<\/p>\n
Township and rural retail property group Exemplar REITail has continued to prove the resilience of the under-serviced consumer economy, declaring full-year distribution of 176.9 cents per share for the year ended 28 February 2026.<\/p>\n
This represents a 15.3% growth surge compared to the prior year, highlighting an impressive 11.8% compound annual growth rate in distributions since the company first listed on the JSE in 2018, the company said in releasing its latest results on Monday.<\/p>\n
Listen\/read:
Sanlam sees opportunities in affordable housing, student accommodation and rural retail
Exemplar REITail to acquire Free State and Mpumalanga properties<\/p>\n
While the broader South African commercial property landscape battles high vacancies and muted growth, Exemplar\u2019s targeted focus on rural and township retail hubs has yielded impressive operational returns. The group\u2019s net property income advanced 13.1% to R978 million, an upward trajectory driven by sustained, non-discretionary consumer demand across its asset footprint.<\/p>\n
The operational health of the fund is further reflected across its key balance sheet performance metrics:<\/p>\n
Asset valuation: The total property portfolio was independently valued at R11.24 billion at the close of the financial year.
\nLow vacancies: The group maintained a \u2018rock-bottom\u2019 portfolio vacancy rate of just 2.64%.
\nBalance sheet headroom: Exemplar\u2019s loan-to-value (LTV) ratio stood at a conservative 36.6%, giving the fund debt headroom to support its ongoing development cycle.
\nEarnings strength: Basic earnings per share climbed 26.8% to 424.1 cents, headline earnings per share (Heps) rose 7.8% to 153.4 cents, and the net asset value per share increased 15.3% to R19.25.<\/p>\n
The property counter declared a final dividend of 75.61c per shared for FY2026, compared to 66.05c for FY2025. Together with its interim dividend, the group\u2019s total dividend for its latest financial year came to 160.53c per share.<\/p>\n
ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n
CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n
Exemplar CEO Jason McCormick emphasised that the group\u2019s focused strategy remains the bedrock of the company\u2019s long-term performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough disciplined development and investment in township and rural retail assets, we have consistently delivered on our core mission to create long-term, sustainable value for all stakeholders,\u201d said McCormick.<\/p>\n
Expansion and redevelopments<\/p>\n
Exemplar said in its annual results release that it has rapidly deployed its balance sheet capacity into targeted acquisitions and major expansions to consolidate its grip on key high-performing retail nodes.<\/p>\n
Following its late-2025 acquisition of a 50% stake in Tonk Meter Crossing in Springs, Gauteng, the group has pushed ahead with an expansion project to take the asset to over 21 200m\u00b2. The newly redeveloped, upscaled mall is officially scheduled to launch in September 2026 under the new name iTonka Square.<\/p>\n
Listen\/read: Exemplar\u2019s rural and township retail property niche pays off<\/p>\n
The fund\u2019s post-year-end activity has added further scale, pushing its total owned and managed portfolio to over 700 000m\u00b2 across six provinces, while increasing its total Gauteng retail footprint to 11 shopping centres.<\/p>\n
ADVERTISEMENT:<\/p>\n
CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n
In April 2026 alone, Exemplar completed two major asset purchases, both secured at an initial property yield of 9.3%:<\/p>\n
Vosloorus Crossing (Gauteng): The group acquired this 10 323m\u00b2\u00a0 retail centre, which sits directly adjacent to its flagship Chris Hani Crossing Mall.
\nSteelpoort Retail Precinct (Limpopo): The group snapped up a 50.38% controlling interest in this existing 27 787m\u00b2 centre. Exemplar has already earmarked the precinct for a massive expansion project to increase its size to approximately 43 000m\u00b2.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the group\u2019s expansion pipeline, McCormick noted that these capital allocation decisions are highly intentional.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeyond simple acquisitions, these are deliberate, accretive investments focused on deepening our presence in key high-growth nodes and improving asset quality through considered redevelopment of the sites.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is through the strength of our portfolio that we aim to consistently grow returns and ensure continued value for our stakeholders.\u201d<\/p>\n
Exemplar\u2019s share price<\/p>\n
#Doubledigit #growth #township #rural #retail #landlord #Exemplar<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Township and rural retail property group Exemplar REITail has continued to prove the resilience of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[2589,13089,1737,351,2569,3234,11636],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7214"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7214"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7214\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}