Primaris REIT Announces Strong Q1/25; Reaffirms 2025 Guidance

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 30, 2025-- Primaris Real Estate Investment Trust (“Primaris” or “the Trust”) (TSX: PMZ.UN) announced today financial and operating results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025.

Quarterly Financial and Operating Results Highlights

  • $150.2 million total rental revenue;
  • +9.4% Same Properties Cash Net Operating Income** (“Cash NOI”) growth;
  • +10.2% Same Properties shopping centres Cash NOI** growth;
  • 94.2% committed occupancy, 93.2% in-place occupancy, and 89.2% long-term in-place occupancy;
  • +7.8% weighted average spread on renewing rents* across 224,000 square feet;
  • +13.3% Funds from Operations** (“FFO”) per average diluted unit growth to $0.439;
  • 52.8% FFO Payout Ratio**;
  • $31.1 million in net income;
  • $4.6 billion total assets;
  • 5.7x Average Net Debt** to Adjusted EBITDA**;
  • $648.5 million in liquidity*;
  • $4.0 billion in unencumbered assets; and
  • $21.40 Net Asset Value** (“NAV”) per unit outstanding.

Business Update Highlights

  • Reaffirms 2025 guidance after accounting for the anticipated departure of The Hudson's Bay (“HBC”);
  • Acquired a 50% interest in Southgate Centre in Edmonton, Alberta and a 100% ownership interest in Oshawa Centre in Oshawa, Ontario adding 1,639 thousand square feet of gross leasable area (“GLA”) to the portfolio;
  • Disposed of two enclosed shopping centres, a professional centre and 4 acres of excess land;
  • Issued $200 million aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured debentures at a fixed annual interest rate of 4.468%;
  • Repaid the outstanding principal amount of $133.1 million on the Series B senior unsecured debentures that matured March 30, 2025;
  • Entered into a $100 million three-year unsecured bilateral non-revolving term facility; and
  • Reported total normal course issuer bid (“NCIB”) activity since inception of the Trust of 11,834,409 Trust Units repurchased at an average price of $14.09, or a discount to NAV** per unit of approximately 34.2%.

“Our shopping centre portfolio continues to perform very well in 2025, with NOI growth coming from strong rental revenue growth and percentage rent, increasing occupancy, and rising cost recoveries,” said Patrick Sullivan, President and Chief Operating Officer. “Since June of last year, Primaris has transacted on approximately $1.2 billion of real estate, driving our portfolio quality significantly higher with same store sales productivity totaling $768 per square foot. We are very quickly moving towards our ambition of becoming the first call for retailers looking to grow and expand their footprint in Canada.”

Chief Financial Officer, Rags Davloor added, “Primaris has nearly reached our three-year target of acquiring over $1 billion in assets, while maintaining industry leading leverage metrics. With unencumbered assets of $4 billion and no debt maturing until 2027, we have reduced refinancing risk, with significant access to liquidity. Our commitment to maintaining an extremely well capitalized balance sheet positions Primaris as a highly credible transaction counterparty, at a time when accessing large scale capital has been challenging.”

“Disciplined capital allocation is the foundation of our strategy. We have demonstrated its benefits through asset capital recycling and NCIB activity, driving strong financial and operating results, while also delivering transformative changes to our portfolio,” said Alex Avery, Chief Executive Officer. “We are increasing our relevance with retailers, and establishing a profile as an attractive buyer of large, high-quality assets. The changes we have made to the business are designed to deliver higher internal growth, which drives higher NAV per unit growth, higher FFO per unit growth and ultimately, consistent sector-leading distribution per unit growth.”

2025 Financial Outlook

Guidance: Disciplined capital allocation is a key pillar to Primaris' strategy. To this end, Primaris established certain targets for managing the Trust's financial condition (see Section 3, “Business Overview and Strategy” of the Management's Discussion and Analysis for the three months ended (the “MD&A”)). In addition to these established targets, Primaris provided guidance for the full year of 2025 in the Management's Discussion and Analysis for the three months and years ended December 31, 2024 (the “Annual MD&A”). The previously published guidance for the full year of 2025 has been reproduced again below and updated for management's current expectations based on the most recent information available to management.

 

2025 Guidance

 

MD&A Section

Reference

(unaudited)

Previously Published

Updated

Additional Notes

Occupancy

Increase of 0.8% to 1.0%

Decrease of 6.0% to 7.0%

Assumes HBC disclaims all their leases, comprising 1,030.6 thousand square feet

Section 8.1, “Occupancy” and Section 8.6 “Top 30 Tenants”

Contractual rent steps in rental revenue

$3.4 to $3.8 million

No change in guidance

 

Section 9.1, “Components of Net Income (Loss)”

Straight-line rent adjustment in rental revenue

$6.8 to $7.2 million

No change in guidance

 

Section 9.1, “Components of Net Income (Loss)”

Same Properties Cash NOI** growth

3.0% to 4.0%

No change in guidance

Same Properties excludes Northland (under redevelopment) and the acquisitions of Les Galeries de la Capitale, Oshawa Centre and Southgate Centre

Section 9.1, “Components of Net Income (Loss)”

Cash NOI**

$318 - $323 million

No change in guidance

Includes the impact of the January 31, 2025 acquisitions and approximately $300 million of dispositions throughout the year

Section 9.1, “Components of Net Income (Loss)”

General and administrative expenses

$36 to $38 million

No change in guidance

 

Section 9.1, “Components of Net Income (Loss)”

Operating capital expenditures

Recoverable Capital $18 to $20 million

Leasing Capital $20 to $24 million

No change in guidance

 

Section 8.7, “Operating Capital Expenditures”

Redevelopment capital expenditures

$48 to $50 million

No change in guidance

Primarily attributable to Devonshire Mall and Northland

Section 7.4, “Redevelopment and Development”

FFO** per unit1

$1.70 to $1.75 per unit fully diluted

No change in guidance

Includes the impact of the January 31, 2025 acquisitions and approximately $300 million of dispositions throughout the year

Section 9.2, “FFO** and AFFO**”

** Denotes a non-GAAP measure. See “Non-GAAP Measures”. See also Section 1, “Basis of Presentation” – “Use of Non-GAAP Measures” and Section 12, “Non-GAAP Measures” of the MD&A.

