Results for the six months ended 30 June 2021

Commenting on the results, David Sleath, Chief Executive, said:

“SEGRO has delivered another strong set of results, which reflect the high quality of our portfolio and increased demand from a diverse range of occupiers and investors. Together with our active approach to asset management, rental growth and further progress with our development pipeline, these factors have driven significant valuation increases and earnings growth.

“We have also made important progress on our Responsible SEGRO priorities, putting the necessary framework in place to enable us to deliver on our long-term commitments, whilst continuing to work with our local teams and partners to embed our approach into our day-to-day business.

“SEGRO is well-placed to continue benefitting from the structural tailwinds driving the industrial property sector with our unique portfolio of prime warehouses, two-thirds of which are located in the most supply constrained urban markets, and an enviable land bank capable of supporting our profitable and expanding development programme. The combination of our established pan-European, customer-focused operating platform and our relationships and reputation with other key stakeholders, give us a significant competitive advantage which further enhances our ability to secure opportunities for future growth.”

Highlights^A:

• Adjusted pre-tax profit of £168 million up 19 per cent compared with the prior year (H1 2020: £141 million). Adjusted EPS is 13.8 pence, up 10 per cent (H1 2020: 12.5 pence).
• Adjusted NAV per share is up 12 per cent to 909 pence (31 December 2020: 814 pence) driven by portfolio asset management initiatives, yield compression, rental growth and our development activity delivering a 10 per cent increase in the valuation of the portfolio.
• Strong occupier demand, our customer focus and active management of the portfolio generated £38 million of new headline rent commitments during the period, including £21 million of new pre-let agreements, and a 12 per cent average uplift on rent reviews and renewals (UK: 16 per cent, CE: 2 per cent).
• Further growth in the development pipeline with 1.3 million sq m of projects under construction or in advanced pre-let discussions equating to £96 million of potential rent, of which 75 per cent has been pre-let, substantially de-risking the 2021-2022 pipeline.
• Balance sheet positioned to support further, development-led growth with access to over £1.2 billion of available liquidity and a low level of gearing reflected in an LTV of 21 per cent at 30 June 2021 (31 December 2020: 24 per cent).
• Interim dividend increased by 7 per cent to 7.4 pence (2020: 6.9 pence), in line with our usual practice of setting the interim dividend at one-third of the previous full year dividend.

^1. A reconciliation between Adjusted profit before tax and IFRS profit before tax is shown in Note 2 to the condensed financial information.
^2. A reconciliation between Adjusted earnings per share and IFRS earnings per share is shown in Note 11 to the condensed financial information.
^3. Total Accounting Return is calculated based on the opening and closing adjusted NAV per share adding back dividends paid during the period.
^4. Percentage valuation movement during the period based on the difference between opening and closing valuations for all properties including buildings under construction and land, adjusting for capital expenditure, acquisitions and disposals.
^5. A reconciliation between Adjusted net asset value per share and IFRS net asset value per share is shown in Note 11 to the condensed financial information.
⁶. Adjusted net asset value is in line with EPRA Net Tangible Assets (NTA) (see Table 4 in the Supplementary Notes for a NAV reconciliation).

^A. Figures quoted on pages 1 to 17 refer to SEGRO’s share, except for land (hectares) and space (square metres) which are quoted at 100 per cent, unless otherwise stated. Please refer to the Presentation of Financial Information statement in the Financial Review for further details.

OUTLOOK

SEGRO continues to be positioned well for further growth, benefiting from a unique portfolio of assets and a development pipeline located in areas which are highly sought after and where land is in increasingly short supply. Our ability to provide our customers with modern, sustainable premises in prime locations, two-thirds of which are in Europe’s major cities, combined with the extensive experience and networks of our local teams, give us a strong competitive advantage.

Our buildings are adaptable to many different uses and serve a wide range of customers and sectors. A significant portion of occupier demand continues to arise from the increased use of digital channels by retailers and consumers which, in turn, is driving increased e-commerce penetration and consumption of data across Europe. Although internet sales penetration levels have understandably fallen from their highs as physical retail has reopened, they remain significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels as cultural barriers have been overcome and habits have changed. We believe that the long-term trend towards increased on-line shopping has been amplified and accelerated by the pandemic and this has given a new impetus to demand for space.

