PHILADELPHIA - In an effort to restructure debt, as previously indicated, PREIT made it official on Sunday and filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection. This restructuring is in an effort to secure an additional $150M in funding.
According to their press release, the filing will ensure that PREIT can continue all business operations without interruption while it obtains necessary approvals of its financial restructuring plan. The Company’s primary focus remains creating compelling retail and experiential destinations while prioritizing the health and safety of its employees, partners, customers and communities.
“We are pleased to be moving forward with strengthening the Company’s balance sheet and positioning it for long-term success through our prepackaged plan. We are grateful for the significant support we have received from a substantial majority of our lenders, which we expect will enable us to complete our financial restructuring on an expedited basis,” said Joseph F. Coradino, CEO of PREIT. “Today’s announcement has no impact on our operations – our employees, tenants, vendors and the communities we serve –and we remain committed to continuing to deliver top-tier experiences and improving our portfolio. With the overwhelming support of our lenders, we look forward to quickly emerging from this process as a financially stronger company with the resources and support to continue creating diverse, multi-use ecosystems throughout our portfolio.”
Not only will PREIT pay all vendors, suppliers and employees during the course of the Chapter 11, but pursuant to the terms of the Prepackaged Plan, which will also be subject to court approval, the prepetition claims of suppliers and other trade creditors and business partners will be unimpaired. The financial restructuring is not expected to have any impact on the Company’s shareholders, and PREIT common and preferred shares are expected to continue to trade in the normal course.
Additional information, including court documents and information about the court-supervised process, is available on PREIT’s restructuring website through PREIT’s claims agent, Prime Clerk at https://cases.primeclerk.com/PREIT.
DLA Piper LLP (US) LLP and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz are serving as legal counsel and PJT Partners LP is serving as financial advisor to PREIT.
About PREIT
PREIT (NYSE:PEI) is a publicly-traded real estate investment trust that owns and manages innovative properties at the forefront of shaping consumer experiences through the built environment. PREIT’s robust portfolio of carefully curated retail and lifestyle offerings mixed with destination dining and entertainment experiences are located primarily in densely-populated, high barrier-to-entry markets with tremendous opportunity to create vibrant multi-use destinations. Additional information is available at www.preit.com or on Twitter or LinkedIn.
