Regency Centers - 10-K annual report

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020

or

For the transition period from              to             

Commission File Number 1-12298 (Regency Centers Corporation)

Commission File Number 0-24763 (Regency Centers, L.P.)

REGENCY CENTERS CORPORATION

REGENCY CENTERS, L.P.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Regency Centers Corporation

Regency Centers, L.P.

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Regency Centers Corporation: None

Regency Centers, L.P.: Units of Partnership Interest

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Regency Centers Corporation    Yes     ☒      No     ☐      Regency Centers, L.P.    Yes     ☒      No     ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act

Regency Centers Corporation    Yes     ☐      No     ☒      Regency Centers, L.P.    Yes     ☐      No     ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Regency Centers Corporation    Yes     ☒      No     ☐      Regency Centers, L.P.    Yes     ☒      No     ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).

Regency Centers Corporation    Yes     ☒      No     ☐      Regency Centers, L.P.    Yes     ☒      No     ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Regency Centers Corporation:

Regency Centers, L.P.:

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.

Regency Centers Corporation     ☐ Regency Centers, L.P.     ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.

Regency Centers Corporation     ☒ Regency Centers, L.P.     ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).

Regency Centers Corporation     Yes     ☐      No     ☒     Regency Centers, L.P.     Yes     ☐      No     ☒   

State the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was last sold, or the average bid and asked price of such common equity, as of the last business day of the registrants' most recently completed second fiscal quarter.

Regency Centers Corporation     $7.7 billion   Regency Centers, L.P.     N/A

The number of shares outstanding of the Regency Centers Corporation’s common stock was 169,828,953 as of February 15, 2021.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

Portions of Regency Centers Corporation's proxy statement in connection with its 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference in Part III.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This report combines the annual reports on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, of Regency Centers Corporation and Regency Centers, L.P. Unless stated otherwise or the context otherwise requires, references to “Regency Centers Corporation” or the “Parent Company” mean Regency Centers Corporation and its controlled subsidiaries and references to “Regency Centers, L.P.” or the “Operating Partnership” mean Regency Centers, L.P. and its controlled subsidiaries. The term “the Company”, “Regency Centers” or “Regency” means the Parent Company and the Operating Partnership, collectively.

The Parent Company is a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) and the general partner of the Operating Partnership. The Operating Partnership’s capital includes general and limited common Partnership Units (“Units”). As of December 31, 2020, the Parent Company owned approximately 99.6% of the Units in the Operating Partnership. The remaining limited Units are owned by investors. As the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership, the Parent Company has exclusive control of the Operating Partnership’s day-to-day management.

The Company believes combining the annual reports on Form 10-K of the Parent Company and the Operating Partnership into this single report provides the following benefits:

Management operates the Parent Company and the Operating Partnership as one business. The management of the Parent Company consists of the same individuals as the management of the Operating Partnership. These individuals are officers of the Parent Company and employees of the Operating Partnership.

The Company believes it is important to understand the key differences between the Parent Company and the Operating Partnership in the context of how the Parent Company and the Operating Partnership operate as a consolidated company. The Parent Company is a REIT, whose only material asset is its ownership of partnership interests of the Operating Partnership. As a result, the Parent Company does not conduct business itself, other than acting as the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership, issuing public equity from time to time and guaranteeing certain debt of the Operating Partnership. Except for $200 million of unsecured private placement debt, the Parent Company does not hold any indebtedness, but guarantees all of the unsecured debt of the Operating Partnership. The Operating Partnership is also the co-issuer and guarantees the $200 million of Parent Company debt. The Operating Partnership holds all the assets of the Company and retains the ownership interests in the Company’s joint ventures. Except for net proceeds from public equity issuances by the Parent Company, which are contributed to the Operating Partnership in exchange for partnership units, the Operating Partnership generates all remaining capital required by the Company’s business. These sources include the Operating Partnership’s operations, its direct or indirect incurrence of indebtedness, and the issuance of partnership units.

Stockholders’ equity, partners’ capital, and noncontrolling interests are the main areas of difference between the consolidated financial statements of the Parent Company and those of the Operating Partnership. The Operating Partnership’s capital includes general and limited common Partnership Units. The limited partners’ units in the Operating Partnership owned by third parties are accounted for in partners’ capital in the Operating Partnership’s financial statements and outside of stockholders’ equity in noncontrolling interests in the Parent Company’s financial statements.

