Macy’s taps Tishman Speyer, rules out REIT spinoff

While ruling out a real estate investment trust spinoff of its real estate assets, department store giant Macy’s tapped Tishman Speyer to help formulate a real estate strategy that could include store redevelopment projects nationwide.

Macy’s real estate portfolio is valued in the billions, and the company had weighed the possibility of spinning off those assets into a real estate investment trust.

But the department store chain concluded that a potential REIT strategy doesn’t offer enough upside for value creation, according to CoStar — though it “may revisit this alternative in the future,” it said in its third quarter earnings report.

As part of the new relationship, Macy’s may ask Tishman Speyer to bid on some of its redevelopment projects, it said. The developer is already helping the retailer at its Downtown Brooklyn location at 422 Fulton Street — which Tishman Speyer acquired for $170 million earlier this year and plans to redevelop into offices and a smaller retail space for Macy’s.

Macy’s also said it has already begun a process to explore joint ventures and other deal structures to redevelop real estate assets, including its massive Herald Square location. The company said it will also continue to pursue possible asset sales of properties. [CoStar] – Rey Mashayekhi