Granite REIT Announces C$500 Million Green Bond Offering

Rhea-AI Summary

Granite Real Estate Investment Trust has announced the pricing of a C$500 million offering of 2.194% Series 6 senior unsecured debentures due August 30, 2028. The debentures, guaranteed by Granite and Granite REIT Inc., are part of the company's second green bond issuance. The offering is expected to close on or about August 30, 2021, pending customary closing conditions. Proceeds will fund Eligible Green Projects as per Granite's Green Bond Framework. The company has engaged Scotia Capital Inc. and RBC Capital Markets as co-leads for the offering.

Positive

• Successful pricing of C$500 million debentures provides substantial funding for green initiatives.
• Expected closing date is August 30, 2021, indicating timely capital acquisition.
• Engaged reputable co-managers Scotia Capital Inc. and RBC Capital Markets enhances credibility.

Negative

• The issuance of new debentures may lead to shareholder dilution.
• Credit ratings, while stable, have conditions tied to market perceptions of Granite’s future.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE OR FOR DISSEMINATION TO THE UNITED STATES

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Granite Real Estate Investment Trust (“Granite” or the “REIT”) (TSX: GRT.UN / NYSE: GRP.U) announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary Granite REIT Holdings Limited Partnership (“Granite LP”) has priced an offering (the “Offering”) of C$500 million aggregate principal amount of 2.194% Series 6 senior unsecured debentures due August 30, 2028 (the “Debentures”). The Debentures will be guaranteed by Granite and Granite REIT Inc. The Offering of the Debentures is expected to close on or about August 30, 2021, subject to the satisfaction of certain customary closing conditions. The Debentures are being issued as Granite’s second green bond issuance pursuant to its Green Bond Framework.

The Debentures are being offered on an agency basis by a syndicate of agents co-led by Scotia Capital Inc. and RBC Capital Markets. It is a condition of closing that DBRS Morningstar and Moody’s Investor Service, Inc. assign credit ratings of “BBB (high)” with a stable trend or higher, and “Baa2” or higher, respectively, relating to the Debentures.

Granite is making the Offering in Canada pursuant to its amended and restated base shelf prospectus dated November 26, 2020. The terms of the Offering will be described in a prospectus supplement to the base shelf prospectus to be filed with Canadian securities regulators in each province and territory of Canada and accessible at www.sedar.com.

Granite LP intends to use an amount equal to the net proceeds of the Offering to finance or refinance, in whole or in part, expenditures associated with Eligible Green Projects as described in the Granite Green Bond Framework, which is available on Granite’s website at https://granitereit.com/sustainability.

Through a cross currency interest rate swap, Granite LP has exchanged the Canadian dollar denominated principal and interest payments for U.S. dollar denominated principal and interest payments, resulting in an effective fixed interest rate of 2.096% for the seven-year term of the Debentures.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the Debentures in any jurisdiction. The Debentures being offered have not been approved or disapproved by any regulatory authority nor has any such authority passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of the base shelf prospectus or the prospectus supplement.

ABOUT GRANITE

Granite is a Canadian-based REIT engaged in the acquisition, development, ownership and management of logistics, warehouse and industrial properties in North America and Europe. Granite owns 119 investment properties representing approximately 51.3 million square feet of leasable area.

OTHER INFORMATION

Copies of financial data and other publicly filed documents about Granite are available through the internet on the Canadian Securities Administrators’ Systems for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) which can be accessed at www.sedar.com and on the United States Securities and Exchange Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (EDGAR) which can be accessed at www.sec.gov.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, and securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

For further information, please see our website at www.granitereit.com or contact Teresa Neto, Chief Financial Officer, at 647-925-7560 or Andrea Sanelli, Manager, Legal & Investor Services, at 647-925-7504.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release may contain statements that, to the extent they are not recitations of historical fact, constitute “forward-looking statements” or “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, including the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information may include, among others, statements regarding the expected closing date of the Offering, the use of the net proceeds of the Offering, the expected final credit ratings for the Debentures, and Granite’s plans, goals, strategies, intentions, beliefs, estimates, costs, objectives, economic performance, expectations, or foresight or the assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Words such as “may”, “would”, “could”, “will”, “likely”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “intend”, “plan”, “forecast”, “project”, “estimate”, “seek”, “objective” and similar expressions are used to identify forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information should not be read as guarantees of the expected closing date of the Offering, the use of the net proceeds of the Offering, the expected final credit ratings for the Debentures, or other events, performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or the times at or by which future events or performance will be achieved. Undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information are based on information available at the time and/or management’s good faith assumptions and analyses made in light of its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors management believes are appropriate in the circumstances, and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond Granite’s control, that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to, the risks set forth in the annual information form of Granite Real Estate Investment Trust and Granite REIT Inc. dated March 3, 2021 (the “Annual Information Form”) and management’s discussion and analysis of results of operations and financial position for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2021 (“Q2 MD&A”). The “Risk Factors” section of the Annual Information Form and the “Risks and Uncertainties” section of the Q2 MD&A also contain information about the material factors or assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information speak only as of the date the statements and information were made and unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, Granite expressly disclaims any intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information contained in this press release to reflect subsequent information, events or circumstances or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210825005814/en/

Teresa Neto, Chief Financial Officer

647-925-7560

or

Andrea Sanelli, Manager, Legal & Investor Services

647-925-7504

www.granitereit.com

Source: Granite Real Estate Investment Trust

FAQ

What is the size of the Granite Real Estate Investment Trust debenture offering?

Granite Real Estate Investment Trust has announced a C$500 million offering of senior unsecured debentures.

What is the interest rate and maturity date for the GRPU debentures?

The debentures have a 2.194% interest rate and will mature on August 30, 2028.

What will the proceeds of the debenture offering be used for?

Net proceeds from the offering will finance or refinance expenditures associated with Eligible Green Projects.

Who are the co-leads for the Granite REIT debenture offering?

Scotia Capital Inc. and RBC Capital Markets are the co-leads for the debenture offering.