1 Units outstanding and weighted average units outstanding assumes the exchange of Exchangeable Preferred LP Units for Trust Units. See Section 10.6, “Unit Equity and Distributions” of the MD&A.

On September 24, 2024, Primaris released certain targets for the period ending December 31, 2027. These targets are not guidance, but are an outlook based on the execution of Primaris' strategic pillars.

(unaudited)

3 Year Targets

Progress to Date

Additional Notes

MD&A Section

Reference

In-place Occupancy

96.0%

 

In-place occupancy was 92.4% at December 31, 2023

In-place occupancy was 94.5% at December 31, 2024

Section 8.1, “Occupancy”

Annual Same Properties Cash NOI** growth

3% - 4%

 

Growth for the year ended December 31, 2023 was 5.4%

Growth for the year ended December 31, 2024 was 4.5%

Section 9.1, “Components of Net Income (Loss)”

Acquisitions

> $1 billion

$910 million

October 1, 2024 - Les Galeries de la Capitale

January 31, 2025 - Oshawa Centre and Southgate Centre

Section 7.3, “Transactions”

Dispositions

> $500 million

$200.5 million

December 13, 2024 - Edinburgh Market Place

February 21, 2025 - excess land

February 28, 2025 - Sherwood Park Mall and

Professional Centre

March 31, 2025 - St. Albert Centre

Section 7.3, “Transactions”

Annual FFO** per unit1 growth (fully diluted)

4% to 6%

 

 

Section 9.2, “FFO** and AFFO**”

Annual Distribution Growth

2% - 4%

 

In November 2022 announced a 2.5% increase

In November 2023 announced a 2.4% increase

In November 2024 announced a 2.4% increase

Section 10.6, “Unit Equity and Distributions”

** Denotes a non-GAAP measure. See “Non-GAAP Measures”. See also Section 1, “Basis of Presentation” – “Use of Non-GAAP Measures” and Section 12, “Non-GAAP Measures” of the MD&A.

1 Per weighted average units outstanding calculated on a diluted basis, assuming the exchange of Exchangeable Preferred LP Units for Trust Units. See Section 10.6, “Unit Equity and Distributions” of the MD&A.

See Section 2, “Forward-Looking Statements and Financial Outlook” of the MD&A for a description of the material factors, assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could impact the financial outlook statements.

Select Financial and Operational Metrics

As at or for the three months ended March 31,

(in '000s of Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated) (unaudited)

 

2025

 

 

 

2024

 

 

Change

 

 

 

 

 

 

Number of investment properties

 

36

 

 

 

39

 

 

 

(3

)

Gross leasable area (in millions of square feet) (at Primaris' share)

 

14.2

 

 

 

12.5

 

 

 

1.7

 

Long-term in-place occupancy

 

89.2

%

 

 

89.1

%

 

 

0.1

%

In-place occupancy

 

93.2

%

 

 

92.0

%

 

 

1.2

%

Committed occupancy

 

94.2

%

 

 

94.1

%

 

 

0.1

%

Weighted average net rent per occupied square foot1

$

26.61

 

 

$

25.10

 

 

$

1.51

 

Weighted average lease term (in years)

 

4.0

 

 

 

4.2

 

 

 

(0.2

)

Same stores sales productivity *,1

$

768

 

$

613

 

 

$

155

 

Total assets

$

4,596,120

 

 

$

3,928,995

 

 

$

667,125

 

Total liabilities

$

2,400,472

 

 

$

1,801,200

 

 

$

599,272

 

Total rental revenue

$

150,214

 

 

$

119,218

 

 

$

30,996

 

Cash flow from (used in) operating activities

$

21,587

 

 

$

7,515

 

 

$

14,072

 

Distributions per Trust Unit

$

0.215

 

 

$

0.210

 

 

$

0.005

 

Cash Net Operating Income** (“Cash NOI”)

$

80,423

 

 

$

62,871

 

 

$

17,552

 

Same Properties 2 Cash NOI** growth3

 

9.4

%

 

 

2.0

%

 

 

7.4

%

Net income (loss)

$

31,147

 

 

$

45,881

 

 

$

(14,734

)

Net income (loss) per unit4

$

0.257

 

 

$

0.433

 

 

$

(0.176

)

Funds from Operations** (“FFO”) per unit4- average diluted

$

0.439

 

 

$

0.388

 

 

$

0.051

 

FFO** per unit growth

 

13.3

%

 

 

5.1

%

 

 

8.2

%

FFO Payout Ratio**

 

52.8

%

 

 

56.7

%

 

 

(3.9

)%

Adjusted Funds from Operations** (“AFFO”) per unit4 - average diluted

$

0.346

 

 

$

0.282

 

 

$

0.064

 

AFFO** per unit growth

 

22.7

%

 

 

(11.6

)%

 

 

34.3

%

AFFO Payout Ratio**

 

67.1

%

 

 

78.0

%

 

 

(10.9

)%

Weighted average units outstanding4 - diluted (in thousands)

 

119,965

 

 

 

106,911

 

 

 

13,054

 

Net Asset Value** (“NAV”) per unit outstanding4

$

21.40

 

 

$

21.86

 

 

$

(0.46

)

Average Net Debt** to Adjusted EBITDA**6

5.7x

 

5.7x

 

 

 

Interest Coverage**5,6

3.0x

 

3.4x

 

(0.4)x

Liquidity *

$

648,462

 

 

$

684,328

 

 

$

(35,866

)

Unencumbered assets

$

4,026,170

 

 

$

3,325,319

 

 

$

700,851

 

Unencumbered assets to unsecured debt

2.5x

 

2.8x

 

(0.3x)

Secured debt as a percent of Total Debt**

 

13.4

%

 

 

21.6

%

 

 

(8.2

)%

Total Debt** to Total Assets**5

 

40.7

%

 

 

38.9

%

 

 

1.8

%

Fixed rate debt as a percent of Total Debt**

 

96.2

%

 

 

97.4

%

 

 

(1.2

)%

Weighted average term to debt maturity - Total Debt** (in years)

 

4.2

 

 

 

3.4

 

 

 

0.8

 

Weighted average interest rate of Total Debt**

 

5.20

%

 

 

5.21

%

 

 

(0.01

)%

** Denotes a non-GAAP measure. See “Non-GAAP Measures”. See also Section 1, “Basis of Presentation” – “Use of Non-GAAP Measures” and Section 12, “Non-GAAP Measures” in the MD&A.

