The company's own description of what it does — segments, products, customers, and how it makes money — from its annual 10-K filing (Item 1).
The text below is reproduced verbatim from PLD’s SEC filing. See also PLD’s supply chain and financial statements.
ITEM 1. BusinessPrologis, Inc. is a self-administered and self-managed REIT and is the sole general partner of Prologis, L.P. through which it holds substantially all of its assets. We operate Prologis, Inc. and Prologis, L.P. as one enterprise and, therefore, our discussion and analysis refers to Prologis, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, including Prologis, L.P. We invest in real estate through wholly owned subsidiaries and other entities through which we co-invest with partners and investors. We have a significant ownership interest in the co-investment ventures, which are either consolidated or unconsolidated based on our level of control of the entity.Prologis, Inc. began operating as a fully integrated real estate company in 1997 and elected to be taxed as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Internal Revenue Code” or “IRC”). We believe the current organization and method of operation enable Prologis, Inc. to maintain its status as a REIT. Prologis, L.P. was also formed in 1997.We operate, manage and measure the operating performance of our properties on an owned and managed (“O&M”) basis. Our O&M portfolio includes our consolidated properties as well as properties owned by our unconsolidated co-investment ventures. We make operating decisions based on our total O&M portfolio as we manage the properties without regard to their ownership. We also evaluate our results based on our proportionate economic ownership of each property included in the O&M portfolio (“our share”) to reflect our share of the financial results of the O&M portfolio.Included in our discussion below are references to funds from operations (“FFO”) and net operating income (“NOI”), neither of which are United States (“U.S.”) generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). See Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for a reconciliation of Net Earnings Attributable to Common Stockholders/Unitholders in the Consolidated Statements of Income to our FFO measures and a reconciliation of NOI to Operating Income, the most directly comparable GAAP measures.Our corporate headquarters is located at Pier 1, Bay 1, San Francisco, California 94111, and our other principal office locations are in Amsterdam, Denver, Mexico City, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo.Our Internet address is www.prologis.com. All reports required to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) are available and can be accessed free of charge through the Investor Relations section of our website. The common stock of Prologis, Inc. is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the ticker “PLD” and is a component of the Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”) 500.
THE COMPANY
Prologis is the global leader in logistics real estate with a focus on high-barrier, high-growth markets. We own, manage and develop well-located, high-quality logistics facilities in 19 countries across four continents. Our portfolio focuses on the world’s most vibrant centers of commerce and our scale across these locations allows us to better serve our customers’ diverse logistics requirements. Our teams actively manage our portfolio and provide comprehensive real estate services, including leasing, property management, development, acquisitions and dispositions. We invest significant capital into new logistics properties principally through our development activity and third-party acquisitions. The contribution of newly developed properties to our co-investment ventures and the sale of non-strategic properties to third parties allows us to recycle capital into our development and acquisition activities. While the majority of our properties in the U.S. are wholly owned, we hold a significant ownership interest in properties internationally and in the U.S. through our investments in the co-investment ventures. Partnering with the world’s largest institutional investors through co-investment ventures allows us to enhance and diversify our real estate returns as well as mitigate our exposure to foreign currency movements.Logistics supply chains have increased dramatically in importance to our customers and the global economy. The long-term trends of e-commerce adoption and supply chain resiliency continue to drive the need for increased warehouse space to store and distribute goods. This demand has translated into meaningful increases in rents and low vacancy. We believe this demand is driven by three primary factors: (i) customer supply chains re-positioning to address the significant shift to e-commerce and heightened service expectations; (ii) overall consumption and household growth; and (iii) our customers’ desire for more supply chain resiliency. We believe these forces will keep demand strong for the long-term.The nature of the services we are providing to our customers is expanding. The scale of our 1.2 billion square foot portfolio allows us to provide a platform of solutions to address challenges that companies face in global fulfillment today. Through Prologis Essentials, we focus on innovative ways to meet our customers’ operations, energy and sustainability, mobility and workforce needs. Our customer experience teams, proprietary technology and strategic partnerships are foundational to Prologis Essentials and allow us to provide our customers with unique and actionable insights to drive greater efficiency in their operations.Our long-standing dedication to Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) practices strengthens our relationships with our customers, investors, employees and the communities in which we do business. The principles of ESG are an important aspect of our business strategy that we believe delivers a strategic business advantage while positively impacting the environment.
2022 Significant Acquisition
On October 3, 2022, we acquired Duke Realty Corporation and Duke Realty Limited Partnership (collectively “Duke”) through a merger transaction that we refer to as the “Duke Transaction” and is detailed in Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data. Our financial condition and operating results include the Duke properties subsequent to the acquisition date. The Duke portfolio was primarily comprised of logistics real estate assets, including 494 industrial operating properties, aggregating 144 million square feet and was highly complementary to our U.S. portfolio in terms of product quality, location and growth potential. There was approximately 15 million square feet of non-strategic industrial operating properties that we do not intend to hold long-term and are classified as other real estate investments. The portfolio also included properties under development, land for future development and investments in other ventures. The acquisition expanded our presence in target markets such as Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, South Florida and Southern California. The total acquisition price, including transaction costs, was $23.2 billion and was funded through the issuance of equity based on the value of the Prologis, Inc. common stock issued using the closing price on September 30, 2022 and the assumption of debt. As a result of the closely aligned portfolios and similar business strategy and our ability to scale, we integrated the Duke portfolio while adding minimal property management and general and administrative expenses (“G&A”).
Overview
At December 31, 2022, we owned or had investments in, on a wholly-owned basis or through co-investment ventures, properties and development projects expected to total approximately 1.2 billion square feet across the following geographies: Throughout this discussion, we reflect amounts in the U.S. dollar, our reporting currency. Included in these amounts are consolidated and unconsolidated investments denominated in foreign currencies, principally the British pound sterling, Canadian dollar, euro and Japanese yen that are impacted by fluctuations in exchange rates when translated to U.S. dollars. We mitigate our exposure to foreign currency fluctuations by investing outside the U.S. through co-investment ventures, borrowing in the functional currency of our subsidiaries and utilizing derivative financial instruments.
2022 Significant Acquisition
On October 3, 2022, we acquired Duke Realty Corporation and Duke Realty Limited Partnership (collectively “Duke”) through a merger transaction that we refer to as the “Duke Transaction” and is detailed in Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data. Our financial condition and operating results include the Duke properties subsequent to the acquisition date. The Duke portfolio was primarily comprised of logistics real estate assets, including 494 industrial operating properties, aggregating 144 million square feet and was highly complementary to our U.S. portfolio in terms of product quality, location and growth potential. There was approximately 15 million square feet of non-strategic industrial operating properties that we do not intend to hold long-term and are classified as other real estate investments. The portfolio also included properties under development, land for future development and investments in other ventures. The acquisition expanded our presence in target markets such as Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, South Florida and Southern California. The total acquisition price, including transaction costs, was $23.2 billion and was funded through the issuance of equity based on the value of the Prologis, Inc. common stock issued using the closing price on September 30, 2022 and the assumption of debt. As a result of the closely aligned portfolios and similar business strategy and our ability to scale, we integrated the Duke portfolio while adding minimal property management and general and administrative expenses (“G&A”).
Overview
At December 31, 2022, we owned or had investments in, on a wholly-owned basis or through co-investment ventures, properties and development projects expected to total approximately 1.2 billion square feet across the following geographies: Throughout this discussion, we reflect amounts in the U.S. dollar, our reporting currency. Included in these amounts are consolidated and unconsolidated investments denominated in foreign currencies, principally the British pound sterling, Canadian dollar, euro and Japanese yen that are impacted by fluctuations in exchange rates when translated to U.S. dollars. We mitigate our exposure to foreign currency fluctuations by investing outside the U.S. through co-investment ventures, borrowing in the functional currency of our subsidiaries and utilizing derivative financial instruments.
OPERATING SEGMENTS
Our business comprises two operating segments: Real Estate (Rental Operations and Development) and Strategic Capital.Below is information summarizing consolidated activity within our segments over the last three years (in millions): (1)
NOI from the Real Estate Segment is calculated directly from our Consolidated Financial Statements as Rental Revenues and Development Management and Other Revenues less Rental Expenses and Other Expenses. NOI from the Strategic Capital Segment is calculated directly from our Consolidated Financial Statements as Strategic Capital Revenues less Strategic Capital Expenses.
(2)
A developed property moves into the operating portfolio when it meets our definition of stabilization, which is the earlier of when a property that was developed has been completed for one year, is contributed to a co-investment venture following completion or is 90% occupied. Amounts represent our total expected investment (“TEI”) upon stabilization, which includes the estimated cost of development or expansion, including land, construction and leasing costs.
Real Estate Segment
Rental Operations. Rental operations comprise the largest component of our operating segments and generally contribute 85% to 90% of our consolidated revenues, earnings and FFO. We collect rent from our customers through operating leases, including reimbursements for the majority of our property operating costs. For leases that commenced during 2022 within the consolidated operating portfolio, the weighted average lease term was 69 months. We expect to generate internal growth by increasing rents, maintaining high occupancy rates and controlling expenses. The primary driver of our revenue growth, outside of the Duke Transaction, will be rolling in-place leases to current market rents when leases expire, as discussed further below. We believe our active portfolio management, combined with the skills of our property, leasing, maintenance, capital, energy, sustainability and risk management teams allow us to maximize NOI across our portfolio. Substantially all of our consolidated rental revenue, NOI and cash flows from rental operations are generated in the U.S. Development. Given the scarcity of modern logistics facilities in our target markets, our development business provides the opportunity to build to the requirements of our current and future customers while deepening our market presence. We believe we have a competitive advantage due to (i) the strategic locations of our global land bank and redevelopment sites; (ii) the development expertise of our local teams; (iii) the depth of our customer relationships; (iv) our ability to integrate sustainable design features that result in cost-savings and operational efficiencies for our customers; and (v) our procurement capabilities that allow us to secure high-demand construction materials at lower cost. Successful development and redevelopment efforts provide significant earnings growth as projects are leased, generate income and increase the value of our Real Estate Segment. Generally, we develop properties in the U.S. for long-term hold and outside the U.S. for contribution to our unconsolidated co-investment ventures.
Strategic Capital Segment
Our Strategic Capital Segment allows us to partner with many of the world’s largest institutional investors. The business is capitalized principally through private and public equity of which 95% is either in perpetual open-ended or long-term ventures, and two publicly traded vehicles (Nippon Prologis REIT, Inc. in Japan and FIBRA Prologis in Mexico). We align our interests with our partners by holding significant ownership interests in all of our eight unconsolidated co-investment ventures (ranging from 15% to 50%). This structure allows us to reduce our exposure to foreign currency movements for investments outside the U.S.This segment produces durable, long-term cash flows and generally contributes 10% to 15% of our recurring consolidated revenues, earnings and FFO, all while requiring minimal capital other than our investment in the venture. We generate strategic capital revenues from our unconsolidated co-investment ventures, principally through asset management and property management services. Asset management fees are primarily driven by the quarterly valuation of the real estate properties owned by the respective ventures. We earn additional revenues by providing leasing, acquisition, construction management, development and disposition services. In certain ventures, we also have the ability to earn revenues through incentive fees (“promotes” or “promote revenues”) periodically during the life of a venture, upon liquidation of a venture or upon stabilization of individual venture assets based primarily on the total return of the investments over certain financial hurdles. We plan to grow this business and increase revenues by increasing our assets under management in existing or new ventures. The majority of strategic capital revenues are generated outside the U.S.
Real Estate Segment
Rental Operations. Rental operations comprise the largest component of our operating segments and generally contribute 85% to 90% of our consolidated revenues, earnings and FFO. We collect rent from our customers through operating leases, including reimbursements for the majority of our property operating costs. For leases that commenced during 2022 within the consolidated operating portfolio, the weighted average lease term was 69 months. We expect to generate internal growth by increasing rents, maintaining high occupancy rates and controlling expenses. The primary driver of our revenue growth, outside of the Duke Transaction, will be rolling in-place leases to current market rents when leases expire, as discussed further below. We believe our active portfolio management, combined with the skills of our property, leasing, maintenance, capital, energy, sustainability and risk management teams allow us to maximize NOI across our portfolio. Substantially all of our consolidated rental revenue, NOI and cash flows from rental operations are generated in the U.S. Development. Given the scarcity of modern logistics facilities in our target markets, our development business provides the opportunity to build to the requirements of our current and future customers while deepening our market presence. We believe we have a competitive advantage due to (i) the strategic locations of our global land bank and redevelopment sites; (ii) the development expertise of our local teams; (iii) the depth of our customer relationships; (iv) our ability to integrate sustainable design features that result in cost-savings and operational efficiencies for our customers; and (v) our procurement capabilities that allow us to secure high-demand construction materials at lower cost. Successful development and redevelopment efforts provide significant earnings growth as projects are leased, generate income and increase the value of our Real Estate Segment. Generally, we develop properties in the U.S. for long-term hold and outside the U.S. for contribution to our unconsolidated co-investment ventures.
Strategic Capital Segment
Our Strategic Capital Segment allows us to partner with many of the world’s largest institutional investors. The business is capitalized principally through private and public equity of which 95% is either in perpetual open-ended or long-term ventures, and two publicly traded vehicles (Nippon Prologis REIT, Inc. in Japan and FIBRA Prologis in Mexico). We align our interests with our partners by holding significant ownership interests in all of our eight unconsolidated co-investment ventures (ranging from 15% to 50%). This structure allows us to reduce our exposure to foreign currency movements for investments outside the U.S.This segment produces durable, long-term cash flows and generally contributes 10% to 15% of our recurring consolidated revenues, earnings and FFO, all while requiring minimal capital other than our investment in the venture. We generate strategic capital revenues from our unconsolidated co-investment ventures, principally through asset management and property management services. Asset management fees are primarily driven by the quarterly valuation of the real estate properties owned by the respective ventures. We earn additional revenues by providing leasing, acquisition, construction management, development and disposition services. In certain ventures, we also have the ability to earn revenues through incentive fees (“promotes” or “promote revenues”) periodically during the life of a venture, upon liquidation of a venture or upon stabilization of individual venture assets based primarily on the total return of the investments over certain financial hurdles. We plan to grow this business and increase revenues by increasing our assets under management in existing or new ventures. The majority of strategic capital revenues are generated outside the U.S.
