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Tag: CapitaLand Mall Trust

  • CapitaLand Mall Trust’s 2018 Full-Year Earnings: Steady Growth in Distribution Per Unit

    CapitaLand Mall Trust’s 2018 Full-Year Earnings: Steady Growth in Distribution Per Unit

    CapitaLand Mall Trust (CMT) has achieved a distributable income of S$108.1 million for the December quarter, up 5.1 per cent on the same period a year earlier. CMT’s manager, CapitaLand Mall Trust Management (CMTML), says full-year distributable income reach S$410.7 million, up 3.8 per cent year on year. CMTML chairman Richard R Magnus said the results were achieved through “proactive asset and capital management” and reflect the quality of CMT’s portfolio, underpinned by attractive locations and diverse tenant mix.

    “Cognisant of the challenges ahead – which include slowdowns in the global and Singapore economies, uncertainty in the interest rate environment and competition from the completion of new shopping malls – we remain vigilant and will continually explore new ways to differentiate our malls from the competition and increase customer engagement.”

    CMTML CEO Tony Tan said the portfolio was rejuvenated last year by through the sale of Sembawang Shopping Centre and redeploying the proceeds into acquiring the remaining interest in Westgate – a higher-yielding quality asset.

    “During the fourth quarter, we completed the asset enhancement initiatives at Tampines Mall and Westgate, which are targeted at expanding their retail offerings and improving comfort and accessibility for visitors. In the same quarter, Plaza Singapura welcomed NomadX,

    CapitaLand’s first multi-label concept store featuring digital sensors, ePayment systems and unmanned store technology. By immersing our physical retail space with digital technology, we are empowering our tenants to strengthen interactions with a new set of customers while getting to know our shoppers better,” said Tan.

    “Through continual efforts to refresh CMT’s tenant mix and elevate the shopping experience, we ended the year with a high portfolio occupancy of 99.2 per cent.”

    Tan said the Funan redevelopment continues its leasing momentum and is on track to open in the second quarter of this year.

    “Including leases under active negotiations, the leasing for Funan has reached more than 80 per cent.”

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  • Calm water for Singapore’s CapitaLand Mall Trust quarter

    Calm water for Singapore’s CapitaLand Mall Trust quarter

    CapitaLand Mall Trust Management (CMTML), the manager of CapitaLand Mall Trust (CMT), says CMT has achieved a distributable income of S$103.5 million (US$75 million) for the quarter to September 30. That marks an increase of 4.9 per cent over the $98.7 million for the same period last year.

    Year to date, distributable income was $302.5 million, an increase of 3.3 per cent.

    CMTML CEO Tony Tan says the portfolio continued to deliver stable returns during the quarter, despite uncertain market conditions. Occupancy was 98.5 per cent, “well above the market occupancy level of 92.7 per cent”, he said.

    Asset enhancement initiatives to uplift the customer experience at Tampines Mall and Westgate are on track to complete in the fourth quarter of this year.

    During the third quarter, CMT’s gross revenue and net property income rose by 0.7 per cent and 1.1 per cent respectively year-on-year. Gross revenue was higher from Junction 8, IMM Building, Plaza Singapura, Bedok Mall and Tampines Mall, partially offset by lower gross revenue from Sembawang Shopping Centre, which was sold in June, and lower occupancy and rental rates contracted on new and renewed leases from JCube and Bukit Panjang Plaza.

  • CapitaLand partners WeWork to cocreate office of the future at Funan integrated development

    CapitaLand partners WeWork to cocreate office of the future at Funan integrated development

    Funan, one of the most highly anticipated developments in Singapore opening in 4Q 2019, has signed its first office tenant. CapitaLand Mall Trust Management Limited (CMTML), the manager of CapitaLand Mall Trust which owns Funan, today announced that coworking space behemoth WeWork has leased 40,000 square feet (sq ft) of space in Funan. WeWork’s space will be located across two floors of Funan’s North Office Block – namely Level 4, which is the prime connector space linking the office blocks with Funan’s retail component, and Level 5.

