Stiles Property Fund and Prudential Real Estate Investors Acquire Trophy Class A Office Asset on Las Olas Boulevard in Downtown Fort Lauderdale

*Coming full circle, New River Center was originally developed by Stiles in 1990
*Asset is 86% leased and encompasses 281,713 square feet of office and ground-floor retail space

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – December 23, 2014 – (RealEstateRama) — Fort Lauderdale-based Stiles and Prudential Real Estate Investors announced today the acquisition of 200 East Las Olas (also known as “New River Center” or the “Property”), a 20-story trophy Class A office tower located directly on Las Olas Boulevard in the heart of Fort Lauderdale’s bustling central business district. Developed by Stiles in 1990, this institutional quality asset is currently 86% leased and encompasses 281,713 rentable square feet of some of the most desirable office and ground-floor retail space in the vibrant South Florida region.

The Property was acquired from Invesco Ltd. for $108 million, or $383 per square foot, by a joint-venture between Stiles Property Fund (SPF) and PREI. SPF is a discretionary value-added real estate fund that invests in office and retail properties throughout Florida. PREI®, among the world’s largest real estate investment management and advisory businesses, is a business of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU). New River Center was marketed through commercial real estate and capital markets services firm HFF, L.P. Hermen Rodriguez, senior managing director at HFF L.P., led the sale effort along with Ike Ojala, Jorge Portela and Tracey Goo.

“We are proud to once again partner with Prudential Real Estate Investors, one of the nation’s top commercial and residential investment groups,” said president of Stiles Doug Eagon. “As its original developer, we have come full circle with New River Center. Given our deep knowledge of the asset, the property’s upside potential and the robust market outlook, this acquisition fit well with our investment strategy.”

New River Center is positioned on 1.4 acres and includes unparalleled views of the New River and downtown Fort Lauderdale. The property consists of a 12-story office tower above an eight-story parking garage with 675 spaces, as well as nearly 15,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. It is currently leased to “blue chip” tenants, including: Fifth Third Bank; Akamai; Yum! Brands; Brinkley Morgan; and Stearns Weaver.

Following the acquisition, Stiles plans to implement its asset management best practices to drive further upside and additional synergies at New River Center. Stiles Leasing and Management will be engaged exclusively to handle the asset.

“The opportunity for SPF to acquire prime office real estate on Las Olas Boulevard with upside potential made this investment very attractive,” said SPF Fund Manager Kyle Jones. “We are looking forward to executing our business plan and creating further value at the Property utilizing Stiles’ diverse range of services.”

While Stiles has a long history of real estate transactions, New River Center is the first office transaction the Company has made through SPF, which it launched in 2011. Previous SPF acquisitions have targeted retail shopping centers throughout Florida and have included: Ormond Beach Mall, a 102,170-square-foot Publix grocery-anchored center in Ormond Beach; Market at Southside, a 95,135-square-foot center in Orlando; the former PGA Design Center, a 145,500-square-foot mixed-use property in Palm Beach Gardens; and Galleria Plaza, a 29,443-square-foot center in one of the most visible and affluent retail corridors of Fort Lauderdale.

According to Eagon, Stiles remains very active in Broward and especially the central business district of Fort Lauderdale, which is characterized by an urban lifestyle that has helped to drive concentrated growth in the downtown area.

“The 24/7 environment in downtown Fort Lauderdale is contributing to a thriving market with strong employment growth and lower vacancy rates,” commented Eagon. “Most of the new jobs being created are in the downtown urban areas of South Florida, including Brickell Avenue and Coral Gables.”

Stiles track record on Las Olas goes back to 1951 when the company was first established. Stiles has since developed 43 million square feet of real estate throughout Florida and more than 3.5 million square feet of projects in downtown Fort Lauderdale with uses ranging from office and retail to residential and associated parking. Responding to market demand for urban living, Stiles is currently underway with an ultra-luxury 254-unit apartment high-rise one-block from Las Olas Boulevard.

Disclaimer
This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell, nor the solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities of SPF. Any securities offered by SPF have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or any securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction and may not be offered or sold in the United States or any such state or other jurisdiction absent registration or qualification or an applicable exemption from the registration or qualification requirements of the Act and the applicable securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction.

About Stiles
Stiles is a full-service commercial real estate firm with a clear mission: Invest. Build. Manage. Stiles services include development, construction, tenant improvement, realty, property management, architecture, acquisitions and financing. The company is responsible for more than 40 million square feet of office, residential, industrial, retail and mixed-use projects throughout the southeastern United States. In addition to its core services, Stiles founded the Stiles Property Fund in 2011 as a discretionary value-added real estate fund focused on existing distressed office and retail real estate in Florida. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Stiles maintains regional offices in Miami, Fort Myers, Tampa and Orlando, Florida, as well as a development office in Charlotte, North Carolina. Learn more about Stiles at www.stiles.com or contact 954-627-9300. For Stiles Property Fund information and investment opportunities, please contact Bryson Ridgway at .

About Prudential Real Estate Investors
Prudential Real Estate Investors is the global real estate investment business of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU). Investing in real estate on behalf of institutional clients since 1970, PREI® today has more than 650 employees located in 20 cities around the world, and gross assets under management of $59.3 billion ($43.7 billion net) as of June 30, 2014. PREI offers to its global client base a broad range of real estate investment vehicles across the risk-return spectrum and geographies, including core, core plus, value-add, opportunistic, debt, securities, and specialized investment strategies. For more information, visit www.prei.com.

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Media Contacts:

Adrienne Zalkind

Vice President, Stiles Marketing
(954) 627-9148 (O)
(305) 753-8677 (M)

John Chartier
Director, Global Communications, Prudential Financial
(973) 802-9829 (O)
(973) 289-1244 (M)