FUTURE GROWTH
We believe that the quality and scale of our portfolio, our ability to build out our land bank, our strategic capital business, the expertise of our team, the depth of our customer relationships and the strength of our balance sheet are differentiators that allow us to drive growth in revenues, NOI, earnings, FFO and cash flows. •
Rent Growth. We expect rents in our markets to continue to increase due to healthy demand combined with low vacancy. Due to strong market rent growth over the last several years, our in-place leases have considerable upside potential to drive future organic NOI growth. We estimate that our lease mark-to-market is approximately 67% (on a net effective basis), which represents the growth rate from in-place rents to current market rents based on our share of the O&M portfolio at December 31, 2022. Therefore, even if there was no additional market rent growth in the future, we expect our lease renewals to translate into significant increases in future income. We have experienced positive rent change on rollover (comparing the net effective rent (“NER”) of the new lease to the prior lease for the same space) in every quarter since 2013.
•
Value Creation from Development. A successful development and redevelopment program requires sourcing well-located land and redevelopment sites through acquisition opportunities, including our innovative approach with Covered Land Plays, which are income producing assets acquired with the intention to redevelop for higher and better use as industrial properties. Our investment in the development portfolio was $4.2 billion at December 31, 2022. We believe that the carrying value of our land bank is below its current fair value. Based on our current estimates, our consolidated land, including options and Covered Land Plays, has the potential to support the development of $34.2 billion ($39.0 billion on an O&M basis) of TEI of new logistics space. The global nature of our development program provides a wide landscape of opportunities to pursue based on our judgement of market conditions, opportunities and risks. We expect to create value as we build new properties. We measure the estimated value creation of a development project as the stabilized value above our TEI. As properties are completed and leased, we expect to realize the value creation principally through gains realized through contributions of these properties to unconsolidated co-investment ventures and increases in the NOI of the consolidated portfolio.
•
Strategic Capital Advantages. We raise capital to support the long-term growth of the co-investment ventures while maintaining our own substantial investments in these vehicles. At December 31, 2022, the gross book value of the operating portfolio held by our eight unconsolidated co-investment ventures was $49.3 billion across 488 million square feet. (1)
G&A Expenses is a line item in the Consolidated Financial Statements. Adjusted G&A expenses is calculated from our Consolidated Financial Statements as G&A Expenses and Strategic Capital Expenses, less expenses under the Prologis Promote Plan (“PPP”) and property-level management expenses for the properties owned by the ventures.
•
Balance Sheet Strength. The Duke Transaction increased the strength and size of our balance sheet while allowing us to maintain our low leverage. At December 31, 2022, the weighted average remaining maturity of our consolidated debt was 9 years and the weighted average interest rate was 2.5%, primarily as a result of our refinancing activities over the last several years. Through our refinancing activities we have substantially addressed all our debt maturities until 2026 and have taken advantage of previously low interest rates. At December 31, 2022, we had total available liquidity of $4.1 billion. We continue to maintain low leverage as a percentage of our real estate investments and our market capitalization. As a result of our low leverage, available liquidity and investment capacity in the co-investment ventures, we have significant capacity to capitalize on opportunistic value-added investments as they arise.
•
Economies of Scale from Growth. We have scalable systems and infrastructure in place to grow both our consolidated and O&M portfolios with limited incremental G&A expense. We use adjusted G&A expenses as a percentage of the O&M portfolio (based on gross book value) to measure and evaluate our overhead costs. We believe we can continue to grow NOI and strategic capital revenues organically and through accretive development and acquisition activity while further reducing G&A as a percentage of our investments in real estate. The acquisition of the Duke portfolio in 2022 is a key example of this, where we increased our O&M portfolio by over 20% in the fourth quarter of 2022 and had minimal increases to G&A expenses, resulting in lower G&A expenses as a percentage of investments in real estate. While we plan to make future investments in our new lines of business through Prologis Essentials, we expect to maintain our operational efficiency.
•
Staying “Ahead of What’s Next™”. We are focused on creating value beyond real estate by enhancing our customers’ experience, leveraging our scale to obtain procurement savings and innovating through data analytics and digitization efforts. This includes investments in early and growth-stage companies that are focused on emerging technology. Through Prologis Essentials we support our customers through service and product offerings, including innovative solutions to operations, energy and sustainability, mobility and workforce that can make our customers’ decision process easier and their enterprise more efficient.
Competition
Real estate ownership is highly fragmented, and we face competition from many owners and operators. Competitively priced logistics space could impact our occupancy rates and have an adverse effect on how much rent we can charge, which in turn could affect our operating results. We face competition regarding our capital deployment activities, including regional, national and global operators and developers. We also face competition from investment managers for institutional capital within our strategic capital business.Despite the competition, our global reach and local market knowledge over the years has given us distinct competitive advantages, including the following:
•
a portfolio of properties strategically located in markets characterized by large population densities, growing consumption and high barriers to entry, typically near large labor pools and extensive transportation infrastructure, including our Last Touch® facilities;
•
the ability to leverage the organizational scale and structure of our 1.2 billion square foot O&M portfolio to provide a single point of contact for our multi-market customers to address their needs through our in-house global Customer Led Solutions Team;
•
services and solutions offered through Prologis Essentials to assist our customers with their operations, energy and sustainability, mobility and workforce needs;
•
a strategically located, global land bank and redevelopment sites that have the potential to support the development of $39.0 billion of TEI of new logistics space on an O&M basis;
•
local teams with the expertise, experience and relationships to lease our properties and deploy capital advantageously;
•
development of logistics facilities with sustainable design features that meet customer needs for high-quality buildings while enabling them to make progress on their own sustainability objectives;
•
relationships and successful track record with current and prospective investors in our strategic capital business that is comprised of 95% perpetual open-ended or long-term ventures and two publicly traded vehicles;
•
a market intelligence team that allows us to track business conditions in real time, proactively pursue market opportunities and disruptions alike, and develop revenue-generating capabilities to strengthen our operational excellence;
•
an investment in technology and talent to support our sustainability objectives, including expanding our efforts around renewable energy;
•
Prologis Ventures, our corporate venture capital group, and Prologis Labs, our initiative for testing new technologies alongside our customers, together track the leading edge of innovation and technologies within real estate and the supply chain, creating important capabilities that connect Prologis with the C-suites of our customers; and
•
a strong balance sheet and credit ratings, coupled with significant liquidity, borrowing capacity and long-term fixed debt with low rates.
Customers
At December 31, 2022, in our Real Estate Segment representing our consolidated properties, we had more than 4,000 customers occupying 601 million square feet of logistics operating properties (6,600 customers occupying 1.2 billion square feet for our O&M portfolio). Our broad customer base represents a spectrum of international, national, regional and local logistics users who operate in various industries, providing diverse goods to consumers throughout the globe.The location of our global portfolio gives us the unique ability to provide our customers with the right real estate solutions for their supply chains that, in turn, allows them to meet end-consumer delivery expectations. We have invested in properties located within infill and urban areas in our largest global markets with same day access (defined as Last Touch®) and next day access (defined as city distribution), to the consumer population. We have also invested in facilities located at key transportation hubs on the edge of these major infill and urban areas and gateway distribution facilities that incorporate access to major sea and intermodal ports.Below are the primary categories of goods in our consolidated real estate properties at December 31, 2022. (1)
NER is calculated using the estimated total cash to be received over the term of the lease divided by the lease term to determine the average amount of cash rent payments received per year. Amounts derived in a currency other than the U.S. dollar have been translated using the average rate from the previous twelve months. Primary categories do not sum to 100% as the difference is attributable to customers that do not clearly fall into a single category.The following table details our top 25 customers for our consolidated and O&M real estate properties at December 31, 2022 (square feet in millions): [Table with ~28 rows, ~162 numbers, and 2478 characters.] In our Strategic Capital Segment, we view our partners and investors as our customers. At December 31, 2022, we had 162 investors in our private equity ventures, several of which invest in multiple ventures.
Our People
Our people are the foundation of our business. They implement our strategy and create value for our customers and shareholders. We actively seek to recruit and retain talented employees with varied experiences and viewpoints. The intent is to create an inclusive and diverse culture where each employee can do their best work and drive our collective success. We are committed to our diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (“DEIB”) hiring practices. We also conduct annual pay equity analyses that cover women and people of color and aim to address differences in compensation not explained by relevant job factors accordingly. The following charts display diversity by levels of seniority of our workforce at December 31, 2022: (1)
Managers include employees with manager, director or vice president titles. Senior leaders include employees with senior vice president or higher titles.We focus on learning and development at every level of the organization. We align employees’ goals with our overall strategic direction to create a clear link between individual efforts and the long-term success of the company. We then provide feedback on their performance towards those goals to ensure their growth. Providing our employees learning and development through training, educational opportunities and mentorship is critical to our ability to continue to innovate. In 2022, more than 2,000 employees completed more than 7,400 hours of company-provided or company-sponsored learning and development training.We provide opportunities for our employees to share their perspectives and feedback on our company and their work experience. Our most recent employee engagement pulse survey, completed in November 2022 with a participation rate of 92%, indicated that 87% of Prologis employees are engaged based on their positive response to the questions that comprise our engagement driver index.We strive to create a healthy and safe working environment for our employees. We provide workplace flexibility with accountability as determined by role. For example, for those employees who work on-site, we have protocols in place to help ensure a safe working environment. We continue to attract and retain talent in the industry through a robust benefit package, career growth opportunities, talent recognition and individual development planning. The following table summarizes our total number of employees at December 31, 2022: [Table with ~6 rows, ~6 numbers, and 151 characters.] (1)
This includes employees who were based in the U.S. but also support other geographies.Prologis employees are not organized under collective bargaining agreements, other than in Brazil, France and Spain, and there is a works council in France.
Competition
Real estate ownership is highly fragmented, and we face competition from many owners and operators. Competitively priced logistics space could impact our occupancy rates and have an adverse effect on how much rent we can charge, which in turn could affect our operating results. We face competition regarding our capital deployment activities, including regional, national and global operators and developers. We also face competition from investment managers for institutional capital within our strategic capital business.Despite the competition, our global reach and local market knowledge over the years has given us distinct competitive advantages, including the following:
•
a portfolio of properties strategically located in markets characterized by large population densities, growing consumption and high barriers to entry, typically near large labor pools and extensive transportation infrastructure, including our Last Touch® facilities;
•
the ability to leverage the organizational scale and structure of our 1.2 billion square foot O&M portfolio to provide a single point of contact for our multi-market customers to address their needs through our in-house global Customer Led Solutions Team;
•
services and solutions offered through Prologis Essentials to assist our customers with their operations, energy and sustainability, mobility and workforce needs;
•
a strategically located, global land bank and redevelopment sites that have the potential to support the development of $39.0 billion of TEI of new logistics space on an O&M basis;
•
local teams with the expertise, experience and relationships to lease our properties and deploy capital advantageously;
•
development of logistics facilities with sustainable design features that meet customer needs for high-quality buildings while enabling them to make progress on their own sustainability objectives;
•
relationships and successful track record with current and prospective investors in our strategic capital business that is comprised of 95% perpetual open-ended or long-term ventures and two publicly traded vehicles;
•
a market intelligence team that allows us to track business conditions in real time, proactively pursue market opportunities and disruptions alike, and develop revenue-generating capabilities to strengthen our operational excellence;
•
an investment in technology and talent to support our sustainability objectives, including expanding our efforts around renewable energy;
•
Prologis Ventures, our corporate venture capital group, and Prologis Labs, our initiative for testing new technologies alongside our customers, together track the leading edge of innovation and technologies within real estate and the supply chain, creating important capabilities that connect Prologis with the C-suites of our customers; and
•
a strong balance sheet and credit ratings, coupled with significant liquidity, borrowing capacity and long-term fixed debt with low rates.
Customers
At December 31, 2022, in our Real Estate Segment representing our consolidated properties, we had more than 4,000 customers occupying 601 million square feet of logistics operating properties (6,600 customers occupying 1.2 billion square feet for our O&M portfolio). Our broad customer base represents a spectrum of international, national, regional and local logistics users who operate in various industries, providing diverse goods to consumers throughout the globe.The location of our global portfolio gives us the unique ability to provide our customers with the right real estate solutions for their supply chains that, in turn, allows them to meet end-consumer delivery expectations. We have invested in properties located within infill and urban areas in our largest global markets with same day access (defined as Last Touch®) and next day access (defined as city distribution), to the consumer population. We have also invested in facilities located at key transportation hubs on the edge of these major infill and urban areas and gateway distribution facilities that incorporate access to major sea and intermodal ports.Below are the primary categories of goods in our consolidated real estate properties at December 31, 2022. (1)
NER is calculated using the estimated total cash to be received over the term of the lease divided by the lease term to determine the average amount of cash rent payments received per year. Amounts derived in a currency other than the U.S. dollar have been translated using the average rate from the previous twelve months. Primary categories do not sum to 100% as the difference is attributable to customers that do not clearly fall into a single category.The following table details our top 25 customers for our consolidated and O&M real estate properties at December 31, 2022 (square feet in millions): [Table with ~28 rows, ~162 numbers, and 2478 characters.] In our Strategic Capital Segment, we view our partners and investors as our customers. At December 31, 2022, we had 162 investors in our private equity ventures, several of which invest in multiple ventures.
Our People
Our people are the foundation of our business. They implement our strategy and create value for our customers and shareholders. We actively seek to recruit and retain talented employees with varied experiences and viewpoints. The intent is to create an inclusive and diverse culture where each employee can do their best work and drive our collective success. We are committed to our diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (“DEIB”) hiring practices. We also conduct annual pay equity analyses that cover women and people of color and aim to address differences in compensation not explained by relevant job factors accordingly. The following charts display diversity by levels of seniority of our workforce at December 31, 2022: (1)
Managers include employees with manager, director or vice president titles. Senior leaders include employees with senior vice president or higher titles.We focus on learning and development at every level of the organization. We align employees’ goals with our overall strategic direction to create a clear link between individual efforts and the long-term success of the company. We then provide feedback on their performance towards those goals to ensure their growth. Providing our employees learning and development through training, educational opportunities and mentorship is critical to our ability to continue to innovate. In 2022, more than 2,000 employees completed more than 7,400 hours of company-provided or company-sponsored learning and development training.We provide opportunities for our employees to share their perspectives and feedback on our company and their work experience. Our most recent employee engagement pulse survey, completed in November 2022 with a participation rate of 92%, indicated that 87% of Prologis employees are engaged based on their positive response to the questions that comprise our engagement driver index.We strive to create a healthy and safe working environment for our employees. We provide workplace flexibility with accountability as determined by role. For example, for those employees who work on-site, we have protocols in place to help ensure a safe working environment. We continue to attract and retain talent in the industry through a robust benefit package, career growth opportunities, talent recognition and individual development planning. The following table summarizes our total number of employees at December 31, 2022: [Table with ~6 rows, ~6 numbers, and 151 characters.] (1)
This includes employees who were based in the U.S. but also support other geographies.Prologis employees are not organized under collective bargaining agreements, other than in Brazil, France and Spain, and there is a works council in France.
