Operator
I would now like to hand the conference over to Mr. Peter Huddle, CEO and Managing Director.
Please go ahead.
Peter Huddle
Good morning, and thank you for joining us for Vicinity Centres' results call for the 12-month ended 30th of June 2026. Joining me on today's call is Adrian Chye, our Chief Financial Officer.
I will start today's presentation on slide five. FY 2026 was another year of important progress for Vicinity with disciplined investment, capital allocation, and operational execution reflected in our financial results, portfolio metrics, and strengthened balance sheet.
Our strategy remains clear: to own and operate premium and differentiated retail portfolio capable of delivering superior income and value growth through cycles. The structural conditions underpinning this strategy remain in place.
Retail supply per capita continues to contract, and leading discretionary retailers are prioritizing high-quality, productive assets. In this context, we completed the $625 million transformation of Chatswood Chase with the asset now home to the largest and most compelling luxury offer in New South Wales outside Sydney CBD.
We have secured full ownership of Uptown, having acquired the remaining 75% interest for $212 million. Uptown is a landmark Brisbane CBD asset with significant growth potential.
We acquired DFO Eastern Creek, increasing our exposure to Western Sydney's residential growth corridor and strengthening our established outlet operating platform. We continue to recycle capital into assets with stronger growth prospects and clearer strategic relevance.
Having entered into binding agreements for the divestment of Taigum Square for $120 million only late last week, total assets divested in FY 2026 and FY 2027 to date comprise $447 million. Adrian and I will cover the details shortly, but in summary, statutory net profit after tax was $1.39 billion, up by nearly $400 million.
Funds from operations increased to $700.1 million, and on a per-security basis, reached 15.21 cents, which was at the top end of our guidance range of 15 to 15.2 cents per security. The board declared a final distribution of 6.2 cents per security, bringing the FY 2026 distribution to 12.4 cents per security and representing a payout ratio of 95.5% of adjusted FFO.
Supported by occupancy of 99.6%, positive leasing spreads of 4.2%, and disciplined property management, comparable NPI grew 4.2%. Our balance sheet strengthened further in FY 2026 with both headline and pro forma gearing remaining at the lower end of our target range.
Meanwhile, $2 billion of debt transactions were executed during the year, the outcomes of which materially increased our weighted average debt maturity from 3.8 to 5.1 years and preserved our weighted average cost of debt at 5%. Of particular note, NTA increased by 19 cents, or 7.7%, to $2.59 per security.
By extension, we are pleased to report a total return of 12.8% for the year. Today's results represent the cumulative benefit of a portfolio we have been deliberately reshaping over several years, supported by favorable sector fundamentals.
We have recycled capital from smaller, lower-growth, and less strategically aligned assets, and redeployed it into premium assets via targeted acquisitions and major developments. Premium assets comprise 67% of portfolio value, up from 51% in June 2022.
The proof points that underpin our strategy remain. At 5.1% and positive 7.7%, comparable NPI growth and leasing spreads delivered by our premium assets remained well above the relevant portfolio averages.
Specialty sales productivity of more than $17,000 per square meter was more than 25% above the portfolio average. The combination of several years of superior portfolio metrics is showcased by the NPI growth of 5.8% per annum delivered by our premium assets since June 2022 on a like-for-like basis.
By extension, income has been the major impetus underpinning the 41% uplift in average asset values over the same period. Our strategy is fit for purpose, and our conviction remains anchored by the financial outcomes it is delivering.
In this context, in a market where opportunities to add outlet exposure are limited, the acquisition of DFO Eastern Creek strengthens our outlet portfolio and increases our exposure to Western Sydney's growth corridor. While subject to receiving confirmation for the assignment of the ground lease, we will utilize our nomination provision to on-sell the large format retail component on a pass-through basis for $49 million.
By extension, the acquisition of DFO Eastern Creek settled on June 30, 2026 for $351 million. DFO Eastern Creek combines everyday convenience with destinational outlet retail, and with its distinct catchment and customer profile, the acquisition compliments DFO Homebush.
Outlet retail is a format we know well, and we have a proven capability of acquiring, repositioning, and growing income over time. Since acquiring our 50% interest in DFO Uni Hill in 2020 and Harbour Town Gold Coast in late 2021, these assets have delivered NPI growth of 10.2% and 6.5% per annum respectively.
