SITE Centers Corp

Overview

SITE Centers Corp., an Ohio corporation (the “Company” or “SITE Centers”), is a self-administered and self-managed Real Estate Investment Trust (“REIT”) engaged in the business of owning, leasing, acquiring, redeveloping, developing and managing shopping centers. Unless otherwise provided, references herein to the Company or SITE Centers include SITE Centers Corp. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries and consolidated and unconsolidated joint ventures.

The Company is self-administered and self-managed, and therefore, has not engaged, nor does it expect to retain, any REIT advisor. The Company manages all of its shopping centers which are collectively referred to herein as the "Portfolio Properties". At December 31, 2023, the Company owned 114 shopping centers (including 13 shopping centers owned through unconsolidated joint ventures) aggregated 22.6 million square feet of gross leasable area (“GLA”) through all its properties (wholly-owned and joint venture). At December 31, 2023, the aggregate occupancy of the Company’s operating shopping center portfolio was 92.0% on a pro rata basis, and the average annualized base rent per occupied square foot was $20.35, on a pro rata basis.

The primary source of the Company’s income is generated from the rental of the Company’s Portfolio Properties to tenants. In addition, the Company generates revenue from its management contracts with its unconsolidated joint ventures.

Strategy

The overall investment, operating and financing policies of the Company, which govern a variety of activities, such as capital allocations, dividends and status as a REIT, are determined by management and the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors may amend or revise the Company’s policies from time to time without a vote of the Company’s shareholders.

The Company’s mission is to own and manage open-air shopping centers located in suburban, high household income communities. The Company strives to deliver total shareholder returns through earnings and cash flow growth, a sustainable dividend and a strong balance sheet that is well positioned through various economic cycles.

In October 2023, the Company announced a plan to spin off its convenience assets into a separate, publicly traded REIT to be named Curbline Properties Corp. (“Curbline”) in recognition of the distinct characteristics and opportunities within the Company’s unanchored and grocery and power center portfolios. Convenience properties are positioned on the curbline of well-trafficked intersections, offering enhanced access and visibility relative to other property types. The properties generally consist of a ubiquitous row of primarily small-shop units along with dedicated parking leased to a diversified mixture of national and local service and restaurant tenants that cater to daily convenience trips from the growing suburban population. The property type’s site plan and depth of leasing prospects generally reduce operating capital expenditures and provide significant tenant diversification.

In addition, the Company has obtained a financing commitment for a $1.1 billion mortgage facility (the “Mortgage Facility”), which is expected to close prior to the consummation of the spin-off with loan and additional asset sale proceeds expected to be used to repay all of the Company’s outstanding unsecured indebtedness. The Mortgage Facility is further described in Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity, Capital Resources and Financing Activities” in Part II of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had a portfolio of 65 wholly-owned convenience assets that it expects to include in the Curbline portfolio, including properties separated or in the process of being separated from SITE Centers properties. The median property size within the Curbline portfolio as of December 31, 2023, was approximately 20,000 square feet with 92% of base rent generated by units less than 10,000 square feet. The Company expects to acquire additional convenience properties prior to the spin-off that will be included in the Curbline portfolio, funded through additional Company dispositions, retained cash flow and cash on hand.

Curbline is expected to be in a net cash position at the time of its separation from the Company with cash on hand, a preferred investment in the Company, and an unsecured, undrawn line of credit. Curbline is not expected to have any debt outstanding at the time of its separation from the Company and therefore Curbline is expected to have significant access to sources of debt capital in order to fund significant asset growth.

The Company expects to complete the separation of Curbline on or around October 1, 2024. Following the separation of Curbline, the Company intends to realize value through operations and, depending on market conditions, the sale of additional assets. The timing of certain sales may be impacted by interim leasing, tactical redevelopment activities, and other asset management initiatives intended to maximize values.

Growth opportunities within the Company’s portfolio include rental rate increases, continued lease-up of the portfolio, rent commencement with respect to recently executed leases and the adaptation of existing site plans and square footage to generate higher blended rental rates and operating cash flows. The Company expects that future acquisition activities (prior to the separation of Curbline as described above) will largely focus on convenience retail properties that offer enhanced prospects for cash flow growth through rent increases and lower capital expenditure requirements.

