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Legal & General puts occupiers first with new flexible leasing model for retail and leisure
Legal & General (LGIM Real Assets) announces the launch of a new commercial leasing framework for retail and leisure occupiers (“flexible partnerships model”), with an initial focus on turnover rent options. The flexible partnerships model marks a departure from traditional long-term leases, to a fully flexible approach that brings optionality to occupiers from start-ups all the way to superstores.
30 Jul 2020
With structural changes impacting the retail and leisure sectors in recent years, predominantly due to the rise of e-commerce and rapidly changing consumer expectations, the traditional leasing model and the ‘1954 Act’ is no longer fit for purpose for many occupiers. Over the past five years, retail business launches and failures have increased by 29% and in 2019, the average length of a new retail lease had fallen to under five years. Historically, landlords have taken a ‘one size fits all approach’, which in today’s fast paced and evolving leisure and retail sectors is no longer fit for purpose.
In response to sector challenges, accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic, LGIM Real Assets has developed a flexible partnerships model that will deliver optionality and be available to existing and future occupiers. This market leading initiative aims to be UK-wide and applicable to all assets, playing a key role in supporting UK high streets by pioneering new owner and occupier partnerships. The foundation of the new leasing structure will consist of 4 core packages:
Flexi
What? White-boxed spaces aimed at start-ups for 3-36 months, on turnover deals
Who? Aimed at emerging brands, new concepts and seasonal businesses
Why? Reduce the initial cost, complexity and commitment length for small businesses whilst providing the most innovative and exciting occupiers for our customers
Operational
What? A turnover deal with an owner break linked to performance, with mid-term leases of 3-5 years
Who? Aimed at operators who we want to work with and remain important partners, but for whom the traditional leasing model no longer fits.
Why? Collaborative sharing of risk and reward between owner and occupier, driving stronger performance through partnership and offering more involvement from owners to drive audience group
Flagship
What? A traditional lease on a longer term of 5+ years
Who? For resilient occupiers who are financially solid, guarantee footfall and who prefer the traditional model
Why? Occupiers remain happy with longer-term commitments and we are happy that their offer is resilient and fit for the future
Flexi Flagship
What? An amalgamation of the turnover flexibility of Flexi, but with the lease length of Flagship
Who? Operators we want to partner with but need longer-term security
Why? For relevant businesses, particularly in the leisure sector, that we want to partner with but have higher initial fit-out costs to pay off and/or require longer lead times to engage local customer base
As trading levels recovered post Covid, this new flexible partnerships model has greater potential for investor income upside and the ability to generate increased and better quality occupier activity through optimised lease commitments. This transparent and collaborative approach will revolutionise the way LGIM Real Assets engages with its retail and leisure occupiers, resulting in enhanced cashflows and a better alignment of risk.
Denz Ibrahim, Head of Retail & Futuring at LGIM Real Assets: "Demonstrating our commitment to bring innovation to the real estate sector, this new flexible partnership model really sets the bar for institutional landlords. It will provide optionality to all our existing and future occupiers in how they want to partner with us, and flexibility for us around who we want to work with.Retail is not only changing through market forces, but also culturally. Our role as owner is shifting from what was solely ‘the librarian’ (collecting rent, renting shops and cleaning spaces), to becoming an ‘editor’ of the space. We need to ensure we have the right content, at the right time, in the right places, to support both occupiers and consumers. Understanding these changing behaviours and having more curatorial control over our assets allows us to be on the front foot in delivering future ready places, whilst helping our occupiers weather the seismic changes impacting the retail and leisure sectors."
Further information
Lauren Kemp
Group Head of Corporate Media & Issues
Group Communications
T: 07946 514 627
Notes to editors
Established in 1836, Legal & General is one of the UK’s leading financial services groups and a major global investor, with £1.2 trillion in total assets under management (as at FY23) of which c40% (circa £0.5 trillion) is international.
We have a highly synergistic business model, which continues to drive strong returns. We are a leading international player in Institutional Retirement, in Retail Savings and Protection, and in both public and private markets through our Asset Management division. Across the Group, we are committed to responsible investing and dedicated to serving the long-term savings and investment needs of customers and society.
As at 7 June 2024, we estimate the Group’s Solvency II coverage ratio to be 224%.
As at 11 June 2024, Legal & General has a market capitalisation of £14.6 billion.
LGIM is one of Europe’s largest asset managers and a major global investor, with total assets under management of £1.2 trillion1 ($1.5tn, €1.3tn, CHF 1.2tn). We work with a wide range of global clients, including pension schemes, sovereign wealth funds, fund distributors and retail investors.
For more than 50 years, we have built our business through understanding what matters most to our clients and transforming this insight into valuable, accessible investment products and solutions. We provide investment expertise across the full spectrum of asset classes including fixed income, equities, commercial property, and cash. Our capabilities range from index-tracking and active strategies to liquidity management and liability-based risk management solutions.
1Data as at 31 December 2023. Data combines assets under management by LGIM in the UK, LGIMA in the US and LGIM Asia in Hong Kong. Assets under management include securities and derivatives positions.