CODE OF ETHICS AND BUSINESS CONDUCT
We maintain a Code of Ethics and Business Conduct applicable to our board of directors (the “Board”) and all of our officers and employees, including the principal executive officer, the principal financial officer and the principal accounting officer, and other people performing similar functions. A copy of our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct is available on our website, www.prologis.com. In addition to being accessible through our website, copies of our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct can be obtained, free of charge, upon written request to Investor Relations, Pier 1, Bay 1, San Francisco, California 94111. Any amendments to or waivers of our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct that apply to the principal executive officer, the principal financial officer, the principal accounting officer, or other people performing similar functions, and that relate to any matter enumerated in Item 406(b) of Regulation S-K, will be disclosed on our website.
ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE (“ESG”)
Environmental
We develop modern and efficient buildings with state-of-the-art technology to stay ahead of our customers’ needs, advance structural, transportation and energy requirements, and make progress on our own sustainability goals and objectives. This includes new development and redevelopment of buildings to specifications that align with leading sustainable building standards and the implementation of energy solutions such as onsite solar generation, cool roofs, LED lighting, EV charging stations, waste diversion, recycling and xeriscaping. We regularly ask customers how Prologis can work with them to enhance the sustainability of their operations. We believe these services and solutions can deliver cost-savings and operational efficiencies, reduce energy and water consumption and decrease greenhouse gas emissions within our customers’ operations and across our own portfolio.We have committed to: (i) installing 100% LED lighting within our logistics facilities across our O&M operating properties by 2025; (ii) installing 1 gigawatt of solar generation capacity, supported by storage, by 2025, and (iii) obtaining green building certifications for 100% of our eligible new development and redevelopment. We believe our Prologis Essentials LED and SolarSmart solutions create energy savings, help reduce the environmental footprint of our customers and accelerate our progress in these areas. At December 31, 2022, we had installed LED lighting across more than 70% of our logistics facilities within our O&M operating properties. During 2022, approximately 100 megawatts of solar generation capacity was installed on the roofs within our O&M portfolio. Both of these metrics exclude the operating properties acquired in the Duke Transaction and by Prologis European Logistics Fund (“PELF”) in September 2022.To fund our sustainable development activities, we have utilized the proceeds from senior notes issuances to finance green projects eligible under our green bond framework. For development properties in our O&M portfolio that were approved by our Investment Committee after June 2021 and that reached stabilization during 2022, we certified 15% of our eligible developed and redeveloped buildings with green building certifications and the remaining 85% were scheduled for green building certification. In 2022, we announced a new commitment to achieve net zero emissions across our entire value chain by 2040, including scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. Our commitment is aligned with the Science Based Target initiative’s Net Zero Standard and includes the following interim milestones: (i) 1 gigawatt of solar generation capacity, supported by storage, by 2025, as discussed above; (ii) carbon neutral construction by 2025; and (iii) net zero operations for scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030. We believe we can improve our scope 1 and scope 2 emissions through energy efficiency, electrification and sourcing renewable energy for our offices. Scope 3 emissions comprise a significant portion of our total emissions. To decrease scope 3 emissions, we believe we can reduce building and tenant energy consumption, and expand our generation and use of renewable energy. In support of carbon neutral construction, we will pursue sustainable design, new construction practices and innovation in building materials, as well as purchase high-quality carbon offsets for emissions that cannot yet be eliminated.
Social
We are committed to social responsibility and strengthening relationships important to our business through customer partnerships, investor outreach, community involvement, labor solutions, and DEIB initiatives. We work in partnership with local leaders andorganizations to create jobs and job training programs; promote health and safety; and enhance recreational and transit infrastructure. We believe these efforts help create a more stable and predictable business environment for Prologis and our customers and support social wellness and well-being in the communities we serve. For our customers, where recruitment and retention of logistics talent is a key challenge, we are helping build a talent pipeline through our Community Workforce Initiative (“CWI”), founded in 2018. The CWI is a talent development program that advances the skills and capabilities of logistics talent, with an emphasis on revitalizing career pathways and creating economic opportunities in the communities where we operate. In 2018, we set a goal to train 25,000 individuals by 2025 by partnering with leading public sector organizations and leveraging digital learning technologies to develop innovative training solutions. At December 31, 2022, under the program, we have trained approximately 21,000 individuals towards this goal.Beginning in 2019, we committed to spending 75,000 hours supporting our local communities by 2025. To achieve this goal, we enable our employees to spend 40 working hours a year to volunteer, including at our company-sponsored day of volunteering, where employees around the globe volunteer on projects to help in their local communities. At December 31, 2022, we have contributed in excess of 38,000 hours towards our goal. In addition, we encourage our employees to support our local communities outside of working hours with our Dollars for Doers and other matching gifts programs, through which Prologis donates to eligible charities and non-profit organizations based on employees’ personal volunteer hours or dollar donations.
Governance
We strive to promote a culture of uncompromising integrity, including through our governance practices and corporate oversight. Our Board independence and diversity, open communication with our stockholders and a risk management framework that supports our investment and process decisions all serve to mitigate risk and preserve value for our company. Over the past eight years we have onboarded six new directors, increasing the ethnic, gender and geographical diversity of the Board, as well as its breadth of experience. The charters of our Board Governance and Nomination Committee and Talent and Compensation Committee provide that such committees have specific oversight over ESG matters and DEIB matters, respectively. The strength of our balance sheet and credit ratings, dedication to proactive risk mitigation and engagement with our employees through ethics and anti-corruption training protects the financial, operational and reputational resilience of our company. Our global risk management team works with our Board to do regular enterprise-wide risk assessments to ensure proper oversight over real estate, financial and emerging risks across our global organization. We are committed to ensuring that 100% of our employees complete ethics training each year and continued to achieve this commitment in 2022. Along with this commitment, our employees completed more than 1,800 hours of information technology security, compliance and other ethics training. Our approach is reinforced by our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, as described above.
Environmental
We develop modern and efficient buildings with state-of-the-art technology to stay ahead of our customers’ needs, advance structural, transportation and energy requirements, and make progress on our own sustainability goals and objectives. This includes new development and redevelopment of buildings to specifications that align with leading sustainable building standards and the implementation of energy solutions such as onsite solar generation, cool roofs, LED lighting, EV charging stations, waste diversion, recycling and xeriscaping. We regularly ask customers how Prologis can work with them to enhance the sustainability of their operations. We believe these services and solutions can deliver cost-savings and operational efficiencies, reduce energy and water consumption and decrease greenhouse gas emissions within our customers’ operations and across our own portfolio.We have committed to: (i) installing 100% LED lighting within our logistics facilities across our O&M operating properties by 2025; (ii) installing 1 gigawatt of solar generation capacity, supported by storage, by 2025, and (iii) obtaining green building certifications for 100% of our eligible new development and redevelopment. We believe our Prologis Essentials LED and SolarSmart solutions create energy savings, help reduce the environmental footprint of our customers and accelerate our progress in these areas. At December 31, 2022, we had installed LED lighting across more than 70% of our logistics facilities within our O&M operating properties. During 2022, approximately 100 megawatts of solar generation capacity was installed on the roofs within our O&M portfolio. Both of these metrics exclude the operating properties acquired in the Duke Transaction and by Prologis European Logistics Fund (“PELF”) in September 2022.To fund our sustainable development activities, we have utilized the proceeds from senior notes issuances to finance green projects eligible under our green bond framework. For development properties in our O&M portfolio that were approved by our Investment Committee after June 2021 and that reached stabilization during 2022, we certified 15% of our eligible developed and redeveloped buildings with green building certifications and the remaining 85% were scheduled for green building certification. In 2022, we announced a new commitment to achieve net zero emissions across our entire value chain by 2040, including scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. Our commitment is aligned with the Science Based Target initiative’s Net Zero Standard and includes the following interim milestones: (i) 1 gigawatt of solar generation capacity, supported by storage, by 2025, as discussed above; (ii) carbon neutral construction by 2025; and (iii) net zero operations for scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030. We believe we can improve our scope 1 and scope 2 emissions through energy efficiency, electrification and sourcing renewable energy for our offices. Scope 3 emissions comprise a significant portion of our total emissions. To decrease scope 3 emissions, we believe we can reduce building and tenant energy consumption, and expand our generation and use of renewable energy. In support of carbon neutral construction, we will pursue sustainable design, new construction practices and innovation in building materials, as well as purchase high-quality carbon offsets for emissions that cannot yet be eliminated.
Social
We are committed to social responsibility and strengthening relationships important to our business through customer partnerships, investor outreach, community involvement, labor solutions, and DEIB initiatives. We work in partnership with local leaders andorganizations to create jobs and job training programs; promote health and safety; and enhance recreational and transit infrastructure. We believe these efforts help create a more stable and predictable business environment for Prologis and our customers and support social wellness and well-being in the communities we serve. For our customers, where recruitment and retention of logistics talent is a key challenge, we are helping build a talent pipeline through our Community Workforce Initiative (“CWI”), founded in 2018. The CWI is a talent development program that advances the skills and capabilities of logistics talent, with an emphasis on revitalizing career pathways and creating economic opportunities in the communities where we operate. In 2018, we set a goal to train 25,000 individuals by 2025 by partnering with leading public sector organizations and leveraging digital learning technologies to develop innovative training solutions. At December 31, 2022, under the program, we have trained approximately 21,000 individuals towards this goal.Beginning in 2019, we committed to spending 75,000 hours supporting our local communities by 2025. To achieve this goal, we enable our employees to spend 40 working hours a year to volunteer, including at our company-sponsored day of volunteering, where employees around the globe volunteer on projects to help in their local communities. At December 31, 2022, we have contributed in excess of 38,000 hours towards our goal. In addition, we encourage our employees to support our local communities outside of working hours with our Dollars for Doers and other matching gifts programs, through which Prologis donates to eligible charities and non-profit organizations based on employees’ personal volunteer hours or dollar donations.
Governance
We strive to promote a culture of uncompromising integrity, including through our governance practices and corporate oversight. Our Board independence and diversity, open communication with our stockholders and a risk management framework that supports our investment and process decisions all serve to mitigate risk and preserve value for our company. Over the past eight years we have onboarded six new directors, increasing the ethnic, gender and geographical diversity of the Board, as well as its breadth of experience. The charters of our Board Governance and Nomination Committee and Talent and Compensation Committee provide that such committees have specific oversight over ESG matters and DEIB matters, respectively. The strength of our balance sheet and credit ratings, dedication to proactive risk mitigation and engagement with our employees through ethics and anti-corruption training protects the financial, operational and reputational resilience of our company. Our global risk management team works with our Board to do regular enterprise-wide risk assessments to ensure proper oversight over real estate, financial and emerging risks across our global organization. We are committed to ensuring that 100% of our employees complete ethics training each year and continued to achieve this commitment in 2022. Along with this commitment, our employees completed more than 1,800 hours of information technology security, compliance and other ethics training. Our approach is reinforced by our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, as described above.
ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS
We are exposed to various environmental risks that may result in unanticipated losses and affect our operating results and financial condition. Either the previous owners or we have conducted environmental reviews on a majority of the properties we have acquired, including land. While some of these assessments have led to further investigation and sampling, none of the environmental assessments have revealed an environmental liability that we believe would have a material adverse effect beyond amounts recorded at December 31, 2022. See further discussion in Item 1A. Risk Factors and Note 16 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
GOVERNMENTAL MATTERS
We are exposed to various regulatory requirements, taxes, tariffs, trade wars and laws within the countries in which we operate and unexpected changes in these items may result in unanticipated losses, adverse tax consequences and affect our operating results and financial condition. In addition, we may be impacted by the ability of our non-U.S. subsidiaries to distribute or otherwise transfer cash among our subsidiaries due to currency exchange control regulations and transfer pricing regulations. The impact of regional or country-specific economic instability, including government shutdowns or other internal trade alliances or agreements could also have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. See further discussion in Item 1A. Risk Factors.
INSURANCE COVERAGE
We carry insurance coverage on our properties. We determine the type of coverage and the policy specifications and limits based on what we deem to be the risks associated with our ownership of properties and our business operations in specific markets. Such coverage typically includes property damage and rental loss insurance resulting from such perils as fire, windstorm, flood, earthquake and terrorism; commercial general liability insurance; and environmental insurance. Insurance is maintained through a combination of commercial insurance, self-insurance and a wholly-owned captive insurance entity. Additionally, in 2021 we sponsored a catastrophe bond issuance that provides further insurance coverage through 2024 for potential losses resulting from earthquake risks in the U.S. The costs to insure our properties are primarily covered through expense reimbursements from our customers. We believe our insurance coverage contains policy specifications and insured limits that are customary for similar properties, business activities and markets and we believe our properties are adequately insured. See further discussion in Item 1A. Risk Factors.ITEM 1A. Risk Factors Our operations and structure involve various risks that could adversely affect our business and financial condition, including but not limited to, our financial position, results of operations, cash flow, ability to make distributions and payments to security holders and the market value of our securities. These risks relate to Prologis as well as our investments in consolidated and unconsolidated entities and include among others, (i) risks related to our global operations (ii) risks related to our business; (iii) risks related to financing and capital; (iv) risks related to income taxes; and (v) general risks.
Risks Related to our Global Operations
As a global company, we are subject to social, political and economic risks of doing business in many countries.
We conduct a significant portion of our business and employ a substantial number of people outside of the U.S. During 2022, we generated approximately $1.0 billion or 17.3% of our consolidated revenues from operations outside the U.S. Circumstances and developments related to international operations that could negatively affect us include, but are not limited to, the following factors:
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difficulties and costs of staffing and managing international operations in certain geographies, including differing employment practices and labor issues;
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local businesses and cultural factors that differ from our domestic standards and practices;
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volatility in currencies and currency restrictions, which may prevent the availability of capital or the transfer of profits to the U.S.;
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challenges in establishing effective controls and procedures to regulate operations in different geographies and to monitor compliance with applicable regulations, such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the United Kingdom (“U.K.”) Bribery Act and other similar laws;
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unexpected changes in regulatory and environmental requirements, taxes, tariffs, trade wars and laws within the countries in which we operate;
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the responsibility of complying with multiple and potentially conflicting laws, e.g., with respect to corrupt practices, employment and licensing;
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the impact of regional or country-specific business cycles, military conflicts and economic instability, including government shutdowns and withdrawals from the European Union or other international trade alliances or agreements;
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political instability, uncertainty over property rights, civil unrest, drug trafficking, political activism or the continuation or escalation of terrorist or gang activities;
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foreign ownership restrictions in operations with the respective countries; and
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access to capital may be more restricted, or unavailable on favorable terms or at all in certain locations.In addition, we may be impacted by the ability of our non-U.S. subsidiaries to dividend or otherwise transfer cash among our subsidiaries due to currency exchange control regulations, transfer pricing regulations and potentially adverse tax consequences, among other factors.
