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TORONTO, March 26, 2019 /CNW/ - Automotive Properties Real Estate Investment Trust (TSX: APR.UN) (the "REIT") announced today that it has entered into agreements to purchase two automotive dealership properties in Winnipeg, Manitoba from AutoCanada Inc. (TSX: ACQ) ("AutoCanada") for a total purchase price of approximately $23.95 million (the "Transaction"), excluding closing costs.

The two dealership properties included in the Transaction are the McNaught Cadillac Buick GMC automotive dealership property (the "McNaught GM Property") and the St. James Volkswagen automotive dealership property (the "St. James VW Property"). The additions of the McNaught GM Property and the St. James VW Property are expected to be accretive to the REIT's run-rate Adjusted Funds from Operations ("AFFO")¹ per unit on a leverage-neutral basis.

"We are pleased to enter our second property acquisition transaction with AutoCanada, one of Canada's largest automotive retailers. We look forward to expanding our portfolio into the metropolitan Winnipeg market with these high-quality assets and further diversifying our tenant base," said Milton Lamb, President and CEO of the REIT.

The McNaught GM Property includes a 56,641 square foot full-service General Motors dealership facility that was built in 2003, with extensive renovations completed in 2015. The McNaught GM Property occupies approximately 5.6 acres of land within the Waverley Automall in southwestern Winnipeg, with convenient access to major highways in an area of substantial commercial development. Upon closing of the Transaction, an affiliate of AutoCanada will be the operating tenant of the McNaught GM Property and will enter into a 19-year, triple-net lease with the REIT. The lease will include a contractual annual rent increase after the first year of the lease term, based on the Manitoba Consumer Price Index ("Manitoba CPI").

The REIT has agreed to fund capital development expenses for the McNaught GM Property up to a maximum of $3.0 million, expected to be undertaken by the end of 2021. In return for the development funds, the tenant will pay an incremental monthly rental amount based on the amount of development expenses incurred calculated at not less than the capitalization rate of the property purchase price, for the duration of the lease term, plus annual Manitoba CPI escalations thereafter.

The St. James VW Property includes a 39,494 square foot, full-service Volkswagen dealership facility built in 2004 / 2005. The St. James VW Property occupies approximately 3.9 acres of land located at 670 Century Street, in close proximity to the Winnipeg International Airport and CF Polo Park, Manitoba's largest shopping centre, with convenient access to the TransCanada Highway. Upon closing of the Transaction, an affiliate of AutoCanada will be the operating tenant of the St. James VW Property and will enter into a 19-year, triple-net lease with the REIT. The lease will include a contractual annual rent increase after the first year of the lease term, based on the Manitoba CPI.

The REIT has agreed to fund capital development expenses for the St. James VW Property up to a maximum of $3.5 million, expected to be undertaken by early 2020. In return for the development funds, the tenant will pay an incremental monthly rental amount based on the amount of development expenses incurred calculated at the capitalization rate of the property purchase price, for the duration of the lease term, plus annual Manitoba CPI escalations thereafter.

AutoCanada Holdings Inc. will provide an indemnity to the REIT in respect of the lease obligations for both the McNaught GM Property and the St. James VW Property. The REIT will finance the Transaction through draws on its revolving credit facilities and through the expansion of one of its credit facilities, which the REIT will facilitate by using the McNaught GM Property and the St. James VW Property as security. The Transaction is expected to close later this month, subject to customary closing conditions. The REIT may close on one of the properties in advance of closing on the second property if closing conditions are satisfied on one property before conditions are satisfied on the other property.

About Automotive Properties REIT
Automotive Properties REIT is an unincorporated, open-ended real estate investment trust focused on owning and acquiring primarily income-producing automotive dealership properties located in Canada. The REIT's portfolio currently consists of 54 income-producing commercial properties and one development property, representing approximately two million square feet of gross leasable area, in metropolitan markets across Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and Québec. Automotive Properties REIT is the only public vehicle in Canada focused on consolidating automotive dealership real estate properties. For more information, please visit:  www.automotivepropertiesreit.ca

(1) Non-IFRS Financial Measure
This news release contains a financial measure which is not defined under IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other real estate investment trusts or enterprises. AFFO is a key measure of earnings performance used by real estate businesses. This measure is not defined by IFRS and does not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS, and therefore should not be construed as an alternative to net income or cash flow from operating activities calculated in accordance with IFRS. The REIT believes that AFFO is an important measure of economic earnings performance and is indicative of the REIT's ability to pay distributions from earnings. The IFRS measurement most directly comparable to AFFO is net income. Please refer to the REIT's MD&A most recently filed on SEDAR for further discussion of this non-IFRS financial measure. 

Forward-Looking Information
This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, which reflects the REIT's current expectations regarding future events and in some cases can be identified by such terms as "will", "intends", "anticipates" and "expected". Forward-looking information includes statements regarding the Transaction, the timing of closing of one or both of the properties and the timing of the REIT's funding of the tenants' future capital development expenses. Forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the REIT's control that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the failure to successfully close the Transaction on the terms described, or at all, the failure of the Transaction to be accretive to the REIT's run-rate AFFO on a leverage-neutral basis and the factors discussed under "Risks and Uncertainties" in the REIT's management's discussion and analysis ("MD&A") most recently filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and in the REIT's current annual information form, which is available on SEDAR. The REIT does not undertake any obligation to update such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law. This forward-looking information speaks as of the date of this news release.

SOURCE Automotive Properties Real Estate Investment Trust

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