* Supplementary financial measure. See “Use of Operating Metrics”. See also Section 1, “Basis of Presentation” - “Use of Operating Metrics” in the MD&A.

1 For the rolling twelve-months ended February 28, 2025 and February 29, 2024, respectively.

2 Properties owned throughout the entire 15 months ended March 31, 2025, excluding properties under development or major redevelopment, are referred to as “Same Properties”.

3 Prior period amounts not restated for current period property categories.

4 Units outstanding and weighted average units outstanding assumes the exchange of Exchangeable Preferred LP Units for Trust Units. See Section 10.6, “Unit Equity and Distributions” in the MD&A.

5 Calculated on the basis described in the trust indenture and supplemental indentures that govern the Trust's senior unsecured debentures (collectively, the “Trust Indentures”). See Section 10.4, “Capital Structure” in the MD&A.

6 For the rolling four-quarters ended March 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

Operating Results

The below table compares the composition of FFO** and AFFO** and calculates the drivers of the changes for the three months ended March 31, 2025 as compared to the same period in 2024.

For the three months ended

March 31,

 

(in '000s of Canadian dollars except per unit amounts) (unaudited)

2025

 

2024

 

Change

Contribution

 

per unit1

 

Contribution

 

per unit1

 

Contribution

 

per unit1

NOI** from:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Same Properties 2

$

63,985

 

 

$

0.534

 

 

$

58,179

 

 

$

0.544

 

 

$

5,806

 

 

$

0.054

 

Acquisitions

 

14,000

 

 

 

0.117

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14,000

 

 

 

0.131

 

Dispositions

 

2,332

 

 

 

0.019

 

 

 

5,060

 

 

 

0.047

 

 

 

(2,728

)

 

 

(0.026

)

Property under redevelopment

 

1,818

 

 

 

0.015

 

 

 

1,513

 

 

 

0.014

 

 

 

305

 

 

 

0.003

 

Interest and other income

 

2,325

 

 

 

0.019

 

 

 

2,317

 

 

 

0.022

 

 

 

8

 

 

 

 

Net interest and other financing charges (excluding distributions on Exchangeable Preferred LP Units)

 

(25,455

)

 

 

(0.212

)

 

 

(19,230

)

 

 

(0.180

)

 

 

(6,225

)

 

 

(0.058

)

General and administrative expenses (net of internal costs for leasing activity)

 

(6,084

)

 

 

(0.051

)

 

 

(6,060

)

 

 

(0.056

)

 

 

(24

)

 

 

 

Amortization

 

(220

)

 

 

(0.002

)

 

 

(301

)

 

 

(0.003

)

 

 

81

 

 

 

0.001

 

Impact from variance of units outstanding

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(0.054

)

FFO** and FFO** per unit - average diluted

$

52,701

 

 

$

0.439

 

 

$

41,478

 

 

$

0.388

 

 

$

11,223

 

 

$

0.051

 

FFO** per unit growth

 

 

 

13.3

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FFO*

$

52,701

 

 

$

0.439

 

 

$

41,478

 

 

$

0.388

 

 

$

11,223

 

 

$

0.105

 

Internal expenses for leases

 

(2,448

)

 

 

(0.020

)

 

 

(2,174

)

 

 

(0.020

)

 

 

(274

)

 

 

(0.003

)

Straight-line rent

 

(1,368

)

 

 

(0.011

)

 

 

(1,839

)

 

 

(0.017

)

 

 

471

 

 

 

0.004

 

Recoverable and non-recoverable costs

 

(1,350

)

 

 

(0.012

)

 

 

(3,269

)

 

 

(0.031

)

 

 

1,919

 

 

 

0.018

 

Tenant allowances and leasing costs

 

(6,017

)

 

 

(0.050

)

 

 

(4,053

)

 

 

(0.038

)

 

 

(1,964

)

 

 

(0.018

)

Impact from variance of units outstanding

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(0.042

)

AFFO** and AFFO** per unit - average diluted

$

41,518

 

 

$

0.346

 

 

$

30,143

 

 

$

0.282

 

 

$

11,375

 

 

$

0.064

 

AFFO** per unit growth

 

 

 

22.8

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

** Denotes a non-GAAP measure. See “Non-GAAP Measures”. See also Section 1, “Basis of Presentation” – “Use of Non-GAAP Measures” and Section 12, “Non-GAAP Measures” of the MD&A.

1 Per weighted average diluted unit. Weighted average units outstanding assumes the exchange of Exchangeable Preferred LP Units for Trust Units. See Section 10.6, “Unit Equity and Distributions” of the MD&A.

2 Properties owned throughout the entire 15 months ended March 31, 2025, excluding properties under development or major redevelopment, are referred to as “Same Properties”. Per unit calculations separate the impact of change in contribution from the change in the weighted average diluted units outstanding.

FFO** for the three months ended March 31, 2025 was $0.051 per unit, or 13.3%, higher than the same period of the prior year. The increase was driven by growth in NOI** from Same Properties of $0.054 per unit and NOI** attributable to Acquisitions of $0.131 per unit. NOI** for the three months ended March 31, 2025 included a $2.5 million contribution from the recovery of property taxes from prior years (2024 - nil). Excluding this amount, FFO** per unit would have been $0.412, 6.2% higher than the same period of the prior year.

