Douglas Elliman to File for Spinoff IPO

NEW YORK—Vector Group Ltd. announced on Nov. 8 that residential brokerage firm Douglas Elliman Inc. plans to file a Form 10 registration statement with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with its intended spin-off into a standalone, publicly traded company. The planned spinoff and IPO could take place as early as the fourth quarter of this year.

Douglas Elliman is one of the largest residential brokerage companies in the New York metropolitan area, which includes New York City, Long Island, Westchester and the Hamptons, and the sixth largest in the U.S. Since 2013, Douglas Elliman has expanded throughout Florida; California; Aspen and Snowmass, Colorado; Houston, Dallas and Austin, Texas; and Massachusetts, including Boston, Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. Vector Group is a holding company for Liggett Group LLC, Vector Tobacco Inc., New Valley LLC and Douglas Elliman Realty, LLC.

As a standalone, publicly-traded company, Douglas Elliman will pursue profitable growth opportunities through the expansion of its footprint, adoption of cutting-edge property technology and investments in PropTech companies through New Valley Ventures LLC, continued recruitment of best-in-class talent, acquisitions, acqui-hires and operational efficiencies. Douglas Elliman will employ a disciplined capital allocation strategy aimed at generating sustainable long-term stockholder value.

“The filing of the Form 10 registration statement is an important milestone in our plan to create two independent publicly traded companies,” said Howard M. Lorber, President & Chief Executive Officer of Vector Group and Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer of Douglas Elliman Inc. “With a leading luxury brand and a comprehensive suite of technology-enabled services and investments, Douglas Elliman is well positioned to capitalize on opportunities in the large and growing U.S. residential real estate market. Following the spin-off, Vector Group’s separate tobacco and real estate businesses will be better positioned to execute their strategic plans to drive each company’s long-term success and unlock value for stockholders.”

“Today’s announcement reflects our confidence in the exciting prospects of Douglas Elliman as an industry-leading brand name differentiated by its utilization of and investment in a portfolio of innovative technology services and a best-in-class team of employees and agents,” said Scott Durkin, Chief Executive Officer of Douglas Elliman Realty, LLC. “As we move forward on this path to establish Douglas Elliman as a standalone public company, our experienced management team remains committed to optimizing our existing portfolio of solutions, expanding our market footprint and making strategic investments in early-stage, disruptive PropTech companies that keep us and our agents on the cutting edge of the industry.”

Completion of the transaction is subject to various conditions, including final approval by the Board of Directors of Vector Group, receipt of a tax opinion from counsel and the effectiveness of the Form 10 registration statement. If all conditions are met, the spin-off is on track for completion late in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Douglas Elliman will register its common stock under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and has applied to list its common stock on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the symbol “DOUG.” Following the spin-off, Vector Group will continue to trade on the NYSE under the symbol “VGR.”