At DFO Eastern Creek, we see clear scope to lift performance over time via targeted leasing, improved customer experiences, and operational efficiencies. What's more, in the more medium term, there is an additional 8,500 square meters of approved outlet expansion, which allows us to contemplate greater growth potential into the future.
Turning now to retail sales, which remain resilient. Over the year, more than 380 million customer visits to our assets underpinned annual portfolio sales of approximately $18.4 billion, representing MAT growth of 3.3% at June 2026, which was 50 basis points higher than June 2025.
Specialty and mini-major sales increased by 4% with all retail categories finishing the year in growth. While growth rates moderated, sales in the second half of FY 2026 were above the same period last year despite the vastly different operating environments.
While luxury sales moderated as cost-of-living pressures impacted the aspirational customer, the category continues to enjoy exceptional productivity levels at around $61,000 per square meter. Excluding luxury, specialty and mini-major sales grew 3.5% in the second half.
Finally, for the seventh consecutive six-month period, we delivered growth in specialty sales productivity, reaching $13,512 per square meter in FY 2026. Sales productivity is ultimately the output of strategic leasing, curating the right brands, formats, and customer offer across each asset, and the leasing outcomes this year show the strength of that execution.
In this context, occupancy strengthened to 99.6%, representing less than one vacancy per center on average across our portfolio. Leasing spreads for the year were a positive 4.2%, our strongest annual result to date.
Adding to this, average annual escalators were maintained at 4.8%, and reflecting retailer demand for space in an increasingly supply-constrained environment, average tenure on new deals completed increased to 4.6 years. At 14.4%, our specialty occupancy cost ratio remains healthy and continues to provide capacity for future rental growth where sales and retailer profitability support it.
The proportion of income on holdover reduced to a record low of 1.5%, or just 92 stores, excluding sites strategically held for development. Together, these metrics point to a healthier, more productive asset portfolio, and to the value created when retailers use Vicinity's portfolio to enter, grow, and scale in Australia.
That pathway often starts at Chadstone, then extends throughout premium assets, and over time, into strong regional centers. This is especially evident by the proliferation of the number of mini-major stores both across and within our portfolio in recent years.
Since June 2019, average store sizes across the portfolio have increased by 19%. In some cases, high-performing specialty retailers expand into larger format stores to maximize sales potential.
In other cases, both new-to-market and established retailers are using mini-major stores to scale into additional assets. Athleisure, beauty, and lifestyle brands have led this shift, seeking larger formats to showcase broader ranges and immersive brand experiences.
The leasing outcomes are compelling with mini-major leasing spreads at 6.5% in FY 2026. This is not a one-year aberration.
Leasing spreads for mini-majors have tracked above the portfolio average for the last six consecutive six-month periods, and with mini-major sales growth tracking at 7.5% per annum since June 2019, the current and future upside potential is sustainable. I'll hand the call to Adrian.
Adrian Chye
Thanks, Peter, and good morning. I'll start on slide 12.
Statutory net profit after tax for the year was $1.391 billion with $700 million derived from FFO and $691 million from statutory non-cash and other items, largely reflecting net property valuation gains. FFO increased 3.9% to $700 million, and at 15.21 cents, FFO per security was at the top end of our guidance range.
Adjusting for one-off items and lower development-related loss of rent, FFO per security increased 4.1%. Reported NPI increased by 2.2% with strong comparable NPI growth and development income partly offset by transaction impacts.
On a comparable basis, NPI increased by 4.2%, reflecting an improvement in occupancy, positive leasing spreads, and fixed annual escalators of 4.8% for specialty and mini-major tenants. Our ongoing focus on cost management resulted in net corporate overheads increasing by only 1.6%.
Net interest expense reduced by 3.8%, primarily due to net proceeds from asset sales and the distribution reinvestment plan. This was partly offset by lower capitalized interest.
Maintenance capex and leasing incentives at approximately $100 million was consistent with recent years. Turning now to valuations on slide 13.
The portfolio delivered a net valuation gain of $293 million, or 1.8%, for the six months to 30 June 2026, marking the fifth consecutive half of positive valuation growth. Income growth was the key driver, underpinned by enhanced portfolio quality and strong operating metrics.
Outlets were the strongest contributors to income growth, led by DFO South Wharf and DFO Homebush. Overall, the weighted average capitalization rate tightened modestly by two basis points, supported by favorable retail sector fundamentals together with sustained investor appetite for retail assets, providing transaction evidence across the full spectrum of retail asset segments.
