The second quarter of 2024 witnessed institutional investments of USD 3.1 Bn, registering a sharp increase of 96% over the same quarter a year ago and 464% over the previous quarter. As the world economy is stabilizing amid geopolitical challenges, investors actively participated, resulting in the highest institutional investments in a quarter post the pandemic.
The report also highlights that Bengaluru has cemented its status as the leader for global capability centres (GCCs), commanding a 41% share in India’s GCC leasing market (from 2022 to Jun’24). Bengaluru’s GCC growth is driven by a combination of factors, including a skilled talent pool, premium Grade-A assets, and a well-developed IT ecosystem. The city’s ease of doing business also contributes significantly, making it an attractive destination for GCCs. Additionally, the scope of scalability in both assets and talent resources further reinforces Bengaluru’s position as a leading commercial hub.
The land parcel at Hebbagodi is strategically located near Electronics City and is well-connected to other parts of the city, making it an attractive location for residential developments. The area is a desirable location for IT professionals working in Electronics City. The area has a well-developed social infrastructure, with major hospitals, international schools and retail, and the IT hub of Electronics City Phase 1 and Phase 2, located within a 5-km radius.
Owing to rapid industrial growth and the emergence of one of the fastest growing real estate segments in the country, India’s warehousing sector is set to cross the 300 million square feet (MSF) mark by 2025, according to a report jointly launched by CREDAI and CRE Matrix. Currently, the overall Grade A warehousing stock stands at 216.2 MSF. In Q1 CY ’24, India witnessed a 5% increase in rentals – reflecting how India’s warehousing demand continues to surpass supply – with the absorption to supply ratio standing at 1.4 in the quarter.
North Bengaluru has emerged as a real estate hotspot in recent years due to the presence of the Kempegowda International Airport, major corporate offices, a host of recreational options, and the arrival of the next phase of Namma Metro in the near future. An integral part of North Bengaluru is the 3,000-acre KIADB Hardware & IT Park which is home to many Aerospace and IT campuses surrounded by well-planned infrastructure, ample green parks and open spaces, retail spaces, and more. Since this area has been witnessing increased interest from homebuyers over the last few years, a high-end residential project like Assetz Sora & Saki aims to cater to the discerning tastes of the new-age home buyers.
hBits, a fractional ownership platform, has marked its entry in the second largest city of Maharashtra with the acquisition of the 44,328 square feet campus – CyberCity Magarpatta. A city within a city, the campus houses a commercial zone, a shopping mall, multiple restaurants, two schools, residential neighborhoods, a gymkhana as well as a large 25-acre serene park. Through this asset, hBits aims to create an investment opportunity worth INR 55 crore, thus democratizing access to Grade A commercial real estate for investors.
Third-party logistics players (3PL) continued to be the top occupiers of industrial and warehousing space, contributing to over 40% in the total warehousing demand. 3PL space uptake was driven by healthy activity in Chennai particularly. The city accounted for about 43% of the overall 3PL activity in the top five cities. Interestingly, at the Pan-India level, retail players accounted for 16% of the demand during the quarter, followed by engineering and automobile players with 12% share each.
The Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has introduced amendments to the REIT Regulations 2014, which outlines provisions for the formation of Small and Medium Real Estate Investment Trusts (SM REITs). With this the built environment of the Indian real estate has gone euphoric with the underlying promise to witness windfall into fractional ownership. It is perceived to be more lucrative than the existing REITs since the SM REITs encompasses both commercial and residential properties under the guidelines. A Track2Realty report.
The overall leasing by luxury brands across the formats stood at 0.6 mn. sq. ft. in 2023, at almost 170% Y-o-Y growth. While High Streets constituted a 45% share in the overall luxury retail leasing in 2023, luxury brands’ stores in Malls followed at 40% and standalone stores accounted for the remaining 15%. This surge in leasing has been accompanied by the entry and expansion of various international luxury fashion, watch and jewellery brands across different locations. The eight cities tracked for leasing include Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai, and Hyderabad.
Fractional Ownership is an evolving concept, on the lines of REIT but very different from REIT. Unlike REIT, which is a listed entity owning income producing real estate, Fractional Ownership is coming together of investors to pool their funds and jointly purchase real estate. Though in its very essence, the idea is to rent it out and earn the equitable rentals, many ‘office for a limited purpose’ investors are also getting into Fractional Ownership for convenience. A Track2Realty analysis.