Narrative Description of Business

The Company’s portfolio as of December 31, 2023, consisted of 114 shopping centers (including 13 centers owned through unconsolidated joint ventures) located in 20 states. The following tables present the operating statistics affecting base rental revenues summarized by the following portfolios: pro rata combined shopping center portfolio, wholly-owned shopping center portfolio and joint venture shopping center portfolio:

Recent Developments

See Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Item 8. the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, which are incorporated herein by reference, for information on certain recent developments of the Company.

Tenants and Competition

The Company has established close relationships with a large number of major national and regional tenants, and the Company’s management is associated with, and actively participates in, many shopping center and REIT industry organizations. Notwithstanding these relationships, numerous real estate companies and developers, private and public, compete with the Company in leasing space in shopping centers to tenants. The Company competes with other real estate companies and developers in terms of rental rate, property location, availability of space, management services and property condition.

The Company’s five largest tenants based on the Company’s aggregate annualized base rental revenues, including its proportionate share of joint venture aggregate annualized base rental revenues, are TJX Companies, Inc., Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc., Ross Stores, Inc., Burlington Stores, Inc. and PetSmart LLC, representing 5.2%, 2.5%, 2.2%, 2.1% and 2.1%, respectively, of the Company’s aggregate annualized base rental revenues at December 31, 2023. For more information on the Company’s tenants, see Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” under the caption “Company Fundamentals.”

Qualification as a Real Estate Investment Trust

As of December 31, 2023, the Company met the qualification requirements of a REIT under Sections 856-860 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). As a result, the Company, with the exception of its taxable REIT subsidiary (“TRS”), will not be subject to federal income tax to the extent it meets certain requirements of the Code.

Human Capital Management

As of December 31, 2023, the Company’s workforce was composed of 220 full-time employees compared to 267 full-time employees at December 31, 2022. At the end of 2023, the Company’s workforce was approximately 39% male and 61% female, and women represented approximately 48% of the Company’s managers (defined by reference to the EEO-1 job class categories to include executive/senior-level officials and managers and first/mid-level officials and managers). The ethnicity of the Company’s workforce at the end of 2023 was approximately 79% White, 12% Black, 4% Hispanic, 2% Asian and 3% other (based on EEO categories). Of the Company’s employees, 69% of employees were assigned to work in the corporate headquarters in Beachwood, Ohio, with the rest working in regional offices or remotely. Many of the Company’s employees have a long tenure with the Company, with approximately 77% of the Company’s employees having been with the Company for over 5 years and 55% for over 10 years.

The Company’s primary human capital management objective is to attract, develop, engage and retain the highest quality talent. To support this objective, the Company offers competitive pay and benefit programs, a broad focus on wellness and flexible work arrangements designed to allow employees to meet personal and family needs. The Company currently utilizes a hybrid work schedule that provides employees the opportunity to work remotely on a limited basis while continuing to cultivate in-office relationships and learning, which are key elements to the Company’s culture. The Company also takes steps to measure and improve upon its level of employee engagement and to create a diverse and inclusive workplace. The Company’s employees are expected to exhibit honest, ethical and respectful conduct in the workplace. The Company annually requires its employees to complete training modules on sexual harassment and discrimination and to acknowledge and certify their compliance with the Company’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. Senior members of its accounting, finance and capital markets and asset management departments are also required to acknowledge and agree to the Company’s Code of Ethics for Senior Financial Officers on an annual basis. The Company’s culture is also underpinned by its employees’ commitment to the Company’s core values of being Fearless, Authentic, Curious and Thoughtful (the Company’s "Matters of FACT") in the conduct of their responsibilities.

Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability

Detailed information regarding the Company’s approach to sustainability can be found on the Company’s website in its Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report. This report is based on the Global Reporting Initiative (“GRI”) standard, which summarizes environmental and social performance, and includes disclosures with respect to Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (“SASB”) and Task Force on Climate-Related Disclosures (“TCFD”) standards. The content of the Company’s sustainability report is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K or in any other report or document filed with the SEC, unless expressly noted.

