AI & Robotics companies accounted for 21% of Bengaluru’s absorption in Q2 2024, as per Vestian’s quarterly office market report, The Connect Q2 2024. Rapid global advancement of artificial intelligence, combined with a supportive ecosystem, has significantly driven the demand for office space in the city. Overall, IT-ITeS sector, including AI & Robotics, accounted for 69% of the city’s absorption in Q2 2024.
India continues to experience positive retail growth, attracting foreign retailers to establish a presence in key locations. Charles Tyrwhitt, a men’s luxury fashion brand from the United Kingdom, opened its first store in Ahmedabad. Additionally, Maison Margiela, a French luxury fashion brand, and Franck Provost, a French beauty and wellness brand, entered the Indian market by opening their first stores in Mumbai and Bengaluru, respectively. Other noteworthy expansions include the opening of stores by international brands, such as the Swiss luxury watch brand Breitling and the American luxury fashion brand Michael Kors in Chennai and Pune, respectively. In addition, the Japanese homeware brand Daiso Japan and the skincare and cosmetics brand ILEM Japan also opened stores in Chennai.
The Indian real estate sector is poised for robust growth in FY25, driven by the country’s strong economic performance and rising demand across residential, commercial, and industrial segments. The IMF has revised India’s GDP forecast to 7% from 6.8% for FY25. Increased urbanization, infrastructure development, and favourable government policies are boosting homebuyers confidence. The residential sector is witnessing a continued surge in demand. Overall inventory overhang has reduced from 3.7 years (2017) to 1.3 years (Q1 CY 2024). Puravankara is expected to experience sustained growth, in line with the sector, supported by a conducive economic environment and evolving consumer preferences.
While 3PL players continued to dominate the demand with about 36% share, space uptake by players from engineering, FMCG and electronics segments was significant with 12-16% share each. Interestingly, both engineering and electronics segments witnessed over 1.7X times leasing activity in H1 2024, compared to the corresponding six-month period of 2023. Going ahead, driven by conducive industry-specific policies and an enabling regulatory framework, diverse segments are likely to propel the industrial and warehousing space demand in India.
As the Finance Minister Ms Nirmala Sitharaman announced to lower the LTCG (Long Term Capital Gains) from 20% to 12.5%, the stock market took a hit. The analysts across the financial spectrum immediately swung into analysis that the LTCG hike would adversely affect the stock market in the short term but big pocket investors won’t be affected as much as presumed. A section of financial wizards who understand the nuances of personal finance across the asset classes had even bigger a worry – Real Estate. Prima facie what looked like the LTCG being lowered from 20% to now at 12.5%, has in fact hurt the property market the most. Reason: the indexation benefit under Section 48 that is presently available for property, gold, and other unlisted assets have been now proposed to be removed.
Grade A office buildings with a built-up area of less than 5 lakh sq ft account for 47% of the total number of green-certified buildings. On the other hand, office buildings with a built-up area of more than 10 lakh sq ft account for only 19% of the total number of green-certified buildings. Despite this, 90% of the total projects within this category still qualify as green buildings, showcasing a strong focus on sustainability. Notably, green certification is rare in office buildings with a built-up area of less than 1 lakh sq ft. This signifies lower preference for sustainability practices amongst small and medium-scale developers and occupiers.
The surge in demand for luxury housing has been primarily driven by a growing preference by affluent buyers seeking enhanced amenities and more spacious living areas that complement their multifaceted lifestyle. Additionally, the aspirational class has been on an upward trend, significantly driving luxury sales. Furthermore, the rise in NRI and astute investors in the Indian real estate market has considerably contributed to the heightened demand for luxury properties.
ASK Property Fund, the real estate private equity arm of Blackstone backed ASK Asset & Wealth Management Group, has announced the successful investment of INR 190 crore in a project being developed by Kalpataru. The project is an upper mid-segment project, located in Borivali West, comprising 310 units and is spread across 6 acres with a total saleable area of about 6.5 lakh square feet.
South India’s data centre market is on an impressive growth trajectory, with major cities like Chennai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad at the forefront. This surge is supported by substantial government incentives, strategic infrastructure investments, and a rising demand for digital services. The region is poised to play a crucial role in the global data centre landscape, with capacity projected to grow 65% by 2030.
INR 3,500+ crore highest-ever recorded sales value in secondary/resale market in Mumbai with growth rate of 37% in H1 CY’24 compared to H1 CY’23. The top luxury micro-markets in Mumbai—Goregaon East, Worli, Mahalakshmi, Prabhadevi, Mumbai Central, Malabar Hill, Bandra West, Lower Parel, Tardeo, Byculla—have contributed to 80% of primary luxury sales by value in H1 CY’24. More than half of homebuyers in the more than INR 10 Crore luxury market belong to the 35-55 age category.