Skip Header
Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.

Shaftesbury Capital swings to net profit on strong leasing

(Sharecast News) - West End-focused real estate group Shaftesbury Capital said it saw "excellent" leasing activity across all property with rents rising by a tenth as it swing to a net profit in 2023. Net profit totalled £750.4m last year, compared with a loss of £211.8m in 2022 with the prior year impacted by a significant negative change in fair value of listed equity investment.

The company, which owns 2.9m square foot of lettable space across Covent Garden, Carnaby, Soho, Chinatown and Fitzrovia, said estimated rental value was up 6.9% in 2023, helping lift annualised gross income by 10.4% on a like-for-like basis to £192.8m.

Some 526 of leasing transactions were completed last year, representing £37m of rent, which was 10% ahead of 2022. Meanwhile, vacancy levels were low at just 2.1% of ERV available.

Looking ahead, Shaftesbury gave a confident outlook "despite the uncertain geopolitical and macroeconomic backdrop".

"Our strong performance and leasing pipeline together with positive trading conditions across our West End locations provide us with confidence in the growth prospects for our exceptional portfolio."

The company is targeting rental growth of 5-7% per annum over the medium term, which would result in average total property returns of 7-9%.

The stock was up 1.1% at 123p by 0918 GMT.

Share this article

Related Sharecast Articles

Goldman Sachs to scrap bonus cap for UK dealmakers
(Sharecast News) - Goldman Sachs will remove a cap on bonuses for its London-based staff, according to Sky News, with the firm now set to resume making multi-million-pound payouts to its top-performing traders and dealmakers.
Gazprom swings to $6.9bn loss as Europe sales plunge
(Sharecast News) - Russia's natural gas heavyweight Gazprom swung to huge loss in 2023 after sales to Europe dropped due to Western sanctions on Moscow.
London cabbies launch £250m legal action against Uber
(Sharecast News) - Uber Technologies is facing legal action on behalf of more than 10,500 London black cab drivers, it was confirmed on Thursday.
Peloton announces CEO departure; to cut 15% of workforce
(Sharecast News) - Peloton announced the departure of its chief executive on Thursday, alongside plans to cut around 15% of its workforce amid a restructuring programme aimed at reducing annual expenses by more than $200m.

Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

Award-winning online share dealing

Search, compare and select from thousands of shares.

Expert insights into investing your money

Our team of experts explore the world of share dealing.