Compliance or failure to comply with regulatory requirements could result in substantial costs.
We are required to comply with many regulations in different countries, including (but not limited to) the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act and similar laws and regulations. Our properties are also subject to various federal, state and local regulatory requirements, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and state and local fire, life-safety, energy and greenhouse gas emissions requirements. Noncompliance could result in the imposition of governmental fines or the award of damages to private litigants. While we believe that we are currently in material compliance with these regulatory requirements, the requirements may change or new requirements may be imposed that could require significant unanticipated expenditures by us.
Disruptions in the global capital and credit markets may adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
To the extent there is turmoil in the global financial markets, this turmoil has the potential to adversely affect (i) the value of our properties; (ii) the availability or the terms of financing that we have or may anticipate utilizing; (iii) our ability to make principal and interest payments on, or refinance any outstanding debt when due; and (iv) the ability of our customers to enter into new leasing transactions or satisfy rental payments under existing leases. Disruptions in the capital and credit markets may also adversely affect the market price of our securities and our ability to make distributions and payments to our security holders.
The depreciation in the value of the foreign currency in countries where we have a significant investment may adversely affect our results of operations and financial position.
We hold significant real estate investments in international markets where the U.S. dollar is not the functional currency. At December 31, 2022, approximately $10.2 billion or 11.6% of our total consolidated assets were invested in a currency other than the U.S. dollar, principally the British pound sterling, Canadian dollar, euro and Japanese yen. For the year ended December 31, 2022, $762.4 million or 17.2% of our total consolidated segment NOI was denominated in a currency other than the U.S. dollar. See Note 17 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data for more information on these amounts. As a result, we are subject to foreign currency risk due to potential fluctuations in exchange rates between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. A significant change in the value of the foreign currency of one or more countries where we have a significant investment may have a material adverse effect on our business and, specifically, our U.S. dollar reported financial position and results of operations.
Our hedging of foreign currency and interest rate risk may not effectively limit our exposure to these risks.
We attempt to mitigate our risk by borrowing in the currencies in which we have significant investments thereby providing a natural hedge. We may also enter into derivative financial instruments that we designate as net investment hedges, as these amounts offset the translation adjustments on the underlying net assets of our foreign investments. We enter into other foreign currency contracts, such as forwards, to reduce fluctuations in foreign currency cash flow associated with the translation of future earnings of our international subsidiaries. Although we attempt to mitigate the potential adverse effects of changes in foreign currency rates there can be no assurance that those attempts will be successful. In addition, we occasionally use interest rate swap contracts to manage interest rate risk and limit the impact of future interest rate changes on earnings and cash flows. Hedging arrangements involve risks, such as the risk of fluctuation in the relative value of the foreign currency or interest rates and the risk that counterparties may fail to honor their obligations under these arrangements. The funds required to settle such arrangements could be significant depending on the stability and movement of the hedged foreign currency or the size of the underlying financing and the applicable interest rates at the time of the breakage. The failure to hedge effectively against foreign exchange changes or interest rate changes may adversely affect our business.
Risks Related to our Business
General economic conditions and other events or occurrences that affect areas in which our properties are geographically concentrated, may impact financial results.
We are exposed to the economic conditions and other events and occurrences in the local, regional, national and international geographies in which we own properties. Our operating performance is further impacted by the economic conditions of the specific markets in which we have concentrations of properties.At December 31, 2022, 30.3% of our consolidated operating properties or $21.0 billion (based on consolidated gross book value, or investment before depreciation) were located in California (Central Valley, San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California markets), which represented 23.6% of the aggregate square footage of our operating properties and 33.0% of our consolidated operating property NOI. Our revenues from, and the value of, our properties located in California may be affected by local real estate conditions (such as an oversupply of or reduced demand for logistics properties) and the local economic climate. Business layoffs, downsizing, industry slowdowns, changing demographics and other factors may adversely impact California’s economic climate. Because of the investment we have located in California, a downturn in California’s economy or real estate conditions, including state income tax and property tax laws, could adversely affect our business. In addition to California, we also have significant holdings (defined as more than 3% of total consolidated investment before depreciation) in operating properties in certain markets located in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Lehigh Valley, New Jersey/New York City, Seattle and South Florida. Of these markets, no single market contributed more than 10% of our total consolidated investment before depreciation in operating properties, with the exception of New Jersey/New York City. Our operating performance could be adversely affected if conditions become less favorable in any of the markets in which we have a concentration of properties. Conditions such as an oversupply of logistics space or a reduction in demand for logistics space, among other factors, may impact operating conditions. Any material oversupply of logistics space or material reduction in demand for logistics space could adversely affect our overall business. Our O&M portfolio, which includes our consolidated properties and properties owned by our unconsolidated co-investment ventures, has concentrations of properties in the same markets mentioned above, as well as in markets in Japan and the U.K., and are subject to the economic conditions in those markets.
Real estate investments are not as liquid as certain other types of assets, which may reduce economic returns to investors.
Real estate investments are not as liquid as certain other types of investments and this lack of liquidity may limit our ability to react promptly to changes in economic or other conditions. Significant expenditures associated with real estate investments, such as secured mortgage debt payments, real estate taxes and maintenance costs, are generally not reduced when circumstances cause a reduction in income from the investments. As a REIT, under the IRC, we are only able to hold property for sale in the ordinary course of business through taxable REIT subsidiaries in order to not incur punitive taxation on any tax gain from the sale of such property. We may dispose of certain properties that have been held for investment to generate liquidity. If we do not satisfy certain safe harbors or we believe there is too much risk of incurring the punitive tax on any tax gain from the sale, we may not pursue such sales.We may decide to sell or contribute properties to certain of our co-investment ventures or sell properties to third parties to generate proceeds to fund our capital deployment activities. Our ability to sell or contribute properties on advantageous terms is affected by: (i) competition from other owners of properties that are trying to dispose of their properties; (ii) economic and market conditions, including the capitalization rates applicable to our properties; and (iii) other factors beyond our control. If our competitors sell assets similar to assets we intend to divest in the same markets or at valuations below our valuations for comparable assets, we may be unable to divest our assets at favorable pricing or at all. The co-investment ventures or third parties who might acquire our properties may need to have access to debt and equity capital, in the private and public markets, in order to acquire properties from us. Should they have limited or no access to capital on favorable terms, then dispositions and contributions could be delayed. If we do not have sufficient cash available to us through our operations, sales or contributions of properties or available credit facilities to continue operating our business as usual, we may need to find alternative ways to increase our liquidity. Such alternatives may include, without limitation, divesting properties at less than optimal terms, incurring debt, entering into leases with new customers at lower rental rates or less than optimal terms or entering into lease renewals with our existing customers without an increase in rental rates. There can be no assurance, however, that such alternative ways to increase our liquidity will be available to us. Additionally, taking such measures to increase our liquidity may adversely affect our business, and in particular, our distributable cash flow and debt covenants.
Our investments are concentrated in the logistics sector and our business would be adversely affected by an economic downturn in that sector.
Our investments in real estate assets are concentrated in the logistics sector. This concentration may expose us to the risk of economic downturns in this sector to a greater extent than if our business activities were more diversified.
Investments in real estate properties are subject to risks that could adversely affect our business.
Investments in real estate properties are subject to varying degrees of risk. While we seek to minimize these risks through geographic diversification of our portfolio, market research and our asset management capabilities, these risks cannot be eliminated. Factors that may affect real estate values and cash flows include:
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local conditions, such as oversupply or a reduction in demand;
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technological changes, such as reconfiguration of supply chains, autonomous vehicles, robotics, 3D printing or other technologies;
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the attractiveness of our properties to potential customers and competition from other available properties;
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increasing costs of maintaining, insuring, renovating and making improvements to our properties;
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our ability to reposition our properties due to changes in the business and logistics needs of our customers;
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our ability to lease the properties at favorable rates and control variable operating costs; and
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governmental and environmental regulations and the associated potential liability under, and changes in, environmental, zoning, usage, tax, tariffs and other laws.These factors may affect our ability to recover our investment in the properties and result in impairment charges.
Our customers may be unable to meet their lease obligations or we may be unable to lease vacant space or renew leases or re-lease space on favorable terms as leases expire.
Our operating results and distributable cash flow would be adversely affected if a significant number of our customers were unable to meet their lease obligations. At December 31, 2022, our top 10 customers accounted for 16.4% of our consolidated NER and 14.4% of our O&M NER. In the event of default by a significant number of customers, we may experience delays and incur substantial costs in enforcing our rights as landlord, and we may be unable to re-lease spaces. A customer may experience a downturn in its business, which may cause the loss of the customer or may weaken its financial condition, resulting in the customer’s failure to make rental payments when due or requiring a restructuring that might reduce cash flow from the lease. In addition, a customer may seek the protection of bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws, which could result in the rejection and termination of such customer’s lease and thereby cause a reduction in our available cash flow. We are also subject to the risk that, upon the expiration of leases they may not be renewed by existing customers, the space may not be re-leased to new customers or the terms of renewal or re-leasing (including the cost of required renovations or concessions to customers) may be less favorable to us than current lease terms. Our competitors may offer space at rental rates below current market rates or below the rental rates we currently charge our customers and we may be pressured to reduce our rental rates below those we currently charge to retain customers when leases expire or we may lose potential customers.
We may acquire properties and companies that involve risks that could adversely affect our business and financial condition.
We have acquired properties and will continue to acquire properties through the direct acquisition of real estate, the acquisition of entities that own real estate or through additional investments in co-investment ventures that acquire properties. The acquisition of properties involves risks, including the risk that the acquired property will not perform as anticipated and that any actual costs for rehabilitation, repositioning, renovation and improvements identified in the pre-acquisition due diligence process will exceed estimates. When we acquire properties, we may face risks associated with entering a new market such as a lack of market knowledge or understanding of the local economy, forging new business relationships in the area and unfamiliarity with local government and permitting procedures. Additionally, there is, and it is expected there will continue to be, significant competition for properties that meet our investment criteria as well as risks associated with obtaining financing for acquisition activities. The acquired properties or entities may be subject to liabilities, including tax liabilities, which may be without any recourse, or with only limited recourse, with respect to unknown liabilities. As a result, if a liability were asserted against us based on our new ownership of any of these entities or properties, then we may have to pay substantial sums to settle it. We may be unable to integrate the operations of newly acquired companies and realize the anticipated synergies and other benefits or do so within the anticipated timeframe. Potential difficulties we may encounter in the integration process include: (i) the inability to dispose of non-industrial assets or operations that are outside of our area of expertise; (ii) potential unknown liabilities and unforeseen increased expenses, delays or regulatory conditions associated with these transactions; and (iii) performance shortfalls as a result of the diversion of management’s attention caused by completing these transactions and integrating the companies’ operations.
Our real estate development and redevelopment strategies may not be successful.
Our real estate development and redevelopment strategy is focused on monetizing land and redevelopment sites in the future through development of logistics facilities to hold for long-term investment and for contribution or sale to a co-investment venture or third party, depending on market conditions, our liquidity needs and other factors. We may increase our investment in the development, renovation and redevelopment business and we expect to complete the build-out and leasing of our current development portfolio. We may also develop, renovate and redevelop properties within existing or newly formed co-investment ventures. The real estate development, renovation and redevelopment business includes the following significant risks:
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we may not be able to obtain financing for development projects on favorable terms or at all;
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we may explore development opportunities that may be abandoned and the related investment impaired;
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we may not be able to obtain, or may experience delays in obtaining, all necessary zoning, land-use, building, occupancy and other governmental permits and authorizations;
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we may incur higher construction costs, due primarily to this inflationary environment, or additional costs related to regulation that exceed our estimates and projects may not be completed, delivered or stabilized as planned due to defects or other issues;
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we may not be able to attract third-party investment in new development co-investment ventures or sufficient customer demand for our product;
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we may have properties that perform below anticipated levels, producing cash flows below budgeted amounts;
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we may seek to sell certain land parcels and not be able to find a third party to acquire such land or the sales price will not allow us to recover our investment, resulting in impairment charges;
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we may not be able to lease properties we develop on favorable terms or at all;
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we may not be able to capture the anticipated enhanced value created by our value-added properties on expected timetables or at all;
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we may experience delays (temporary or permanent) if there is public or government opposition to our activities; and
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we may have substantial renovation, new development and redevelopment activities, regardless of their ultimate success, that require a significant amount of management’s time and attention, diverting their attention from our day-to-day operations.
We are subject to risks and liabilities in connection with forming and attracting third-party investment in co-investment ventures, investing in new or existing co-investment ventures, and managing properties through co-investment ventures.