In order to highlight the differences between the Parent Company and the Operating Partnership, there are sections in this report that separately discuss the Parent Company and the Operating Partnership, including separate financial statements, controls and procedures sections, and separate Exhibit 31 and 32 certifications. In the sections that combine disclosure for the Parent Company and the Operating Partnership, this report refers to actions or holdings as being actions or holdings of the Company.

As general partner with control of the Operating Partnership, the Parent Company consolidates the Operating Partnership for financial reporting purposes, and the Parent Company does not have assets other than its investment in the Operating Partnership. Therefore, while stockholders’ equity and partners’ capital differ as discussed above, the assets and liabilities of the Parent Company and the Operating Partnership are the same on their respective financial statements.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this document regarding anticipated financial, business, legal or other outcomes including business and market conditions, outlook and other similar statements relating to Regency’s future events, developments, or financial or operational performance or results, are “forward-looking statements” made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws.  These forward-looking statements are identified by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “estimate,” “believe,” “intend,” “forecast,” “anticipate,” “guidance,” and other similar language.  However, the absence of these or similar words or expressions does not mean a statement is not forward-looking.  While we believe these forward-looking statements are reasonable when made, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and undue reliance should not be placed on these statements.  Although we believe the expectations reflected in any forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance these expectations will be attained, and it is possible actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements due to a variety of risks and uncertainties.

Our operations are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, those described in Item 1A, Risk Factors.  When considering an investment in our securities, you should carefully read and consider these risks, together with all other information in our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our other filings and submissions to the SEC.  If any of the events described in the risk factors actually occur, our business, financial condition or operating results, as well as the market price of our securities, could be materially adversely affected.  Forward-looking statements are only as of the date they are made, and Regency undertakes no duty to update its forward-looking statements except as required by law.  

PART I

Item 1. Business

Regency Centers Corporation is a fully integrated real estate company and self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust that began its operations as a publicly-traded REIT in 1993. Regency Centers L.P. is the entity through which Regency Centers Corporation conducts substantially all of its operations and owns substantially all of its assets. Our business consists of acquiring, developing, owning and operating income-producing retail real estate principally located in many of the top markets in the United States.  We generate revenues by leasing space to retail tenants such as highly productive grocers, restaurants, service providers, and best-in-class retailers. Regency has been an S&P 500 Index member since 2017.

As of December 31, 2020, we had full or partial ownership interests in 411 properties, primarily anchored by market leading grocery stores, encompassing 51.9 million square feet (“SF”) of gross leasable area (“GLA”). Our Pro-rata share of this GLA is 42.2 million square feet, including our share of the partially owned properties.

Our mission is to be the preeminent national owner, operator, and developer of shopping centers, creating places that provide a thriving environment for outstanding retailers and service providers to connect with the surrounding neighborhoods and communities.

Our goals are to:

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Key strategies to achieve our goals are to:

COVID-19 Pandemic

On March 11, 2020, the novel coronavirus disease (“COVID-19”) was declared a pandemic (“COVID-19 pandemic” or the “pandemic”) by the World Health Organization as the disease spread throughout the world.  The pandemic continues to evolve, making the broader implications on our future results of operations and overall financial performance uncertain at this time.  While much of our lease income is derived from contractual rent payments, our tenants’ ability to meet their lease obligations has been negatively impacted by the disruptions and uncertainties of the pandemic.  Certain of our tenants’ ability to respond to these disruptions, including adapting to governmental orders, recommendations, and changes in their customers’ shopping habits and behaviors, could influence their ability to survive and ultimately fulfill their lease obligations.  While the announcement of vaccine approvals by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) in early December 2020 was a positive development, at about the same time, several states and many localities reinstituted mandatory business limitations and closures as infection rates increased, in advance of full scale vaccine deployment.  Forced closures may continue to occur as infection rates increase or additional strains of the virus emerge, while the speed of vaccine rollout remains uncertain.  

Due to the pandemic, certain tenants have requested rent concessions or have sought to renegotiate future rents based on changes to the economic environment.  Other tenants have chosen not to reopen or honor the terms of their existing lease agreements.  In addition, in 2020 we saw a meaningful increase in the number of bankruptcy filings by our tenants versus prior years, which in certain cases can lead to a tenant “rejecting” (terminating) one or more of our leases as permitted by applicable bankruptcy law, or seeking to negotiate reduced rent as part of the bankruptcy reorganization process.  

