Tycoon Li Kashing firm buying malls in Malaysia

PETALING JAYA: Singapore-based ARA Asset Management Ltd, which is linked to Hong Kong tycoon Li Kashing, is in different stages of negotiation to buy between five and 10 malls throughout Malaysia.

Its CEO (ARA private funds) and director (corporate office) Ng Beng Tiong said its second Asia Dragon Fund has a fund size of US$1bil to buy Asian assets. Its first Asia Dragon Fund has a fund size of US$1.1bil. ADF is the flagship private real estate fund of ARA.

ARA Asset Management is an affiliate of Hong Kong's Cheung Kong Group, which is controlled by Li.

ARA was set up in 2002 when Li and its other founder, John Lim of Singapore, came together at a time when Cheung Kong was primarily a conglomerate focusing on buying and selling land for development. From a zero base, ARA currently has assets in Singapore, Hong Kong and China exceeding RM44bil in value.

“We don't want to set a limit but we do have a country limit. Nevertheless, that is a lot of firepower given the size of the fund,” said Ng yesterday, adding that they were at different stages of negotiations.

He was in Malaysia to launch 1 Mont'Kiara Mall (1MK), which was purchased by the Cheung Kong Group last year for about RM333mil.

This will be ARA's third property, the other two being the AEON Mall in Malacca and Summit in Subang Jaya.

Ng said they liked well-located community malls which serves the upper middle-class group, with single ownership and management.

“We like community malls because they serve a local need. In that sense, they are stable and defensive. We are also prepared to buy older malls and refurbish them,” he said.

Ng said ARA was looking for economies of scale and they had not limited themselves to just the Klang Valley. Instead, they are considering having assets throughout Malaysia as there is always the possibility of tenants following them. He said there were looking at a risk-return profile with an upper limit of an internal rate of return of about 20%.

“This is an opportunistic fund, meaning we are looking at buying assets at a higher risk, which brings with it a higher return,” Ng said.

In the case of 1MK, it was under construction when the Cheung Kong Group bought it. “We saw the potential and we liked the location. We put in a lot of hard work, brought in the tenants, did the advertising and promotion, and today it is about 60% tenanted. By the end of the year, it will be about 90% tenanted. In three to five years, this mall will be stable and we will have achieved our rate of returns.

ARA has 25 malls throughout Asia 14 in Hong Kong, four each in China and Singapore and three in Malaysia.

Its primary business includes real estate investments trusts, private funds and real estate management services.

By The Star

Prinsiptek in RM90m Bangkok project

SHAH ALAM: Prinsiptek Corp Bhd will embark on a mixed development project in Bangkok next month with a gross development value of RM90 million.

Its group managing Datuk Foo Chu Jong said the mid-range development should be completed within three to four years.

"The land for the Bangkok project is about 12.15ha and is only half an hour away from the city. It is at a very good location and is right beside a highway," he told Business Times after the company's annual general meeting, here yesterday.

Foo said the company has been constructing low-cost housing in Thailand (prior to this development) in a joint venture with the Thai government.

Prinsiptek expects to clock in double-digit growth this year from several developments and construction projects it had undertaken both locally and abroad.

Last year, the company bounced back with a net profit of RM2.27 million after recording a loss in 2009.

On local projects, Foo said Prinsiptek will embark on Vue Residences Service Suits in Jalan Pahang, Sri Gombak, Bangi in Selangor and Pahang in the coming months.

He said the company's current order book for construction stood at RM220 million while for development projects, RM489 million.

Foo added that its property projects were a mix of both leasehold and freehold developments.

Prinsiptek, he said, was in initial talks with the Sabah state government on a private finance initiative project that will enable the company to build government buildings and lease them back to the state government for the next 30 years.

Foo also said that it was looking for land to build more affordable houses under the My First Home Scheme.

"We are currently in talks to develop a leasehold housing area in Kajang under the My First Home Scheme," he added.

By Business Times

Fajarbaru JV buying 44ha site in Balik Pulau

It is understood that the JV intends to undertake medium- to high-end property development projects, which collectively boast a gross development value exceeding RM3 billion.

Kuala Lumpur: A joint venture (JV) between Fajarbaru Builder Group Bhd and Sagajuta (Sabah) Sdn Bhd is on the verge of buying 44ha of land in Balik Pulau, Penang, via a private tender, people familiar with the matter said yesterday.

At least two people with direct working knowledge of the two companies independently confirmed the JV's plan to acquire the land from a local non-government organisation in a cash deal valued at around RM200 million.

According to land brokers, land in Balik Pulau sells at between RM16 per sq ft (psf) and RM35 psf, depending on the type of land.

Among factors taken into consideration are if the land is leasehold or freehold, and whether it is agriculture, industrial, estate, orchard or housing land.

Business Times was told that an announcement by the JV on the matter will be made by as early as next month.

It is understood that the JV intends to undertake medium- to high-end property development projects, which collectively boast a gross development value exceeding RM3 billion.

Securing the project will be a critical boost for Fajarbaru, which is partly controlled by Datuk Low Keng Kok, former managing director of Road Builder (M) Holdings Bhd.

Fajarbaru is a successful medium-sized construction company, but it has been facing a margin squeeze as construction margin here is not as lucrative as before.

For the nine months ended March 31 2011, Fajarbaru posted a lower group level pre-tax profit of RM15.75 million versus a group pre-tax profit of RM19.31 million in the same period a year ago.