Positive valuation growth supported an increase in net tangible assets per security, up 2.8% in the second half of FY 2026 to $2.59. On a full-year basis, the net portfolio valuation gains were $700 million, contributing to a 19-cent, or 7.7%, increase in NTA.
Looking ahead, Vicinity's enhanced portfolio quality, resilient income growth, and supportive sector fundamentals provide a strong platform for continued positive valuation outcomes. Turning now to capital management.
Maintaining a conservative and disciplined approach to capital management while preserving the flexibility to invest through the cycle remains central to Vicinity's strategy. We continue to actively manage our capital, deploying approximately $900 million of capital into development projects and strategic acquisitions, and divesting $447 million of assets, and raising $192 million via the DRP.
At 30 June, our gearing was 26.1%. Adjusting for the settlement of the Uptown acquisition and Taigum Square sale, pro forma gearing is 26.5% and remains at the lower end of our 25% to 35% target range, providing ongoing flexibility for future investment opportunities.
We also maintained our investment grade credit ratings of A stable from S&P and A2 stable from Moody's. During the year, we capitalized on supportive credit market conditions, raising $732 million through 10-year debt capital markets transactions.
This included a $500 million 10-year AMTN as well as Hong Kong dollar private placements. Pricing was favorable, and investor appetite for longer tenors supported a meaningful extension in weighted average debt maturity to 5.1 years from 3.8 years at June 2025.
We also extended and repriced $1.2 billion of bank facilities, reducing interest cost and further strengthening the debt maturity profile. Our weighted average cost of debt was 4.98%, and the average portion of hedge debt over FY 2026 was around 90%, and our forecast for FY 2027 is 87%.
With $800 million of undrawn debt facilities, we retain sufficient liquidity to cover all FY 2027 funding requirements. The DRP will remain active for the FY 2026 final distribution, supporting continued capital flexibility.
Thank you. I'll now hand back to Peter.
Peter Huddle
Thanks, Adrian. Turning to our developments.
FY 2026 marked a defining milestone for Chatswood Chase with the completion of the $625 million transformation, including the opening of the luxury precinct from 30th of April. The project has repositioned Chatswood Chase as Northern Sydney's preeminent retail destination, bringing together global luxury maisons, international icons, premium Australian designers, elevated dining, fresh food, and bespoke customer services.
Following the successful opening of the luxury precinct, Chatswood Chase has since welcomed Tiffany, Dolce & Gabbana, Hermès, Rolex, and Cartier, further endorsing the asset's luxury repositioning and reinforcing its position as home to the largest and most compelling luxury offer in New South Wales outside of the Sydney CBD. While it's still early days, performance has been encouraging with the quality of the new offer resonating with customers and retailers.
From an investment perspective, we're especially pleased to share that expected returns from the project have increased. The stabilized yield is now expected to be around 6.7%, up by approximately 70 basis points, with an unlevered IRR of around 11%, up by approximately 100 basis points.
Upon stabilization, Chatswood Chase should be valued at approximately $1.5 billion, translating to an estimated development profit of more than $250 million. With Chatswood Chase now complete, the next major milestone in our development pipeline is Galleria, which is entering its final stages ahead of opening in November in time for the important Black Friday and Christmas trading period.
The project will elevate Galleria's role as a leading retail, dining, and entertainment destination in Perth's northeastern growth corridor with a revitalized mall, new leisure and dining precinct, state-of-the-art cinema, and enhanced customer experience. With 98% of leases instructed, we are pleased to announce the retailer lineup, which comprises a strong mix of national and international brands.
Alongside longstanding partners, including a refurbished Coles and Myer stores, Galleria will welcome Hoyts, Mecca, JD Sports, JB Hi-Fi, Oroton, and Victoria's Secret. Like Chatswood Chase, this project is expected to exceed original return expectations with a stabilized yield of around 6.25% and an unlevered IRR of approximately 11.5%.
As Galleria nears completion, our preparation for the redevelopment of Uptown accelerate. With full control of this landmark Brisbane CBD asset now secured, the opportunity is to create a complete, full-line retail asset.
Our plans for Uptown will address a clear gap in Brisbane CBD retail offer and will naturally complement our luxury proposition at QueensPlaza. Our plans include a major repositioning of the retail asset, upgraded services, contemporary ambience, and improved customer amenity, which is appropriately adjacent to major infrastructure upgrades in the Brisbane CBD.
