As the owner of a retail property, you are probably facing tough times right now. You have long believed that leasing your property to a large retailer, like Boots, Halfords, or Marks & Spencer is the best way to get the most out of your property. Maybe that was true years ago, but things are changing.

Big name retailers are in trouble. Lloyds have closed hundreds of stores. New Look, TK Maxx, B&Q, and others have announced pending store closures. And what about Paperchase? They recently went bust. Your once stable retail leases do not look so stable any more. Wouldn’t you rather have secure income?

That secure income can be yours if you are willing to sell your retail property to SMCP. We are looking to invest in the types of retail properties that companies like McDonald’s and Dominos lease. We are in the market to buy. How do you feel about selling right now?

Stable Leases Are Harder to Come By

It used to be that a 15-year lease was the norm. Lock in a big-name retailer for 15 years and relax. That was then. Today’s retailers are less likely to sign 15-year leases. They want 10 years at most, with a break between 5-year terms. Either that, or they want a series of successive 5-year leases – along with rent-free periods of up to 12 months.

That is no way to make money on your commercial property in tough economic times. It’s understandable that your tenants want as much as they can get for as little as you are willing to take. But you need your retail properties to work for you, too.

Living Rent-Free Doesn’t Help You

Every month you are not collecting rent on your retail properties is another month you are living rent-free. That doesn’t help you. Unfortunately, big name retailers are wise to the fact that property owners will bend over backwards to keep them. They use that to their advantage.

Here’s the thing: retailers know that if they lose a property, there will be another one they can lease nearby. They know they are in control of most situations. But again, this doesn’t help you. Selling your retail property to us does. Selling puts you back in control. It turns unstable leases into secure income.

Avoid Those Ingressive Negotiations

Still not convinced that’s selling to SMCP is the right way to go? Fair enough. Sit back and contemplate what’s coming when your next round of leases expires. What are you in for? If we know retail leases like we think we know them, you’re in for some very aggressive negotiations.

Your tenants are going to look out for their best interests. They should. That’s business. But with the economy being as tough as it is, expect your tenants to be more aggressive than usual. They are going to want shorter leases. They are going to want longer rent-free periods. They are going to want you to give up your shirt to let them stay in your space.

Look, we have no issue with big name retailers fighting for every advantage they can get. We just believe property owners should have the means to do the same. Right now, with the economy as tough as it is, we’re betting you don’t have the resources to give your tenants everything they want. You stand to lose too much.

We know how things are going right now. We also have a solution: sell your retail property to us. You wind up with secure income rather than continuing to worry about unstable leases.