We are closely monitoring our rent collections from our tenants, which significantly declined from historic levels at the start of the pandemic, but have since gradually improved.  As of February 8, 2021, we experienced sequential improvement in our collection rates of Pro-rata base rent billed by quarter in 2020 as follows:

Since the pandemic began, we have executed approximately 1,600 rent deferral agreements within our consolidated and unconsolidated real estate portfolios.  The weighted average deferral period of these agreements is approximately 3.3 months, with repayment periods of approximately 9.7 months beginning on average in December 2020.  In some cases, we expect to continue to work with tenants to address the adverse impacts of the pandemic, which may result in further rent deferrals, concessions or abatements.  As a result, there can be no assurance that our future base rent collection percentages will continue at or above Q4 2020 levels, or that cash flows from operations will be sufficient to sustain and fund our dividend payments without the benefit of other sources of capital or changes to our current dividend levels.  In the event of a surge in COVID-19 cases or new governmental restrictions causing our tenants to reduce their operations or close, our base rent collection percentages and percent leased could decline from current levels.

New leasing activity declined in 2020 and is expected to remain below 2019 levels into 2021 as businesses delay executing leases amidst the immediate and uncertain future economic impacts of the pandemic.  This, coupled with tenant failures and bankruptcies, may result in decreased demand for retail space in our centers, which could result in difficulty attracting new tenants resulting in pricing pressure on rents.  Additionally, if construction of tenant improvements are delayed due to the impacts of the pandemic, it may take longer before new tenants are able to open and commence rent payments.

The pandemic has significantly slowed and in certain situations delayed tenant buildouts, new ground up developments or redevelopment of existing properties.  The pandemic has also limited our ability to timely source materials for construction and has caused labor shortages, which have impacted our ability to complete construction projects on anticipated schedules.  In the event a surge in new cases resulting in additional lockdowns occurs, similar impacts to our supply chain may arise which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.  We continue to closely monitor our projects, which has resulted in prudently delaying, phasing or curtailing certain of our development, redevelopment and capital expenditure projects.

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The duration and severity of the pandemic across the United States will continue to negatively impact many of our tenants and their ability to meet their rent obligations under their lease agreements.  As such, the pandemic could continue to negatively impact our results of operations and overall financial condition in the future.  See also Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors for further discussion.  

Our business continuity and disaster recovery plan enabled us to continue operating productively during the pandemic.  We have maintained, and expect to continue to maintain, without interruption, our financial reporting systems as well as our internal controls over our financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures.    

Competition

We are among the largest owners of shopping centers in the nation based on revenues, number of properties, GLA, and market capitalization.  There are numerous companies and individuals engaged in the ownership, development, acquisition, and operation of shopping centers that compete with us in our targeted markets, including grocery store chains that also anchor some of our shopping centers.  This results in competition for attracting tenants, as well as the acquisition of existing shopping centers and new development sites. In addition, brick and mortar shopping centers, in general, face continued competition from alternative shopping and delivery methods, including e-commerce and home delivery. We believe that our competitive advantages are driven by:

Corporate Responsibility

Our vision is to be the preeminent national owner, operator and developer of shopping centers, connecting outstanding retailers and service providers with their neighborhoods and communities while striving to achieve best-in-class corporate responsibility. To integrate corporate responsibility into our vision, we focus on three key overarching concepts: long-term value creation, our Regency brand and reputation, and the importance of maintaining our culture.  

We have established four pillars for our corporate responsibility program that we believe enable us to support our vision and implement these concepts:

Our People – Our people are our most important asset and we strive to ensure that they are engaged, passionate about their work, connected to their teams, and supported to deliver their best performance. We recognize and value the importance of attracting and retaining talented individuals to Regency’s performance and growth.  We strive to maintain a safe and healthy workspace, promote employee well-being, and empower our employees by focusing on their training and education.  Another key element of our focus on people is our understanding and appreciation of the value of an inclusive and diverse workforce.  In 2020, we began developing and implementing a comprehensive three-year diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) strategy, which includes training, recruitment, and engagement.  Our employees have been directly engaged in the development of our DEI strategy to ensure they are connected to and actively involved in its implementation across the entirety of our business.

Our Communities – Our predominately grocery-anchored neighborhood centers provide many benefits to the communities in which we live and work, including significant local economic impacts in the form of investment, jobs and taxes.  Our local teams are also passionate about investing in and engaging with our communities, as they customize and cultivate our centers to create a distinctive environment to bring our tenants and shoppers together for the best retail experience. Further, philanthropy and giving back are cornerstones of what we do and who Regency is.  In addition, charitable contributions are made directly by the Company, and the vast majority of our employees donate their time and money to local non-profits serving their communities.

