybody. Just want to hook back on the leverage, the share buyback, and some of the other stuff around that. Would it be fair to say, as you drift more towards 8x on that debt to EBITDA, that we could see a ramp-up in that share buyback and, you know, the CAD 50 million that we've seen so far this year, kind of perhaps that's what you're looking at on a quarterly basis, absent any other opportunities? And is that factored into that guidance number, Dennis?

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Dennis, you want to take that?

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Sure. So I don't think we've really spelled out exactly how we would allocate capital. I think we are sort of leaving ourselves the flexibility to allocate capital, you know, as, you know, based on the opportunities in front of us. So, we haven't put a specific number out on, on NCIB. We did put a number out in our Investor Day, just looking at our ability to allocate excess capital every year. As well as, you know, we still would have another, you know, nearly CAD 700 million of capital coming back from RioCan Living.

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

So, certainly, share buybacks would be a priority, but it will be dependent on, you know, where the share price sits at a given point in time when the capital is available to us. And of course, trading off against... You know, we're constantly trading off, as you'd imagine, against other opportunities. So that's how I would explain that. I think the volume of capital coming in gives you a sense, you know, in terms of the sale, the asset sales.

[Dean Wilkinson, Managing Director and Head of Real Estate Research at CIBC]

Right. Right. I guess the other one to look at then, in just terms of retained capital, is the distribution and increases. Now that we're looking at a Core FFO or Core AFFO number, do you have a target payout ratio in mind there on that metric? And how are you thinking about sort of the dividend or distribution as we go forward?

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

So the target payout ratio is we had projected that at Investor Day. And I think, you know, that is a number that we fully anticipate sticking with. We, you know, our dividend or distribution policy is something that is going to be a year-by-year consideration, and it really depends on what else we could do with those funds. For us, it's all about having a high amount of discipline and we have such great opportunities for that capital at this point, and we feel that the NCIB is just an alternative way of giving back to our unitholders.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

So it really is going to be a consideration of what other alternatives we have at that point as to whether or not the distribution gets raised. At this point, we have a pretty robust distribution relative to our peers and given the strength of our portfolio. We feel pretty confident about it, but it's going to be something that we will revisit next year for sure. We will make the appropriate recommendation to our board based on where things sit at that point in time.

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Yeah. So the target we put out is, just a reminder, 70%, approximately 70% Core FFO and approximately 80% Core AFFO. So I think that we should be able to stick it around that range, and then as our income grows, potentially grow the distribution. Or as Jonathan said, there's other ways to return capital to shareholders. And NCIB, right now appears to be the more efficient and value accretive method of doing that. And our yield, we do, as Jonathan said, believe our yield is quite attractive. And it's actually reasonably tax efficient as well. We're about 60% taxable, which matters to some certain unitholders out there.

[Dean Wilkinson, Managing Director and Head of Real Estate Research at CIBC]

Oh, for sure, it's a big, it's a big consideration. Just then the last one for me, just as looking at the RioCan Living and, you know, obviously there's been a lot of talk, the condos, all the rest of that stuff. Yeah, yeah, we don't need to go through that. You've got some operating weakness there, which would be expected given the environment that we're in. Are you looking at sort, you know, kind of building some vacancy in the portfolio to allow for potential purchasers to have a bit more of attractive upside there? Or just how are you thinking of managing that over the next 12 months or so, given that it's something that you're looking to offload?

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Sure, I'll start, and I can hand it over to John Ballantyne if he has any further color. But, no, we operate these assets as though we'll own them forever. We are not creating vacancy. Whatever vacancy you're seeing is a by-product of a market that is tougher, given the face of a lot of condo deliveries, which serve as competition-

[Dean Wilkinson, Managing Director and Head of Real Estate Research at CIBC]

Mm-hmm

[Dean Wilkinson, Managing Director and Head of Real Estate Research at CIBC]

For some of the RioCan Living assets at this point. But no, we're not, we're not going about creating vacancy to create more upside for potential purchasers. Quite frankly, the market's sort of doing that for us. If you could see our occupancy, it has slipped over the last few quarters, and I think that's plenty. But John, do you have any further?

