Item 1. Business
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
The Company and the Operating Partnership
Tanger Inc. and its subsidiaries, which we refer to as the Company, is one of the leading owners and operators of outlet and open-air centers in the United States and Canada. We are a fully-integrated, self-administered and self-managed REIT, which focuses on developing, acquiring, owning, operating and managing outlet and open-air shopping centers. As of December 31, 2023, our consolidated portfolio consisted of 31 outlet centers and one open-air lifestyle center, with a total gross leasable area of approximately 12.7 million square feet, which were 97% occupied and contained over 2,400 stores representing approximately 660 store brands. We also had partial ownership interests in 6 unconsolidated centers totaling approximately 2.1 million square feet, including 2 centers in Canada. Our portfolio also includes two managed centers totaling approximately 760,000 square feet. Each of our centers, except one joint venture center, features the Tanger brand name.
Our shopping centers and other assets are held by, and all of our operations are conducted by, Tanger Properties Limited Partnership and its subsidiaries, which we refer to collectively as the Operating Partnership. The Company, including its wholly-owned subsidiary, Tanger LP Trust, owns the majority of the units of partnership interest issued by the Operating Partnership. The Company controls the Operating Partnership as its sole general partner. Tanger LP Trust holds a limited partnership interest in the Operating Partnership.
As of December 31, 2023, the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries owned 108,793,251 units of the Operating Partnership and the Non-Company LPs collectively owned 4,707,958 Class A common limited partnership units. Each Class A common limited partnership unit held by the Non-Company LPs is exchangeable for one of the Company's common shares, subject to certain limitations to preserve the Company's status as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Class B common limited partnership units, which are held by Tanger LP Trust, are not exchangeable for common shares of the Company.
Ownership of the Company's common shares is restricted to preserve the Company's status as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Subject to certain exceptions, a person may not actually or constructively own more than 9.8% of our common shares. We also operate in a manner intended to enable us to preserve our status as a REIT, including, among other things, making distributions with respect to our then outstanding common shares and preferred shares, if applicable, equal to at least 90% of our taxable income each year, excluding net capital gains.
The Company is a North Carolina corporation that was incorporated in March 1993 and the Operating Partnership is a North Carolina limited partnership that was formed in May 1993. Our executive offices are currently located at 3200 Northline Avenue, Suite 360, Greensboro, North Carolina, 27408 and our telephone number is (336) 292-3010. Our website can be accessed at www.tanger.com. Copies of our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and any amendments thereto can be obtained, free of charge, on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. The information found on, or otherwise accessible through, our website is not incorporated into, and does not form a part of, this Annual Report or any other report or document we file with or furnish to the SEC.
Recent Developments
New Development
In October 2023, we opened a 291,000 square foot outlet center in Nashville, Tennessee. The open-air center offers shopping and dining across seven retail buildings and a unique, placemaking community space. Tanger Nashville reflects our commitment to diversify and enhance the shopping experience for our customers with nearly one quarter of the center’s dynamic assortment of retailers being new to our portfolio or first to the outlet channel.
8
Acquisitions
In November 2023, we acquired a 382,000-square-foot, open-air outlet center in Asheville, North Carolina for $70 million. The established center is occupied by a diverse mix of brands that includes leading home furnishings providers as well as iconic apparel, footwear and accessories brands.
In addition, in November 2023, we acquired Bridge Street Town Centre, an 825,000-square-foot, open-air lifestyle center in Huntsville, Alabama for $193.5 million. The center serves as the dominant shopping destination in its market and comprises over 80 retail stores, restaurants, and entertainment venues, including approximately 174,000 square feet ground leased to tenants.
Financing Transactions
ATM Equity Offerings
During 2023, we sold 3.5 million common shares under our at-the-market stock offering (“ATM Offering”) program at a weighted average price of $25.75 per share, generating gross proceeds of $90.0 million. As of December 31, 2023, we have a remaining authorization of $220.1 million under the ATM Offering.
