India’s commercial office segment has been the favourite asset class of institutional investors over the years. They have allocated USD 17.6 bn in the form of direct investments during 2005-2019. JLL research indicates that 294 mn sq. ft. of office stock would be eligible for REIT. This would translate to an additional investment opportunity of USD 35 bn in near term.
CapitaLand’s developments underway in India include 17.9 million sq ft of business park space in Bangalore, Chennai, Gurgaon, Hyderabad and Pune when completed. Another 7.2 million sq ft through forward purchases have been signed up and are under construction. This includes IT parks in Mumbai and Hyderabad, a seventh warehouse at Arshiya Free Trade Warehousing Zone, Panvel, near Navi Mumbai, and BlueRidge 3, an IT/ITES Special Economic Zone development in Hinjewadi Phase 1 in Pune. CapitaLand is also building up a logistics asset portfolio in India with 4.3 million sq ft planned for development.
Bengaluru maintains the top position in office space leasing, with a share of 30% in gross leasing during Jan-September 2019. Bengaluru recorded gross absorption of 12.1 million sq feet during Jan-September 2019, a 7% increase from same period last year, as occupiers continue to ramp up. IT-BPM and technology companies together accounted for 36%. Engineering and manufacturing sector’s leasing accounted for 18% share. Occupiers are preleasing space, and even taking up space in refurbished grade B buildings, due to tight vacancies in the market amidst healthy demand. The city’s vacancy stood at 8.8% at the end of Q3 2019.
The success of the Embassy Parks REIT has given global investors strong reason to increase their stake in multiple commercial assets across the country so that these could be listed under REITs in the future. Some of these global institutional investors who are eyeing the country’s real estate market via REITs include Japan’s NikkoAm StraitsTrading Asia, US’ North Carolina Fund, Taiwan’s Eastspring Investments, Malaysia’s Hwang Asia Pacific REITs and Infrastructure Fund, and Canada-based Sentry Global.
Colliers International foresees robust demand from GICs, with leasing by GICs across six major cities in India to be in the range of 32.5 million sq ft between 2019 and 2021. Over 2014-2018, occupiers leased about 53.0 million sq ft of office space in multi-tenanted buildings for their GICs. Bengaluru led the demand with about 20.1 million sq ft, followed by Delhi NCR and Hyderabad. Further, we found that companies from the engineering, energy and manufacturing sectors favoured Bengaluru, which accounted for 32% of GIC demand between 2014-2018.
Even as India’s middle-class grapples with the prospect of an uncertain future in their careers and financial ability – the main drivers of housing demand – the rise of India’s super-rich continues unabated. According to Credit Suisse report, there were an estimated 3.42 lakh dollar-millionaires in India as on mid-2018 who collectively held around USD 6 trillion. It is forecast that 5.26 lakh Indian dollar millionaires’ wealth will be around USD 8.8 trillion by 2023. Market fluctuations make very little difference to the personal networth of these individuals.
Furniture players are also experimenting with design and interior modelling of homes. Through an online presence and an influencer network, players are investing in this side of the business. As a result, furniture players are not just your simple sofa sellers, they are much more! They now offer new-age designs, suggest home improvement tips by way of customization and site visits by their own ‘design officers’. These specialized services win over the traditional furniture store operators in terms of post-sales services delivery and customer satisfaction.
Based on the concept of contemporary design led by Singaporean architecture, ‘Singa – Pune’ is a 21 acre township located at Dhanori, Pune with over 1000 apartments in phase 1. With internationally designed landscape across the project and 51 world-class amenities, the project will truly transcend the engineering and aesthetics of Singapore architecture to the city of Pune. The apartments are priced starting at 13L for Studio Apartments, 22L for 1 BHKs and 30L for 2 BHKs. The project will be completed in three phases and will progress across a span of 60 months.
The amenities at Whizdom Club include Whiz Café, which offers comfort food, caffeine and a protein fix to members and non-members alike. This vibrant cafe is the perfect place to work as well as unwind. Whiz Kid is a play zone, with a recreation lounge and monkey bars. The Club also has Whiz Around, which offers state-of-the-art technology and facilities such as a digital flipboard and portable furniture. Whiz Den is the Guru Zone where incubation partners and experts from the startup ecosystem can ideate and exchange experiences.
Embassy Group will target students from colleges and working professionals employed with multinational companies in organized Grade A Business parks across major cities namely Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, Delhi NCR, Mumbai, and Chennai. The official brand launch is planned by the end of 2019 with a flagship project in Bangalore, followed by Pune.