[John Ballantyne, COO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

No, I would just add to what you said, Jonathan. You know, we're managing these, these properties very carefully, both on the efficiency basis, on the cost, but as well as working incentives and really keeping a close eye on market rates, particularly in the GTA, where it has been very volatile. So no, we're actually looking to maximize the revenues where we can on these properties and making them sale-ready.

[Dean Wilkinson, Managing Director and Head of Real Estate Research at CIBC]

Great. That's it for me. I'll hand it back. Thanks, guys.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Thanks, Dean.

[Operator]

Thank you for your questions. Our next question comes from the line of Fred Blondeau with Green Street. Fred, your line is now open.

[Fred Blondeau, Managing Director and Head of Canadian Research at Green Street]

Thank you, and good morning. On the Yorkdale HBC sublease matter, how do you see insolvency proceedings moving ahead now that the court has disallowed the receivers' proposed tenant, Fairweather, to take up the vacated space?

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

I think the court rendered its decisions. Now we're considering next steps, and we'll keep everyone apprised. But I think at this point, that's all I would comment about it. And again, as we've already suggested, Fred, we've

[Fred Blondeau, Managing Director and Head of Canadian Research at Green Street]

Okay, no, that's absolutely fair. But-

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Yeah, and we, from a financial perspective, we've already, through a combination of offsets and write-downs, we think it has de minimis impact, if any, on RioCan financially going forward.

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

And just a really fast summary on that, Fred.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Go ahead.

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Sorry, just a quick summary on just the overall JV, not just the Yorkdale asset.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Yep

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Is either sold or for sale, or we've foreclosed on it. So out of the 13 assets, this Yorkdale one is the only one that's sort of left to be dealt with. And as Jonathan said, there is

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Mm-hmm

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

No expected financial impact from this JV going forward. So, from our perspective, this chapter is behind us, and the assets have been dealt with or, you know, there's a couple that are still in the sale process with a broker. That's easy enough to deal with, and really, that's in the hands of the creditors. So from a RioCan perspective, this is a closed chapter.

[Fred Blondeau, Managing Director and Head of Canadian Research at Green Street]

Yep, absolutely. But I, I guess my real question was, was more like, should a tenant not be found in time, would there be any damages that the REIT could possibly face? And looks like from your, your previous answers, like it, you know, it's pretty much dealt with at the moment.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

That is correct. No damages that are of any materiality.

[Fred Blondeau, Managing Director and Head of Canadian Research at Green Street]

Okay. And one last from me, maybe a bit more, a bit easier. Given that the Canadian tenant pool is not that deep, I was wondering, which particular tenant types would allow for the growth in new lease rents over the next, call it, over the next two to three years?

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

So the Canadian tenant pool, I mean, I think it is pretty deep relative to the amount of retail space we have if you're comparing it to the United States. We have about 60%-

[Fred Blondeau, Managing Director and Head of Canadian Research at Green Street]

Okay

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Of the retail space that they have per capita, and I think, you know, our, given that, our tenant pool is pretty deep and growing. And so we think that there's a lot of very strong tenants that are expanding in scope, but also very, I would say, very intelligently. If you look at a lot of the new stores that we're doing, they are grocery stores, but they're the, you know, the discount banners for a lot of the existing incumbent grocery stores. So, for instance, a lot of the new Loblaws deals we're doing, they're not full-line Loblaws. They're either No Frills or they're T&T. For, you know, Sobeys, I'd say the same thing.