Coupled with that, many customers and logistics suppliers are placing renewed emphasis on supply chain resilience, near-shoring and local sourcing, improved customer service and cost or inventory efficiency which are fuelling increased demand for modern, well-located warehouses – both urban and big box. We expect these themes to continue for some time. More recently we have also seen demand arising from emerging new sectors including creative industries and q-commerce (including rapid food delivery providers).

Record levels of take-up across Europe have resulted in low vacancy rates and in most of our markets supply currently equates to less than a year of take-up. This is resulting in rental growth in our core markets, most notably in urban areas where the combination of a shortage of modern warehouse space, a shortage of land suitable for development and the diversity of the occupier base is most prevalent.

Given these strong market dynamics investor demand for well-located, modern industrial assets is likely to continue to grow, putting further upward pressure on asset values.

These factors, combined with our active approach to asset management, are enabling us to drive strong returns from the existing portfolio, supplemented by our profitable, de-risked development programme which generates additional rental income and allows us to further modernise the portfolio to help our customers meet their own sustainability requirements.

We remain confident in the outlook for the remainder of 2021 and beyond given the strong levels of occupier demand and the competitive position of our business, but remain alert to macro risks, not least the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

View the full press release in PDF format.

Full details of our holdings can be found in the SEGRO Property Analysis Report.

Watch a video interview with David Sleath, Chief Executive.

WEBCAST / CONFERENCE CALL FOR INVESTORS AND ANALYSTS

A live webcast of the results presentation will be available from 08.30 (UK time) at:

https://www.investis-live.com/segro/60e718e680fc931000313c84/hy21

ABOUT SEGRO

SEGRO is a UK Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), listed on the London Stock Exchange and Euronext Paris, and is a leading owner, manager and developer of modern warehouses and industrial property. It owns or manages 8.8 million square metres of space (95 million square feet) valued at £17.1 billion serving customers from a wide range of industry sectors. Its properties are located in and around major cities and at key transportation hubs in the UK and in seven other European countries.

For over 100 years SEGRO has been creating the space that enables extraordinary things to happen. From modern big box warehouses, used primarily for regional, national and international distribution hubs, to urban warehousing located close to major population centres and business districts, it provides high-quality assets that allow its customers to thrive.

A commitment to be a force for societal and environmental good is integral to SEGRO’s purpose and strategy. Its Responsible SEGRO framework focuses on three long-term priorities where the company believes it can make the greatest impact: Championing Low-Carbon Growth, Investing in Local Communities and Environments and Nurturing Talent.

Forward-Looking Statements: This announcement contains certain forward-looking statements with respect to SEGRO's expectations and plans, strategy, management objectives, future developments and performance, costs, revenues and other trend information. These statements are subject to assumptions, risk and uncertainty. Many of these assumptions, risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are beyond SEGRO's ability to control or estimate precisely and which could cause actual results or developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Certain statements have been made with reference to forecast process changes, economic conditions and the current regulatory environment. Any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of SEGRO are based upon the knowledge and information available to Directors on the date of this announcement. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that any particular expectation will be met and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Additionally, forward-looking statements regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. The information contained in this announcement is provided as at the date of this announcement and is subject to change without notice. Other than in accordance with its legal or regulatory obligations (including under the UK Listing Rules and the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority), SEGRO does not undertake to update forward-looking statements, including to reflect any new information or changes in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. Past share performance cannot be relied on as a guide to future performance. Nothing in this announcement should be construed as a profit estimate or profit forecast. The information in this announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or an invitation to buy securities in SEGRO plc or an invitation or inducement to engage in or enter into any contract or commitment or other investment activities.

Neither the content of SEGRO's website nor any other website accessible by hyperlinks from SEGRO's website are incorporated in, or form part of, this announcement.