    Mr Tony Tan, CEO of CMTML, said: “We envision Funan as an aspirational and experiential space that fosters collaboration among complementary partners, sparking inspiration and discovery for consumers. We are thus delighted to partner WeWork, one of the world’s leading innovators in shared office space, to cocreate an office of the future at Funan. Both Funan and WeWork share the same ethos of breaking new ground and building a community of like-minded individuals driven by passion to make a difference. WeWork’s coworking space will leverage Funan’s central location and harness its live-work-play paradigm to create a world-class collaborative workspace that fosters connections and nurtures ideas. It will cater to the new generation of professionals who yearn to work in a collaborative environment that gets them inspired, and unwind in a convenient location where they can shop, play sports, be entertained and enjoy a whole host of lifestyle activities under one roof.”

    Mr Tan added: “As a new-built space, WeWork’s facility at Funan offers plenty of scope and flexibility to implement purpose-built infrastructure and services for WeWork’s members. As a start, Funan will boast a smart office with facial recognition turnstiles and optional card-less entry into the office. WeWork community members will also have full access to the suite of innovations made available at Funan, including video-based smart carparking facilities, a 24-hour drive-through click-and-collect, 100% hands-free shopping service using robotics and app-based booking of all the facilities within the development.”

    Funan is located right in the heart of the Civic & Cultural District with excellent connectivity, including a direct underpass linking to City Hall MRT interchange station. As a new paradigm for live, work and play in Singapore’s city centre, Funan offers a synergistic combination of retail, office and serviced residence components that is designed to appeal to savvy consumers pursuing quality of life in a socially-conscious and creative environment. The Funan integrated development comprises a 500,000 sq ft mall of the future serving as a platform to inspire retail innovation; two Grade A office blocks that meet the needs of a variety of business, including established MNCs and coworking spaces for the mobile workforce; as well as The Ascott Limited’s lyf brand of co-living serviced residence designed for millennials.

    With community, connectivity and convenience at its core, Funan caters to the new breed of consumers who favour a collaborative environment and authentic experiences that reflect their passions and tastes. In support of the global car-lite movement, Funan is set to become Singapore’s first commercial building to allow cycling through the building with a dedicated indoor cycling path, complete with end-of-trip facilities for cycling enthusiasts, including bike shops, bike cafés, lockers and shower facilities. Funan will also boast the largest area set aside for urban agriculture in the CBD with a 5,300 sq ft urban farm and 6,900 sq ft edible yard, where the public can learn more about the origins of their food and “adopt a plot” to grow their own produce.

    Amenities available in Funan include a Golden Village cineplex, a best-in-class gym, futsal court, swimming pool and a 55-lane rock-climbing facility. Theatre goers will also delight in the performances programmed by Singapore’s leading professional theatre company W!ld Rice, which operates the dedicated 380-seat theatre in Funan.

  • A Battle of 2 of Singapore’s Largest Real Estate Investment Trusts

    A Battle of 2 of Singapore’s Largest Real Estate Investment Trusts

    Singapore’s stock market is gaining popularity as a centre for real estate investment trusts.

    The first REIT here appeared some time back in 2002. But even in recent years, Singapore has seen the listing of some huge billion-dollar REITs such as Frasers Logistics and Industrial Trust.

    In this piece, I want to take a look at two of the largest REITs listed here in Singapore and compare them. Meet the contenders, CapitaLand Mall Trust and Ascendas Real Estate Investment Trust.

    Asset class

    The most obvious difference between the two REITs is their area of focus. CapitaLand Mall Trust, as its name suggests, focuses on retail properties (it dabbles a little in some commercial assets as well).

    Ascendas REIT on the other hand, deals with industrial properties such as business & science parks, factories, data centres and more.

    Going international

    Another area of divergence between the two is their geographical focus.