Same Properties Cash NOI** for the three month ended March 31, 2025 was $5.4 million, or 9.4%, higher than the same period of the prior year. Same Properties shopping centres Cash NOI** increased $5.4 million, or 10.2%, over the same period of the prior year. The increase in Same Properties shopping centres' Cash NOI** was primarily driven by higher revenues from base rent and net operating cost recoveries, partially offset by declines in percentage rent in lieu of base rent.

Excluding the recovery of property taxes from prior years and the change in bad debt expense, the Same Properties shopping centres Cash NOI** growth would have been 6.0%.

Redevelopment projects contributed $0.7 million of incremental rent to the portfolio during the quarter (see Section 7.4, “Redevelopment and Development” of the MD&A).

Occupancy and Leasing Results

Primaris’ leasing activities are focused on driving value by actively managing the tenant and merchandising mix at its investment properties. In-place occupancy increased 1.2% from March 31, 2024 to 93.2% at March 31, 2025. Fourth quarter occupancy is typically higher due to seasonal tenants.

As at

2025

Count

 

In-place Occupancy

 

 

 

March 31, 2025

December 31, 2024

March 31, 2024

Shopping centres1

22

 

93.6

%

94.3

%

91.1

%

Other properties2

10

 

93.5

%

91.1

%

96.0

%

Same Properties in-place occupancy3

32

 

93.5

%

93.9

%

91.7

%

Acquisitions4

3

 

91.4

%

99.0

%

 

Property under redevelopment5

1

 

96.5

%

96.5

%

94.9

%

In-place occupancy excluding dispositions

36

 

93.2

%

94.4

%

91.8

%

Dispositions6

 

 

95.9

%

93.9

%

In-place occupancy

 

 

93.2

%

94.5

%

92.0

%

Same Properties average in-place occupancy

 

 

 

 

Three months ended

32

 

93.4

%

93.3

%

91.9

%

1 Shopping centres classified as Same Properties include 21 enclosed malls and 1 open air centre, Highstreet Shopping Centre in Abbotsford, BC.

2 Other properties classified as Same Properties include 6 plazas, 3 office buildings, and 1 industrial building.

3 Properties owned throughout the entire 15 months ended March 31, 2025, excluding properties under development or major redevelopment, are referred to as “Same Properties”.

4 Acquisitions includes 3 enclosed malls (see Section 7.3, “Transactions” of the MD&A)

5 Northland in Calgary, Alberta.

6 Dispositions represents the sales of properties in 2025 and 2024 (see Section 7.3, “Transactions” of the MD&A).

In the quarter, Primaris completed 120 leasing deals totaling 0.4 million square feet. The weighted average spread on renewing rents (for the 70 leases renewed in the quarter) was 7.8% (8.6% for commercial retail unit renewals and 4.5% for large format renewals).

Robust Liquidity and Differentiated Financial Model

Primaris’ differentiated financial model is core to its overall strategy, providing a best-in-class capital structure upon which to build the business, providing on-going financial stability and strength. The following table summarizes key metrics relating to Primaris' unencumbered assets and unsecured debt.

($ thousands) (unaudited)

As at

Target Ratio

March 31, 2025

 

December 31, 2024

 

Change

Unencumbered assets - number

 

 

30

 

 

 

31

 

 

 

(1

)

Unencumbered assets - value

 

$

4,026,170

 

 

$

3,646,922

 

 

$

379,248

 

Unencumbered assets as a percentage of the investment properties

 

 

90.3

%

 

 

89.7

%

 

 

0.6

%

Secured debt to Total Debt**

<40%

 

13.4

%

 

 

14.7

%

 

 

(1.3

)%

Unsecured Debt

 

$

1,621,000

 

 

$

1,468,120

 

 

$

152,880

 

Unencumbered assets to unsecured debt

 

2.5x

 

2.5x

 

0x

Unencumbered assets in excess of unsecured debt

 

$

2,405,170

 

 

$

2,178,802

 

 

$

226,368

 

Percent of Cash NOI** generated by unencumbered assets

 

 

89.7

%

 

 

86.1

%

 

 

3.6

%

** Denotes a non-GAAP measure. See “Non-GAAP Measures”. See also Section 1, “Basis of Presentation” – “Use of Non-GAAP Measures” and Section 12, “Non-GAAP Measures” of the MD&A.

On February 20, 2025, Primaris issued $200 million aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured debentures maturing March 1, 2031 at a fixed annual interest rate of 4.468%.

On March 28, 2025, Primaris repaid $133.1 million aggregate principal of the maturing Series B senior unsecured debentures.

On March 26, 2025, Primaris entered into a $100 million three-year unsecured bilateral non-revolving term facility.

Primaris economically hedged $50 million drawn on the credit facilities, swapping the underlying variable rate for a fixed rate of 3.960% per annum until March 12, 2030.

Liquidity at quarter end was $648.5 million, or 35% of Total Debt**.

Primaris' NAV** per unit outstanding at quarter end was $21.40.

Subsequent Events

Purchased additional 299,800 Trust Units under the automatic share purchase plan ("ASPP") for consideration of $4.3 million as of April 30, 2025, for total NCIB activity since inception of the Trust of 11,834,409 Units repurchased at an average price of $14.09, or a discount to NAV** per unit of approximately 34.2%.

Conference Call and Webcast:

Date:

Thursday, May 1, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. (ET)

Dial:

1-833-950-0062

Passcode:

852326

Link:

Please go to the Investor Relations section on Primaris’ website or click here.

The call will be accessible for replay until May 8, 2025, by dialing 1-866-813-9403 with access code 538602, or on the Investor Relations section of Primaris' website.

Annual General Meeting:

Date: Thursday, May 1, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. (ET)

Link: Please go to the Investor Relations section on Primaris’ website or click here.