At December 31, 2022, we had investments in co-investment ventures, both public and private, that owned real estate with a gross book value of approximately $59.6 billion. Our organizational documents do not limit the amount of available funds that we may invest in these ventures, and we may and currently intend to develop and acquire properties through co-investment ventures and investments in other entities when warranted by the circumstances. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to form new co-investment ventures, or attract third-party investment or that additional investments in new or existing ventures to develop or acquire properties will be successful. Further, there can be no assurance that we are able to realize value from our existing or future investments. The same factors that impact the valuation of our consolidated portfolio, as discussed above, also impact the portfolios held by the co-investment ventures and could result in other than temporary impairment of our investment and a reduction in fee revenues. Our co-investment ventures involve certain additional risks that we do not otherwise face, including:
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our partners may share certain approval rights over major decisions made on behalf of the ventures;
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our partners may seek to redeem their investment, and may do so simultaneously, causing the venture to seek capital to satisfy these requests on less than optimal terms;
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if our partners fail to fund their share of any required capital contributions, then we may choose to contribute such capital;
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our partners might have economic or other business interests or goals that are inconsistent with our business interests or goals that would affect our ability to operate the venture;
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the venture or other governing agreements often restrict the transfer of an interest in the co-investment venture or may otherwise restrict our ability to sell the interest when we desire or on advantageous terms;
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our relationships with our partners are generally contractual in nature and may be terminated or dissolved under the terms of the agreements, and in such event, we may not continue to invest in or manage the assets underlying such relationships resulting in a decrease in our assets under management and a reduction in fee revenues. This may also require us to acquire the properties in order to maintain an investment in the portfolio; and
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disputes between us and our partners may result in litigation or arbitration that would increase our expenses and prevent our officers and directors from focusing their time and effort on our business and result in subjecting the properties owned by the applicable co-investment venture to additional risk.We generally seek to maintain sufficient influence over our co-investment ventures to permit us to achieve our business objectives; however, we may not be able to continue to do so indefinitely. We have formed publicly traded investment vehicles, such as NPR and FIBRA Prologis, for which we serve as sponsor or manager. These entities bear their own risks related to trading markets, foreign currency exchange rates and market demand. We have contributed, and may continue to contribute, assets into such vehicles. There is a risk that our managerial relationship may be terminated. We have also made investments in early and growth-stage companies that are focused on emerging technology. These companies may not be successful at raising additional capital or generating cash flows to sustain operations, which could result in the impairment of our investment. In addition, through Prologis Essentials we are investing in the development of new business lines that are complementary to our core business. These business lines may not be successful and may include risks that are different than investing in our core real estate business.
We are exposed to various environmental risks, which may result in unanticipated losses that could affect our business and financial condition.
Under various federal, state and local laws, ordinances and regulations, a current or previous owner, developer or operator of real estate may be liable for the costs of removal or remediation of certain hazardous or toxic substances. The costs of removal or remediation of such substances could be substantial. Such laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the release or presence of such hazardous substances. In addition, third parties may sue the owner or operator of a site for damages based on personal injury, property damage or other costs, including investigation and clean-up costs, resulting from the environmental contamination.Environmental laws in some countries, including the U.S., also require that owners or operators of buildings containing asbestos properly manage and maintain the asbestos, adequately inform or train those who may come into contact with asbestos and undertake special precautions, including removal or other abatement, in the event that asbestos is disturbed during building renovation or demolition. These laws may impose fines and penalties on building owners or operators who fail to comply with these requirements and may allow third parties to seek recovery from owners or operators for personal injury associated with exposure to asbestos. Some of our properties are known to contain asbestos-containing building materials.In addition, some of our properties are leased or have been leased, in part, to owners and operators of businesses that use, store or otherwise handle petroleum products or other hazardous or toxic substances, creating a potential for the release of such hazardous or toxic substances. Furthermore, certain of our properties are on, adjacent to or near other properties that have contained or currently contain petroleum products or other hazardous or toxic substances, or upon which others have engaged, are engaged or may engage in activities that may release such hazardous or toxic substances. From time to time, we may acquire properties, or interests in properties, with known adverse environmental conditions for which we believe that the environmental liabilities associated with these conditions are quantifiable and that the acquisition will yield a superior risk-adjusted return. In connection with certain divested properties, we have agreed to remain responsible for, and to bear the cost of, remediating or monitoring certain environmental conditions on the properties.
Our insurance coverage does not cover all potential losses.
We and our unconsolidated co-investment ventures carry insurance coverage including property damage and rental loss insurance resulting from certain perils such as fire and additional perils as covered under an extended coverage policy, namely windstorm, flood, earthquake and terrorism; commercial general liability insurance; and environmental insurance, as appropriate for the markets where each of our properties and business operations are located. The insurance coverage contains policy specifications and insured limits customarily carried for similar properties, business activities and markets. We believe our properties and the properties of our co-investment ventures are adequately insured. Certain losses, however, including losses from floods, earthquakes, acts of war, acts of terrorism or riots and pandemics, generally are not insured against or not fully insured against because it is not deemed economically feasible or prudent to do so. If an uninsured loss or a loss in excess of insured limits occurs with respect to one or more of our properties, we could experience a significant loss of capital invested and future revenues in these properties and could potentially remain obligated under any recourse debt associated with the property.Furthermore, we cannot be sure that the insurance companies will be able to continue to offer products with sufficient coverage at commercially reasonable rates. If we experience a loss that is uninsured or that exceeds insured limits with respect to one or more of our properties or if the insurance companies fail to meet their coverage commitments to us in the event of an insured loss, then we could lose the capital invested in the damaged properties, as well as the anticipated future revenues from those properties and, if there is recourse debt, then we would remain obligated for any mortgage debt or other financial obligations related to the properties. Any such losses or higher insurance costs could adversely affect our business. A number of our investments, both wholly-owned and owned through co-investment ventures, are located in areas that are known to be subject to earthquake activity. U.S. properties located in active seismic areas include properties in our markets in California and Seattle. International properties located in active seismic areas include Japan and Mexico. We generally carry earthquake insurance on our properties located in areas historically subject to seismic activity, subject to coverage limitations and deductibles, if we believe it is commercially reasonable. We evaluate our earthquake insurance coverage annually in light of current industry practice through an analysis prepared by outside consultants and in some specific instances have elected to self-insure our earthquake exposure based on this analysis. We have elected not to carry earthquake insurance for our assets in Japan based on this analysis. See Item 2. Properties for more information on the markets above exposed to seismic activities. Furthermore, a number of our properties are located in areas that are known to be subject to hurricane or flood risk. We carry hurricane and flood hazard insurance on all of our properties located in areas historically subject to such activity, subject to coverage limitations and deductibles, if we believe it is commercially reasonable. We evaluate our insurance coverage annually in light of current industry practice through an analysis prepared by outside consultants.
Risks Related to Financing and Capital
In order to meet REIT distribution requirements we may need access to external sources of capital.
To qualify as a REIT, we are required each year to distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (determined without regard to the dividends-paid deduction and by excluding any net capital gain) to our stockholders and we may be subject to tax to the extent our taxable income is not fully distributed. Historically, we have satisfied these distribution requirements by making cash distributions to our stockholders, however, we may elect to pay a portion of the distribution in shares of our stock. Assuming we continue to satisfy these distribution requirements with cash, we may not be able to fund all future capital needs, including acquisition and development activities, from cash retained from operations and may have to rely on third-party sources of capital. Furthermore, to maintain our REIT status and not have to pay federal income and excise taxes, we may need to borrow funds on a short-term basis to meet the REIT distribution requirements even if the then-prevailing market conditions are not favorable for these borrowings. These short-term borrowing needs could result from differences in timing between the actual receipt of cash and inclusion of income for federal income tax purposes, or the effect of nondeductible capital expenditures, the creation of reserves or required debt or amortization payments. Our ability to access debt and equity capital on favorable terms or at all depends on a number of factors, including general market conditions, the market’s perception of our growth potential, our current and potential future earnings and cash distributions and the market price of our securities.
Covenants in our credit agreements could limit our flexibility and breaches of these covenants could adversely affect our financial condition.
The terms of our various credit agreements, including our credit facilities and term loans, the indentures under which certain of our senior notes are issued and other note agreements, require us to comply with a number of customary financial covenants, such as maintaining debt service coverage ratios, leverage ratios and fixed charge coverage ratios. These covenants may limit our flexibility to run our business, and breaches of these covenants could result in defaults under the instruments governing the applicable indebtedness. If we default under the covenant provisions and are unable to cure the default, refinance the indebtedness or meet payment obligations, our business and financial condition generally and, in particular, the amount of our distributable cash flow could be adversely affected.
Adverse changes in our credit ratings could negatively affect our financing activity.
At December 31, 2022, our credit ratings were A3 from Moody’s with a stable outlook and A from S&P with a stable outlook. A securities rating is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities and is subject to revision or withdrawal at any time by the rating organization.The credit ratings of our senior notes and preferred stock are based on our operating performance, liquidity and leverage ratios, overall financial position and other factors employed by the credit rating agencies in their rating analyses of us. Our credit ratings can affect the amount of capital we can access, as well as the terms and pricing of any debt we may incur. There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain our current credit ratings, and in the event our credit ratings are downgraded, we would likely incur higher borrowing costs and may encounter difficulty in obtaining additional financing. Also, a downgrade in our credit ratings may trigger additional payments or other negative consequences under our credit facilities and other debt instruments. Adverse changes in our credit ratings could negatively impact our business and, in particular, our refinancing and other capital market activities, our ability to manage debt maturities, our future growth and our development and acquisition activity.
We may be unable to refinance our debt or our cash flow may be insufficient to make required debt payments.
We are subject to risks normally associated with debt financing, including the risk that our cash flow will be insufficient to meet required payments of principal and interest. There can be no assurance that we will be able to refinance any maturing indebtedness, that such refinancing would be on terms as favorable as the terms of the maturing indebtedness, or that we will be able to otherwise obtain funds by selling assets or raising equity to make required payments on maturing indebtedness. If we are unable to refinance our indebtedness at maturity or meet our payment obligations, our business and financial condition will be negatively impacted and, if the maturing debt is secured, the lender may foreclose on the property securing such indebtedness. Our credit facilities and certain other debt bears interest at variable rates. Increases in market interest rates would increase our interest expense under these agreements.
Our stockholders may experience dilution if we issue additional common stock or units in the OP.
Any additional future issuance of common stock or OP units will reduce the percentage of our common stock and units owned by investors. In most circumstances, stockholders and unitholders will not be entitled to vote on whether or not we issue additional common stock or units. In addition, depending on the terms and pricing of any additional offering of our common stock or OP units and the utilization of the proceeds, our stockholders and unitholders may experience dilution in both book value and fair value of their common stock or units.
Risks Related to Income Tax
The failure of Prologis, Inc. to qualify as a REIT would have serious adverse consequences.
Prologis, Inc. elected to be taxed as a REIT under Sections 856 through 860 of the IRC commencing with the taxable year ended December 31, 1997. We believe Prologis, Inc. has been organized and operated to qualify as a REIT under the IRC and believe that the current organization and method of operation comply with the rules and regulations promulgated under the IRC to enable Prologis, Inc. to continue to qualify as a REIT. However, it is possible that we are organized or have operated in a manner that would not allow Prologis, Inc. to qualify as a REIT, or that our future operations could cause Prologis, Inc. to fail to qualify. Qualification as a REIT requires us to satisfy numerous requirements (some annually and others on a quarterly basis) established under highly technical and complex sections of the IRC for which there are only limited judicial and administrative interpretations and involves the determination of various factual matters and circumstances not entirely within our control. For example, to qualify as a REIT, Prologis, Inc. must derive at least 95% of its gross income in any year from qualifying sources. In addition, Prologis, Inc. must pay dividends to its stockholders aggregating annually at least 90% of its taxable income (determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and by excluding capital gains) and must satisfy specified asset tests on a quarterly basis. Historically, we have satisfied these distribution requirements by making cash distributions to our stockholders, but we may choose to satisfy these requirements by making distributions of cash or other property, including, in limited circumstances, our own stock. The provisions of the IRC and applicable Treasury regulations regarding qualification as a REIT are more complicated for Prologis, Inc. because we hold substantially all of our assets through the OP.If Prologis, Inc. fails to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, we will be required to pay federal income tax (including, for taxable years prior to 2018, any applicable alternative minimum tax) on taxable income at regular corporate rates. Unless we are entitled to relief under certain statutory provisions, Prologis, Inc. would be disqualified from treatment as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year in which it lost the qualification and would be subject to corporate tax on built-in gains that exist at the time of REIT re-election if recognized within the five-year period after re-election, and potentially 10 years for certain states. If Prologis, Inc. lost its REIT status, our net earnings would be significantly reduced for each of the years involved. In addition, we may need to borrow additional funds or liquidate some investments to pay any additional tax liability. Accordingly, funds available for investment, operations and distributions would be reduced.Furthermore, we own a direct or indirect interest in certain subsidiary REITs that elected to be taxed as REITs under Sections 856 through 860 of the IRC. Provided that each subsidiary REIT qualifies as a REIT, our interest in such subsidiary REIT will be treated as a qualifying real estate asset for purposes of the REIT asset tests, and any dividend income or gains derived by us from such subsidiary REIT will generally be treated as income that qualifies for purposes of the REIT 95% and 75% gross income tests. To qualify as a REIT, the subsidiary REIT must independently satisfy all of the REIT qualification requirements. If such subsidiary REIT were to fail to qualify as a REIT, and certain relief provisions did not apply, it would be treated as a regular taxable corporation and its income would be subject to U.S. federal income tax. In addition, a failure of the subsidiary REIT to qualify as a REIT would have an adverse effect on the ability of Prologis, Inc. to comply with the REIT income and asset tests, and thus its ability to qualify as a REIT.In addition, we may acquire properties through the acquisition of REIT entities that own the real estate. If a gain in such assets is not otherwise recognized by the seller or target in such acquisitions, and such entities were to fail to satisfy the REIT requirements for any year, they would be disqualified from treatment as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year in which the REIT qualification was lost and the acquired assets would be subject to corporate tax on built-in gains that exist at the time of REIT re-election or, if earlier, at the time of Prologis’ acquisition of the assets. A sale of such assets within the 5-year recognition period, and potentially 10 years for certain states, could result in corporate tax liabilities that could be significant.
Certain property transfers may generate prohibited transaction income, resulting in a penalty tax on gain attributable to the transaction.
From time to time, we may transfer or otherwise dispose of some of our properties, including by contributing properties to our co-investment ventures. Under the IRC, any gain resulting from transfers of properties we hold as inventory or primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business is treated as income from a prohibited transaction subject to a 100% penalty tax. We do not believe that our transfers or disposals of property or our contributions of properties into our co-investment ventures are prohibited transactions. However, whether property is held for investment purposes is a question of fact that depends on all the facts and circumstances surrounding the particular transaction. The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) may contend that certain transfers or dispositions of properties by us or contributions of properties into our co-investment ventures are prohibited transactions. While we believe that the IRS would not prevail in any such dispute, if the IRS were to argue successfully that a transfer, disposition or contribution of property constituted a prohibited transaction, we would be required to pay a 100% penalty tax on any gain allocable to us from the prohibited transaction. In addition, income from a prohibited transaction might adversely affect our ability to satisfy the income tests for qualification as a REIT.
Legislative or regulatory action could adversely affect us.
In recent years, numerous legislative, judicial and administrative changes have been made to the U.S., state, local and foreign income tax laws applicable to investments in real estate, REITs, similar entities and investments. Additional changes are likely to continue to occur in the future, both in and outside of the U.S. and may impact our taxation or that of our stockholders. Any increases in tax liability could be substantial and would reduce the amount of cash available for other purposes.