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Ethics and Governance – As long-term stewards of our investors’ capital, we are committed to best-in-class corporate governance. To create long-term value for our stakeholders, we place great emphasis on our culture and core values, the integrity and transparency of our reporting practices, and our overall governance structure in respect of oversight and shareholder rights.

Environmental Stewardship – We believe sustainability is in the best interest of our investors, tenants, employees, and the communities in which we operate, and we strive to integrate sustainable practices throughout our business.  We have six strategic priorities when it comes to identifying and implementing sustainable business practices and minimizing our environmental impact: green building, energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, water conservation, waste minimization and management, and climate resilience.  We believe these commitments are not only the right thing to do to address material environmental topics such as air pollution, climate change, and resource scarcity, but also support us in achieving key strategic objectives in our operations and development projects.

More information about our corporate responsibility strategy, goals, performance, and reporting is available on our website at www.regencycenters.com.  The content of our website, including information relating to corporate responsibility, is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K or in any other report or document we file with the SEC, and any references to our website are intended to be inactive textual references only.

Employees

Our corporate headquarters are located at One Independent Drive, Suite 114, Jacksonville, Florida.  We presently maintain 22 market offices nationwide, including our corporate headquarters, where we conduct management, leasing, construction, and investment activities.  We have 431 employees throughout the United States and we believe that our relations with our employees are good.  

Compliance with Governmental Regulations

We are subject to various regulatory and tax-related requirements within the jurisdictions in which we operate.  Changes to such requirements may result in unanticipated financial impacts or adverse tax consequences, and could affect our operating results and financial condition.  Significant regulatory requirements include the laws and regulations described below.

REIT Laws and Regulations

We have elected to be taxed as a REIT under the federal income tax laws. As a REIT, we are generally not subject to federal income tax on taxable income that we distribute to our stockholders. Under the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”), REITs are subject to numerous regulatory requirements, including the requirement to generally distribute at least 90% of taxable income each year. We will be subject to federal income tax on our taxable income at regular corporate rates if we fail to qualify as a REIT for tax purposes in any taxable year, or to the extent we distribute less than 100% of our taxable income. We will also generally not qualify for treatment as a REIT for federal income tax purposes for four years following the year during which qualification is lost. Even if we qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes, we may be subject to certain state and local income and franchise taxes and to federal income and excise taxes on our undistributed taxable income.

We have elected to treat certain of our subsidiaries as taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRS”). In general, a TRS may engage in any real estate business and certain non-real estate businesses, subject to certain limitations under the Code. A TRS is subject to federal and state income taxes which, to date, have not been material to us.

Environmental Laws and Regulations

Under various federal, state and local laws, ordinances and regulations, we may be liable for the cost to assess and remediate certain hazardous substances at our shopping centers that generally arise from dry cleaners, gas stations, asbestos, and historic land use practices.  These requirements often impose liability without regard to whether the owner knew of, or committed the acts or omissions that caused, the presence of the hazardous substances.  The presence of such substances, or the failure to properly address contamination caused by such substances, may adversely affect our ability to sell or lease the property or borrow using the property as collateral.  Although we have a number of properties that could require or are currently undergoing varying levels of assessment and remediation, known environmental liabilities are not currently expected to have a material financial impact.

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Executive Officers

Our executive officers are appointed each year by our Board of Directors.  Each of our executive officers has been employed by us for more than five years and, as of December 31, 2020, included the following:

Company Website Access and SEC Filings

Our website may be accessed at www.regencycenters.com. All of our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) can be accessed free of charge through our website promptly after filing; however, in the event that the website is inaccessible, we will provide paper copies of our most recent annual report on Form 10-K, the most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q, current reports filed or furnished on Form 8-K, and all related amendments, excluding exhibits, free of charge upon request. These filings are also accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The content of our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K or in any other report or document we file with the SEC, and any references to our website are intended to be inactive textual references only.

General Information

Our registrar and stock transfer agent is Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solutions, Inc. (“Broadridge”), Philadelphia, PA. We offer a dividend reinvestment plan (“DRIP”) that enables our shareholders to reinvest dividends automatically, as well as to make voluntary cash payments toward the purchase of additional shares. For more information, contact Broadridge toll free at (855) 449-0975 or our Shareholder Relations Department at (904) 598-7000.

The Company’s common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market and trades under the stock symbol “REG”.