This is despite revenue for the period under review growing marginally to RM126.01 million from RM121.27 million before.

Analysts said construction margins are currently between 8 per cent and 12 per cent, while margins for property development vary from 18 per cent to as high as 30 per cent.

The planned township, which will take five to 10 years to develop, will comprise landed and high-rise residences, a commercial hub, mall and leisure properties, a source said.

Zerin Properties founder and chief executive officer Previn Singhe said with strong demand for landed properties in Penang Island, the project will be well-received if given the approval.

"Penang is a strong market. If you build good condominiums, people would buy. We expect sales to be very domestically-driven," he said.

Fajarbaru's partner in the JV, the privately-held Sagajuta, recently gained prominence after it emerged that the Sabah-based company had identified Robert Kuok Hock Nien's Jerneh Asia Bhd as a possible reverse takeover target.

Both companies are now in the midst of trying to finalise the deal, Jerneh Asia's filings to the stock exchange show.

One of the key driving forces of Sagajuta is its managing director Datuk Chan Boon Siew.

In Sabah, Sagajuta is famous for its 1Borneo development project, the first and largest lifestyle hypermall in the land below the wind.

By Business Times

Developer sees 10% rental yields from office tower

An artist’s impression of Khor Joo Saik Sdn Bhd’s Menara Binjai

KUALA LUMPUR: Property developer Khor Joo Saik Sdn Bhd expects to generate a rental yield of 10% within three years of operations of its Grade-A office tower, Menara Binjai.

The building, which has a gross development value of RM180mil, is strategically located along Jalan Binjai and Jalan Ampang, and will be launched in the final quarter of this year, according to director Chua Guan Hock.

“Our building is strategically located on prime (KLCC) land with a lot of amenities and a good transportation network,” he told StarBiz in an interview, adding that potential tenants would be offered a competitive rate of RM7.50 per sq ft. Khor Joo Saik Sdn Bhd owns the land where Menara Binjai is being built.

“Good thing we don't have to buy the land with heavy borrowing costs. (Because of this) we have the strength to be very competitive with the rentals,” said Chua.

Chua said he expected 75% of the offices to be taken up within the first year of operations, adding that the company was looking to attract tenants within the oil & gas, finance, services and trading sectors.

“We have had enquiries from multinational companies as well as embassies as many of them (embassies) are located nearby. We're looking at a good balance of locals and expatriates (as tenants),” he said.

Chua said another factor that made Menara Binjai appealing to potential tenants was the fact that it was a certified green office tower.

The tower has received the Green Mark Gold Certification (Provisional) by the Singapore Building and Construction Authority (BCA) as well as the provisional certification from the Malaysia's Green Building Index (GBI), making it the first dedicated office tower in the country to receive both awards.

The 35-storey Menara Binjai will have four levels of basement parking and another four levels of podium parking. The office floors, which have a net lettable area of between 12,000 sq ft and 13,000 sq ft, start from level six onwards.

“We're hoping to launch the building on Nov 11, which is a very auspicious date,” said Chua.

By The Star

MCL Land gets good response to Singapore Terrasse condo

SINGAPORE: Encouraging home sales continued over the weekend with MCL Land's Terrasse in Hougang finding buyers for more than 150 apartments.

The homes at the 414-unit project in Hougang Avenue 2, whose preview started on Saturday, were sold at an average price of S$950 per sq ft.

The 99-year leasehold project has homes ranging from 506 sq ft one-bedders to five-bedroom penthouses of about 2,210 sq ft. Ground-level garden duplexes have yet to be released.

The Straits Times understands that a one-bedder will start from S$580,000 while a five-bedroom penthouse will start from S$1.85mil.

All unit types received even interest, with 90% of the buyers locals and permanent residents. The rest were foreigners from countries including Malaysia and China.

Far East Organization also saw 30 units across its properties snapped up by home buyers last week, excluding sales at Eight Courtyards in Yishun. Its Waterfront collection in Bedok Reservoir Waterfront Isle, Waterfront Key and Waterfront Gold sold 15 units in total while The Greenwood and Suncottages sold two units each.

Woodhaven in Woodlands and Seastrand in Pasir Ris will start sales in the first and second half of next month respectively, The Straits Times understands. Online marketing material suggests Seastrand prices will start from S$850 per sq ft. Woodhaven's average price will range from S$900 to S$1,000 per sq ft. These prices do not factor in any possible early bird preview discounts.

On the public housing front, this year's first executive condo launch, Belysa in Pasir Ris, had attracted 520 e-applications as of 8:30pm on Monday. This is about 1.7 times the number of units in the 315-unit project at the junction of Pasir Ris Drive 1 and Elias Road, which experts say is a healthy figure.

Belysa illumination in Swedish will offer only three and four-bedroom apartments to cater to three-generational living. Priced at an average of S$670 per sq ft, the indicative price of an 829 sq ft three-bedder starts from S$574,000 while a 1,335 sq ft four-bedder starts from S$882,000. Sales bookings for units will start tomorrow.

Experts said buying interest was still healthy for projects that were reasonably priced and in a good location.

PropNex chief executive Mohamed Ismail said buyers had begun to accept that prices especially in mature estates, even in suburban areas could be about S$1,000 per sq ft.

By Straits Times