Track2Realty: New Delhi witnessed the entry of 13 prominent global retailers in 2012 as compared to 27 in Singapore and 51 in Hong Kong, according to CBRE’s new Retail Hotspots in Asia Pacific report. Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore top the list of cities for new retailer entries across Asia Pacific.
Track2Realty: Tata Housing has made it to the Limca Book of Records 2013 for ‘Mumbai Wallbook’, the lengthiest wall painting activity held in Mumbai on May 20th, 2012. This first of its kind initiative on the theme ‘Design Your Dream City’ witnessed 556 artists coming together, on one platform, to design their dream for the city. Over 15,000 likes and conversations were generated on Tata Housing’s Facebook page a week prior to the event, and other social media platforms successfully engaged enthusiasts that ensured high footfalls at the venue.
Track2Realty Exclusive: While the real estate fraternity, legal experts and others had strongly questioned the basis of the CCI order and the enormous penalty of Rs 630-crore levied on the real estate major, the sector itself eventually approached the CCI through its industry associations against the cement cartel. Acting on the sector representatives’ complaints, the CCI imposed a penalty of Rs. 6, 307 crore on 11 cement companies for cartelisation.
Track2Realty: The real estate sector in West Bengal would be hurt if a proposed tax on property sales is introduced in the Finance Bill 2013, the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India’s (CREDAI) Bengal chapter said on Wednesday, May 8.
Track2Realty: West Indian cricketer Chris Gayle was on Wednesday, May 8, named brand ambassador of Patna-based real estate company, Agrani Homes.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Asking for industry status, the sector doesn’t want elements of accountability that comes with the package. Quite opposed to the very idea of regulation, even after self-regulatory attempts didn’t work out, realty doesn’t evoke confidence at the policy level and often ends up being at loggerheads with the government. Track2Realty finds that though policy advocacy is very much desirable in the sector, it is yet so debatable that the stakeholders have failed to evolve a consensus over its issues and agenda.
Track2Realty Exclusive: Consumer rights advocate Lakhendra Singh is even more forthright when he says if CCI has to establish its credibility in the collective conscience; it must make its economic analysis more scientific and full-proof. There can’t be different parameters of defining relevant geographic market and product category for different real estate companies. According to him, CCI instead of being seen as an anti-monopoly watchdog and inspiring confidence has, of late, been in the news for consumer activism.
The Indian realty sector is facing an acute scarcity of labour as on today. The fast emerging problem will soon drive the realty sector to take to large scale mechanization and what is often referred to as project management. The propensity can be clearly understood based on the premise that the shortage of labour is projected to rise to about 65% mark by the next decade.
Track2Realty: Though the opening of the Indian retail sector to foreign direct investments may have brought cheers to the commercial real estate sector in the country, it is expected that the supply of distressed properties within the commercial segment will increase during the second quarter of 2013, according to the RICS India Commercial Property Survey Q1 2013.
Track2Realty Exclusive: When the Competition Commission of India (CCI) alleged that DLF misused its dominant market position and imposed unfair conditions on home-buyers at two of its many projects, the real estate fraternity, legal experts and others strongly questioned the basis of the CCI order and the enormous penalty of Rs 630 crore levied on the real estate major. However, within a year the real estate sector itself approached the CCI through its associations against the cement cartel, and got them nailed as well. Consumers too are approaching repeatedly the anti-monopoly body. Track2Realty wonders whether the CCI has become the new regulator in the sector by default.