Urstadt Biddle Properties

Urstadt Biddle Properties, Inc. is a real estate investment trust based in Greenwich, Connecticut that primarily invests in shopping centers in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. As of October 31, 2019, the company owned interests in 83 properties comprising 5.3 million square feet of gross leasable area.[1]

Urstadt Biddle Properties, Inc.
TypePublic company
NYSE: UBP
NYSE: UBA
S&P 600 component (UBA)
IndustryReal estate investment trust
Founded1969 (1969)
HeadquartersGreenwich, Connecticut
Key people
Willing L. Biddle, president and CEO
Revenue $137 million (2019)
$22 million (2019)
Total assets $1.072 billion (2019)
Total equity $579 million (2019)
Number of employees
57 (2019)
Websiteubproperties.com
Footnotes / references
[1]
Village Shopping Center, New Providence, NJ

History

The company was founded in 1969[1] as Hubbard Real Estate Investments, an affiliate of Merrill Lynch.[2] The company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1970.[3]

Charles J. Urstadt joined the company as a director in 1975 and subsequently helped spin the company off from Merrill Lynch. In 1989, he became chief executive officer.[2] The company was then known as HRE Properties.[4]

When Urstadt took over as CEO, he narrowed the company's focus from a diverse portfolio to one specializing in neighborhood shopping centers, typically anchored by grocery stores, in the suburban New York region including Westchester County, New York and Putnam County, New York, and Fairfield County, Connecticut.[5] The new concentration was made in order to take advantage of the area's affluent population; fewer stores in the area relative to shoppers; the company's extensive market knowledge; and more efficient management of the properties. Another strategic decision Urstadt implemented was to keep the company's debt low relative to the size of its assets.[4]

Willing L. Biddle, a real estate executive, joined the company in 1993 as vice president of retail. He was later promoted to various positions and became president and chief operating officer of the company in 1996.[6] In 1997, the company was renamed Urstadt Biddle Properties, Inc.[4]

In 2013, Urstadt stepped down as chief executive officer but remained as chairman of the board of directors. Biddle became the chief executive officer and retained his title of president.[2]

In 2002, the company acquired Ridgeway Shopping Center in Stamford, Connecticut for $89.3 million from a partnership controlled by Larry Silverstein and Howard Menaker. It was the largest open-air shopping center in Fairfield County. It comprised 331,000 square feet of retail space and 29,000 square feet of office space. Thirty-five tenants occupied the property including Bed Bath & Beyond, Staples Inc., Old Navy and a 60,000-square-foot Stop & Shop grocery store.[7] In 2011, the company purchased the remaining stake in the property that it did not purchase in the 2002 sale for $7.4 million.[8]

In 2005, the company acquired The Docks shopping center in Stratford, Connecticut for $50.25 million. The 30-acre site had 14 tenants including Stop & Shop and Staples. Also included on the site was a 192-slip marina.[9]

In May 2010, the company acquired The New Milford Shopping Plaza for $22.5 million. The property was located on Route 7 in New Milford, Connecticut and included Walmart and Stop & Shop as tenants.[10]

In 2013, the company acquired the Village Shopping Center in New Providence, New Jersey for $34.85 million. The 110,000-square-foot center was anchored by an The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company with other tenants including CVS Pharmacy, Smashburger, and Investors Bank.[11]

In 2014, the company acquired two properties in Greenwich, Connecticut for $47.4 million. One property was a 48,000-square-foot mixed-use property on East Putnam Avenue in Cos Cob, Connecticut. The second property was in Old Greenwich, Connecticut on Route 1. It included an 18,200-square-foot building with Kings Food Markets as tenant.[12]

Also in 2014, the company purchased 4 shopping centers in New Jersey for $124.5 million. The 4 centers were the Midland Park Shopping Center in Midland Park, New Jersey (130,000 square feet); the Pompton Lakes Town Square (125,000 square feet); the Cedar Hill Shopping Center (43,000 square feet); and the Meadtown Shopping Center in Kinnelon, New Jersey (77,000 square feet).[13]

On March 1, 2017, the company sold 60 S. Broadway, White Plains, New York for $53 million to Lennar Corporation. The 3.53-acre site included the former Westchester Pavilion. The sale was the 3rd highest priced sale in Westchester County, New York in 2017.[14]

Charles D. Urstadt was named chairman of the company effective January 1, 2019. Urstadt was first elected to the company's board of directors in 1997 and elected vice chairman in 2017. Prior to joining the company, he was a real estate executive with Halstead Property, Brown Harris Stevens and Pearce, Urstadt, Mayer & Greer. He succeeded his father, Charles J. Urstadt who remains on the board of directors as chairman emeritus.[15]

References
  1. "Urstadt Biddle Properties, Inc. 2019 Form 10-K Annual Report". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  2. Rose, Sarah (September 29, 2013). "Like Father, Like Son-in-Law". The Wall Street Journal.
  3. "Urstadt Biddle Properties Inc. Announces Pricing of Series K Preferred Stock Offering" (Press release). Business Wire. September 26, 2019.
  4. Lubanko, Matthew (January 19, 2002). "Returns Remain On Track". Hartford Courant.
  5. Borchersen-Keto, Sarah (January 1, 2015). "Urstadt Biddle's Roots Provide Basis for Growth". REIT Magazine.
  6. "Willing L. Biddle". Bloomberg L.P.
  7. Caprio, Christina (June 9, 2002). "Urstadt Biddle Buys Conn. Retail Center for $89.3Mln". Commercial Real Estate Direct.
  8. "Urstadt Biddle buys rest of the Ridgeway center for $7.4 M". Stamford Advocate. January 6, 2011.
  9. Garriga, Maria (January 11, 2005). "Family sells The Dock shops in Stratford for $50.25 million". Stamford Advocate.
  10. Tuz, Susan (May 25, 2010). "New Milford Shopping Plaza purchased by Greenwich company". The News-Times.
  11. "Urstadt Biddle Properties Inc. Acquires the Village Shopping Center in New Providence, NJ" (Press release). Business Wire. May 2, 2013.
  12. Lee, Richard (September 4, 2014). "Urstadt Biddle acquires two properties in Greenwich". The News-Times.
  13. "Urstadt Biddle Makes Biggest Purchase Ever". Real Estate Weekly. December 17, 2014.
  14. Matsuda, Akiko (February 26, 2018). "$138M Sale is Westchester's Highest in 2017". The Journal News.
  15. Hall, Phil (December 18, 2018). "Charles D. Urstadt named chairman of the board at Urstadt Biddle Properties". Westfair Online.
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