Derivatives
Throughout 2023, we entered into $325.0 million of forward starting daily Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“Daily SOFR”) interest rate swaps at an average fixed pay rate of 3.9%. The swaps were effective February 1, 2024 and end at various dates from February 1, 2026 to January 1, 2027. These swaps replaced $300.0 million of existing swaps that expired on February 1, 2024 as part of our interest rate risk management strategy.
Unconsolidated Real Estate Joint Ventures Financing Transactions
Houston/Galveston, Texas
In June 2023, the Galveston/Houston joint venture completed the refinance of its mortgage. The new $58.0 million loan has a maturity date of June 2026 and an interest rate of Daily SOFR + 3.00%. In conjunction with this refinance, the joint venture entered into a $29.0 million interest rate swap that fixes Daily SOFR at 4.44% until December 2025.
Organizational Changes
In July 2023, Bridget Ryan-Berman, who had been a member of the Company's board of directors ("Board") since January 1, 2009, was appointed lead independent director, a position previously held by Board member David B. Henry.
In September 2023, Jessica K. Norman joined the Company as the Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary.
Effective January 1, 2024, Steven B. Tanger transitioned from his role as Executive Chair of the Board to Non-Executive Chair of the Board in connection with his retirement from the Company under the terms of his employment agreement.
9
Business Strategy
Our Company was built on a firm foundation of strong and enduring business relationships coupled with disciplined business practices. We partner with many of the world's best known and most respected brands and retailers. By fostering and maintaining strong relationships with these successful, high volume companies, we believe we have been able to solidify our position as a leader in the outlet and open-air retail industry for over thirty years. The confidence and trust that we have developed with our retail partners from the very beginning has allowed us to forge the impressive retail alliances that we enjoy today with our brands and retailers. Our seasoned team of professionals with diverse sets of expertise utilize the knowledge and experience that we have gained to give us a competitive advantage in the outlet and open-air retail business.
The Outlet Concept
Outlet centers generally consist of stores operated by brands and retailers that sell primarily branded products, some of which are made specifically for the outlet distribution channel, to consumers at significant discounts from regular retail prices charged by department stores, specialty stores and their own full price channels. Outlet centers offer advantages to brands and retailers as they are often able to charge customers lower prices for branded and designer products by eliminating the third party retailer or through operating efficiencies. Stores and outlet centers also typically have lower operating costs than other retailing formats, enhancing their profit potential. Outlet centers enable retailers to optimize the size of production runs and their inventory positions while continuing to maintain control of their distribution channels. Outlet centers also enable brands and retailers to establish a direct relationship with their customers and maintain brand integrity through control of product placement and pricing.
Our Centers
Each of our centers, except one joint venture center, features the Tanger brand name. Additionally, we leverage the Tanger brand and platform to manage centers in Palm Beach, Florida. We believe that our tenants and consumers recognize the Tanger brand as one that provides retail centers where consumers can trust the brand, value and experience.
In addition to our Tanger branded outlet portfolio, we recently acquired our first open-air lifestyle center in Huntsville, Alabama which was a natural extension of our capabilities and consistent with our long-term strategy of investing in dominant open-air retail centers in markets that benefit from outsized residential and tourism growth.
As one of the original participants in the outlet industry and through key additions to our executive, leasing, operating and center teams, we have long-standing relationships with many of our tenants that we believe are critical in operating, managing, developing, and acquiring successful centers.
Our consolidated centers are typically located in a variety of geographical areas, including high frequency tourist destinations and suburbs of vibrant and fast-growing markets. Additionally, our centers are often situated in close proximity to interstate highways that provide accessibility and visibility to potential customers.
We have a diverse tenant base throughout our consolidated portfolio comprising over 2,400 stores operated by more than 660 different brand name companies. Our centers offer shoppers a curated mix of retailers specializing in apparel, footwear, accessories, athletic wear, athleisure, home furnishings, health and beauty, and digitally-native brands. Additionally, we are adding food, beverage, and entertainment options, along with other services, at our centers to attract new shoppers, extend visitor dwell time and increase frequency of visits.
