NASHUA, N.H. — Nashua-based Net Lease Capital has closed on the $237 million sale of 49 CVS drugstores for an undisclosed client, providing the portfolio as replacement properties to be used in a 1031 exchange transaction.
Pulling a transaction of this size together quickly can a challenge, due of the time limitations of 1031 where replacement properties must be identified within 45 days. So Net Lease went through the process to find out the particular dynamics of the situation, and worked through different options to zero in on a strategy that was both economically and practically feasible for the buyer. Net Lease analyzed different ways to solve the tax issue, and over a period of a couple weeks looked through the market for properties that fit the particular strategy.
“There was a method to the madness, and the deal included two or three different criteria that we put into hierarchies,” says Carl Christensen, managing director with Net Lease Capital’s Advisory group. “At the very outset, all the properties involved needed to be investment grade because the investor wanted high certainty that whatever they purchased they wouldn’t have to rework in some period of time.”
Specifically, the CVS properties located across the country were desirable because of the corporate guarantee of rent payments offered by CVS Caremark Corporation (NYSE: CVS), which carries an investment grade credit rating (S&P BBB+). The corporate guarantee means that rent payments for all the properties are guaranteed over the entire life of their long-term leases, regardless of how well the individual properties perform.
Additionally, because of the triple net leases on each of the properties, CVS Caremark Corp. maintains responsibility for all of the operating and capital expenses of the properties, including upkeep, property taxes and insurance expenses, as well as expenses for roof and structure, so that the buyer will enjoy passive ownership of the properties.
“After researching the assets, we looked at transaction cost and overall structure for debt and equity, and we were able to put together a large portfolio with good pricing due to the fact that it was worked through one seller,” says Christensen.
Overall, Net Lease Capital has closed more than $500 million in transactions in 2011, and the Advisory Group at Net Lease Capital uses net lease property and credit tenant finance in specialized tax strategies for owners of all property type.
— Dan Marcec