The meeting will be accessible for replay until April 30, 2026 on the Investor Relations section of Primaris' website.

About Primaris Real Estate Investment Trust

Primaris is Canada’s only enclosed shopping centre focused REIT, with ownership interests in leading enclosed shopping centres located in growing Canadian markets. The current portfolio totals 14.2 million square feet, valued at approximately $4.5 billion at Primaris’ share. Economies of scale are achieved through its fully internal, vertically integrated, full-service national management platform. Primaris is very well-capitalized and is exceptionally well positioned to take advantage of market opportunities at an extraordinary moment in the evolution of the Canadian retail property landscape.

Forward-Looking Statements and Financial Outlook

Certain statements included in this news release constitute “forward-looking information” or “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws. The words “will”, “expects”, “plans”, “estimates”, “intends” and similar expressions are often intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Specific forward-looking statements made or implied in this news release include but are not limited to statements regarding: growth opportunities, estimated annual growth of Same Properties Cash NOI**, expected future distributions, the Trust’s development activities, expected benefits from the Trust's normal course issuer bid activity, occupancy improvement, increasing rental rates, future acquisition and disposition activity, and the Trust’s targets for managing its financial condition. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of presenting information about management’s current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties. Primaris cautions that although it is believed that the assumptions are reasonable in the circumstances, actual results, performance or achievements of Primaris may differ materially from the expectations set out in the forward-looking statements. Material risk factors and assumptions include those set out in the Annual MD&A, as updated by the MD&A, which are each available on SEDAR+, and in Primaris’ other materials filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities from time to time. Given these risks, undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of their dates.

Certain forward-looking information included in this news release may also be considered “financial outlook” for purposes of applicable securities law, including statements under the heading “2025 Financial Outlook”. Financial outlook about the Trust’s prospective results of operations including, without limitation, anticipated FFO** per unit, anticipated Cash NOI** and Same Properties Cash NOI** growth, impact on rental revenue of contractual rent-steps, anticipated general and administrative expenses, anticipated operating capital expenditures, anticipated redevelopment capital expenditures, anticipated straight-line rent adjustment to revenue, anticipated growth in occupancy, and the Trust's December 2027 targets for a number of key metrics including in-place occupancy, annual Same Properties Cash NOI** growth, acquisition and disposition activity, annual FFO** per unit growth and annual distribution growth, is subject to the same assumptions, risk factors, limitations and qualifications as set forth in the Annual MD&A as updated by the MD&A, and the Trust's annual information form. The Trust and management believe that such financial outlook has been prepared on a reasonable basis, reflecting management’s best estimates and judgments. However, this information is subjective and subject to numerous risks. Financial outlook contained in this news release was provided for the purpose of providing further information about the Trust’s prospective financial performance and readers are cautioned that it should not be used for other purposes.

Readers are also urged to examine the Trust’s materials filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities from time to time as they may contain discussions on risks and uncertainties which could cause the actual results and performance of Primaris to differ materially from the forward-looking statements and financial outlook contained in this news release. All forward-looking statements and financial outlook in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements. These forward-looking statements and financial outlook are made as of April 30, 2025 ,and Primaris, except as required by applicable securities laws, assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new information or the occurrence of future events or circumstances.

Non-GAAP Measures

Information in this news release is a select summary of results. This news release should be read in conjunction with the MD&A and the Trust's consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024 (the “Financial Statements”).

The Financial Statements are prepared in accordance with IFRS accounting standards as issued by the IASB, however, in this news release, Primaris also uses a number of measures which do not have a standardized meaning prescribed under generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in accordance with IFRS. These non-GAAP measures, which are denoted in this news release by the suffix “**”, include non-GAAP financial measures and non-GAAP ratios, each as defined in National Instrument 52-112, Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures Disclosure (“NI 52-112”). None of these non-GAAP measures should be construed as an alternative to financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. Furthermore, these non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other real estate entities and should not be construed as an alternative to financial measures determined in accordance with IFRS. A definition of each non-GAAP measure used herein and an explanation of management's reasons as to why it believes the measure is useful to investors can be found in the section entitled “Non-GAAP Measures” of the MD&A, which section is incorporated by reference into this news release, and a reconciliation to the most directly comparable financial measure in the Financial Statements, in each case, can be found below. The MD&A is available on the Trust’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Use of Operating Metrics

Primaris uses certain operating metrics to monitor and measure the operational performance of its portfolio. Operating metrics in this news release include, among others, weighted average net rent per occupied square foot, weighted average spread on renewing rents, liquidity and same stores sales productivity. These operating metrics, which may constitute supplementary financial measures as defined in NI 52-112, are not derived from directly comparable measures contained in the Financial Statements but may be used by management and disclosed on a periodic basis to depict the historical or future expected operating performance of the Trust's portfolio. For an explanation of the composition of weighted average net rent per occupied square foot see Section 8.2, “Weighted Average Net Rent” of the MD&A. For an explanation of weighted average spread on renewing rents, see Section 8.3, “Leasing Activity” of the MD&A. For an explanation of liquidity, see Section 10.2, “Liquidity and Unencumbered Assets” of the MD&A. For an explanation of the composition of same store sales productivity, see Section 8.4, “Tenant Sales” of the MD&A. These supplementary financial measures, are denoted in this news release by the suffix “*”

Primaris also uses certain non-financial operating metrics to describe its portfolio and portfolio operation performance. Non-financial operating metrics in this news release include, among others, number of investment properties, site coverage, store count, GLA, occupied GLA, in-place occupancy, committed occupancy, long-term in-place occupancy, and weighted average lease term. For the relationship of in-place occupancy to committed occupancy and to long-term in-place occupancy see Section 8.1, “Occupancy” of the MD&A. For greater certainty, the portfolio operating metrics in the MD&A include only the Trust's proportionate ownership of the 8 properties held in co-ownerships (see Section 7.2, “Co-ownership Arrangements” of the MD&A).

Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Measures

The following table reconciles NOI** and Cash NOI** to rental revenue and property operating costs as presented in the Financial Statements.

For the periods ended March 31,

($ thousands) (unaudited)

 

Three months

 

 

2025

 

 

 

2024

 

Rental Revenue

 

$

150,214

 

 

$

119,218

 

Property operating costs

 

 

(68,079

)

 

 

(54,466

)

Net Operating Income**

 

 

82,135

 

 

 

64,752

 

Exclude:

 

 

 

 

Straight-line rent

 

 

(1,368

)

 

 

(1,839

)

Lease surrender revenue

 

 

(344

)

 

 

(42

)

Cash Net Operating Income**

 

$

80,423

 

 

$

62,871

 

** Denotes a non-GAAP measure. See “Non-GAAP Measures”. See also Section 1, “Basis of Presentation” – “Use of Non-GAAP Measures” and Section 12, “Non-GAAP Measures” of the MD&A.

The following tables are a further analysis of Cash NOI** above.

($ thousands) (unaudited)

 

 

Three months

For the three months ended March 31,

Count

 

 

2025

 

 

 

2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash Net Operating Income** from:

 

 

 

 

 

Shopping centres

22

 

$

58,094

 

 

$

52,700

Other properties

10

 

 

4,011

 

 

 

4,043

Same Properties Cash NOI**1

32

 

 

62,105

 

 

 

56,743

Same Properties Growth

 

 

 

9.4

%

 

 

Acquisitions

3

 

 

13,570

 

 

 

Dispositions

 

 

 

2,989

 

 

 

4,980

Property under redevelopment

1

 

 

1,759

 

 

 

1,148

Cash Net Operating Income**

36

 

$

80,423

 

 

$

62,871

For the periods ended March 31,

($ thousands) (unaudited)

 

Three months

 

 

2025

 

 

 

2024

 

Same Properties NOI**

 

$

63,985

 

 

$

58,179

 

Exclude:

 

 

 

 

Straight-line rent

 

 

(1,536

)

 

 

(1,436

)

Lease surrender revenue

 

 

(344

)

 

 

 

Same Properties 1 Cash NOI**

 

 

62,105

 

 

 

56,743

 

Same Properties Growth

 

 

9.4

%

 

 

Cash NOI** from:

 

 

 

 

Acquisitions

 

 

13,570

 

 

 

 

Disposition

 

 

2,989

 

 

 

4,980

 

Property under redevelopment

 

 

1,759

 

 

 

1,148

 

Cash NOI**

 

$

80,423

 

 

$

62,871

 

** Denotes a non-GAAP measure. See “Non-GAAP Measures”. Also see Section 1, “Basis of Presentation” – “Use of Non-GAAP Measures” and Section 12, “Non-GAAP Measures” of the MD&A.

1 Properties owned throughout the entire 15 months ended March 31, 2025, excluding properties under development or major redevelopment, are referred to as “Same Properties”.

The following table illustrates the reconciliation of net income, as determined in accordance with GAAP, to FFO**.

For the periods ended March 31,

($ thousands except per unit amounts) (unaudited)

 

Three months

 

 

2025

 

 

 

2024

 

Net income (loss)

 

$

31,147

 

 

$

45,881

 

Reverse:

 

 

 

 

Distribution on Exchangeable Preferred LP Units

 

 

5,679

 

 

 

3,075

 

Amortization of real estate assets

 

 

69

 

 

 

 

Adjustments to fair value of derivative instruments

 

 

61

 

 

 

(2,839

)

Adjustments to fair value of unit-based compensation

 

 

(686

)

 

 

36

 

Adjustments to fair value of Exchangeable Preferred LP Units

 

 

(8,510

)

 

 

6,285

 

Adjustments to fair value of income producing properties

 

 

22,493

 

 

 

(13,134

)

Internal costs for leasing activity1

 

 

2,448

 

 

 

2,174

 

Funds from Operations**

 

$

52,701

 

 

$

41,478

 

FFO** per unit2 - average basic

 

$

0.444

 

 

$

0.392

 

FFO** per unit2 - average diluted

 

$

0.439

 

 

$

0.388

 

FFO Payout Ratio** - Target 45% - 50%

 

 

52.8

%

 

 

56.7

%

Distributions declared per Trust Unit

 

$

0.215

 

 

$

0.210

 

Distributions declared per Exchangeable Preferred LP Unit

 

 

0.017

 

 

 

0.010

 

Total distributions declared per unit3

 

$

0.232

 

 

$

0.220

 

Weighted average units outstanding2 - basic (in thousands)

 

 

118,704

 

 

 

105,933

 

Weighted average units outstanding2 - diluted (in thousands)

 

 

119,965

 

 

 

106,911

 

Number of units outstanding2 - end of period (in thousands)

 

 

121,366

 

 

 

105,857

 

1 Costs relating to full-time leasing and legal staff, included in general and administrative expenses, that can be reasonably and directly attributed to signed leases, and that would otherwise be capitalized if incurred from external sources.

2 Units outstanding and weighted average units outstanding assumes the exchange of Exchangeable Preferred LP Units to Trust Units. See Section 10.6, “Unit Equity and Distributions” of the MD&A.

3 Distributions declared per unit used in the FFO* Payout Ratios include distributions declared on Exchangeable Preferred LP Units. See Section 10.6, “Unit Equity and Distributions” of the MD&A.

** Denotes a non-GAAP measure. See “Non-GAAP Measures”. See also Section 1, “Basis of Presentation” – “Use of Non-GAAP Measures” and Section 12, “Non-GAAP Measures” of the MD&A.

The following table illustrates the reconciliation of FFO** to AFFO**.