No single tenant, including all of its store concepts, accounted for 10% or more of our combined base and percentage rental revenues during the years ended 2023, 2022 or 2021. As of December 31, 2023, no single tenant accounted for more than 8% of our leasable square feet or 6% of our combined base and percentage rental revenues.
10
A portion of our rental revenues are dependent on variable revenue sources. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the components of rental revenues are as follows (in thousands):
2023
Rental revenues - fixed $ 343,433
Rental revenues - variable (1)
95,456
Rental revenues $ 438,889
(1) Primarily includes rents based on a percentage of tenant gross sales volume and reimbursable expenses such as common area expenses, utilities, insurance and real estate taxes, which are paid on a pro rata basis.
Business History
Stanley K. Tanger, the Company's founder, entered the outlet center business in 1981. Prior to founding the Company, Stanley K. Tanger and his son, Steven B. Tanger, our Non-Executive Chair, built and managed a successful family-owned apparel manufacturing business, Tanger/Creighton, Inc. In June 1993, we completed our initial public offering and subsequently grew our portfolio through the strategic development, expansion and acquisition of outlet and open-air retail centers. In April 2020, Stephen Yalof, a successful and proven retail and real estate executive, joined the Company as President and Chief Operating Officer, as part of an executive succession plan for the role of Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Yalof became the Chief Executive Officer of the Company effective January 1, 2021.
Growth Strategy
Our goal is to build shareholder value through a comprehensive, disciplined plan for sustained, long-term growth. We focus our efforts on increasing net operating income at our existing centers, renovating and optimizing selected centers and pursuing disciplined external growth in our current markets and potential new markets through selective ground-up development or the acquisition of retail real estate. Future retail real estate assets may be wholly-owned by us, owned through joint ventures or partnership arrangements, or through management agreements.
Increasing net operating income at existing centers
Our leasing team focuses on optimizing the use of our real estate to attract and engage best in class brands and retailers with a focus on maximizing consumer demand and rent. The majority of our leases are negotiated to provide for inflation-based contractual rent increases or periodic fixed contractual rent increases and percentage rents. We have historically been able to renew many leases at higher base rents per square-foot and replace underperforming tenants with new or existing brands in our portfolio. Given the current retail environment, we may choose to execute leases with new tenants or renew certain tenants to enhance our tenant mix or maintain a high portfolio occupancy rate. In addition, we are focused on generating non-store revenues (other revenues), through marketing partnerships, media and return on investment ("ROI") driven sustainability initiatives, and actively managing property operating expenses and marketing expenses as a means of growing net operating income.
Developing new centers
We believe that there continue to be opportunities to introduce the Tanger brand in untapped or under-served markets across the United States and Canada in the long-term. We believe our expertise in the outlet and open-air retail industry, extensive development expertise and strong retail relationships give us a distinct competitive advantage.
In order to help ensure the viability of proceeding with a project, we first gauge the interest of our retail partners. We typically prefer to have signed leases or leases out for negotiation with tenants for at least 60% of the space in each center prior to acquiring the site and beginning construction; however, we may choose to proceed with construction with less than 60% of the space pre-leased under certain circumstances. Construction of a new center typically takes us 12 to 18 months from groundbreaking to the grand opening of the center.
11
Expanding and renovating existing centers
Keeping our centers vibrant and growing is a key part of our formula for success. In order to maintain our reputation as the premier shopping destination in the markets that we serve, we have an ongoing program of renovations and expansions taking place at our centers. Construction for expansion and renovation to existing properties typically takes less time, usually between six to nine months depending on the scope of the project.
