The data analysis reveals that about 26 million sq ft of Grade A office buildings are under various stages of construction in the city which will completed by 2020. Most of this upcoming supply is concentrated in Outer Ring Road (ORR), which is a major commercial hub in Bengaluru.
At a time when there is a mad rush to launch new projects in & around the airports across the cities of India, a developer in Bengaluru opted to go in the diametrically opposite direction. Prima facie, what appeared to be a case of finding a better or affordable land parcel in that given location of South-West Bengaluru had a strategy that very few adopt in the business of Indian real estate. The strategy to define demand through scientific research. The demand in the market was assessed with consumer psychograph study – what consumers want; what they need; where are the gaps; and how a new housing project could fill in that gap.
GCCs have become an important catalyst for change in the Indian office sector. With 1.3 mn talent as of 2019, the sector saw a 30–35% share of total office leasing in India in 2017-2019 period with over ~1250 operational GCCs. Between 2020-2022 period, GCCs accounted for 38–43% of the total leasing, housing over 1580 operating GCCs with a talent pool of 1.66 mn as of 2022. We anticipate that during 2023-2025 period, the GCCs will account for a significant 35–40% of the total office leasing. Moreover, India has been a leader in the growth of GCCs, expected to host over 1,900 GCCs by 2025 with a professional talent pool that exceeds 2 mn.
Global Capability Centres (GCCs) accounted for a share of one-third in the overall India office leasing in Jan- Mar ’24. Within the GCCs space take-up, E&M companies contributed to over one-fourth share, followed by automobile firms. Bangalore led the chart for GCC leasing, boasting a 60% share, followed by Hyderabad with 26% and Delhi-NCR with 9%. Notably, 38% of the large-sized deals (exceeding 100,000 sq. ft.) were secured by GCCs during this period, underscoring their significant impact on the office leasing landscape.
Real estate in general and its future growth in particular is defined by its demand drivers. It is relatively easier to forecast the demand drivers in the residential sector. Reason being that the economic activities indicate the migration of the workforce and hence inherent need for housing. However, to forecast the emerging economic activity, both sector wise and region wise, is more often than not guesstimate, finds Track2Realty.
Delhi-NCR has until now witnessed a similar trend, Bangalore and Hyderabad are fast catching up on this trend as well The study also indicates that tenants are moving from traditional Central Business Districts (CBDs) like Connaught Place in Delhi and Nariman Point in Mumbai to emerging alternate new business districts in Gurgaon and Bandra Kurla Complex, respectively. As a result, with rising vacancies, rentals across CBDs have been witnessing a decline.
Track2Realty rates this project as Grade A+. The project promises to be a trendsetter in Hyderabad that is expected to be the next growth driver of office space consumption in India. There are some more ambitious commercial projects coming up in the vicinity, but the developer Salarpuria Sattva will always have an edge with its first mover advantage in creating a futuristic project.
How relevant is the introduction of REITs when it comes to providing a new opportunity to get funds for the Indian real estate industry? Consider first, that India’s real estate has struggled to reduce debt, given that interest rates are among the highest in Asia. And, also consider that REITs will provide investors an opportunity to buy into India’s real estate market – these two aspects are just the basics.
What needs to be done to ensure that Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) get to be the game changer? In India, we have seen ‘pious thought’ and ‘positive thinking’ not always being supplemented by positive action on part of the ‘powers that be’; be they regulatory authorities or the taxation authorities. Challenges which need to be addressed include different rates at which stamp duties are levied, for purchase and sale of assets across various states in India. Potential exists; making it a reality is the challenge.
Track2Realty: RICS, along with 61 professional bodies from around the world, has called for setting uniform measurement standards for residential sector globally (including India) to bring clarity on measuring various aspects of property measurement such as super built up area, built up area and carpet area.