BMO Real Estate
Investments Limited
Peter Lowe
Peter Lowe, MRICS, is a Director and is the Fund Manager for BMO Real Estate Investments Limited. Peter has 13 years of Real Estate experience across the UK and mainland Europe. Prior to joining BMO Real Estate Partners (‘BMO REP’) in 2015 Peter worked for 9 years at DTZ Investors with responsibility for a number of UK Pension Fund and segregated accounts, including Safeway Pension Trustees Ltd, Imperial Tobacco Pension Trustees Ltd and the Universities Superannuation Scheme. More recently Peter was Fund Manager for Pearl Assurance Trust (Pensions) Ltd and GE CIF Trustees Ltd. Peter has an MSc in Real Estate & Management and sits on the BMO REP Investment Committee.
Objectives
The Company’s investment objective is to provide ordinary shareholders with an attractive level of income together with the potential for capital and income growth from investing in a diversified UK commercial property portfolio.
Investment Policy and Management of Assets
The Company holds a diversified portfolio of freehold and predominantly long leasehold (over 60 years remaining at the time of acquisition) UK commercial properties. It invests principally in three commercial property sectors: office, retail and industrial.
The Company invests in income producing investments. Investment decisions are based on analysis of, amongst other things, prospects for future income and capital growth, sector and geographic prospects, tenant covenant strength, lease length, and initial and equivalent yields and the potential for development or redevelopment of the property. The Company will not invest in other investment companies or funds.
Investment risks are spread through investing in a range of sectors across the UK, and through letting properties, where possible, to low risk tenants. The Company has not set any maximum geographic exposures, but the maximum weightings in the principal property sectors (stated as a percentage of total assets) are: office: 60 per cent; retail: 60 per cent; and industrial: 50 per cent. No single property may exceed 15 per cent of total assets and the five largest properties may not exceed 45 per cent of total assets.
Income receivable from any one tenant, or tenants within the same group, in any one financial year shall not exceed 20 per cent of the total rental income of the Group in that financial year. At least 90 per cent by value of properties held shall be in the form of freehold, feuhold or long leasehold (over 60 years remaining at the time of acquisition) properties or the equivalent.
The Company uses gearing to enhance returns over the long term. Gearing, represented by borrowings as a percentage of total assets, should not exceed 60 per cent. However, it is the Board’s present intention that borrowings will be limited to a maximum of 45 per cent of total assets at the time of borrowing. The Board receives recommendations on gearing levels from the Managers and is responsible for setting the gearing range within which the Managers may operate.
The Company’s borrowing are represented by a £90 million term loan with Canada Life which expires in November 2026 and a £20 million revolving credit facility with Barclays which is available until March 2025.
At each Board meeting, the Board receives a detailed presentation from the Managers together with a comprehensive analysis of the performance of the Company, and compliance with investment restrictions during the reporting period.
Investment Risks
The value of your investments and any income from them can go down as well as up and you may not get back the original amount invested. The value of property reflects the opinion of valuers and is reviewed periodically. These assets can also be illiquid and significant or persistent redemptions may require the manager to sell properties at a lower market value adversely affecting the value of your investment. Investments which are concentrated in a specific sector or country may result in less diversification and hence more volatility in investment values. Gearing is used for investment purposes to obtain, increase or reduce exposure to an asset, index or investment. The use of gearing can enhance returns to investors in a rising market, but if the market falls the losses may be greater.
Fund Facts and Key Dates
Fund Facts
Investment manager | BMO Investment Business Limited |
Launch date | 1 June 2004 |
Total assets | £345.24 million (as at 30.06.21) |
Currency | Sterling |
ISIN | GB00B012T521 |
SEDOL | B012T52 |
Ticker symbol | BREI |
Key Dates
Annual general meeting | November |
Year end | 30 June |
Dividend payment date(s) | March, June, September and December |
Sustainability and ESG
Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) issues are the three central factors in measuring sustainability and can present both opportunities and threats to the long-term investment performance the Company aims to deliver to Shareholders. The Board is therefore committed to taking a responsible approach to ESG matters. There are two strands to this approach. The Company’s own responsibilities on matters such as governance and the impact it has through the investments that are made on its behalf by its Manager.
The Board
Vikram Lall
Vikram was appointed as a Director in April 2013. He is a qualified chartered accountant and was, until 2003, an executive director of Brewin Dolphin Holdings plc with responsibility for corporate finance. Prior to joining Brewin Dolphin, he worked as a corporate financier for many years. He is a director of a number of private limited companies.
Alexa Henderson
Alexa was appointed as a Director in December 2015. Alexa is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland and was previously a Director of the WM Company. She is a non-executive Director and chair of the audit committee of Dunedin Smaller Companies Investment Trust plc and Adam and Company. She is also a non-executive director of James Walker (Leith) Limited, Bravura Solutions Limited and JPMorgan Japan Smaller Companies Trust plc.
Mark Carpenter
Mark was appointed as a Director in May 2015. He is a chartered surveyor and is Director of Investment at TH Real Estate, a global real estate asset management company. He is also a non-executive director of other TH Real Estate property funds invested in the UK and overseas.
David Ross
David was appointed as a Director in March 2015. He was a founding partner of Aberforth Partners LLP, an investment management firm specialising in investing in UK smaller companies, from which he recently retired. He is also a non-executive director of EP Global Opportunities Trust plc and JP Morgan US Smaller Companies Investment Trust plc.
Rebecca Gates
Rebecca was appointed as a Director in March 2021. She is an experienced property professional who has spent the last 23 years of her career in a variety of roles within the real estate investment management business and is currently Head of UK Property Asset Management for LaSalle Investment Management.
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