Acquiring retail real estate
We may selectively choose to acquire individual properties or portfolios of properties that meet our strategic investment criteria. We believe that our extensive experience in the retail business, access to capital markets, familiarity with real estate markets and our management experience will allow us to evaluate and execute our acquisition strategy successfully over time. Through our tenant relationships, our teams have the ability to implement a re-merchandising strategy when needed to increase occupancy rates, optimize rents and maximize value. We believe that our brand operating platform and operational expertise and overall retail industry experience will also allow us to add long-term value and viability to these assets.
Operating Strategy
Increasing cash flow to enhance the value of our properties and operations remains a primary business objective. Through targeted marketing and operational efficiencies, we strive to improve sales and profitability of our tenants and our centers as a whole. Achieving higher base and percentage rents and generating additional income from temporary leasing, media and other non-store sources also remains an important focus and goal.
Leasing
Our long-standing retailer relationships and our focus on identifying emerging retailers allow us the ability to provide our shoppers with a collection of the world's most popular retailers. Tanger customers shop and save on their favorite branded merchandise including men's, women's and children's ready-to-wear, digitally native brands, lifestyle apparel, footwear, jewelry and accessories, tableware, housewares, luggage and home goods. In addition, we are focused on adding non-traditional uses to our tenant mix, including experiential and food and beverage tenants. In order for our centers to perform at a high level, our leasing professionals continually monitor and evaluate tenant mix, store size, store location and sales performance. They also work to assist our tenants through re-sizing and re-location of retail space within each of our centers for maximum sales of each retail unit across our portfolio.
Marketing
Our comprehensive marketing plans are designed to drive sales and traffic in partnership with our retail partners. We leverage data to enable a return on investment-oriented performance marketing approach for efficient customer acquisition. Investments to transform our digital channels allow us to engage existing customers with timely and personalized communications. Our loyalty strategies are two pronged – earning increased wallet share with vested customers and optimizing an incremental ancillary revenue stream. Our efforts to engage broad audiences through seasonal events and our digital channels enable our ability to monetize our customer audience for media and sponsorship opportunities with retail partners and nationally trusted brands.
Capital Strategy
We believe we achieve a strong and flexible financial position by attempting to: (1) maintain a conservative leverage position relative to our portfolio when pursuing new development, expansion and acquisition opportunities, (2) extend and sequence debt maturities, (3) manage our interest rate risk through an appropriate mix of fixed and variable rate debt and interest rate hedging strategies, (4) maintain access to liquidity by using our lines of credit in a conservative manner and (5) preserve internally generated sources of capital by maintaining a conservative distribution payout ratio. We manage our capital structure to reflect a long-term investment approach and utilize multiple sources of capital to meet our requirements, including without limitation, cash on hand, retained free cash flow and debt and equity issuances.
12
We intend to retain the ability to raise additional capital, including public debt or equity, to pursue attractive investment opportunities that may arise and to otherwise act in a manner that we believe to be in the best interests of our shareholders and unitholders. We are a well-known seasoned issuer with a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 that allows us to register unspecified amounts of different classes of securities. To generate capital to reinvest into other attractive investment opportunities, we may also consider the use of additional operational and developmental joint ventures, the sale or lease of outparcels on our existing properties and the sale of certain properties that do not meet our long-term investment criteria. Based on cash provided by operations, cash and cash equivalents, our short-term investments, existing lines of credit, ongoing relationships with certain financial institutions and our ability to issue debt or equity subject to market conditions, we believe that we have access to the necessary financing to fund our planned capital expenditures during 2024.
We anticipate that adequate cash will be available to fund our operating and administrative expenses, regular debt service obligations, and the payment of dividends in accordance with REIT requirements in both the short and long-term. Although we receive most of our rental payments on a monthly basis, distributions to shareholders and unitholders are made quarterly and interest payments on the senior, unsecured notes are made semi-annually. Amounts accumulated for such payments will be used in the interim to reduce the outstanding borrowings under our existing lines of credit or invested in short-term money market or other suitable instruments adhering to our investment policies.
