Strategy

Wereldhave Belgium’s mission is to be a professional property investor and landlord generating an attractive long-term investment result in combination with a low-risk profile on its entire property portfolio. Shopping centres are preferred as future investments and/or expansions.

Wereldhave Belgium aims for stable growth of both the direct result and the dividend. To achieve this, the key focal areas of Wereldhave Belgium’s strategy are value creation and risk diversification.
Value is created for shareholders by:
1. achieving rent growth through active management of shopping centres
2. (re)developing shopping centres for its own portfolio.

Wereldhave Belgium spreads the risks of its investments across different regions in Belgium.

Active management
Wereldhave Belgium invests in shopping centres that are dominant in their catchment areas. With active management by its own specialists, the sicafi continues to reinforce the market position of its centres, focusing on increasing visitor numbers, retail sales and rental income. It invests in the appeal, quality and sustainability of its shopping centres. With their high occupancy levels, shopping centres contribute to the consistency of Wereldhave Belgium’s results.

In-house development
The second method of value creation is to develop high-quality property at cost for the Company’s own portfolio. In-house development of projects makes it possible to optimally gear the quality to user demands and the timing of the investment to market conditions.

Wereldhave Belgium aims to achieve stable growth in the direct result per share and dividend, with a payout ratio of at least 80% (legal minimum).

Wereldhave Belgium aims to an increase in its shopping centre exposure in the portfolio investment properties. The gradual disposal of the office properties will be continued when sales opportunities occur.

Wereldhave Belgium has solid capital ratios with a current solvency rate of approximately 83%. In view of this context, the Management Company considers it acceptable to fund growth by lowering the solvency margin. This will enable Wereldhave Belgium to utilise any attractive acquisition opportunities as they come up in the period ahead.