Our independent registered public accounting firm is KPMG LLP, Jacksonville, Florida. Our legal counsel is Foley & Lardner LLP, Jacksonville, Florida.

Annual Meeting of Shareholders

Our 2021 annual meeting of shareholders is currently expected to be held on Wednesday, May 5, 2021.  In light of public health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to help protect the safety of our shareholders, directors, employees, and other participants, the Company’s annual meeting will be conducted in a virtual-only format.  

Defined Terms

In addition to the required Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) presentations, we use certain non-GAAP performance measures as we believe these measures improve the understanding of the Company's operational results.  We believe these non-GAAP measures provide useful information to our Board of Directors, management and investors regarding certain trends relating to our financial condition and results of operations. Our management uses these non-GAAP measures to compare our performance to that of prior periods for trend analyses, purposes of determining management incentive compensation and budgeting, forecasting and planning

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purposes.  We continually evaluate the usefulness, relevance, limitations, and calculation of our reported non-GAAP performance measures to determine how best to provide relevant information to the public, and thus such reported measures could change.

We do not consider non-GAAP measures an alternative to financial measures determined in accordance with GAAP, rather they supplement GAAP measures by providing additional information we believe to be useful to our shareholders. The principal limitation of these non-GAAP financial measures is they may exclude significant expense and income items that are required by GAAP to be recognized in our consolidated financial statements. In addition, they reflect the exercise of management’s judgment about which expense and income items are excluded or included in determining these non-GAAP financial measures. In order to compensate for these limitations, reconciliations of the non-GAAP financial measures we use to their most directly comparable GAAP measures are provided. Non-GAAP financial measures should not be relied upon in evaluating the financial condition, results of operations or future prospects of the Company.

The following terms, as defined, are commonly used by management and the investing public to understand and evaluate our operational results:

Companies use different depreciable lives and methods, and real estate values historically fluctuate with market conditions. Since Nareit FFO excludes depreciation and amortization and gains on sale and impairments of real estate, it provides a performance measure that, when compared year over year, reflects the impact on operations from trends in percent leased, rental rates, operating costs, acquisition and development activities, and financing costs. This provides a perspective of our financial performance not immediately apparent from net income determined in accordance with GAAP. Thus, Nareit FFO is a supplemental non-GAAP financial measure of our operating performance, which does not represent cash generated from operating activities in accordance with GAAP; and, therefore, should not be considered a substitute measure of cash flows from operations. We provide a reconciliation of Net Income Attributable to Common Stockholders to Nareit FFO.

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We provide Pro-rata financial information because we believe it assists investors and analysts in estimating our economic interest in our consolidated and unconsolidated partnerships, when read in conjunction with the Company’s reported results under GAAP.  We believe presenting our Pro-rata share of assets, liabilities, operating results, and other metrics, along with certain other non-GAAP measures, makes comparisons of other REITs’ operating results to ours more meaningful.  The Pro-rata information provided is not, nor is it intended to be, presented in accordance with GAAP.  The Pro-rata supplemental details of assets and liabilities and supplemental details of operations reflect our proportionate economic ownership of the assets, liabilities, and operating results of the properties in our portfolio

The Pro-rata information is prepared on a basis consistent with the comparable consolidated amounts and is intended to more accurately reflect our proportionate economic interest in the assets, liabilities, and operating results of properties in our portfolio.  We do not control the unconsolidated investment partnerships, and the Pro-rata presentations of the assets and liabilities, and revenues and expenses do not represent our legal claim to such items.  The partners are entitled to profit or loss allocations and distributions of cash flows according to the operating agreements, which generally provide for such allocations according to their invested capital.  Our share of invested capital establishes the ownership interests we use to prepare our Pro-rata share.

The presentation of Pro-rata information has limitations which include, but are not limited to, the following:

Because of these limitations, the Pro-rata financial information should not be considered independently or as a substitute for our financial statements as reported under GAAP.  We compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP financial statements, using the Pro-rata information as a supplement.

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Item 1A. Risk Factors

Our operations are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, those listed below.  When considering an investment in our securities, carefully read and consider these risks, together with all other information in our other filings and submissions to the SEC, which provide much more information and detail.  If any of the events described in the following risk factors actually occur, our business, financial condition and/ or operating results, as well as the market price of our securities, could be materially adversely affected.  

