PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT/NYSE: PEI) has completed the sale of Chambersburg Mall in Chambersburg, PA for $8.8 million. The sale of Chambersburg Mall marks another step in PREIT's continuing efforts to improve the quality of its portfolio through the sale of non-core assets. Proceeds from the transaction, net of closing costs, settlement pro-rations and credits, were approximately $8.4 million.
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Chambersburg Mall is a 455,000 square foot mall that is anchored by jcpenney, Sears, Bon Ton and Burlington Coat Factory. Sales at the property of $235 per square foot and non-anchor occupancy of 76.2% as of September 30, 2013 were well below the PREIT mall portfolio average of $381 per square foot and 90.3%, respectively.
"Finalizing the sale of Chambersburg Mall represents a critical step on the path to redefining the quality of PREIT's portfolio. The property has been among our weakest performing properties and we are pleased to be in a position to allocate our internal resources and capital more effectively toward projects that can create long term value for our shareholders," said Joseph F. Coradino, CEO of PREIT.
About Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust
Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, founded in 1960 and one of the first equity REITs in the U.S., has a primary investment focus on retail shopping malls. Currently, the Company's portfolio of 43 properties comprises 35 shopping malls, five community and power centers, and three development properties. The Company's properties are located in 12 states in the eastern half of the United States, primarily in the Mid-Atlantic region. The operating retail properties have approximately 30.3 million total square feet of space. PREIT, headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol PEI. Information about the Company can be found at www.preit.com or on Twitter or LinkedIn.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans, strategies, anticipated events, trends and other matters that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views about future events, achievements or results and are subject to risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that might cause future events, achievements or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In particular, our business might be materially and adversely affected by uncertainties affecting real estate businesses generally as well as the following, among other factors: our substantial debt and stated value of preferred shares and our high leverage ratio; constraining leverage, interest and tangible net worth covenants under our 2013 Revolving Facility; potential losses on impairment of certain long-lived assets, such as real estate, or of intangible assets, such as goodwill; potential losses on impairment of assets that we might be required to record in connection with any dispositions of assets; recent changes to our corporate management team and any resulting modifications to our business strategies; our ability to refinance our existing indebtedness when it matures, on favorable terms or at all; our ability to raise capital, including through the issuance of equity or equity-related securities if market conditions are favorable, through joint ventures or other partnerships, through sales of properties or interests in properties, or through other actions; our short- and long-term liquidity position; current economic conditions and their effect on employment and consumer confidence and spending and the corresponding effects on tenant business performance, prospects, solvency and leasing decisions and on our cash flows, and the value and potential impairment of our properties; general economic, financial and political conditions, including credit and capital market conditions, changes in interest rates or unemployment; changes in the retail industry, including consolidation and store closings, particularly among anchor tenants; the effects of online shopping and other uses of technology on our retail tenants; our ability to maintain and increase property occupancy, sales and rental rates, in light of the relatively high number of leases that have expired or are expiring in the next two years; increases in operating costs that cannot be passed on to tenants; risks relating to development and redevelopment activities; concentration of our properties in the Mid-Atlantic region; changes in local market conditions, such as the supply of or demand for retail space, or other competitive factors; potential dilution from any capital raising transactions; possible environmental liabilities; our ability to obtain insurance at a reasonable cost; and existence of complex regulations, including those relating to our status as a REIT, and the adverse consequences if we were to fail to qualify as a REIT. The risks included here are non-exhaustive, and there are additional factors that might cause future events, achievements or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements include those discussed in the section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2013 in the section entitled "Item 1A. Risk Factors." We do not intend to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events or otherwise.
CONTACT: AT THE COMPANY
Robert McCadden
EVP & CFO
(215) 875-0735
Heather Crowell
VP, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations
(215) 454-1241
SOURCE PREIT
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