Our business model combines a high-quality, characterful portfolio of Purpose-Built Student Accommodation with an efficient in-house operational platform, designed to grow and create long-term sustainable returns for our Stakeholders.
Key strengths
We have an attractive, characterful portfolio that offers high-quality, well located accommodation for our customers.
Our people are key to our Customer journey. Our passionate and committed colleagues allow us to deliver hassle-free student accommodation with a sense of community and belonging that supports mental health and wellbeing.
We have the knowledge to develop, acquire and operate high-quality, sustainable student accommodation.
Hello Student® is a leading brand providing clear differentiation in the PBSA market.
We drive improvements in customer experience and performance through data analytics. We seek to understand behavioural characteristics using both geographic and demographic segmentation.
We have an appropriately leveraged balance sheet with strong liquidity allowing the business to be proactive and capitalise on opportunities as they arise.
How we add value
We are selective about where we invest, with a focus on the towns and cities that are home to the most successful universities and where student numbers are rising faster than average. We select sites based on their compatibility with the types of accommodation we provide and their proximity to universities and amenities.
Our buildings have on average around 100 beds, which helps to foster a more homely, collegiate feeling to living. However, through our clustering strategy we are able to yield the economies of scale which are generated from larger buildings.
We acquire standing assets when an opportunity arises which complements our portfolio and core strategy.
We consider developing assets when we can acquire them at a greater yield on cost than acquiring standing assets. Forward-funded projects are typically less complex than direct developments and have a lower risk profile, as the planning and construction and risk lies with the third-party developer. These projects also have lower staffing requirements and benefit from a forward-funding coupon charged to the developer. However, we have a strong and proven track record in direct development too.
Our assets are marketed through our Hello Student® platform, a clear and Identifiable brand. Encouraging our people to live our values helps ensure that customers have the best experience possible, driving improved occupancy and returns. We have a student welfare programme in place to ensure that we provide the 24/7 support that our customers can expect when they stay with us.
We invest in our portfolio for the long term, however we continually review the portfolio to ensure capital is effectively allocated. Where an opportunity exists to create improved returns for shareholders we are unemotive about recycling capital to create greater value.