Risk Factors Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Pandemics or other health crises, such as the pandemic, may adversely affect our tenants’ financial condition, the profitability of our properties, and our access to the capital markets and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

During the ongoing pandemic, U.S. federal, state, and local governments have continued to mandate or recommend various actions to reduce or prevent the spread of COVID-19 which continues to directly impact many of our tenants, and in particular those whose businesses may be considered non-essential.  Grocery stores, which anchor over 80% of our operating centers, have generally been able to continue operating and serving their customers. However, non-essential businesses such as dine-in restaurants, fitness facilities and movie theaters in many states continue to experience significant declines in customer traffic when compared to previous years, or have temporarily closed their locations (in some cases multiple times) in response to governmental orders or voluntary efforts to support social distancing.  

Due to the pandemic, certain tenants have requested rent concessions or have sought to renegotiate future rents based on changes to the economic environment. Other tenants have chosen not to reopen or honor the terms of their existing lease agreements.  In addition, moratoria and other temporary legal restrictions in certain states on our ability to bring legal action to enforce our leases have impacted our ability to collect rent and may continue to do so into 2021.

New leasing activity has declined and is expected to remain at lower levels than pre-pandemic into 2021 as businesses delay executing leases amidst the immediate and uncertain future economic impacts of the pandemic. This, coupled with tenant failures, may result in decreased demand for retail space in our centers, which could result in downward pressure on rents.  Additionally, due to delays in construction of tenant improvements due to the impacts of the pandemic, it may take longer before new tenants are able to open and commence rent payments.

The pandemic has adversely impacted our ability to start or complete tenant buildouts, new ground up development and redevelopment of existing properties. The pandemic has also impacted our ability to timely source materials for construction and caused labor shortages, which have impacted our ability to complete construction projects on anticipated schedules.  New or extended government orders to combat the further spread of the virus could result in similar impacts to our development and redevelopment projects and supply chain, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.

The full impacts of the pandemic on our future results of operations and overall financial performance remain uncertain.  While the vast majority of our lease income is derived from contractual rent payments, the ability of certain of our tenants to meet their lease obligations have been negatively impacted by the disruptions and uncertainties of the pandemic. Our tenants’ ability to respond to these disruptions and uncertainties, including adjusting to governmental orders and changes in their customers’ shopping habits and behaviors, will impact their businesses’ ability to survive, and ultimately, their ability to comply with their lease obligations.  The risk of diminished sales and future closures exists so long as the virus remains active and continues to spread. Ultimately, the duration and severity of the health crisis in the United States and the speed at which the country, states and localities are able to safely reopen and remain open, will continue to materially impact the overall economy, our retail tenants, and therefore our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Until the virus is contained or eradicated, or effective and reliable treatments and/or vaccines are widely available and accepted by the public, commerce and employment may not return to pre-pandemic levels and we may experience material reductions in our cash flows, NOI and financial performance compared to pre-pandemic periods.

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Risk Factors Related to Operating Retail-Based Shopping Centers

Economic and market conditions may adversely affect the retail industry and consequently reduce our revenues and cash flow, and increase our operating expenses.

Our properties are leased primarily to retail tenants from whom we derive most of our revenue in the form of base rent, expense recoveries and other income. Therefore, our performance and operating results are directly linked to the economic and market conditions occurring in the retail industry. We are subject to the risks that, upon expiration, leases for space in our properties are not renewed by existing tenants, vacant space is not leased to new tenants, and/or tenants demand modified lease terms, including costs for renovations or concessions. Moreover, pandemics, such as the pandemic, may exacerbate the effects of these risks.  The economic and market conditions potentially affecting the retail industry and our properties specifically include the following:

To the extent that any or a combination of these conditions occur they are likely to impact the retail industry, our retail tenants, the demand and market rents for retail space, the percent leased levels of our properties, our ability to sell, acquire or develop properties, our operating results and our cash available for distributions to stock and unit holders.

Shifts in retail trends, sales, and delivery methods between brick and mortar stores, e-commerce, home delivery, and curbside pick-up may adversely impact our revenues and cash flows.

Retailers are increasingly impacted by e-commerce and changes in customer buying habits, including the delivery or curbside pick-up of items ordered online. The pandemic has likely accelerated these trends and their potential impacts. Retailers are considering these e-commerce trends when making decisions regarding their bricks and mortar stores and how they will compete and innovate in a rapidly changing retail environment. Many retailers in our shopping centers provide services or sell goods, which have historically been less likely to be purchased online; however, the continuing increase in e-commerce sales in all retail categories may cause retailers to adjust the size or number of their retail locations in the future or close stores. Our grocer tenants are incorporating e-commerce concepts through home delivery and curbside pick-up, which could reduce foot traffic at our centers. In certain higher-income markets, foot traffic at our centers may be impacted more meaningfully by these alternative delivery methods if consumers are willing to pay premiums for such services.  Changes in shopping trends as a result of the growth in e-commerce may also impact the profitability of retailers that do not adapt to changes in market conditions, including their financial condition and ability to pay rent. This shift may adversely impact our percent leased and rental rates, which would impact our results of operations and cash flows.