For the periods ended March 31,

($ thousands except per unit amounts) (unaudited)

Three months

 

2025

 

 

 

2024

 

Funds from Operations**

$

52,701

 

 

$

41,478

 

Reverse:

 

 

 

Internal costs for leasing activity

 

(2,448

)

 

 

(2,174

)

Straight-line rent

 

(1,368

)

 

 

(1,839

)

Deduct:

 

 

 

Recoverable and non-recoverable costs

 

(1,350

)

 

 

(3,269

)

Tenant allowances and external leasing costs

 

(6,017

)

 

 

(4,053

)

Adjusted Funds from Operations**

$

41,518

 

 

$

30,143

 

AFFO** per unit1 - average basic

$

0.350

 

 

$

0.285

 

AFFO** per unit1 - average diluted

$

0.346

 

 

$

0.282

 

AFFO Payout Ratio**

 

67.1

%

 

 

78.0

%

Distributions declared per Trust Unit

$

0.215

 

 

$

0.210

 

Distributions declared per Exchangeable Preferred LP Unit

 

0.017

 

 

 

0.010

 

Total distributions declared per unit2

$

0.232

 

 

$

0.220

 

Weighted average units outstanding1 - basic (in thousands)

 

118,704

 

 

 

105,933

 

Weighted average units outstanding1 - diluted (in thousands)

 

119,965

 

 

 

106,911

 

Number of units outstanding1 - end of period (in thousands)

 

121,366

 

 

 

105,857

 

1 Units outstanding and weighted average units outstanding assumes the exchange of Exchangeable Preferred LP Units to Trust Units. See Section 10.6, “Unit Equity and Distributions” of the MD&A.

2 Distributions declared per unit used in the AFFO* Payout Ratios include distributions declared on Exchangeable Preferred LP Units at 6% per annum. See Section 10.6, “Unit Equity and Distributions” of the MD&A.

** Denotes a non-GAAP measure. See “Non-GAAP Measures”. See also Section 1, “Basis of Presentation” – “Use of Non-GAAP Measures” and Section 12, “Non-GAAP Measures” of the MD&A.

The following table illustrates the calculation of NAV** per unit outstanding and Total Debt** to Total Assets**.

($ thousands) (unaudited)

As at

March 31, 2025

 

December 31, 2024

 

Change

Investment properties

$

4,108,408

 

 

$

3,826,635

 

 

$

281,773

 

Investment properties classified as held for sale

 

351,754

 

 

 

239,933

 

 

 

111,821

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

59,462

 

 

 

14,774

 

 

 

44,688

 

Term deposit

 

 

 

 

100,000

 

 

 

(100,000

)

Other assets

 

76,496

 

 

 

86,090

 

 

 

(9,594

)

Total assets

$

4,596,120

 

 

$

4,267,432

 

 

$

328,688

 

Mortgages payable

$

250,851

 

 

$

252,023

 

 

$

(1,172

)

Senior unsecured debentures

 

1,500,000

 

 

 

1,433,120

 

 

 

66,880

 

Unsecured credit facilities

 

121,000

 

 

 

35,000

 

 

 

86,000

 

Total Debt**

$

1,871,851

 

 

$

1,720,143

 

 

$

151,708

 

Deferred financing costs and debt discounts (net of accumulated amortization) excluded from Total Debt**

 

(8,705

)

 

 

(9,027

)

 

 

322

 

Exchangeable Preferred LP Units

 

396,400

 

 

 

239,622

 

 

 

156,778

 

Other liabilities

 

140,926

 

 

 

155,745

 

 

 

(14,819

)

Total liabilities

$

2,400,472

 

 

$

2,106,483

 

 

$

293,989

 

Unitholders' equity

$

2,195,648

 

 

$

2,160,949

 

 

$

34,699

 

Add: Exchangeable Preferred LP Units

 

396,400

 

 

 

239,622

 

 

 

156,778

 

Add: Obligation for purchase of Trust Units under automatic share purchase plan1

 

4,696

 

 

 

5,199

 

 

 

(503

)

Net Asset Value**

$

2,596,744

 

 

$

2,405,770

 

 

$

190,974

 

NAV** per unit outstanding

$

21.40

 

 

$

21.55

 

 

$

(0.15

)

Number of units outstanding1 - end of period (in thousands)

 

121,366

 

 

 

111,614

 

 

 

9,752

 

Total Debt** to Total Assets**2

 

40.7

%

 

 

40.3

%

 

 

0.4

%

** Denotes a non-GAAP measure. See “Non-GAAP Measures”. See also Section 1, “Basis of Presentation” – “Use of Non-GAAP Measures” and Section 12, “Non-GAAP Measures” of the MD&A

1 Liability recorded for the obligation to purchase Trust Units during the blackout period after March 31, 2025 under the automatic share purchase plan, but respective Trust Units were not yet cancelled.

2 This ratio is a non-GAAP ratio calculated on the basis described in the Trust Indentures.

The following table illustrates the calculation of Average Net Debt** to Adjusted EBITDA**, Interest Coverage** and Debt Service Coverage** ratios. The below ratios are calculated on a rolling four-quarters basis.

($ thousands) (unaudited)

 

For the rolling four-quarters ended March 31,

 

2025

 

 

2024

 

Change

Adjusted EBITDA**

$

273,718

 

$

218,370

 

$

55,348

 

Average Net Debt**

$

1,560,239

 

$

1,245,247

 

$

314,993

 

Average Net Debt** to Adjusted EBITDA**3Target 4.0x - 6.0x

5.7x

5.7x

0.0x

Interest expense1

$

91,021

 

$

64,820

 

$

26,201

 

Interest Coverage**2,3

3.0x

 

3.4x

 

(0.4)x

Principal repayments

$

5,185

 

$

6,657

 

$

(1,472

)

Interest expense1

$

91,021

 

$

64,820

 

$

26,201

 

Debt Service Coverage**

2.8x

 

3.1x

 

(0.3)x

** Denotes a non-GAAP measure. See “Non-GAAP Measures”. See also Section 1, “Basis of Presentation” – “Use of Non-GAAP Measures” and Section 12, “Non-GAAP Measures” of the MD&A.