Information About the Company’s Executive Officers

The section below provides information regarding the Company’s executive officers as of February 15, 2024:

David R. Lukes, age 54, has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of SITE Centers and has been a member of SITE Centers’ Board of Directors since March 2017. Prior to joining SITE Centers, Mr. Lukes served as Chief Executive Officer and President of Equity One, Inc., an owner, developer and operator of shopping centers, from 2014 until 2017. Mr. Lukes also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Sears Holding Corporation affiliate Seritage Realty Trust, a real estate company, from 2012 to 2014 and as President and Chief Executive Officer of Olshan Properties, a privately-owned real estate firm specializing in commercial real estate, from 2010 to 2012. From 2002 to 2010, Mr. Lukes served in various senior management positions at Kimco Realty Corporation, including serving as its Chief Operating Officer from 2008 to 2010. Mr. Lukes has also served as the President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Retail Value Inc. (“RVI”), since April 2018 and as an Independent Director of Citycon Oyj, an owner and manager of shopping centers in the Nordic region listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki stock exchange, since 2017. Mr. Lukes also serves as a member of the Advisory Board of Governors of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“NAREIT”). Mr. Lukes holds a Bachelor of Environmental Design from Miami University, a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Science in real estate development from Columbia University.

Conor M. Fennerty, age 38, has served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of SITE Centers since November 2019. From 2017 to 2019, Mr. Fennerty served as SITE Centers’ Senior Vice President of Capital Markets. Mr. Fennerty has also served as Executive Vice President of RVI since 2020 and Director of RVI since 2022. Prior to joining SITE Centers, Mr. Fennerty served as a Vice President and Senior Analyst at BlackRock, Inc., a global funds manager, from 2014 to 2017, an Analyst at Cohen & Steers Capital Management, a specialist asset manager focused on real assets, from 2012 to 2014, and prior to that, a member of the global investment research division of Goldman Sachs from 2010 to 2012. Mr. Fennerty earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in finance from Georgetown University.

John M. Cattonar, age 42, has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of SITE Centers since May 2021. Previously, Mr. Cattonar served as Senior Vice President of Investments of SITE Centers from 2017 to 2021. Prior to joining

SITE Centers, Mr. Cattonar served as Vice President of Asset Management for Equity One from 2015 to 2017 and at Sears Holding Corporation affiliate Seritage Realty Trust from 2012 to 2015. Mr. Cattonar earned a Master of Science in Real Estate Development from Columbia University and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Christa A. Vesy, age 53, is Executive Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer of SITE Centers, a position she assumed in March 2012. From 2016 to 2017, Ms. Vesy also served as SITE Centers’ Interim Chief Financial Officer. In these roles, Ms. Vesy has overseen the property and corporate accounting, tax and financial reporting functions for SITE Centers. Previously, Ms. Vesy served as Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer of SITE Centers since 2006. Ms. Vesy has also served as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of RVI since November 2019, as its Executive Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer since February 2018 and as director since May 2021. Prior to joining SITE Centers, Ms. Vesy worked for The Lubrizol Corporation, where she served as manager of external financial reporting and then as controller for the lubricant additives business segment. Prior to joining Lubrizol, from 1993 to 2004, Ms. Vesy held various positions with the Assurance and Business Advisory Services group of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, a registered public accounting firm, including Senior Manager from 1999 to 2004. Ms. Vesy graduated with a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Miami University. Ms. Vesy is a certified public accountant (CPA) and member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (“AICPA”).

Corporate Headquarters

The Company is an Ohio corporation incorporated in 1992. The Company’s executive offices are located at 3300 Enterprise Parkway, Beachwood, Ohio 44122, and its telephone number is (216) 755-5500. The Company’s website is www.sitecenters.com. The Company uses the Investors Relations section of its website as a channel for routine distribution of important information, including press releases, analyst presentations and financial information. The information the Company posts to its website may be deemed to be material, and investors and others interested in the Company are encouraged to routinely monitor and review the information that the Company posts on its website in addition to following the Company’s press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts. The Company posts filings made with the SEC to its website as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC, including the Company’s annual, quarterly and current reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K, respectively, the Company’s proxy statements and any amendments to those reports or statements. All such postings and filings are available on the Company’s website free of charge. In addition, this website allows investors and other interested persons to sign up to automatically receive e-mail alerts when the Company posts news releases and financial information on its website. The SEC also maintains a website (https://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. The content on, or accessible through, any website referred to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, is not incorporated by reference into, and shall not be deemed part of, this Form 10-K unless expressly noted.