What a Family Dollar Spin-Off Could Mean for Net Lease
The one-time profitable chain has become a financial drain and will likely be a source of concern for landlords.
Between 1988 and 2015, Family Dollar Stores made an average annual profit of $182.9 million, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. But those days are long gone since the 2015 acquisition by Dollar Tree.
Last week, Dollar Tree announced a “review of strategic alternatives” for Family Dollar.
“Last year, we announced a comprehensive review of the Family Dollar portfolio, including the planned closure of approximately 970 underperforming Family Dollar stores to focus on enhanced investments in remaining Family Dollar stores that present favorable opportunities for long-term growth and transformation, with more attractive returns on capital,” Rick Dreiling, Dollar Tree chairman and chief executive officer, said in prepared remarks. The company said that it was “beginning to see progress” while trying to “grow the Dollar Tree banner through compelling initiatives like our expanded multi-price offerings, significant planned new store openings across the United States” and acquisition of 170 stores from 99 Cents Only.
“The unique needs of each banner at this time – transformation at Family Dollar and growth acceleration at Dollar Tree – lead us to the decision to conduct a thorough review of strategic alternatives for the Family Dollar business,” Dreiling said.
“I think they thought it would be an easier integration” when Dollar Tree bought Family Dollar, Jonathan Hipp, head of the U.S. Net Lease Group at Avison Young, tells GlobeSt.com. “It’s an albatross around their neck. If you’re losing money in one operation and making money in another, most people would say I’d rather punt the losing one.”
Dollar Tree aims at a middle-income suburban demographic, Hipp says, and Family Dollar looked to lower-income consumers in urban and rural areas. Putting them together might have seemed like it should expand the reach of the combined entity, but clearly it didn’t.
The challenge for both brands is uncertainty, which could negatively affect their cap rates. “I don’t know who would buy it here in the States,” Hipp says. “Maybe it’s a private equity or hedge fund. Or maybe an international buyer wants to come in, get a massive store count, and create instant density in the U.S.”
“Everyone reacts differently to these types of situations,” Hipp adds. “And it’s not like the news over the last year has been positive for Family Dollar.” Any buyer of a property leasing to one of the brands would require more underwriting and careful consideration of what they’d be willing to pay. Lenders would have to decide whether a deal was something they wanted to do. “Which they might do, but they’ll probably require more equity” than otherwise.