We are progressing authority approvals presently, and we anticipate a project cost of between $350 and $400 million. Our expected project returns remain unchanged with a stabilized yield of greater than 6% and an unlevered IRR of greater than 10%.
From a delivery perspective, the project is well advanced with dedicated organizational capability deployed, positive engagement with local and state governments, and Hutchinson Builders engaged through a preconstruction process. Chadstone continues to evolve as Australia's leading retail destination and one of the country's most compelling retail-led mixed-use precincts.
With more than 22 million customer visits each year, Chadstone provides an unmatched stage for leading brands to invest in flagship experiences, showcase their best concepts, and connect with customers at scale. The luxury precinct is now entering its next phase of development with Louis Vuitton, Dior, Hermès, and Fendi investing in larger formats to showcase broader ranges and deliver more immersive brand experiences.
Together, these maisons will occupy around 3,000 square meters of space at Chadstone, an increase of approximately 80%. As we maintain continuous trade for these retailers and their clients, construction is underway with openings planned from mid-2027.
Beauty and wellbeing powerhouse Mecca is also investing in a new 2,400-square-meter next-generational store, almost tripling its current footprint. Opening in time for Christmas, the store will showcase more than 200 brands, offer over 50 bookable beauty services, and bring Mecca's latest beauty and wellbeing concepts to Chadstone.
Importantly, our development approach is not limited to large-scale transformations or premium assets. Building on recent examples this fiscal year, including the repurposing of the former David Jones space at Mandurah Forum and the new Uniqlo flagship at Emporium Melbourne, are important projects at Grand Plaza in Queensland and Castle Plaza in South Australia.
At Grand Plaza, we are repurposing the former cinema space to introduce a new Rebel alongside an upgraded food and dining offer with completion expected in the fourth quarter of FY 2027. At Castle Plaza, we are replacing the former IGA tenancy with a new full-line Woolworths supermarket together with a number of new specialty stores.
We expect to complete the works in the third quarter of this fiscal year. Taken together, these projects demonstrate the breadth and discipline of our development program.
From major transformations at Chatswood Chase and Galleria, to the next phase of investments at Chadstone and Uptown, and targeted projects at Grand Plaza and Castle Plaza, our focus is consistent. We are allocating capital to assets where we see pathway to stronger income, improved market position, and long-term value creation.
That also means upgrading the customer proposition, supporting the expansion of plans of leading retailers, and enhancing asset quality in a way that delivers compounding returns over time. We look forward to sharing more detail on our development pipeline at our capability showcase in mid-September.
Turning now to mixed-use. As we've said before, Chatswood Chase represents our most compelling near-term mixed-use opportunity.
As a reminder, the opportunity comprises 480 luxury apartments and represents a compelling value-creation opportunity, leveraging the strength of the recently transformed retail asset and the quality of its surrounding catchment. Since our interim result announced in February, we have secured revised HDA approval for residential tower height and residential connectivity into Chatswood Chase.
We have received confirmation from the Design Review Panel that the project demonstrates the potential to achieve design excellence, which is a major milestone. Community engagement was recently completed, and by extension, our development application documentation is advancing with current timelines indicating authority approval being received in 2027.
We continue to retain full strategic optionality as we evaluate funding and delivery structures that balance the realization of attractive returns with disciplined balance sheet management. Turning now to FY 2027 earnings guidance.
FY 2027 represents a meaningful inflection point for Vicinity as the benefits of our portfolio repositioning, disciplined capital allocation, and recent investment activity are expected to translate into a step change in our earnings growth profile. In this context, we expect FY 2027 FFO per security to be in the range of 16 to 16.2 cents and AFFO per security to be in the range of 13.9 to 14.1 cents.
This implies FFO per security growth of between 5.3% and 6.6%. The key assumptions underlying guidance are set out on the slide, and as always, our guidance remains subject to unforeseen circumstances and material changes in operating conditions.
In closing, our FY 2026 results demonstrates that our investment strategy is clear, fit for purpose, and delivering tangible outcomes. Vicinity is a stronger business than it was four years ago with a more productive, more clearly differentiated portfolio, clearer earnings growth pathways, and the balance sheet strength to support ongoing investment.