Complying with REIT requirements may limit our flexibility or cause us to forego otherwise attractive opportunities.
Our use of taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRSs”) enables us to engage in non-REIT qualifying business activities. Under the IRC, no more than 20% of the value of the assets of a REIT may be represented by securities of one or more TRSs and other non-qualifying assets. This limitation may hinder our ability to make certain attractive investments, including the purchase of non-qualifying assets, the expansion of non-real estate activities and investments in the businesses to be conducted by our TRSs, and to that extent limit our opportunities.
General Risks
Our business may be materially and adversely affected by the impact of global pandemics.
We cannot predict the extent to which global pandemics may impact our business and operating results and that of our co-investment ventures, but their impact may include the following:
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Existing customers and potential customers of our logistics facilities may be adversely affected by the decrease in economic activity, which in turn could disrupt their business and their ability to enter into new leasing transactions or satisfy rental payments;
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Government, labor or other restrictions may prevent us from completing the development or leasing of properties currently under development or making our properties ready for our customers to move in;
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Our ability to recover our investments in real estate assets may be impacted by current market conditions;
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Increases in material costs as a result of labor shortages and supply chain disruptions may make the development of properties more costly than we originally budgeted; and
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Our workforce, including our executives, may become ill or have difficulty working remotely, caring for our properties and/or customers.Any prolonged economic downturn, escalation of the outbreak or disruption in the financial markets may also impact our ability to access capital markets to issue debt or equity securities and to complete real estate transactions at attractive pricing or at all.These items may materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and real estate values.
Our business and operations could suffer in the event of system failures or cyber security attacks.
Despite system redundancy, the implementation of security measures and the existence of a disaster recovery plan for our internal and hosted information technology systems, our systems are vulnerable to damages from any number of sources, including energy blackouts, natural disasters, terrorism, war, telecommunication failures and cyber security attacks, such as malware, ransomware, or unauthorized access. Any system failure or accident that causes interruptions in our operations could result in a material disruption to our business. We may incur additional costs to remedy damages caused by such disruptions. Third-party security events at vendors, sub-processors, and service providers could also impact our data and operations via unauthorized access to information or disruption of services which may ultimately result in financial losses. Despite training, detection systems and response procedures, an increase in email attacks (phishing and business email compromise) may create disruption to our business and financial risk.Although security incidents have had an insignificant financial impact on our operating results, the growing frequency of attempts may lead to increased costs to protect the company and respond to any events, including additional personnel, consultants and protection technologies. Any compromise of our security could result in a violation of applicable privacy and other laws, unauthorized access to information of ours and others, significant legal and financial exposure, damage to our reputation, loss or misuse of the information and a loss of confidence in our security measures, which could harm our business. Additionally, remediation costs for security events may not be covered by our insurance.
Risks associated with our dependence on key personnel.
We depend on the deep industry knowledge and the efforts of our executive officers and other key employees. From time to time, our personnel and their roles may change. While we believe that we are able to retain our key talent and find suitable employees to meet our needs, the loss of key personnel, any change in their roles or the limitation of their availability could adversely affect our business. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain our executive officers, or if compensation costs required to attract and retain key employees become more expensive, our performance and competitive position could be materially adversely affected.
Our business could be adversely impacted if we have deficiencies in our disclosure controls and procedures or internal control over financial reporting.
The design and effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting may not prevent all errors, misstatements or misrepresentations. While management continually reviews the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, there can be no guarantee that our internal control over financial reporting will be effective in accomplishing all control objectives all of the time. Deficiencies, including any material weakness, in our internal control over financial reporting that may occur in the future could result in misstatements or restatements of our financial statements or a decline in the price of our securities.
We are exposed to the potential impacts of future climate change and could be required to implement new or stricter regulations, which may result in unanticipated losses that could affect our business and financial condition.
We are also exposed to potential physical risks from possible future changes in climate. Our logistics facilities and the global supply chain may be exposed to catastrophic weather events, such as severe storms, fires or floods. If the frequency of extreme weather events increases, our exposure to these events could increase. We may also be adversely impacted by transition risks, such as potential impacts to the supply chain as a real estate developer or changes in laws and regulations, such as stricter energy efficiency standards or greenhouse gas regulations for the commercial building sectors. We cannot give any assurance that other such conditions do not exist or may not arise in the future. The potential impacts of future climate change on our real estate properties could adversely affect our ability to lease, develop or sell such properties or to borrow using such properties as collateral.ITEM 1B. Unresolved Staff CommentsNone.ITEM 2. Properties
Risks Related to our Global Operations
As a global company, we are subject to social, political and economic risks of doing business in many countries.
We conduct a significant portion of our business and employ a substantial number of people outside of the U.S. During 2022, we generated approximately $1.0 billion or 17.3% of our consolidated revenues from operations outside the U.S. Circumstances and developments related to international operations that could negatively affect us include, but are not limited to, the following factors:
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difficulties and costs of staffing and managing international operations in certain geographies, including differing employment practices and labor issues;
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local businesses and cultural factors that differ from our domestic standards and practices;
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volatility in currencies and currency restrictions, which may prevent the availability of capital or the transfer of profits to the U.S.;
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challenges in establishing effective controls and procedures to regulate operations in different geographies and to monitor compliance with applicable regulations, such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the United Kingdom (“U.K.”) Bribery Act and other similar laws;
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unexpected changes in regulatory and environmental requirements, taxes, tariffs, trade wars and laws within the countries in which we operate;
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the responsibility of complying with multiple and potentially conflicting laws, e.g., with respect to corrupt practices, employment and licensing;
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the impact of regional or country-specific business cycles, military conflicts and economic instability, including government shutdowns and withdrawals from the European Union or other international trade alliances or agreements;
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political instability, uncertainty over property rights, civil unrest, drug trafficking, political activism or the continuation or escalation of terrorist or gang activities;
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foreign ownership restrictions in operations with the respective countries; and
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access to capital may be more restricted, or unavailable on favorable terms or at all in certain locations.In addition, we may be impacted by the ability of our non-U.S. subsidiaries to dividend or otherwise transfer cash among our subsidiaries due to currency exchange control regulations, transfer pricing regulations and potentially adverse tax consequences, among other factors.
Compliance or failure to comply with regulatory requirements could result in substantial costs.
We are required to comply with many regulations in different countries, including (but not limited to) the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act and similar laws and regulations. Our properties are also subject to various federal, state and local regulatory requirements, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and state and local fire, life-safety, energy and greenhouse gas emissions requirements. Noncompliance could result in the imposition of governmental fines or the award of damages to private litigants. While we believe that we are currently in material compliance with these regulatory requirements, the requirements may change or new requirements may be imposed that could require significant unanticipated expenditures by us.
Disruptions in the global capital and credit markets may adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
To the extent there is turmoil in the global financial markets, this turmoil has the potential to adversely affect (i) the value of our properties; (ii) the availability or the terms of financing that we have or may anticipate utilizing; (iii) our ability to make principal and interest payments on, or refinance any outstanding debt when due; and (iv) the ability of our customers to enter into new leasing transactions or satisfy rental payments under existing leases. Disruptions in the capital and credit markets may also adversely affect the market price of our securities and our ability to make distributions and payments to our security holders.
The depreciation in the value of the foreign currency in countries where we have a significant investment may adversely affect our results of operations and financial position.
We hold significant real estate investments in international markets where the U.S. dollar is not the functional currency. At December 31, 2022, approximately $10.2 billion or 11.6% of our total consolidated assets were invested in a currency other than the U.S. dollar, principally the British pound sterling, Canadian dollar, euro and Japanese yen. For the year ended December 31, 2022, $762.4 million or 17.2% of our total consolidated segment NOI was denominated in a currency other than the U.S. dollar. See Note 17 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data for more information on these amounts. As a result, we are subject to foreign currency risk due to potential fluctuations in exchange rates between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. A significant change in the value of the foreign currency of one or more countries where we have a significant investment may have a material adverse effect on our business and, specifically, our U.S. dollar reported financial position and results of operations.
Our hedging of foreign currency and interest rate risk may not effectively limit our exposure to these risks.
We attempt to mitigate our risk by borrowing in the currencies in which we have significant investments thereby providing a natural hedge. We may also enter into derivative financial instruments that we designate as net investment hedges, as these amounts offset the translation adjustments on the underlying net assets of our foreign investments. We enter into other foreign currency contracts, such as forwards, to reduce fluctuations in foreign currency cash flow associated with the translation of future earnings of our international subsidiaries. Although we attempt to mitigate the potential adverse effects of changes in foreign currency rates there can be no assurance that those attempts will be successful. In addition, we occasionally use interest rate swap contracts to manage interest rate risk and limit the impact of future interest rate changes on earnings and cash flows. Hedging arrangements involve risks, such as the risk of fluctuation in the relative value of the foreign currency or interest rates and the risk that counterparties may fail to honor their obligations under these arrangements. The funds required to settle such arrangements could be significant depending on the stability and movement of the hedged foreign currency or the size of the underlying financing and the applicable interest rates at the time of the breakage. The failure to hedge effectively against foreign exchange changes or interest rate changes may adversely affect our business.
Risks Related to our Business
General economic conditions and other events or occurrences that affect areas in which our properties are geographically concentrated, may impact financial results.
We are exposed to the economic conditions and other events and occurrences in the local, regional, national and international geographies in which we own properties. Our operating performance is further impacted by the economic conditions of the specific markets in which we have concentrations of properties.At December 31, 2022, 30.3% of our consolidated operating properties or $21.0 billion (based on consolidated gross book value, or investment before depreciation) were located in California (Central Valley, San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California markets), which represented 23.6% of the aggregate square footage of our operating properties and 33.0% of our consolidated operating property NOI. Our revenues from, and the value of, our properties located in California may be affected by local real estate conditions (such as an oversupply of or reduced demand for logistics properties) and the local economic climate. Business layoffs, downsizing, industry slowdowns, changing demographics and other factors may adversely impact California’s economic climate. Because of the investment we have located in California, a downturn in California’s economy or real estate conditions, including state income tax and property tax laws, could adversely affect our business. In addition to California, we also have significant holdings (defined as more than 3% of total consolidated investment before depreciation) in operating properties in certain markets located in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Lehigh Valley, New Jersey/New York City, Seattle and South Florida. Of these markets, no single market contributed more than 10% of our total consolidated investment before depreciation in operating properties, with the exception of New Jersey/New York City. Our operating performance could be adversely affected if conditions become less favorable in any of the markets in which we have a concentration of properties. Conditions such as an oversupply of logistics space or a reduction in demand for logistics space, among other factors, may impact operating conditions. Any material oversupply of logistics space or material reduction in demand for logistics space could adversely affect our overall business. Our O&M portfolio, which includes our consolidated properties and properties owned by our unconsolidated co-investment ventures, has concentrations of properties in the same markets mentioned above, as well as in markets in Japan and the U.K., and are subject to the economic conditions in those markets.
Real estate investments are not as liquid as certain other types of assets, which may reduce economic returns to investors.
Real estate investments are not as liquid as certain other types of investments and this lack of liquidity may limit our ability to react promptly to changes in economic or other conditions. Significant expenditures associated with real estate investments, such as secured mortgage debt payments, real estate taxes and maintenance costs, are generally not reduced when circumstances cause a reduction in income from the investments. As a REIT, under the IRC, we are only able to hold property for sale in the ordinary course of business through taxable REIT subsidiaries in order to not incur punitive taxation on any tax gain from the sale of such property. We may dispose of certain properties that have been held for investment to generate liquidity. If we do not satisfy certain safe harbors or we believe there is too much risk of incurring the punitive tax on any tax gain from the sale, we may not pursue such sales.We may decide to sell or contribute properties to certain of our co-investment ventures or sell properties to third parties to generate proceeds to fund our capital deployment activities. Our ability to sell or contribute properties on advantageous terms is affected by: (i) competition from other owners of properties that are trying to dispose of their properties; (ii) economic and market conditions, including the capitalization rates applicable to our properties; and (iii) other factors beyond our control. If our competitors sell assets similar to assets we intend to divest in the same markets or at valuations below our valuations for comparable assets, we may be unable to divest our assets at favorable pricing or at all. The co-investment ventures or third parties who might acquire our properties may need to have access to debt and equity capital, in the private and public markets, in order to acquire properties from us. Should they have limited or no access to capital on favorable terms, then dispositions and contributions could be delayed. If we do not have sufficient cash available to us through our operations, sales or contributions of properties or available credit facilities to continue operating our business as usual, we may need to find alternative ways to increase our liquidity. Such alternatives may include, without limitation, divesting properties at less than optimal terms, incurring debt, entering into leases with new customers at lower rental rates or less than optimal terms or entering into lease renewals with our existing customers without an increase in rental rates. There can be no assurance, however, that such alternative ways to increase our liquidity will be available to us. Additionally, taking such measures to increase our liquidity may adversely affect our business, and in particular, our distributable cash flow and debt covenants.
Our investments are concentrated in the logistics sector and our business would be adversely affected by an economic downturn in that sector.
Our investments in real estate assets are concentrated in the logistics sector. This concentration may expose us to the risk of economic downturns in this sector to a greater extent than if our business activities were more diversified.
Investments in real estate properties are subject to risks that could adversely affect our business.
Investments in real estate properties are subject to varying degrees of risk. While we seek to minimize these risks through geographic diversification of our portfolio, market research and our asset management capabilities, these risks cannot be eliminated. Factors that may affect real estate values and cash flows include:
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local conditions, such as oversupply or a reduction in demand;
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technological changes, such as reconfiguration of supply chains, autonomous vehicles, robotics, 3D printing or other technologies;
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the attractiveness of our properties to potential customers and competition from other available properties;
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increasing costs of maintaining, insuring, renovating and making improvements to our properties;
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our ability to reposition our properties due to changes in the business and logistics needs of our customers;
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our ability to lease the properties at favorable rates and control variable operating costs; and
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governmental and environmental regulations and the associated potential liability under, and changes in, environmental, zoning, usage, tax, tariffs and other laws.These factors may affect our ability to recover our investment in the properties and result in impairment charges.
Our customers may be unable to meet their lease obligations or we may be unable to lease vacant space or renew leases or re-lease space on favorable terms as leases expire.
