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REIT OVERVIEW
General Development of the Business
The Retrocom Mid-Market REIT was formally created on December 15, 2003
with the intention of being the leading Real Estate Investment Trust focused
on owning and acquiring a geographically diverse portfolio of properties
consisting of the premiere retail and commercial properties located in
primary and secondary markets, known as mid-markets, across Canada. On
March 22, 2004, the REIT completed an initial public offering of 11,069,000
Units (the “Initial Offering”) at a price of $10 per Unit
for total gross proceeds of approximately $110 million. In conjunction
with closing the IPO, the REIT acquired the initial portfolio of properties,
consisting of 26 retail, 1 commercial and 2 light industrial properties.
Subsequent to the IPO, the REIT exercised the over-allotment option granted
as part of the IPO and issued an additional 1,107,000 units on April 23,
2004 for gross proceeds of approximately $11 million.
Since the Initial Offering, the REIT has continuously reviewed its business
operations, expanded its asset base and reinvested in existing assets
in order to position itself for sustainable future growth. The REIT invests
in income-producing mid-market commercial retail, office and light industrial
properties with strong tenant covenants, stable yields, low vacancy levels
and strong growth potential. The REIT continually acquires additional
properties with these characteristics to provide additional cash flow
and further enhance the long-term portfolio value.
The REIT believes that the income-producing mid-market commercial property
segment represents a more favourable risk/return investment environment
with fewer national competitors than other segments of the commercial
property market. By concentrating on the mid-market segment, the REIT
believes it will be afforded greater opportunities to make accretive acquisitions
that will contribute to achieving attractive yields for Unitholders.
Retrocom
believes that the geographic diversity of the Properties, as well as their
diverse tenant mix, decreases the likelihood that a single regional economic
downturn will have a material adverse impact on the REIT’s distributions.
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