John Kite

Chairman of the Board of Trustees & Chief Executive Officer, Kite Realty

Search every verified John Kite interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. John Kite, chairman and CEO of Kite Realty Group Trust, said at the Nareit REITweek: 2026 Investor Conference that the company has spent the past two years repositioning its portfolio. He stated that Kite Realty sold approximately $600 million of lower-growth assets and repurchased $400 million of its own stock, with the goal of reallocating capital toward higher-quality properties. Kite noted that the company's embedded rent growth increased from 156 basis points to 182 basis points as a result of these actions. Kite said the company is prioritizing re-tenanting and redevelopment within its existing portfolio, which he described as offering higher risk-adjusted returns than ground-up development, while remaining interested in projects such as the One Loudoun development in Virginia. He stated that the company is leaning into necessity-based retail and lifestyle mixed-use centers, moving away from larger format centers, and that more than two-thirds of its revenue remains in the Southeast. Kite also said that the public market is undervaluing necessity-based retail real estate, while the private market has recognized its value through investment from sovereign wealth funds and pension funds.