Our operating results and distributable cash flow would be adversely affected if a significant number of our customers were unable to meet their lease obligations. At December 31, 2022, our top 10 customers accounted for 16.4% of our consolidated NER and 14.4% of our O&M NER. In the event of default by a significant number of customers, we may experience delays and incur substantial costs in enforcing our rights as landlord, and we may be unable to re-lease spaces. A customer may experience a downturn in its business, which may cause the loss of the customer or may weaken its financial condition, resulting in the customer’s failure to make rental payments when due or requiring a restructuring that might reduce cash flow from the lease. In addition, a customer may seek the protection of bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws, which could result in the rejection and termination of such customer’s lease and thereby cause a reduction in our available cash flow. We are also subject to the risk that, upon the expiration of leases they may not be renewed by existing customers, the space may not be re-leased to new customers or the terms of renewal or re-leasing (including the cost of required renovations or concessions to customers) may be less favorable to us than current lease terms. Our competitors may offer space at rental rates below current market rates or below the rental rates we currently charge our customers and we may be pressured to reduce our rental rates below those we currently charge to retain customers when leases expire or we may lose potential customers.
We may acquire properties and companies that involve risks that could adversely affect our business and financial condition.
We have acquired properties and will continue to acquire properties through the direct acquisition of real estate, the acquisition of entities that own real estate or through additional investments in co-investment ventures that acquire properties. The acquisition of properties involves risks, including the risk that the acquired property will not perform as anticipated and that any actual costs for rehabilitation, repositioning, renovation and improvements identified in the pre-acquisition due diligence process will exceed estimates. When we acquire properties, we may face risks associated with entering a new market such as a lack of market knowledge or understanding of the local economy, forging new business relationships in the area and unfamiliarity with local government and permitting procedures. Additionally, there is, and it is expected there will continue to be, significant competition for properties that meet our investment criteria as well as risks associated with obtaining financing for acquisition activities. The acquired properties or entities may be subject to liabilities, including tax liabilities, which may be without any recourse, or with only limited recourse, with respect to unknown liabilities. As a result, if a liability were asserted against us based on our new ownership of any of these entities or properties, then we may have to pay substantial sums to settle it. We may be unable to integrate the operations of newly acquired companies and realize the anticipated synergies and other benefits or do so within the anticipated timeframe. Potential difficulties we may encounter in the integration process include: (i) the inability to dispose of non-industrial assets or operations that are outside of our area of expertise; (ii) potential unknown liabilities and unforeseen increased expenses, delays or regulatory conditions associated with these transactions; and (iii) performance shortfalls as a result of the diversion of management’s attention caused by completing these transactions and integrating the companies’ operations.
Our real estate development and redevelopment strategies may not be successful.
Our real estate development and redevelopment strategy is focused on monetizing land and redevelopment sites in the future through development of logistics facilities to hold for long-term investment and for contribution or sale to a co-investment venture or third party, depending on market conditions, our liquidity needs and other factors. We may increase our investment in the development, renovation and redevelopment business and we expect to complete the build-out and leasing of our current development portfolio. We may also develop, renovate and redevelop properties within existing or newly formed co-investment ventures. The real estate development, renovation and redevelopment business includes the following significant risks:
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we may not be able to obtain financing for development projects on favorable terms or at all;
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we may explore development opportunities that may be abandoned and the related investment impaired;
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we may not be able to obtain, or may experience delays in obtaining, all necessary zoning, land-use, building, occupancy and other governmental permits and authorizations;
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we may incur higher construction costs, due primarily to this inflationary environment, or additional costs related to regulation that exceed our estimates and projects may not be completed, delivered or stabilized as planned due to defects or other issues;
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we may not be able to attract third-party investment in new development co-investment ventures or sufficient customer demand for our product;
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we may have properties that perform below anticipated levels, producing cash flows below budgeted amounts;
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we may seek to sell certain land parcels and not be able to find a third party to acquire such land or the sales price will not allow us to recover our investment, resulting in impairment charges;
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we may not be able to lease properties we develop on favorable terms or at all;
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we may not be able to capture the anticipated enhanced value created by our value-added properties on expected timetables or at all;
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we may experience delays (temporary or permanent) if there is public or government opposition to our activities; and
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we may have substantial renovation, new development and redevelopment activities, regardless of their ultimate success, that require a significant amount of management’s time and attention, diverting their attention from our day-to-day operations.
We are subject to risks and liabilities in connection with forming and attracting third-party investment in co-investment ventures, investing in new or existing co-investment ventures, and managing properties through co-investment ventures.
At December 31, 2022, we had investments in co-investment ventures, both public and private, that owned real estate with a gross book value of approximately $59.6 billion. Our organizational documents do not limit the amount of available funds that we may invest in these ventures, and we may and currently intend to develop and acquire properties through co-investment ventures and investments in other entities when warranted by the circumstances. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to form new co-investment ventures, or attract third-party investment or that additional investments in new or existing ventures to develop or acquire properties will be successful. Further, there can be no assurance that we are able to realize value from our existing or future investments. The same factors that impact the valuation of our consolidated portfolio, as discussed above, also impact the portfolios held by the co-investment ventures and could result in other than temporary impairment of our investment and a reduction in fee revenues. Our co-investment ventures involve certain additional risks that we do not otherwise face, including:
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our partners may share certain approval rights over major decisions made on behalf of the ventures;
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our partners may seek to redeem their investment, and may do so simultaneously, causing the venture to seek capital to satisfy these requests on less than optimal terms;
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if our partners fail to fund their share of any required capital contributions, then we may choose to contribute such capital;
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our partners might have economic or other business interests or goals that are inconsistent with our business interests or goals that would affect our ability to operate the venture;
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the venture or other governing agreements often restrict the transfer of an interest in the co-investment venture or may otherwise restrict our ability to sell the interest when we desire or on advantageous terms;
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our relationships with our partners are generally contractual in nature and may be terminated or dissolved under the terms of the agreements, and in such event, we may not continue to invest in or manage the assets underlying such relationships resulting in a decrease in our assets under management and a reduction in fee revenues. This may also require us to acquire the properties in order to maintain an investment in the portfolio; and
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disputes between us and our partners may result in litigation or arbitration that would increase our expenses and prevent our officers and directors from focusing their time and effort on our business and result in subjecting the properties owned by the applicable co-investment venture to additional risk.We generally seek to maintain sufficient influence over our co-investment ventures to permit us to achieve our business objectives; however, we may not be able to continue to do so indefinitely. We have formed publicly traded investment vehicles, such as NPR and FIBRA Prologis, for which we serve as sponsor or manager. These entities bear their own risks related to trading markets, foreign currency exchange rates and market demand. We have contributed, and may continue to contribute, assets into such vehicles. There is a risk that our managerial relationship may be terminated. We have also made investments in early and growth-stage companies that are focused on emerging technology. These companies may not be successful at raising additional capital or generating cash flows to sustain operations, which could result in the impairment of our investment. In addition, through Prologis Essentials we are investing in the development of new business lines that are complementary to our core business. These business lines may not be successful and may include risks that are different than investing in our core real estate business.
We are exposed to various environmental risks, which may result in unanticipated losses that could affect our business and financial condition.
Under various federal, state and local laws, ordinances and regulations, a current or previous owner, developer or operator of real estate may be liable for the costs of removal or remediation of certain hazardous or toxic substances. The costs of removal or remediation of such substances could be substantial. Such laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the release or presence of such hazardous substances. In addition, third parties may sue the owner or operator of a site for damages based on personal injury, property damage or other costs, including investigation and clean-up costs, resulting from the environmental contamination.Environmental laws in some countries, including the U.S., also require that owners or operators of buildings containing asbestos properly manage and maintain the asbestos, adequately inform or train those who may come into contact with asbestos and undertake special precautions, including removal or other abatement, in the event that asbestos is disturbed during building renovation or demolition. These laws may impose fines and penalties on building owners or operators who fail to comply with these requirements and may allow third parties to seek recovery from owners or operators for personal injury associated with exposure to asbestos. Some of our properties are known to contain asbestos-containing building materials.In addition, some of our properties are leased or have been leased, in part, to owners and operators of businesses that use, store or otherwise handle petroleum products or other hazardous or toxic substances, creating a potential for the release of such hazardous or toxic substances. Furthermore, certain of our properties are on, adjacent to or near other properties that have contained or currently contain petroleum products or other hazardous or toxic substances, or upon which others have engaged, are engaged or may engage in activities that may release such hazardous or toxic substances. From time to time, we may acquire properties, or interests in properties, with known adverse environmental conditions for which we believe that the environmental liabilities associated with these conditions are quantifiable and that the acquisition will yield a superior risk-adjusted return. In connection with certain divested properties, we have agreed to remain responsible for, and to bear the cost of, remediating or monitoring certain environmental conditions on the properties.
Our insurance coverage does not cover all potential losses.
We and our unconsolidated co-investment ventures carry insurance coverage including property damage and rental loss insurance resulting from certain perils such as fire and additional perils as covered under an extended coverage policy, namely windstorm, flood, earthquake and terrorism; commercial general liability insurance; and environmental insurance, as appropriate for the markets where each of our properties and business operations are located. The insurance coverage contains policy specifications and insured limits customarily carried for similar properties, business activities and markets. We believe our properties and the properties of our co-investment ventures are adequately insured. Certain losses, however, including losses from floods, earthquakes, acts of war, acts of terrorism or riots and pandemics, generally are not insured against or not fully insured against because it is not deemed economically feasible or prudent to do so. If an uninsured loss or a loss in excess of insured limits occurs with respect to one or more of our properties, we could experience a significant loss of capital invested and future revenues in these properties and could potentially remain obligated under any recourse debt associated with the property.Furthermore, we cannot be sure that the insurance companies will be able to continue to offer products with sufficient coverage at commercially reasonable rates. If we experience a loss that is uninsured or that exceeds insured limits with respect to one or more of our properties or if the insurance companies fail to meet their coverage commitments to us in the event of an insured loss, then we could lose the capital invested in the damaged properties, as well as the anticipated future revenues from those properties and, if there is recourse debt, then we would remain obligated for any mortgage debt or other financial obligations related to the properties. Any such losses or higher insurance costs could adversely affect our business. A number of our investments, both wholly-owned and owned through co-investment ventures, are located in areas that are known to be subject to earthquake activity. U.S. properties located in active seismic areas include properties in our markets in California and Seattle. International properties located in active seismic areas include Japan and Mexico. We generally carry earthquake insurance on our properties located in areas historically subject to seismic activity, subject to coverage limitations and deductibles, if we believe it is commercially reasonable. We evaluate our earthquake insurance coverage annually in light of current industry practice through an analysis prepared by outside consultants and in some specific instances have elected to self-insure our earthquake exposure based on this analysis. We have elected not to carry earthquake insurance for our assets in Japan based on this analysis. See Item 2. Properties for more information on the markets above exposed to seismic activities. Furthermore, a number of our properties are located in areas that are known to be subject to hurricane or flood risk. We carry hurricane and flood hazard insurance on all of our properties located in areas historically subject to such activity, subject to coverage limitations and deductibles, if we believe it is commercially reasonable. We evaluate our insurance coverage annually in light of current industry practice through an analysis prepared by outside consultants.
Risks Related to Financing and Capital
In order to meet REIT distribution requirements we may need access to external sources of capital.
To qualify as a REIT, we are required each year to distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (determined without regard to the dividends-paid deduction and by excluding any net capital gain) to our stockholders and we may be subject to tax to the extent our taxable income is not fully distributed. Historically, we have satisfied these distribution requirements by making cash distributions to our stockholders, however, we may elect to pay a portion of the distribution in shares of our stock. Assuming we continue to satisfy these distribution requirements with cash, we may not be able to fund all future capital needs, including acquisition and development activities, from cash retained from operations and may have to rely on third-party sources of capital. Furthermore, to maintain our REIT status and not have to pay federal income and excise taxes, we may need to borrow funds on a short-term basis to meet the REIT distribution requirements even if the then-prevailing market conditions are not favorable for these borrowings. These short-term borrowing needs could result from differences in timing between the actual receipt of cash and inclusion of income for federal income tax purposes, or the effect of nondeductible capital expenditures, the creation of reserves or required debt or amortization payments. Our ability to access debt and equity capital on favorable terms or at all depends on a number of factors, including general market conditions, the market’s perception of our growth potential, our current and potential future earnings and cash distributions and the market price of our securities.
Covenants in our credit agreements could limit our flexibility and breaches of these covenants could adversely affect our financial condition.
The terms of our various credit agreements, including our credit facilities and term loans, the indentures under which certain of our senior notes are issued and other note agreements, require us to comply with a number of customary financial covenants, such as maintaining debt service coverage ratios, leverage ratios and fixed charge coverage ratios. These covenants may limit our flexibility to run our business, and breaches of these covenants could result in defaults under the instruments governing the applicable indebtedness. If we default under the covenant provisions and are unable to cure the default, refinance the indebtedness or meet payment obligations, our business and financial condition generally and, in particular, the amount of our distributable cash flow could be adversely affected.
Adverse changes in our credit ratings could negatively affect our financing activity.
At December 31, 2022, our credit ratings were A3 from Moody’s with a stable outlook and A from S&P with a stable outlook. A securities rating is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities and is subject to revision or withdrawal at any time by the rating organization.The credit ratings of our senior notes and preferred stock are based on our operating performance, liquidity and leverage ratios, overall financial position and other factors employed by the credit rating agencies in their rating analyses of us. Our credit ratings can affect the amount of capital we can access, as well as the terms and pricing of any debt we may incur. There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain our current credit ratings, and in the event our credit ratings are downgraded, we would likely incur higher borrowing costs and may encounter difficulty in obtaining additional financing. Also, a downgrade in our credit ratings may trigger additional payments or other negative consequences under our credit facilities and other debt instruments. Adverse changes in our credit ratings could negatively impact our business and, in particular, our refinancing and other capital market activities, our ability to manage debt maturities, our future growth and our development and acquisition activity.
We may be unable to refinance our debt or our cash flow may be insufficient to make required debt payments.
We are subject to risks normally associated with debt financing, including the risk that our cash flow will be insufficient to meet required payments of principal and interest. There can be no assurance that we will be able to refinance any maturing indebtedness, that such refinancing would be on terms as favorable as the terms of the maturing indebtedness, or that we will be able to otherwise obtain funds by selling assets or raising equity to make required payments on maturing indebtedness. If we are unable to refinance our indebtedness at maturity or meet our payment obligations, our business and financial condition will be negatively impacted and, if the maturing debt is secured, the lender may foreclose on the property securing such indebtedness. Our credit facilities and certain other debt bears interest at variable rates. Increases in market interest rates would increase our interest expense under these agreements.