We believe our current balance sheet position is financially sound; however, due to the uncertainty and unpredictability of the capital and credit markets, we can give no assurance that affordable access to capital will exist between now and our next significant debt maturity, which is our $350.0 million unsecured senior notes due September 2026.
As a result, our current primary focus is to continually strengthen our capital and liquidity position by controlling our capital expenditure levels, generating positive cash flows from operations to cover our distributions and maintaining appropriate leverage levels.
Competition
We carefully consider the degree of existing and planned competition in a proposed area before deciding to develop, acquire or expand a new retail center. Our centers compete for customers primarily with retail centers built and operated by different developers, traditional shopping malls, full- and off-price retailers and e-commerce retailers.
Because our revenues are ultimately linked to our tenants' success, we are affected by the same competitive factors, such as consumer spending habits, as our tenants.
We compete with institutional pension funds, private equity investors, other REITs, individual owners of retail centers, specialty stores and others who are engaged in the acquisition, development or ownership of retail centers and stores. In addition, the number of entities competing to acquire or develop retail centers has increased and may continue to increase in the future, which could increase demand for these retail centers and the prices we must pay to acquire or develop them.
Financial Information
We have one reportable operating segment. For financial information regarding our segment, see our consolidated financial statements.
Corporate and Regional Headquarters
We rent space in an office building in Greensboro, North Carolina where our corporate headquarters is located, as well as a regional office in New York, New York.
As of December 31, 2023, we maintain offices and employ on-site management at 34 consolidated and unconsolidated centers and one managed center. The managers closely monitor the operation, marketing and local relationships at each of their centers.
13
Insurance
We believe that as a whole our properties are covered by adequate comprehensive liability, fire, flood, earthquake and extended loss insurance provided by reputable companies with commercially reasonable and customary deductibles and limits. Northline Indemnity, LLC, a wholly-owned captive insurance subsidiary of the Operating Partnership, is responsible for losses up to certain levels for property damage (including wind damage from hurricanes) prior to third-party insurance coverage. Specified types and amounts of insurance are required to be carried by each tenant under their lease. There are, however, types of losses, like those resulting from wars or nuclear radiation, which may either be uninsurable or not economically insurable in some or all of our locations. An uninsured loss could result in a loss to us of both our capital investment and anticipated profits from the affected property.
Our Core Values
Our Core Values are to consider community first, seek the success of others, act fairly and with integrity and make it happen.
Consider Community First - Our diverse communities are the heartbeat of our business. Our decision-making must reflect the varied perspectives that contribute to making our Company a welcoming environment for all. Our philanthropic and sustainable commitments exist to better all the communities we serve.
Seek the Success of Others - We are all in this together, and we believe true success can only be achieved when it is experienced by our shoppers, retailers, and team members alike. We strive to create a culture of inclusion, where we can all be better – together.
Act Fairly and with Integrity - Our bond is strongest when we act with integrity and fairness in everything we do. Tanger’s commitment to ethics lives throughout every level, interaction, and function of the organization, and is what we are known for.
Make it Happen - This is the Tanger state of mind, and it is deeply rooted in our heritage. We are empowered to take smart risks, innovate and to use our voices to advocate for our ideas and for others within our communities.
Human Capital
As of December 31, 2023, we had 364 full-time employees, located at our corporate headquarters in North Carolina and 35 business offices. At that date, we also employed 43 part-time employees at various locations. In 2023, 41% of our full-time workforce have been employed by us for five years or longer. We believe our relations with our employees to be relatively good. None of our employees are represented by a union or parties to a collective bargaining agreement.
As of December 31, 2023, team members who identify as females made up 70% of field employees, 33% of our executive leadership team, and 71% of our total 407-person workforce. Racial minorities made up 16% of our total workforce in 2023. The Board's gender composition consisted of 22% members who identify as female and 22% of members with racial diversity.