    Ascendas REIT has invested in overseas properties over the years and now has assets in China and Australia. It seems the trust would continue to pursue international investments going forward. Today, Australia and China contribute roughly 11% and 2%, respectively, to the REIT’s overall portfolio value. The rest comes from Singapore.

    CapitaLand Mall Trust, on the other hand, only owns properties in Singapore. That said, it also has a 14.55% stake in CapitaLand Retail China Trust, which invests in retail properties in the Greater China region.

    Both CapitaLand Mall Trust and CapitaLand Retail China Trust are sponsored by the local real estate giant CapitaLand Limited.

    CapitaLand has stakes in other REITs and even private property funds that invest outside Singapore. This means that CapitaLand Mall Trust would most likely not invest directly in international markets since its sponsor would be heading any overseas venture.

    A long history

    Now, CapitaLand Mall Trust and Ascendas REIT do have things in common.

    They mostly have assets located in Singapore; they have market capitalisations of around S$7.0 billion each; and they both were listed in 2002 and so have long histories of growth as a listed REIT.

    Since their IPOs, CapitaLand Mall Trust and Ascendas REIT have generated total returns (where gains from reinvested dividends are factored in) of more than 420% and 554%, respectively.

    Summary

    Both Ascendas REIT and CapitaLand Mall Trust have proven themselves in the market by providing strong returns for their unitholders. But, the two trusts have significant differences related to their asset classes and growth strategies. This thus results in different risk profiles and that’s something investors would have to keep in mind.

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  • Here’s How CapitaLand Mall Trust Wants to Bring Shoppers to Its Malls

    Here’s How CapitaLand Mall Trust Wants to Bring Shoppers to Its Malls

    CapitaLand Mall Trust, an owner of retail malls in Singapore, is the largest listed real estate investment trust (REIT) in Singapore.

    But, mere size alone does not guarantee that shoppers will keep coming back to its portfolio of malls. To ensure a steady stream of shoppers, the REIT has to keep itself plugged into the latest consumer trends.

    One big retail trend is online shopping.

    In my view, shopping online has three major benefits. One, there may be a wider variety of products. Second, the cost of similar products may also be cheaper online. Finally, there is the convenience of having items delivered to one’s doorstep. All three benefits could lead to lower shopper traffic to retail malls in general and thus potentially pressure CapitaLand Mall Trust.

    Threat or opportunity

    For malls, online shopping could be seen as a threat. But for Wilson Tan, the chief executive of CapitaLand Mall Trust’s manager, it is also an opportunity. He shared his thoughts on ecommerce in a recent interview conducted by bourse operator Singapore Exchange Limited  (SGX: S68):

    “We need to be digitally more savvy. We could consider the Internet as a threat, but the issue really is how we harness and ride this horse.”

    With the above in mind, Tan shared two key initiatives that CapitaLand Mall Trust is working on. The first one is a loyalty program that comes from CapitaLand Mall Trust’s sponsor and manager, the real estate outfit CapitaLand Limited (SGX: C31). The report of the interview explains:

    “CapitaLand’s CAPITASTAR loyalty programme – which boasts over 2.6 million members across the five Asian countries where CapitaLand malls operate, and includes more than 800,000 members in Singapore – is one approach to better understand shopper behaviour.”

    The CAPITASTAR loyalty program allows members to accumulate points and thereafter, claim discount vouchers to use in CapitaLand’s family of malls (this includes CapitaLand Mall Trust’s malls). This could encourage shoppers to shop at the REIT’s malls. Tan also said that the loyalty program gives the REIT deeper insight into shopper preferences.

    The number of CAPITASTAR loyalty card holders in Singapore – over 800,000 – can be considered impressive, given that Singapore has a population of only around 5.5 million people.

    There’re more plans on the way. CapitaLand Mall Trust is also testing an online delivery platform at Raffles City Shopping Centre, as the interview report mentioned:

    “Its online order and delivery platform Food to Go, which involves participating food and beverage outlets at Raffles City Shopping Centre, is another initiative. The current beta programme runs until 30 June, and plans for enhancements are underway.”

    Tan feels that this digital effort could help the REIT’s tenants increase their sales. Helping tenants achieve higher revenue could be beneficial for the REIT as it could lead to better rental rates down the line.

    Foolish takeaway

    In my view, online shopping is here to stay and might take up a bigger share of the retail market over time. It is up to Singapore malls to decide whether the trend is a threat, or as Tan sees it, an opportunity.

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  • Can CapitaLand Mall Trust survive 2016’s volatile equity market?

    Can CapitaLand Mall Trust survive 2016’s volatile equity market?

    CapitaLand Mall Trust (CMT) is poised to dominate the retail REIT scene in 2016, with positive rental reversions and increased tourist arrivals playing to its favour.

    According to a report by RHB, CMT is likely to enjoy mid single-digit (about 5%) positive rental reversion in 2016 as encouraging trends are expected in CMT’s tenant sales (psf/month) and traffic flow at its malls.

    “In the recent reported quarter, the retail REIT reported an upward trend in tenant sales, a 5.3% YoY increase for FY15. With this, we think that the retail landlord is in a better position to command higher rental rates this year,” asserts RHB.

    Moreover, an anticipated pick-up in tourist arrivals is seen to spur consumer spending in malls. This bodes well for CMT, as its malls are located near tourist attractions such as Plaza Singapura, Bugis Junction and Clark Quay.

    RHB also thinks that the expected recovery of Singapore tourism could be boosted by positive catalysts like lower airfares, a busier year for events, and an anticipated climb in Chinese tourists visiting Singapore.

    Further, there’s still room for CMT to exercise a capital recycling strategy given that it currently owns non-core assets such as JCube and Sembawang Shopping Centre.

    RHB further notes that on top of this, CMT handles its portfolio favourably. For instance, CMT recently parted ways with its non-core asset Rivervale Mall, which was estimated to be divested at a attractive cap rate of about 3.4%. Compared to the average cap rates for retail assets, independent real estate company CBRE estimated 4Q15 average cap rates to range from 4.75% to 5.25%.

    “In addition, we advise investors to take up CMT as it is highly liquid, which may be especially advantageous in the current volatile equity market,” states RHB.

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  • CapitaLand Malls ‘resilient’ to tough times

    CapitaLand Malls ‘resilient’ to tough times

    CapitaLand Mall Trust says its portfolio of “necessity malls” has proven resilient to the challenging economic and retail period of the last year.

    CapitaLand Mall Trust Management (CMTML), the manager of CapitaLand Mall Trust (CMT), has reported a distributable income for 2015 of S$392.0 million, up 4.4 per cent on 2014.

    Danny Teoh, Chairman of CMTML, said CMT has delivered a good set of financial results in 2015.

    “Distribution per unit to unitholders for 2015 increased 3.8 per cent to 11.25 cents, underscoring the underlying strength of our portfolio – made up of predominantly necessity shopping malls connected to or near transportation hubs serving large catchment areas.”

    Teoh says the trust reinforced its leadership position as Singapore’s largest real estate investment trust with the acquisition of Bedok Mall on October 1.

    “In addition, we unlocked value for unitholders with the sale of Rivervale Mall on December 15, where we recognised a gain of about S$72.7 million. Going forward, CMT’s established track record in proactive mall and asset management will ensure that we remain well-positioned to continually create value for our unitholders.”

    Wilson Tan, CEO of CMTML, said tenants’ sales per square foot and shopper traffic increased by 5.3 per cent and 4.9 per cent respectively last year.

    “Portfolio occupancy remained high, registering 97.6 per cent at December 31.”

    Clarke Quay achieved more than 90 per cent committed occupancy for the reconfigured space in Block C. Anchored by Zouk, a world-class dance club, Block C also comprises popular food and beverage (F&B) and entertainment outlets such as DV8 Club, a top notch live Mandopop concert club; Warehouse, a restaurant and bar with live music; Privé Clarke Quay, a new bar concept by lifestyle group Privé Group; Maziga Café & Bollywood Club, an Indian restaurant helmed by the team behind the Punjab Grill; and the highly anticipated Ramen Keisuke Lobster King, the latest offshoot of the well-known ramen chain Ramen Keisuke.

    “Singapore’s largest outlet mall IMM Building further enhanced its shopping experience and increased its total number of outlet stores to 85 with new designer brands such as Outlet by Club 21, Juicy Couture and Cole Haan. It also boosted its F&B offerings with additions such as Dôme Café. We will continue to transform our malls through asset enhancement initiatives and reinforce our relevance to the communities that we operate in,” said Tan.

    CapitaLand Mall Trust owns 16 shopping malls, strategically located in the suburban areas and downtown core of Singapore, comprise Tampines Mall, Junction 8, Funan DigitaLife Mall, IMM Building, Plaza Singapura, Bugis Junction, Sembawang Shopping Centre, JCube, Raffles City Singapore (40.0% interest), Lot One Shoppers’ Mall, 90 out of 91 strata lots in Bukit Panjang Plaza, The Atrium@Orchard, Clarke Quay, Bugis+, Westgate (30 per cent interest) and Bedok Mall.

    CMT also owns 122.7 million units in CapitaLand Retail China Trust, the first China shopping mall REIT listed on SGX-ST in December 2006.

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  • CapitaLand sells Bedok Mall

    CapitaLand sells Bedok Mall

    CapitaLand has sold its 18 month old Bedok Mall in Singapore to a trust.

    CapitaLand subsidiaries Brilliance Residential and CMA Singapore Investments have entered into a sale and purchase agreement with HSBC Institutional Trust Services, trustee of CapitaLand Mall Trust (CMT), for the sale of the entire unitholding interest of Brilliance Mall Trust, which owns Bedok Mall. The sale is based on an agreed value of Bedok Mall of S$780.0 million and other net assets of Brilliance Mall Trust of about S$3.1 million. At the last valuation commissioned by CapitaLand, Bedok Mall was valued at S$775 million.

    Opened in December 2013 on New Upper Changi Rd, Bedok Mall has a net lettable area of 222,464 sq ft and is 99.3 per cent leased. Anchor tenants include Fairprice Finest, Uniqlo, Best Denki, Canton Paradise, Popular, McDonald’s and Din Tai Fung.

    It is the first major mall in the heart of Bedok Town Centre, serving Singapore’s largest estate of about 300,000 residents as well as other residents in the east of Singapore. It is part of an integrated retail-residential-transport development, which also includes the 583-unit condominium Bedok Residences developed by CapitaLand that received its Temporary Occupancy Permit in May 2015. The mall’s Basement 2 is directly linked to the Bedok MRT station while the new air-conditioned Bedok bus interchange, which began operations in January, is integrated with the mall on Level 2.

    Lim Ming Yan, president and group CEO of CapitaLand, said the proposed divestment, which remains subject to unitholder approval, as well as the ongoing divestment of a group of serviced residences and rental housing properties to Ascott Residence Trust and CapitaLand’s 30 per cent stake in PWC Building announced last month, are all examples of the company’s “robust capital recycling strategy”.

    “These transactions allow us to realise our investment value and development profit, and enhance our financial flexibility as we redeploy our capital into other ventures that will generate stronger returns for our shareholders.”

    Jason Leow, CEO of CapitaLand Mall Asia, said his company will continue to manage Bedok Mall.

    “We remain confident in the retail growth prospects in Singapore where we are the market leader with the largest network of 20 shopping malls. We are committed to the Singapore retail market and continue to be on the lookout for suitable new opportunities in Singapore and the region as we seek to strengthen our leadership position as Asia’s leading shopping mall developer, owner and manager.”