As we look to FY 2027, we are confident in the elements we can control. Not only does a stronger-than-expected FY 2026 provide a stronger underlying earnings base in FY 2027, but Chadstone enters FY 2027 fully stabilized, Chatswood Chase contributes a full year of income, Galleria opens in November, and Uptown and DFO Eastern Creek provide income and future value potential.
Meanwhile, the structural conditions underpinning our strategy also remain in place with retail supply per capita continuing to contract and retailer demand prioritizing resilient and more productive assets. That said, we remain mindful of geopolitical uncertainty, potential shifts in household and financial conditions, and broader market volatility, and we continue to manage the business and allocate capital accordingly.
Taken together, our outlook for FY 2027 is one of cautious confidence. Before I hand the call to Q&A, I extend our thanks to our investors, our retail and joint venture partners, our customers, of course, the Vicinity team, and indeed, everyone associated with the company for your support and contribution.
Thank you. We'll open the call to questions.
Operator
Thank you. If you wish to ask a question, please press star one on your telephone and wait for your name to be announced.
If you wish to cancel your request, please press star then two. If you're on a speakerphone, please pick up the handset to ask your question.
We also ask that you please limit yourself to two questions. Today's first question comes from Solomon Zhang with UBS.
Please go ahead.
Solomon Zhang
Morning, Peter, Adrian, and team. Thanks for your time.
Just wanted to ask about the lift in yield-on-cost assumption on Chatswood to 6.7%. Clearly pleasing to see.
Was that more on the cost side or income? What drove that?
Have you revised your two-year stabilization period to that stabilized yield-on-cost?
Peter Huddle
Hey, Solomon, it's Peter here. Fundamentally, it's all based on income.
That uplift, which is a pleasing result for us. That's how we would like to see it, and then obviously, that income then compounds into the future at a much higher rate.
In terms of the stabilization, it's still very early days for Chatswood, we're still holding our stabilize assumptions the same, which is essentially a higher level of stabilization for FY 2027, about half that amount for FY 2028, and a fraction of that amount going into FY 2029 as there's still about four luxury retailers to open over the course of the next 12 months, and then obviously reestablishing the market area for them.
Solomon Zhang
Thanks. Just second question, maybe a broader one just on I guess the macro and how that's influencing your leasing decisions.
I guess, just intuitively when sales are decelerating, you would have expected that maybe spreads are moderated. Just looking at your apparel and footwear spreads, they were 6% versus sales growth at 1%.
Just trying to reconcile that, and maybe just touching on how you think that the sales actually influences that releasing spread and whether you think 4% is actually sustainable heading into 2027 as well. Thanks.
Peter Huddle
Solomon, it's Peter here. It's probably fair enough to say there has been moderation in sales, and within our FY 2027 guidance, we essentially put within that guidance a leasing spread forecast of around 3%.
We have taken some reduction in terms of the performance of this year into the guidance for the next year, we do take that into account. That said, we're at 99.6% occupancy of our assets.
We had very strong leasing demand, particularly in the last two months of the fiscal year. We are churning about 26% of our tenants, so that's fundamentally on purpose to ensure we have the right brands that are more productive within that space.
Over the last few years, that active curation management is really how we've been able to drive better performance in that leasing spread. We would hope that continues throughout FY 2027.
We're obviously mindful of where sales are. I would say they have been quite resilient, sales.
They have come off in the last six months. We've just printed July's sales as well, which were slightly better than the last quarter.
Perfect.
Solomon Zhang
Thanks.
Operator
Thank you. Our next question today comes from Connor Eldridge at J.P.
Morgan. Please go ahead.
Connor Eldridge
Hi, Peter and team. Thanks for your time this morning.
Just follow on from that last comment around the assumption of 3% spreads in the '27 guide. How does that compare to the spreads that you achieved in the fourth quarter?
It looks like they might have stepped down a fair bit just based on the full-year average of 4.2%.
Peter Huddle
Connor, it's Peter here. Probably the fourth quarter, the leasing spreads were around that 2% mark.
Again, it's not untypical for that to occur. For whatever reason, we normally have stronger spreads in the first half of the fiscal year and then have slightly weaker spreads coming into the second half.
Every month, the spread remained positive, but yes, it was around 2% to 2.5% for the last quarter.
Connor Eldridge
Thanks. Just on the Chatswood resi opportunity, you mentioned optionality across delivery and funding structures.
Could you maybe just expand on I suppose what your current preference would be based on just where you see the market today?