We believe attracting, developing and retaining talent is critical to our long-term success. We focus on creating strategies that enhance an environment of high-performance engagement, and individual development, where employees are rewarded and recognized. We provide numerous training programs, which include topics such as operational training, leadership development, customer service and technology training. We recognize that motivation and rewards are different for individuals at various times in their careers, and a balanced blend of monetary and non-monetary rewards can generate valuable business results. We provide employee benefits on par or above industry standards. In addition, we support employees with 40 hours per year of paid volunteer time off to encourage volunteering for worthwhile activities in their local communities. Part-time employees are included in our 401(k) plans, which offer immediate vesting and dollar-for-dollar matches for employee contributions up to 3%, and $0.50 for every dollar contributed on the next 2% deferred. Part-time employees also participate in paid time off ("PTO") after five years of service and are eligible to participate in our accident and critical Illness voluntary benefits.
14
Environment, Social and Governance ("ESG") Programs
We work to create long-term value for our shareholders, retail partners and employee team members while we support strong communities and work towards protecting the future of our planet. We integrate ESG into our business practices and seek to address the issues most important to our stakeholders. Our Core Values of Consider Community First, Seek the Success of Others, Act Fairly and with Integrity and Make it Happen form the foundation of our approach as we set goals to create positive social and economic impact while reducing our environmental footprint.
Reporting frameworks
Our goal is to utilize best practices in every aspect of our business, including our disclosures and ESG reporting. We have utilized the standards of the Global Reporting Initiative ("GRI") since 2016 and began integrating certain disclosures from the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board ("SASB," now the "Value Reporting Foundation") in 2019. Since 2021, we have disclosed our data to the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark ("GRESB") and CDP (formerly, the "Carbon Disclosure Project"). In 2022, we became a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, and aligned our reporting with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures ("TCFD") framework. We continue to assess and improve our climate-related governance and strategy to remain apace with current regulatory landscape and framework reporting requirements.
ESG governance
Our ESG Executive Committee leads the governance of ESG matters at our Company and is chaired by our General Counsel. Consisting of executives from various functional areas of our Company, including, without limitation, Operations, Finance and People and Culture, the Executive Committee advises on the Company's approach to ESG. The Executive Committee monitors progress toward achievement of goals and communicates priority ESG issues to senior leadership. Our full Board provides oversight for the ESG function, and, as appropriate, certain matters are considered by a specific committee of the Board.
Priority ESG issues
Our ESG materiality process drives strategy on environmental, social, economic and governance topics. We begin by identifying opportunities and risks, and leverage external frameworks and engage stakeholders, executives and our Board members to help identify key ESG issues. These key issues are translated into operational priorities and processes across the Company. As a result of a robust materiality assessment conducted by a third party in 2021, we identified the following priority material issues that we believe are of greatest relevance to the Company and our stakeholders: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Energy Use and Efficiency; Community Involvement; Climate Change and Tenants' Environmental and Social Footprint.
For the avoidance of doubt, while certain matters discussed in our ESG Report, ESG Policies and other ESG-related disclosures may be significant, any significance should not be read as necessarily rising to the level of materiality as that concept is used for the purposes of our compliance and reporting pursuant to the U.S. federal securities laws and regulations. The concept of materiality used in our ESG disclosures, including as it is used above, is based on other definitions of materiality, some of which may require that we use a level of estimation and assumption that may make the resulting disclosures inherently uncertain. This is the case even where we use the word “material” or “materiality” in our ESG disclosures. Therefore, issues that we identify as “material” from an ESG perspective are not necessarily material to the Company under the U.S. federal securities laws and regulations. The contents of our ESG Report, ESG Policies and other ESG-related disclosures are not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report and do not form a part of this Annual Report.
15
Government Regulations
We are subject to regulation by various federal, state, provincial and local agencies. These agencies include the Environmental Protection Agency, Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Department of Labor and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. We believe we comply, in all material respects, with existing applicable statutes and regulations affecting environmental issues and our employment, workplace health and workplace safety practices, and compliance with such statutes and regulations has no material effect on our capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position.