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Changing economic and retail market conditions in geographic areas where our properties are concentrated may reduce our revenues and cash flow.

Economic conditions in markets where our properties are concentrated can greatly influence our financial performance. During the year ended December 31, 2020, our properties in California, Florida, Texas, New York and Georgia accounted for 27.2%, 22.1%, 7.5%, 5.2%, and 5.1% respectively, of our NOI from Consolidated Properties plus our Pro-rata share from Unconsolidated Properties. Our revenues and cash flow may be adversely affected by this geographic concentration if market conditions, such as supply of or demand for retail space, deteriorate more significantly in these states compared to other geographic areas.  For example, with respect to the pandemic, California has imposed very stringent restrictions on re-opening and has implemented stringent eviction moratoria, making it more difficult in certain circumstances to collect rent and enforce our leases.  Additionally, there is a risk that many businesses and residents in major metropolitan cities may desire to relocate to different states or suburban markets as a result of the pandemic, following the impact of state regulations on businesses and residents coupled with the shift to remote work.  

Our success depends on the continued presence and success of our “anchor” tenants.

“Anchor Tenants” (tenants occupying 10,000 square feet or more) operate large stores in our shopping centers, pay a significant portion of the total rent at a property and contribute to the success of other tenants by attracting shoppers to the property.  Our net income and cash flow may be adversely affected by the loss of revenues and incurrence of additional costs in the event a significant Anchor Tenant:

Some anchors have the right to vacate their space and may prevent us from re-tenanting by continuing to comply and pay rent in accordance with their lease agreement. Vacated anchor space, including space that may be owned by the anchor (as discussed below), can reduce rental revenues generated by the shopping center in other spaces because of the loss of the departed anchor's customer drawing power. In addition, if a significant tenant vacates a property, co-tenancy clauses in select lease contracts may allow other tenants to modify or terminate their rent or lease obligations. Co-tenancy clauses have several variants: they may allow a tenant to postpone a store opening if certain other tenants fail to open their stores; they may allow a tenant to close its store prior to lease expiration if another tenant closes its store prior to lease expiration; or more commonly, they may allow a tenant to pay reduced levels of rent until a certain number of tenants open their stores within the same shopping center.

Additionally, some of our shopping centers are anchored by retailers who own their space whose location is within or immediately adjacent to our shopping center (“shadow anchors”).  In those cases, the shadow anchors appear to the consumer as a retail tenant of the shopping center and, as a result, attract additional consumer traffic to the center. In the event that a shadow anchor were to close, it could negatively impact our center as consumer traffic would likely be reduced.    

A significant percentage of our revenues are derived from smaller “shop space” tenants and our net income may be adversely impacted if our smaller shop tenants are not successful.

At December 31, 2020, tenants occupying less than 10,000 square feet (“Shop Space Tenants”) represent approximately 35.6% of our GLA, with approximately 14.3% of those considered local tenants.  These tenants may be more vulnerable to negative economic conditions, including the impacts from pandemics, as they may have more limited resources and access to capital than Anchor Tenants. Shop Space Tenants may be facing reduced sales as a result of an increase in competition including from e-commerce retailers. The types of Shop Space Tenants vary from retail shops and restaurants to service providers. If we are unable to attract the right type or mix of Shop Space Tenants into our centers, our revenues and cash flow may be adversely impacted.

During times of economic downturns or uncertainties, including during pandemics such as COVID-19, some tenants may suffer disproportionally greater impacts and be at greater risk of default on their lease obligations or request lease concessions from us.  If we are unable to attract the right type or mix of low or non-credit tenants into our centers, our revenues and cash flow may be adversely impacted.  

10

We may be unable to collect balances due from tenants in bankruptcy.