[Fred Blondeau, Managing Director and Head of Canadian Research at Green Street]

Mm-hmm

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

With FreshCo, and that's the theme across our portfolio. We're doing a lot of Dollarama deals, a lot of GoodLife Fitness deals or their discount banner, and we're seeing a lot of, you know, tenants like TJX thrive in this kind of environment because they do offer, and, well, they do offer products that are gonna be attainable in any type of economic backdrop, and that's really the type of tenant that we seek out to fill our centers. But Oliver Harrison, do you have any further commentary on some of the other retailers that are really providing strength to our growth profile?

[Oliver Harrison, SVP of Asset Management at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

No, it's more of a portfolio opportunity, which is just we also have, as Jonathan said earlier, the leasing super cycle. We do have a number of long-term leases that are now sort of coming to maturity. And as a result, you know, we have a substantial opportunity to bring those up to market. A lot of them are grocers, a lot of them are value retailers that have performed extremely well, you know, over the leasing opportunity while still ensuring that they are financially stable.

[Fred Blondeau, Managing Director and Head of Canadian Research at Green Street]

Mm-hmm. Thank you. I appreciate the call.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Thanks, Fred.

[Operator]

Thank you for your questions, Fred. Our next question comes from the line of Pammi Bir with RBC. Your line is now open.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Hey, Pammi.

[Pammi Bir, Managing Director of Real Estate and REITs at RBC Capital Markets]

Thanks, good morning. Morning. Just, I just wanted to come back to the comments around the lower CapEx at Georgian Mall and Oakville on some of those replacement tenants. What were some of the drivers there that drove some of the costs down?

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Well, I think we ended up doing a single tenancy at Oakville, which really spares us of any demising costs. And it was really just some good work by our leasing team in ensuring that the commitment for landlord's work and TIs was generally reduced. And I think that's a by-product of the fact that the space was so desirable that we had a bit of leverage in those negotiations. But then also it was our construction team who's done a good job of ensuring that we're getting the best possible pricing on any of the landlord's work we have to do.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

So it's a combination of factors, but ultimately, we're very pleased with the result because it attaches to a significant lift in both the tenant quality as well as the income coming in from that space now. It's a really big win for RioCan, and it's just made bigger by the fact that the costs have been reduced. Did I miss anything, Oliver, or is that?

[Pammi Bir, Managing Director of Real Estate and REITs at RBC Capital Markets]

Great. Okay. Okay, sorry, and just maybe, I just wanted to come back to, The Well, actually. In terms of the retailer, you know, it has been a few years. Can you maybe just talk about how the performance has, you know, how the performance has sort of gone relative to maybe your underwriting? And I'm just curious if it might be approaching, perhaps, in terms of the retail, at least, the, you know, that target organic growth guidance that you've set for the, for the overall portfolio in that 3%-4% range, or is it still, it's, still early days there?

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Sure. Thanks, Pammi. So as expected, the first generation tenants, we knew there would be some volatility in it, or at least some opportunity to play around with that mix to ensure that we ultimately get it right. When you're starting de novo and you're creating a unique space like that, you know that you're gonna take some shots on tenancies that just don't work out, and we knew that going in. So our plan when going in had a fairly liberal view on what could happen in terms of certain tenants not working out. And I think what we've seen is actually very much in line with that liberal view.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

The good news is that it's created so much momentum, and specifically over the last year, we've seen so much foot traffic increase that the second generation tenants that we are bringing in or we expect to bring in over the short term are gonna be of higher quality, far more durable, and also, I think, more in fitting with that community. So we feel very strongly that we're actually at a good point with The Well, where we're getting to a point where it is close to stabilization. And I think that the again, the continued traffic, the continued kind of like attention it gets in that downtown West neighborhood will continue to improve the visits there.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

The last thing I'd say is that we've done a, you know, a good job of filling up the office. We had it leased up, but now we've actually got it occupied, and I think that will also help move some of the retail a little bit more you know a little bit more aggressively. Again, we've never relied on the office tenancies to make the retail work, but it's not the worst thing that we get we get people actually in the offices there. Oliver, do you have any further color on that?