Our stockholders may experience dilution if we issue additional common stock or units in the OP.
Any additional future issuance of common stock or OP units will reduce the percentage of our common stock and units owned by investors. In most circumstances, stockholders and unitholders will not be entitled to vote on whether or not we issue additional common stock or units. In addition, depending on the terms and pricing of any additional offering of our common stock or OP units and the utilization of the proceeds, our stockholders and unitholders may experience dilution in both book value and fair value of their common stock or units.
Risks Related to Income Tax
The failure of Prologis, Inc. to qualify as a REIT would have serious adverse consequences.
Prologis, Inc. elected to be taxed as a REIT under Sections 856 through 860 of the IRC commencing with the taxable year ended December 31, 1997. We believe Prologis, Inc. has been organized and operated to qualify as a REIT under the IRC and believe that the current organization and method of operation comply with the rules and regulations promulgated under the IRC to enable Prologis, Inc. to continue to qualify as a REIT. However, it is possible that we are organized or have operated in a manner that would not allow Prologis, Inc. to qualify as a REIT, or that our future operations could cause Prologis, Inc. to fail to qualify. Qualification as a REIT requires us to satisfy numerous requirements (some annually and others on a quarterly basis) established under highly technical and complex sections of the IRC for which there are only limited judicial and administrative interpretations and involves the determination of various factual matters and circumstances not entirely within our control. For example, to qualify as a REIT, Prologis, Inc. must derive at least 95% of its gross income in any year from qualifying sources. In addition, Prologis, Inc. must pay dividends to its stockholders aggregating annually at least 90% of its taxable income (determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and by excluding capital gains) and must satisfy specified asset tests on a quarterly basis. Historically, we have satisfied these distribution requirements by making cash distributions to our stockholders, but we may choose to satisfy these requirements by making distributions of cash or other property, including, in limited circumstances, our own stock. The provisions of the IRC and applicable Treasury regulations regarding qualification as a REIT are more complicated for Prologis, Inc. because we hold substantially all of our assets through the OP.If Prologis, Inc. fails to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, we will be required to pay federal income tax (including, for taxable years prior to 2018, any applicable alternative minimum tax) on taxable income at regular corporate rates. Unless we are entitled to relief under certain statutory provisions, Prologis, Inc. would be disqualified from treatment as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year in which it lost the qualification and would be subject to corporate tax on built-in gains that exist at the time of REIT re-election if recognized within the five-year period after re-election, and potentially 10 years for certain states. If Prologis, Inc. lost its REIT status, our net earnings would be significantly reduced for each of the years involved. In addition, we may need to borrow additional funds or liquidate some investments to pay any additional tax liability. Accordingly, funds available for investment, operations and distributions would be reduced.Furthermore, we own a direct or indirect interest in certain subsidiary REITs that elected to be taxed as REITs under Sections 856 through 860 of the IRC. Provided that each subsidiary REIT qualifies as a REIT, our interest in such subsidiary REIT will be treated as a qualifying real estate asset for purposes of the REIT asset tests, and any dividend income or gains derived by us from such subsidiary REIT will generally be treated as income that qualifies for purposes of the REIT 95% and 75% gross income tests. To qualify as a REIT, the subsidiary REIT must independently satisfy all of the REIT qualification requirements. If such subsidiary REIT were to fail to qualify as a REIT, and certain relief provisions did not apply, it would be treated as a regular taxable corporation and its income would be subject to U.S. federal income tax. In addition, a failure of the subsidiary REIT to qualify as a REIT would have an adverse effect on the ability of Prologis, Inc. to comply with the REIT income and asset tests, and thus its ability to qualify as a REIT.In addition, we may acquire properties through the acquisition of REIT entities that own the real estate. If a gain in such assets is not otherwise recognized by the seller or target in such acquisitions, and such entities were to fail to satisfy the REIT requirements for any year, they would be disqualified from treatment as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year in which the REIT qualification was lost and the acquired assets would be subject to corporate tax on built-in gains that exist at the time of REIT re-election or, if earlier, at the time of Prologis’ acquisition of the assets. A sale of such assets within the 5-year recognition period, and potentially 10 years for certain states, could result in corporate tax liabilities that could be significant.
Certain property transfers may generate prohibited transaction income, resulting in a penalty tax on gain attributable to the transaction.
From time to time, we may transfer or otherwise dispose of some of our properties, including by contributing properties to our co-investment ventures. Under the IRC, any gain resulting from transfers of properties we hold as inventory or primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business is treated as income from a prohibited transaction subject to a 100% penalty tax. We do not believe that our transfers or disposals of property or our contributions of properties into our co-investment ventures are prohibited transactions. However, whether property is held for investment purposes is a question of fact that depends on all the facts and circumstances surrounding the particular transaction. The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) may contend that certain transfers or dispositions of properties by us or contributions of properties into our co-investment ventures are prohibited transactions. While we believe that the IRS would not prevail in any such dispute, if the IRS were to argue successfully that a transfer, disposition or contribution of property constituted a prohibited transaction, we would be required to pay a 100% penalty tax on any gain allocable to us from the prohibited transaction. In addition, income from a prohibited transaction might adversely affect our ability to satisfy the income tests for qualification as a REIT.
Legislative or regulatory action could adversely affect us.
In recent years, numerous legislative, judicial and administrative changes have been made to the U.S., state, local and foreign income tax laws applicable to investments in real estate, REITs, similar entities and investments. Additional changes are likely to continue to occur in the future, both in and outside of the U.S. and may impact our taxation or that of our stockholders. Any increases in tax liability could be substantial and would reduce the amount of cash available for other purposes.
Complying with REIT requirements may limit our flexibility or cause us to forego otherwise attractive opportunities.
Our use of taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRSs”) enables us to engage in non-REIT qualifying business activities. Under the IRC, no more than 20% of the value of the assets of a REIT may be represented by securities of one or more TRSs and other non-qualifying assets. This limitation may hinder our ability to make certain attractive investments, including the purchase of non-qualifying assets, the expansion of non-real estate activities and investments in the businesses to be conducted by our TRSs, and to that extent limit our opportunities.
General Risks
Our business may be materially and adversely affected by the impact of global pandemics.
We cannot predict the extent to which global pandemics may impact our business and operating results and that of our co-investment ventures, but their impact may include the following:
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Existing customers and potential customers of our logistics facilities may be adversely affected by the decrease in economic activity, which in turn could disrupt their business and their ability to enter into new leasing transactions or satisfy rental payments;
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Government, labor or other restrictions may prevent us from completing the development or leasing of properties currently under development or making our properties ready for our customers to move in;
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Our ability to recover our investments in real estate assets may be impacted by current market conditions;
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Increases in material costs as a result of labor shortages and supply chain disruptions may make the development of properties more costly than we originally budgeted; and
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Our workforce, including our executives, may become ill or have difficulty working remotely, caring for our properties and/or customers.Any prolonged economic downturn, escalation of the outbreak or disruption in the financial markets may also impact our ability to access capital markets to issue debt or equity securities and to complete real estate transactions at attractive pricing or at all.These items may materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and real estate values.
Our business and operations could suffer in the event of system failures or cyber security attacks.
Despite system redundancy, the implementation of security measures and the existence of a disaster recovery plan for our internal and hosted information technology systems, our systems are vulnerable to damages from any number of sources, including energy blackouts, natural disasters, terrorism, war, telecommunication failures and cyber security attacks, such as malware, ransomware, or unauthorized access. Any system failure or accident that causes interruptions in our operations could result in a material disruption to our business. We may incur additional costs to remedy damages caused by such disruptions. Third-party security events at vendors, sub-processors, and service providers could also impact our data and operations via unauthorized access to information or disruption of services which may ultimately result in financial losses. Despite training, detection systems and response procedures, an increase in email attacks (phishing and business email compromise) may create disruption to our business and financial risk.Although security incidents have had an insignificant financial impact on our operating results, the growing frequency of attempts may lead to increased costs to protect the company and respond to any events, including additional personnel, consultants and protection technologies. Any compromise of our security could result in a violation of applicable privacy and other laws, unauthorized access to information of ours and others, significant legal and financial exposure, damage to our reputation, loss or misuse of the information and a loss of confidence in our security measures, which could harm our business. Additionally, remediation costs for security events may not be covered by our insurance.
Risks associated with our dependence on key personnel.
We depend on the deep industry knowledge and the efforts of our executive officers and other key employees. From time to time, our personnel and their roles may change. While we believe that we are able to retain our key talent and find suitable employees to meet our needs, the loss of key personnel, any change in their roles or the limitation of their availability could adversely affect our business. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain our executive officers, or if compensation costs required to attract and retain key employees become more expensive, our performance and competitive position could be materially adversely affected.
Our business could be adversely impacted if we have deficiencies in our disclosure controls and procedures or internal control over financial reporting.
The design and effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting may not prevent all errors, misstatements or misrepresentations. While management continually reviews the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, there can be no guarantee that our internal control over financial reporting will be effective in accomplishing all control objectives all of the time. Deficiencies, including any material weakness, in our internal control over financial reporting that may occur in the future could result in misstatements or restatements of our financial statements or a decline in the price of our securities.
We are exposed to the potential impacts of future climate change and could be required to implement new or stricter regulations, which may result in unanticipated losses that could affect our business and financial condition.
We are also exposed to potential physical risks from possible future changes in climate. Our logistics facilities and the global supply chain may be exposed to catastrophic weather events, such as severe storms, fires or floods. If the frequency of extreme weather events increases, our exposure to these events could increase. We may also be adversely impacted by transition risks, such as potential impacts to the supply chain as a real estate developer or changes in laws and regulations, such as stricter energy efficiency standards or greenhouse gas regulations for the commercial building sectors. We cannot give any assurance that other such conditions do not exist or may not arise in the future. The potential impacts of future climate change on our real estate properties could adversely affect our ability to lease, develop or sell such properties or to borrow using such properties as collateral.ITEM 1B. Unresolved Staff CommentsNone.ITEM 2. Properties
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
We predominately invest in logistics facilities. Our properties are typically used for distribution, storage, packaging, assembly and light manufacturing of consumer products. The vast majority of our operating properties are used by our customers for retail and online fulfillment and business-to-business transactions.The following tables provide details of our consolidated operating properties, investment in land and development portfolio and our O&M portfolio. The O&M portfolio includes the properties we consolidate and the properties owned by our unconsolidated co-investment ventures reflected at 100% of the amount included in the ventures’ financial statements as calculated on a GAAP basis, not our proportionate share. Included in the operating property information below for our consolidated operating properties are 498 buildings owned primarily by one co-investment venture that we consolidate but of which we own less than 100% of the equity. No individual property or market amounted to 10% or more of our consolidated total assets at December 31, 2022, or generated revenue equal to 10% or more of our consolidated total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2022, with the exception of the Southern California market. Dollars and square feet in the following tables are in millions: [Table with ~38 rows, ~135 numbers, and 3426 characters.] [Table with ~34 rows, ~131 numbers, and 3055 characters.] (1)
Certain of our consolidated properties are pledged as security under secured mortgage debt and assessment bonds. For purposes of this table, the total principal balance of a debt issuance that is secured by a pool of properties is allocated among the properties in the pool based on each property’s investment balance. In addition to the amounts reflected here, we also have $184 million of encumbrances related to two properties under development, one prestabilized property, two other real estate investments and one land parcel included in the consolidated portfolio.
(2)
No remaining market within the U.S. or country within Europe represented more than 2% of the total gross book value of the consolidated and O&M operating properties.
(3)
Included in our consolidated operating properties are properties that we consider to be held for contribution and are presented within Assets Held for Sale or Contribution in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. We include these properties in our operating portfolio as they are expected to be contributed to our co-investment ventures and remain in our O&M operating portfolio. At December 31, 2022, we had investments in real estate properties that were expected to be contributed to our unconsolidated co-investment ventures totaling $489 million and aggregating 4 million square feet. See Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data for further information on our Assets Held for Sale or Contribution.
(4)
Value-added properties are properties we have either acquired at a discount and believe we could provide greater returns post-stabilization or properties we expect to repurpose to a higher and better use.
(5)
Represents the estimated finished square feet available for lease upon completion of a building on existing parcels of land.
(6)
TEI is based on current projections and is subject to change. As noted in the table below, our current investment in the development portfolio was $4.2 billion, leaving approximately $3.3 billion of additional required investment. At December 31, 2022, based on TEI, approximately 9% of the properties in the development portfolio were completed but not yet stabilized, 72% of the properties were expected to be completed before December 31, 2023, and the remaining properties were expected to be completed before November 2024. The following table summarizes our investment in consolidated real estate properties at December 31, 2022 (in millions): [Table with ~5 rows, ~6 numbers, and 323 characters.] (1)
Included in other real estate investments were: (i) non-strategic real estate assets, primarily acquired in the Duke Transaction, that we do not intend to operate long-term; (ii) land parcels we own and lease to third parties; (iii) non-industrial real estate assets that we generally intend to redevelop into industrial properties; and (iv) costs associated with potential acquisitions and future development projects, including purchase options on land.
LEASE EXPIRATIONS
We generally lease our properties on a long-term basis (the average term for leases commenced, including new leases and renewals, in 2022 was 69 months). The following table summarizes the lease expirations of our consolidated operating portfolio for leases in place at December 31, 2022 (dollars and square feet in millions): [Table with ~13 rows, ~74 numbers, and 1215 characters.] (1)
We have signed leases that were due to expire in 2023, totaling 24 million square feet in our consolidated portfolio (3.4% of total NER). These are excluded from 2023 expirations and are reflected at their respective expiration year.
CO-INVESTMENT VENTURES
Included in our O&M portfolio are consolidated and unconsolidated co-investment ventures that hold investments in real estate properties, primarily logistics facilities, that we also manage. Our unconsolidated co-investment ventures are accounted for under the equity method. The amounts included for the unconsolidated ventures are reflected at 100% of the amount included in the ventures’ financial statements as calculated on a GAAP basis, not our proportionate share. The following table summarizes our consolidated and unconsolidated co-investment ventures at December 31, 2022 (in millions): [Table with ~21 rows, ~49 numbers, and 1931 characters.] For more information regarding our unconsolidated and consolidated co-investment ventures, see Notes 5 and 11 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.ITEM 3. Legal ProceedingsFrom time to time, we and our co-investment ventures are parties to a variety of legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. We believe that, with respect to any such matters to which we are currently a party, the ultimate disposition of any such matter will not result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial position or results of operations.ITEM 4. Mine Safety DisclosuresNot Applicable.