Peter Huddle
Our preference has always been to partner on that project, at least as a minimum a capital partner and someone whom also may bring expertise into that venture. Our focus really at the moment is to secure the rezoning and the development approvals.
That really entrenches the value into the land. We're obviously really mindful of the residential market, and particularly since the federal government's changes in taxation policy that has had an impact around residential.
We're circa around best case two years from construction commencement of that. Again, we're kind of focused on getting the approvals in place over the course of the next short period of time.
We would hope to then inform the market of the execution strategy, ideally through this fiscal year.
Connor Eldridge
Thank you.
Operator
Thank you. Our next question today comes from Carl Braganza with Jarden.
Please go ahead.
Carl Braganza
Morning, Peter, Adrian. Thanks for your time.
A few questions from me. The first one was on Uptown.
I think the total cost range has increased by $50 million versus what you flagged at the first half. What's driven that change?
Peter Huddle
Hey, Carl, it's Peter. Probably a couple of things.
We've spent the last six months in really detailed due diligence hand in hand with Hutchinson Builders who we've employed in the preconstruction phase. It's a brownfield development, there is some additional costs associated with plant and equipment replacements around compliance.
That's one component of it. The second component is as we've gone through design development, there's some income-accretive opportunities that require some capital to go into the project that we've included within the scope and will be included shortly within the development approvals with the Brisbane City Council.
We've talked them through those enhancements as well. They fundamentally represent the two major items that have led to the revision in that cost range.
I would say the return range remains the same, and we'd be hopeful similar to the projects we've just delivered that they could also improve. We would update the market fully.
We would expect to be pretty much completed ready to commence by the time of the fiscal half year. Then
Carl Braganza
final one from me was what was the yield on the Taigum Square asset?
Peter Huddle
The passing yield on sales essentially around the 6%.
Carl Braganza
Perfect. Thanks, guys.
Operator
Thank you. Our next question today comes from David Pobucky with Macquarie Group.
Please go ahead.
David Pobucky
Good morning, Peter, Adrian, and team. Thanks for taking my questions.
Just the first one on capital recycling. Over the last number of years upgrading portfolio quality, through Uptown, Chatswood Chase, Eastern Creek, etc., as well as recycling regional assets.
Just curious to understand how much more portfolio repositioning and recycling is required, and what might kind of that look like in terms of acquisitions and disposals going forward?
Peter Huddle
Hey, David, it's Peter. It's probably fair enough to say we've broken the back of it, David.
I think we've sold 16 assets in the last three years, and the funding of that has really been our main source of funding for acquisition and development activity. It's also led to a meaningful upgrade of our portfolio quality.
We have Box Hill North on the market presently at the moment, and that's one that we haven't transacted at this particular point in time, but it's been publicly marketed. There might be one or two other assets that subject to the opportunity being obviously to further increase the quality of our portfolio and subject to it being value accretive that we could trade either at 100% or potentially bring in a joint venture partner.
I would suggest that we're materially through the asset divestment program that we had envisaged in the core of our portfolio.
David Pobucky
Thank you. Just a second one around consumer and retail trends.
Sales have remained relatively resilient. Just any kind of feedback or commentary you can provide on trading post the end of the fiscal year.
Have you observed any kind of increase in retailer requests for rent relief or kind of lease renegotiations, etc., any kind of anecdotes that you can share? Thank you.
Peter Huddle
David, typically July is a fairly quiet period in terms of lease transaction conclusions. In context, it's probably represents only about 25% of the activity of June, which is a very active year.
In terms of rent relief, no material uplift in either determinations or requests. From a retail sales point of view, it might be helpful for those on the call.
We essentially finished July at around about a 3% positive comp growth. Importantly, particularly across mini-majors and specialties, that was around 4%.
That was an uptick versus both May and particularly June. We still feel as though whilst sales in this half of the year or in 2026 aren't as strong as the back half of 2025, we still feel as though they're quite resilient, albeit probably a little choppy through the year, that are hard to predict.
Operator
Our next question today comes from James Druce at CLSA. Please go ahead.
James Druce
Good morning, Peter and Adrian. Just on the sales in July, do you think there's any World Cup effects coming through there or?
Peter Huddle
That's an interesting one, James. I'm not sure if it's the World Cup, but what we are seeing, which is an interesting trend in these particular times, is things such as food catering, people going out to restaurants, jewelry, cinemas.