[Oliver Harrison, SVP of Asset Management at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Just that, you know, we've, you know, we've been doing this for a long time and, and having kind of experienced opening up new shopping centers, you know, we were very intentional in terms of the structures that we put in place vis-à-vis a lot of these tenancies. You know, whether it was rent structure, whether it was control options in the landlord's favor. You know, so we've, we've created a situation where we now have the ability, you know, to capitalize on the traffic that this site is driving. You know, both from a, an upgrade from a tenancy perspective, but also, you know, significant lifts from a rent perspective.

[Oliver Harrison, SVP of Asset Management at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

You know, and as a result of that, we're very confident that in addition to improving the tenant mix in the retail at The Well, you know, over the short to medium term, it's also gonna be a great performer from a Same Property NOI perspective.

[John Ballantyne, COO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

I would just add to that. You know, in addition to the lifts we're seeing on the tenant side, we are seeing significant ups in both activations, digital signage, and parking revenues as well. So, you know, as the site traffic, traffic to the site continues to grow, those revenues are growing as well.

[Pammi Bir, Managing Director of Real Estate and REITs at RBC Capital Markets]

That's great. Just a last one. Are these next generation of tenants more on net lease deals as opposed to points? Or, are you seeing that at this, or still kind of maybe leaning a bit more to a percentage percentage rent?

[Jeff Ross, SVP of Leasing at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

No, it would be a more conventional rent structure, i.e., minimum rent plus additionals, less reliant on percentage rent. You know, save and except for, you know, them outperforming their natural break points, but, yeah, that's not gonna happen for a little while.

[Pammi Bir, Managing Director of Real Estate and REITs at RBC Capital Markets]

Right. Sounds good. Thanks so much. I'll turn it back.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Thanks, Pammi.

[Operator]

Thank you for your questions. Our next question is a follow-up from Sam Damiani with TD Securities. Sam, your line is now open.

[Sam Damiani, Equity Research Analyst at TD Securities]

Yeah, thank you. Just had a quick follow-up. Dennis, your comment that Yorkdale is kind of the last, the last location being dealt with, but wasn't the Ottawa property also you had some plans there. I'm just curious if those plans are still moving forward, or if you've kind of walked away there.

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

So we, in fact, could not get to a position where we thought we could get a sufficient return on incremental capital that would be required to move that business plan forward. So it has actually been moved into a sale process.

[Sam Damiani, Equity Research Analyst at TD Securities]

Okay, very good. Thank you.

[Dennis Blasutti, CFO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

You're welcome. Thanks.

[Operator]

Thank you for your question, Sam. I am showing no further questions at this time. I would now like to pass the conference back to President and CEO, Jonathan Gitlin.

[Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust]

Thanks very much, and thanks, everyone, for joining. I just wanted to end with saying that RioCan is entering its next chapter from a position of strength. We focused on our retail core, resilient assets, disciplined capital allocation on a platform that is built for the future. We believe the conditions are firmly in place to deliver steady, durable growth and lasting value. Thanks, everyone, and we'll speak to you next quarter.

[Operator]

That concludes today's call. Thank you for your participation, and have a wonderful rest of your day.

Participants

Executives

• Dennis Blasutti, CFO
• Jeff Ross, SVP of Leasing
• Jennifer Suess, SVP, General Counsel, ESG, and Corporate Secretary
• John Ballantyne, COO
• Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO
• Oliver Harrison, SVP of Asset Management

Analysts

• Dean Wilkinson, Managing Director and Head of Real Estate Research at CIBC
• Fred Blondeau, Managing Director and Head of Canadian Research at Green Street
• Lorne Kalmar, Managing Director and Real Estate Analyst at Desjardins Capital Markets
• Mario Saric, Managing Director and Senior Equity Analyst at Scotiabank
• Mike Markidis, Managing Director of Global Markets at BMO
• Pammi Bir, Managing Director of Real Estate and REITs at RBC Capital Markets
• Sam Damiani, Equity Research Analyst at TD Securities