Stellantis could sell its North American headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and then lease it back as a way to raise capital to fund its electrification transition.
The automotive conglomerate has been pondering the future of its U.S. headquarters since early 2022 due to the growing number of its employees who were working from home. The 500-acre site has one of the world’s largest buildings by floor space and the sale of the site would provide Stellantis with a significant boost to its cash position. Such a move would be similar to what McLaren did in 2021, selling its headquarters for $237 million and then signing a 20-year deal to lease back the facility.
Speaking with The Detroit News, partner and director of the sale-leaseback team at commercial real estate firm Signature Associates, Luke Timmis, said the Stellantis site could sell for between $250 million and $500 million. The site is primarily used by white-collar workers but also houses engineering facilities, labs, and design studios that employ UAW-represented employees. As such, Stellantis won’t be able to sell the site unless it gets the approval of the UAW.
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While speaking about the headquarters last month, Stellantis North American chief operating officer Mark Stewart noted that there are a lot of buildings across the site that are not being used.
“It will be our North America headquarters, but like everyone in the hybrid working environment, and looking at our overall footprint across the region, and specifically in the U.S., we have a lot of the building here in Auburn Hills that we’re not utilizing today,” he said. “So, we’re looking at other use cases for that, certainly not leaving this footprint in any shape, form or fashion. But the areas we’re not using, we’re looking at some different repurposing for those.”
The headquarters spans about 5.4 million feet and a potential sale-leaseback deal could give Stellantis the ability to remain at the site in perpetuity. Additionally, it could negotiate a deal for the right of the first option to buy the property back or perhaps a one-time right to buy it back at a predetermined price.
“That’s one of the beauties of a sale-leaseback,” Newmark’s corporate capital markets group associate director Briggs Goldberg said. “It’s a blank canvas, and the seller, in most cases, gets to dictate the terms in which they are willing to continue occupying the building.”
Getting approval from the UAW to sell the site could be the most challenging part. Included in one of the contract offers made to the UAW as part of ongoing negotiations were the unilateral rights for Stellantis to sell its Auburn Hills headquarters alongside as many as 18 facilities, most of which are Mopar parts distribution centers.