They're sort of simple luxuries. They've all actually been trading above the average.
Probably some sort of more moderate sales are more within our major retailers: department stores, supermarkets, and discount department stores. We've only just rolled up July, James, probably haven't got the fine detail of whether there's any World Cup influence on that or not.
James Druce
Okay. One more if I may.
Actually two more. In catchments where house prices are falling more aggressively where you have centers, are you seeing that impact come through, or is it largely sort of pretty immune at the moment?
Peter Huddle
James, I think we're typically two to four weeks behind in terms of culminating our sales data, we'll probably need to have a solid period of about six months to determine if there is any impact associated with that. We're clearly conscious of the fact that value within house prices has a positive correlation with consumer confidence, and then there is obviously a correlation to consumer expenditure from there, and that's something that we're mindful of and that we'll watch through.
At this particular point in time, sales are fairly consistent across the portfolio. We're seeing really strong sales in our CBDs, which is great to see.
Even Melbourne CBD, despite the sort of rhetoric around Melbourne CBD and other property classifications. Probably where we're seeing it is Victoria more generally slightly down in terms of sales productivity versus the rest of the country.
James Druce
That's clear. One more if I may.
I think at the start of the year you were guiding to around $400 million of capex for '26. I think you came in at 350.
Just wondering what sort of gave you that little boost to spend less by the end of the year?
Adrian Chye
This is Adrian here. Thanks, James.
We ended up about 330 mil all up for the year. Some of that is probably just some delayed starts on a couple of the projects.
Particularly around incentives for Chatswood, it's a very timing-specific kind of impact where some of the incentive spend for Chatswood actually goes into FY 2027. It's really just around the edges on incentives and pushing some capex into FY 2027.
James Druce
That's clear. Thank you.
Operator
Thank you. Our next question today comes from Howard Penny at Citi.
Please go ahead.
Howard Penny
Thank you very much, and congrats on the results. Just a first question.
It's just thinking about ideas in the market, and one of the things we've seen is some of the bigger shopping center owners selling down some significant stakes in their core assets and effectively earning some fees and increasing the return on equity on their investment. Is that something that's on the desk of Vicinity and a potential for you?
Peter Huddle
Hi, Howard. It's Peter.
We have done that over the last four years in our core assets. The Nikos Group, which is a strong joint venture partner of ours, a private family business, has transacted across three 50% shares of our core regional assets, two in South Australia and two in Victoria, over the last three years, so that we sit side by side as a 50% partnership and we do earn fees from that in terms of our management rights.
That still remains our preferred model. Where different than others in the market, we're probably more similar to Westfield where we'd like to put our capital at play from a balance sheet, and particularly on our premium assets where they have higher growth.
We'd prefer to have our capital also achieving that higher growth and then earns fees on top. We're not a fund manager per se.
Howard Penny
Thank you very much. Then just another question.
The portfolio is, post the developments, producing great sort of organic growth and leasing up. Just thinking back to those inorganic strategies and putting more capital beyond the Uptown development, etc., are there new developments that you're getting closer to pressing the button on or acquisitions?
How are you thinking about those inorganic activities over the next two years?
Peter Huddle
Look, it's Peter again, Howard. We're obviously acquisitive.
Essentially, we've bought six assets in six years, roughly about one per year. We're highly selective in terms of them and hence things such as Uptown and DFO Eastern Creek really had to meet quite a select criteria in terms of meeting the requirements for the portfolio quality we want to have moving forward.
There are a number of assets that are in the market that would be attractive for us either today in their existing form or today in their existing form and with development opportunities. In terms of our development pipeline itself, we're sequentially moving through them.
We obviously moved from Chadstone into Chatswood, moving into now the opening of Galleria. When that opens, then we'll move into the start of Uptown.
We're doing a lot of projects at Chadstone at the moment with luxury, at Castle Plaza, at Grand Plaza. I suppose what I'm getting at, Howard, it's a capital-intensive industry, and we like to invest capital as long as there's the appropriate return and as long as that capital is selectively allocated to make sure it makes its best return and then make those assets more contemporary for not only the communities that they serve, but also for the key leading retails that we do business with.
I would anticipate moving forward in the future, at this particular point in time, we don't have another significant development planned at this point in time, but we'll always have those $20 to sort of $60 million interventions into assets as long as they're making the appropriate returns.
Howard Penny
Thank you, Peter, and congrats once again.
