Stockland (ASX: SGP) has today announced that it has entered into a binding Sale and Purchase Agreement for Swedish investor EQT Infrastructure (EQT) to acquire full ownership of Stockland’s Retirement Living business for $987m.
Under the terms of the agreement, EQT will acquire Stockland’s portfolio of 58 established Retirement Living villages, 10 development projects underway and in planning, along with the associated management platform. The agreed price is a 1.9 per cent discount to the portfolio’s December ’21 book value of $1,006m.
As a result of the transaction, over 300 employees will transfer to EQT with the business.
To facilitate the transfer of the business and its people, Stockland will continue to provide administrative support in areas such as finance and technology for an agreed period post-completion of the transaction under a Transitional Services Agreement.
CEO and Managing Director of Stockland, Tarun Gupta, said “I am delighted that we have found a strong Retirement Living owner and operator to acquire Stockland’s Retirement Living platform.
EQT is a purpose-led organisation with a well-established track record in healthcare, aged care and retirement living. We are confident that EQT will be the right custodian for the residents and employees, and are well placed to support the continued growth of the high-quality Retirement Living platform.
We have an accomplished and dedicated team in our Retirement Living business, who will transfer to EQT at the completion of the transaction. They continue to be focused on providing the best possible care and resident experience across the portfolio.
The announcement today does not impact any of the arrangements with our residents. It will be business as usual for our residents, noting on completion they will have a new partner with significant experience in running industry-leading retirement living villages.
The transaction also demonstrates that we are executing the strategy announced in November 2021 to refocus our Communities business and reduce our capital exposure to Retirement Living.”
Partner and Head of Asia Pacific for EQT Infrastructure, Ken Wong, said: “From the outset we’ve been very impressed with the team and the first-rate retirement living portfolio Stockland has built.
Stockland Retirement Living is a clear leader in the Australian retirement living space and we are excited about working together as we transition the business toward a standalone platform that continues to develop and operate high-quality retirement villages.
With an ageing Australian population and increased need for specialised care, we are excited to have the opportunity to use our significant global experience in the sector to enhance the range of services provided to current and future residents of Stockland’s villages.”
Completion of the transaction is expected in late FY22 and remains subject to approval by the Foreign Investment Review Board and does not include Affinity Village (WA) which is subject to a separate sales process.
