Track2Realty: In a continuation of the company’s global growth plan, Cushman & Wakefield has entered into an agreement to acquire Singapore-based project management specialist company Project Solution Group (PSG).
Track2Realty Exclusive: Commerce Ministry data fails to give a comprehensive picture where many grandiose plans have failed to tap the potential that actually existed. Several SEZ projects and the expansion plans, like the SEZs at Navi Mumbai, Jhajjar in Haryana, Adani’s Mundra, DLF’s Cyber City in Gurgaon, Mahindra World City in Chennai, K Raheja Universal and Flagship Infrastructure in Maharashtra are facing difficulties. The SEZs cumulatively have been losing ground over the past couple of years.
Track2Realty-Agencies: Indian retailers feel that the clarification by DIPP on FDI in multi-brand segment, which among others require mandatory fresh investment in back-end infrastructure, will create hurdles and neither encourage foreign players nor domestic firms.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Cause of the dissatisfied home buyers may be legitimate, ways to get means may not be. Home buyers overt activism, often to the extent of blackmailing the builders, taking to the streets and media trial before even the case is filed in the court has not gone down well with the system. So much so that even Competition Commission of India (CCI) has become careful in its order to investigate the frivolous complaints against the developers.
Track2Realty: Cushman & Wakefield has expanded its Greater China operations into Taiwan by opening its first office in Taipei. It has appointed Jack Lin as the Managing Director of Taipei office. Prior to joining Cushman & Wakefield, Jack was the Managing Director of Taiwan Sotheby’s International Realty where he set up the luxury residential brokerage business. Together with Jack, Steven Chen was also appointed as the Director of Agency. Steven has more than 16 years’ experience in the real estate industry and was previously at Savills.
Track2Realty Exclusive: In India redevelopment is a huge market, where a developer has to work with cooperative housing societies. In Mumbai the process has already started due to additional FSI granted with the new development rules. The new DCR has made it easy for developers to negotiate with the societies because now they know what areas are sanctioned and there are no free areas.
Track2Realty: Constellation Capital Ltd and S.A. Finvest Ltd, the promoters of realty firm Omaxe Limited, have fixed the floor price for its offer-for-sale (OFS) at Rs. 148 a share.
Track2Realty Exclusive: The debate of promoter versus professional driven realty companies gained momentum in the year 2012 because high attrition at the top level of realty sector has been in the news throughout the year. The Managing Directors of Indiabulls Real Estate and Peninsula Land quit in the month of October. So did the real estate heads of two property funds, Indiareit and Everstone Capital. Most of them either moved to other realty companies, starting their own ventures or shifting streams to join consultancies.
Track2Realty Exclusive: There is a school of thought within the sector which suggests the nature of the business is more suitable to be carried smoothly as promoter-driven. Though officially no one wanted to be quoted but some of the developers admitted to Track2Realty that the nature of real estate business demands more grounded entrepreneurs and not high flying professionals for whom more money in the sector is the only traction for job hopping.
Track2Realty Exclusive: If CCI verdict against DLF is upheld, it will amount to all developers in danger of coming under the jurisdiction of the competition commission. Would the slew of builders across the country very much be amenable to this kind of interpretation?