1 Interest expense includes interest on senior unsecured debentures, mortgages, and unsecured credit facilities. See Section 9.1, “Components of Net Income (Loss)” of the MD&A.

2 Calculated on the basis described in the Trust Indentures.

3 For the rolling four-quarters ended March 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

The following table illustrates the reconciliation of net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA** for the three months ending March 31, 2025 and 2024.

($ thousands) (unaudited)

Three months

For the periods ended March 31,

 

2025

 

 

 

2024

 

Net income (loss)

$

31,147

 

 

$

45,881

 

Interest income1

 

(1,670

)

 

 

(292

)

Net interest and other financing charges

 

31,134

 

 

 

22,305

 

Amortization

 

289

 

 

 

301

 

Adjustments to fair value of derivative instruments

 

61

 

 

 

(2,839

)

Adjustments to fair value of unit-based compensation

 

(686

)

 

 

36

 

Adjustments to fair value of Exchangeable Preferred LP Units

 

(8,510

)

 

 

6,285

 

Adjustments to fair value of investment properties

 

22,493

 

 

 

(13,134

)

Adjusted EBITDA**

$

74,258

 

 

$

58,543

 

** Denotes a non-GAAP measure. See “Non-GAAP Measures”. See also Section 1, “Basis of Presentation” – “Use of Non-GAAP Measures” and Section 12, “Non-GAAP Measures” of the MD&A.

1 Interest income earned on cash balances.

The following tables illustrate Adjusted EBITDA** for the rolling four-quarters ended March 31, 2025 and 2024.

($ thousands) (unaudited)

 

Rolling 4-quarters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the period

 

March 31, 2025

 

Q1 2025

 

Q4 2024

 

Q3 2024

 

Q2 2024

Adjusted EBITDA**

 

$

273,718

 

74,258

 

71,761

 

64,909

 

62,790

($ thousands) (unaudited)

 

Rolling 4-quarters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the period

 

March 31, 2024

 

Q1 2024

 

Q4 2023

 

Q3 2023

 

Q2 2023

Adjusted EBITDA**

 

$

218,370

 

58,543

 

56,214

 

54,649

 

48,964

The following tables illustrate Average Net Debt** for the periods ended March 31, 2025 and 2024 based on the average of the Net Debt** at the beginning of the period and each quarter end during the period included in the calculation of Adjusted EBITDA**.

($ thousands) (unaudited)

As at

 

March 31, 2025

 

December 31, 2024

 

September 30, 2024

 

June 30, 2024

 

March 31, 2024

Total Debt**

 

$

1,871,851

 

 

$

1,720,143

 

 

$

1,741,434

 

 

$

1,528,609

 

 

$

1,530,074

 

less: Cash and cash equivalents

 

 

(59,462

)

 

 

(114,774

)

 

 

(261,595

)

 

 

(80,756

)

 

 

(74,328

)

Net Debt**

 

$

1,812,389

 

 

$

1,605,369

 

 

$

1,479,839

 

 

$

1,447,853

 

 

$

1,455,746

 

Average Net Debt**

 

$

1,560,239

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

($ thousands) (unaudited)

As at

 

March 31, 2024

 

December 31, 2204

 

September 30, 2023

 

June 30, 2023

 

March 31, 2023

Total Debt**

 

$

1,530,074

 

 

$

1,493,803

 

 

$

1,227,544

 

 

$

1,097,270

 

 

$

1,098,982

 

less: Cash and cash equivalents

 

 

(74,328

)

 

 

(44,323

)

 

 

(1,282

)

 

 

(42,206

)

 

 

(59,301

)

Net Debt**

 

$

1,455,746

 

 

$

1,449,480

 

 

$

1,226,262

 

 

$

1,055,064

 

 

$

1,039,681

 

Average Net Debt**

 

$

1,245,247

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following tables illustrate interest expense, for the calculation of the Interest Coverage** and Debt Service Coverage** ratios, for rolling-four quarters ended March 31, 2025 and 2024.

($ thousands) (unaudited)

Rolling 4-quarters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the periods

March 31, 2025

 

Q1 2025

 

Q4 2024

 

Q3 2024

 

Q2 2024

Interest expense1

$

91,021

 

25,277

 

23,436

 

22,104

 

20,204

($ thousands) (unaudited)

 

Rolling 4-quarters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the periods

 

March 31, 2024

 

Q1 2024

 

Q4 2023

 

Q3 2023

 

Q2 2023

Interest expense1

$

64,820

 

19,334

 

17,161

 

14,911

 

13,414

1 Interest expense includes interest on senior unsecured debentures, mortgages, and unsecured credit facilities. See Section 9.1, “Components of Net Income (Loss)” of the MD&A.

The following tables illustrate principal repayments, for the calculation of the Debt Service Coverage** ratio, for the rolling four-quarters ended March 31, 2025 and 2024.

($ thousands) (unaudited)

Rolling 4-quarters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the periods

March 31, 2025

 

Q1 2025

 

Q4 2024

 

Q3 2024

 

Q2 2024

Principal repayments

$

5,185

 

1,172

 

1,149

 

1,399

 

1,465

($ thousands) (unaudited)

 

Rolling 4-quarters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the periods

 

March 31, 2024

 

Q1 2024

 

Q4 2023

 

Q3 2023

 

Q2 2023

Principal repayments

 

$

6,657

 

1,478

 

1,741

 

1,726

 

1,712

For more information:

TSX: PMZ.UN

www.primarisreit.com

www.sedarplus.ca

 

Alex Avery
Chief Executive Officer
416-642-7837
aavery@primarisreit.com

Rags Davloor
Chief Financial Officer
416-645-3716
rdavloor@primarisreit.com

Claire Mahaney
VP, Investor Relations & ESG
647-949-3093
cmahaney@primarisreit.com

Timothy Pire
Chair of the Board
chair@primarisreit.com

Source: Primaris Real Estate Investment Trust