Peter Huddle
Thanks, Howard.
Operator
Thank you. Our next question today comes from Simon Chan at Morgan Stanley.
Please go ahead.
Simon Chan
Hey, good day, guys. Hey, Pete.
I know it's early days, but the center has been trading for a number of months now. On Chatswood Chase, what do you reckon is the occupancy cost run rate at the moment, spec occupancy cost?
Peter Huddle
Simon, right at the moment is probably around the 15% to 16%, I would say. We typically run luxury retailers on a lower occupancy cost anywhere, to be honest.
They typically run sub-10%. Our non-food retailers are probably running around that 18% to 20% occupancy.
That's the reason why we have stabilization in there as well to make sure that we establish its market area through marketing and we do provide a little bit of a rental assistance to some areas of new developments to ensure that they hit their mark. Then the food's trading extremely well.
That's probably how I'd summarize Chatswood at the moment. It's still very early days.
We only opened Hermès five or six weeks ago, and that was a key retailer really start driving traffic through there.
Simon Chan
I've been there already, Pete. Just FYI.
But 15% to 16%, is that what was in the feaso? Based on your comments, though, once it's fully stabilized in say 18 months, 24 months' time, in theory, it should be below 15% to 16%?
Is that fair?
Peter Huddle
Probably, cuz food will trade slightly below that and the luxury will trade probably sub-10. If you exclude luxury out of it, it should be around that 17% to 19% OCR mark.
Simon Chan
Cool. Just to clarify, the eventual yield, the stabilized yield's gone from 6% to 6.7%.
What sort of yield have you factored in for FY 2027?
Peter Huddle
For '27, we're essentially around 5%.
Simon Chan
That's clear.
Peter Huddle
On a running year, it generally gets to five for '27, a bit over six for '28, and it'll hit the stabilized yield ideally at the start of '29, FY 2029.
Simon Chan
Yep. Good stuff.
Thanks, mate.
Peter Huddle
Maybe helpful as well. The target from a sales point of view, we basically have that around about $850 million.
We won't know that until we have a good run rate of six months to see how close we are to that number.
Simon Chan
Okay, 850. Thanks.
Cheers.
Operator
Thank you. Our next question today comes from Thomas Ryan at Green Street.
Please go ahead.
Thomas Ryan
Hi, team. Thanks for the time.
Obviously, you've done a lot of work already in terms of portfolio curation, and I just wanted to ask looking at the revaluations that you've posted in your results, are you comfortable with the current sort of lens in terms of that breakdown, of course, ex-Chadstone, but in terms of how you curated the portfolio into greater exposure to outlets and less into regional, sub-regional assets? How can we sort of see that profile over the next 12 months in terms of how you're thinking about revaluations and where you're pushing the income the most?
Peter Huddle
That is a very good question. I'm not sure if I have a very good answer.
We are happy with the portfolio composition. We're clearly focused on CBDs, we're clearly focused on outlets, and we're clearly focused on assets such as Chadstone, Chatswood, and Lakeside Joondalup, which we purchased.
We see that typically the growth rates on those assets have been closer to 6% from a comp NPI growth versus the standard. We do foresee, subject to all things being equal, that that will continue to occur in those assets, and hence, that's the reason when opportunities do present themselves in the market where we see we can add value, they're typically aligned with those premium outlets or assets such as Lakeside Joondalup, which we've purchased 50% of.
We don't have a breakdown number of exactly what FY 2027's going to look like on vals for those assets, but we would anticipate it'd be similar to what's occurred in the last 12 months.
Thomas Ryan
Thanks for that. Just to follow up on Carl's earlier question on that one asset that you're about to settle on in terms of that divestment in Queensland.
Obviously, I think in the notes it sort of mentions there it was on the book val from 30 June last year. I was just wondering if you had it marked as June this year in terms of where that landed relative to that number, if you did have it valued in June?
Adrian Chye
The number in our June accounts reflects that $120 million sale value.
Thomas Ryan
Got it. Thanks for that.
Operator
Thank you. As there are no further questions at this time, I'll now hand back to Mr.
Huddle for closing remarks.
Peter Huddle
Thank you, operator. Look, just on behalf of myself and Adrian and the broader Vicinity team, I just like to thank the analysts for their interest in our company, and we look forward to catching up with you independently over the next day or so and answer any further questions in more detail.
Thank you again.
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