DAILY NEWS

Daily News – 8th January 2019

Singapore Real Estate

HighPoint jostles for District 9 en bloc deal
Prime freehold site HighPoint has been launched for collective sale for S$550 million, joining other District 9 developments jockeying for sale. The property, which was completed in 1974, sits on a cul-de-sac plot of approximately 47,606 sq ft on Mount Elizabeth Road. In the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Masterplan 2014, the site is zoned as “residential” with a height control of up to 36 storeys.
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/real-estate/highpoint-jostles-for-district-9-en-bloc-deal
https://www.straitstimes.com/business/property/550m-guide-price-for-highpoint-collective-sale
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/prime-freehold-site-highpoint-near-orchard-road-goes-on-sale-for-11094208

Realty Centre going for S$165m in year’s first commercial en bloc
Realty Centre, an office building located at 15 Enggor Street within the Central Business District, has been put up for collective sale with a reserve price of S$165 million, marketing agent Cushman & Wakefield said on Monday. The freehold site, which has a land area of 1,021.9 square metres or approximately 11,000 sq feet, is zoned for commercial use under the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s 2014 Master Plan.
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/real-estate/realty-centre-going-for-s165m-in-years-first-commercial-en-bloc
https://www.straitstimes.com/business/property/realty-centre-seeking-165m-in-commercial-en-bloc-sale-market

Singapore Economy

Singapore market activity may pick up with both listings and delistings
Privatisation activity may pick up this year as a result of attractive valuations after last year’s sell-down and as businesses consolidate. Initial public offerings (IPOs) may also improve as deals delayed from last year due to market uncertainties kick back into gear in 2019. Delisting volume far outweighed the new market capitalisation added to the bourse last year, according to data from Maybank Kim Eng. About US$17 billion exited the exchange, no doubt skewed by Global Logistic Properties’ exit, which is still considered the largest private equity buyout of an Asian company.
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/singapore-market-activity-may-pick-up-with-both-listings-and-delistings

Companies’ Brief

CapitaLand JV buys 70% stake in Shanghai building for 2.75b yuan
CapitaLand has teamed up with an unrelated third party to acquire a prime office building in Shanghai as a seed asset for a value-add fund which it is setting up “to invest in commercial real estate in key gateway cities in Asia”. The acquisition will immediately contribute to the group’s recurring income, said CapitaLand on Monday.
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/capitaland-jv-buys-70-stake-in-shanghai-building-for-275b-yuan
https://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/capitaland-in-joint-venture-to-buy-stake-in-shanghai-tower

PropNex to expand Toa Payoh HQ
PropNex Realty, the largest real estate agency here, is expanding its Toa Payoh HDB Hub headquarters by one floor, or roughly another 12,800 sq ft. It’s the latest move by the industry’s big boys to invest in facilities to keep up with rising ranks as well as make themselves more attractive to agents.
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/real-estate/propnex-to-expand-toa-payoh-hq

ESR, AXA IM and sovereign fund forms joint venture; buys 6 logistics properties in Japan for US$1b
Asia-Pacific logistics real estate platform ESR, AXA Investment Managers – Real Assets (AXA IM), and a major sovereign wealth fund have entered into a joint venture, and have acquired for US$1 billion six logistics properties in Japan completed by ESR. In a media statement issued on Tuesday, ESR, AXA IM and the unnamed sovereign wealth fund announced the tripartite joint venture. Its maiden acquisition is a set of six logistics properties built by ESR three years ago or less and located in prime locations in Tokyo and Osaka.
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/real-estate/esr-axa-im-and-sovereign-fund-forms-joint-venture-buys-6-logistics-properties-in-japan
https://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/esr-axa-im-and-sovereign-fund-in-tie-up-for-logistics-assets-in-japan

Views, Reviews, Forum & Others

Property experts ask: Will there be enough riders to justify having MRT station at Founders’ Memorial?
Some property analysts have expressed surprise at the addition of a new train station along the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) to cater to visitors of the future Founders’ Memorial, given the lack of developments around the area.
https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/property-experts-ask-will-there-be-enough-riders-justify-having-mrt-station-founders