Although lease income is supported by long-term lease contracts, tenants who file for bankruptcy have the legal right to reject any or all of their leases and close related stores. Any unsecured claim we hold against a bankrupt tenant for unpaid rent may be paid only to the extent that funds are available and only in the same percentage as is paid to all other holders of unsecured claims. As a result, it is likely that we would recover substantially less than the full value of any unsecured claims we hold. Moreover, in the year ended December 31, 2020, we saw meaningfully higher levels of tenant bankruptcies than in recent years as a result of the pandemic, and we expect this trend to continue into at least the first half of 2021.  Additionally, we may incur significant expense to recover our claim and to re-lease the vacated space. In the event that a tenant with a significant number of leases in our shopping centers files for bankruptcy and rejects its leases, we may experience a significant reduction in our revenues and may not be able to collect all pre-petition amounts owed by the bankrupt tenant.

Many of our costs and expenses associated with operating our properties may remain constant or increase, even if our lease income decreases.

Certain costs and expenses associated with our operating our properties, such as real estate taxes, insurance, utilities and common area expenses, generally do not decrease in the event of reduced occupancy or rental rates, non-payment of rents by tenants, general economic downturns, pandemics or other similar circumstances. In fact, in some cases, such as real estate taxes and insurance, they may actually increase despite such events. As such, we may not be able to lower the operating expenses of our properties sufficiently to fully offset such circumstances, and may not be able to fully recoup these costs from our tenants. In such cases, our cash flows, operating results and financial performance may be adversely impacted.

Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and fire, safety and other regulations may have a negative effect on us.

All of our properties are required to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), which generally requires that buildings be made accessible to people with disabilities. Compliance with ADA requirements may require removal of access barriers, and noncompliance may result in imposition of fines by the U.S. government or an award of damages to private litigants, or both. While the tenants to whom we lease space in our properties are obligated by law to comply with the ADA provisions, and typically under tenant leases are obligated to cover costs associated with compliance, if required changes involve greater expenditures than anticipated, or if the changes must be made on a more accelerated basis than anticipated, the ability of these tenants to cover costs may be adversely affected. In addition, we are required to operate the properties in compliance with fire and safety regulations, building codes and other land use regulations, as they may be adopted by governmental entities and become applicable to the properties. Costs to be in compliance with the ADA or any other building regulations could be material and have a negative impact on our results of operations.  

Risk Factors Related to Real Estate Investments

Our real estate assets may decline in value and be subject to impairment losses which may reduce our net income.

Our real estate properties are carried at cost unless circumstances indicate that the carrying value of these assets may not be recoverable. We evaluate whether there are any indicators, including property operating performance and general market conditions, such that the value of the real estate properties (including any related tangible or intangible assets or liabilities, including goodwill) may not be recoverable. Through the evaluation, we compare the current carrying value of the asset to the estimated undiscounted cash flows that are directly associated with the use and ultimate disposition of the asset. Our estimated cash flows are based on several key assumptions, including rental rates, costs of tenant improvements, leasing commissions, anticipated holding periods, and assumptions regarding the residual value upon disposition, including the exit capitalization rate. These key assumptions are subjective in nature and may differ materially from actual results. Changes in our disposition strategy or changes in the marketplace may alter the holding period of an asset or asset group, which may result in an impairment loss and such loss may be material to the Company's financial condition or operating performance. To the extent that the carrying value of the asset exceeds the estimated undiscounted cash flows, an impairment loss is recognized equal to the excess of carrying value over fair value.

The fair value of real estate assets is subjective and is determined through the use of comparable sales information and other market data if available, or through use of an income approach such as the direct capitalization method or the discounted cash flow approach. Such cash flow projections take into account expected future operating income, trends and prospects, as well as the effects of demand, competition and other relevant criteria, and therefore are subject to management judgment. The impacts of the pandemic to future income, trends and prospects is uncertain and continues to evolve, therefore any assumptions impacting real estate values may be subject to change in the future, which may impact the determination of fair value. In estimating the fair value of undeveloped land, we generally use market data and comparable sales information.

These subjective assessments have a direct impact on our net income because recording an impairment charge results in an immediate negative adjustment to net income, which may be material. There can be no assurance that we will not record impairment charges in the future related to our assets.

11

We face risks associated with development, redevelopment and expansion of properties.

We actively pursue opportunities for new retail development and existing property redevelopment or expansion. Development and redevelopment activities require various government and other approvals for entitlements and any delay in such approvals may significantly delay development and redevelopment projects. We may not recover our investment in our projects for which approvals are not received, and delays may adversely impact our expected returns. Additionally, changes in political elections and policies may impact our ability to obtain favorable land use and zoning for in-process and future developments and redevelopment projects.  We are subject to other risks associated with these activities, including the following: