A PULLOUT WITH MCI (P) 043/03/2016 PPS 1519/09/2012 (022805) MAKE BETTER DECISIONS Visit TheEdgeProperty.com to find properties, research market trends and read the latest news THE WEEK OF JANUARY 30, 2017 | ISSUE 764 Property Take Eye on Property Eat, Play, Live Gains & Losses Is this the year to Making sense of the Beyond the Chinese Million-dollar profi ts reinvigorate the property index Festive Street Bazaar made in District 10 residential market? EP6 EP10 EP13 EP4 Bracing for the next lap Knight Frank’s Tan Tiong Cheng and Danny Yeo talk about how the 77-year-old property consultancy has changed and how it continues to stay relevant in Singapore’s changing economy. See our Cover Story on Pages 8 and 9. EP2 • THEEDGE SINGAPORE | JANUARY 30, 2017 PROPERTY BRIEFS EDITORIAL EDITOR | Ben Paul FCAM THE EDGE PROPERTY SECTION EDITOR | Cecilia Chow HEAD OF RESEARCH | Feily Sofi an DEPUTY SECTION EDITOR | Michael Lim SENIOR ANALYST | Lin Zhiqin ANALYST | Tan Chee Yuen COPY-EDITING DESK | Elaine Lim, Evelyn Tung, Chew Ru Ju, Tan Gim Ean, Geraldine Tan PHOTO EDITOR | Samuel Isaac Chua PHOTOGRAPHER | Albert Chua EDITORIAL COORDINATOR | Rahayu Mohamad DESIGN DESK | sq ft of office space in the building. Lian Beng owns to users of both platforms. From CoAssets’ perspec- Tan Siew Ching, Christine Ong, Monica Lim, Mohd Yusry, 32% of Epic Land. The other consortium members tive, this investment will help us significantly grow Tun Mohd Zafi an Mohd Za’abah are KSH Holdings, with 28%; KOP, 25%; and Centu- our reach within China,” says CoAssets’ co-founder rion Global, 15%. Seh Huan Kiat. ADVERTISING + MARKETING The company conservatively expects to increase ADVERTISING SALES Alexandra Technopark to undergo $45 mil AEI its user base in China by 300,000 within six months DIRECTOR, ADVERTISING & SALES | Frasers Centrepoint Asset Management will be spend- of its investment in Da Xian Bing. The investment is Cowie Tan ing $45 million to spruce up Alexandra Technopark in addition to the CoAssets’ operations in China, via ASSOCIATE ACCOUNT DIRECTOR | Diana Lim (above). According to FCAM, the asset enhancement its 40% joint venture with Fujian Yaosheng. ACCOUNT MANAGERS | initiative will create a campus-like environment for Priscilla Wong, James Chua the working community at Alexandra Technopark. Chinese investors invests record US$33 bil in THE EDGE SINGAPORE The AEI will provide Alexandra Technopark with overseas real estate last year ADVERTISING + MARKETING more community-friendly spaces, a refreshed and con- Chinese investment into overseas commercial and res- ADVERTISING SALES temporary look, and greater connectivity and integration. idential property hit a record US$33 billion ($47 bil- MARKETING OFFICER CHIEF | There are also plans to create a more enjoyable work- lion) last year, a 53% y-o-y increase, according to the Cecilia Kay SENIOR MANAGERS | place environment. New amenities such as an ameni- latest data from JLL’s Global Capital Flows. Windy Tan, Garry Lo ty hub, futsal courts, exercise areas, barbecue pits and Investment in land, offices and hotels account for MANAGER | end-of-trip facilities for cyclists will also be introduced. 90% of all Chinese outbound capital in the last three Elaine Tan EVENTS “The AEI is expected to boost the market profile, years. In 2016, the hotel and industrial sectors showed SENIOR MANAGER | leasing appeal and long-term competitiveness of Al- the largest increase, owing to significant transactions Sivam Kumar exandra Technopark, as well as elevate the tenant in the US in the form of portfolio sales and Chinese MARKETING experience at the property. All these will ultimately appetite for industrial parks. EXECUTIVE | Tim Jacobs increase the property’s contribution to [Frasers Com- One of the biggest hotel acquisitions was made COORDINATOR | Lian Beng-led group offloads 79,500 sq ft mercial Trust] and create long-term value for the trust,” by Anbang Insurance when it bought Strategic Ho- Syazana Jumari office space at Prudential Tower says Jack Lam, CEO of FCAM. tels and Resorts from US-based Blackstone Group for CIRCULATION A Lian Beng-led consortium has announced the sale The AEI is scheduled to commence in mid-2017 US$6.5 billion. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR | of 17 strata office units, or about 79,460 sq ft of office and expected to be completed by mid-2018. “China Life Insurance has secured assets across Victor The space, at Prudential Tower (above) for $206.6 million. the hotel and office sectors with portfolio purchases EXECUTIVES | Malliga Muthusamy, Ashikin Kader, The sale price works out to about $2,600 psf based on CoAssets invests RMB1 mil in Chinese from the Starwood Capital Group and an office tower Winnie Lim the strata area. Prudential Tower sits on a site with a crowdfunder Da Xian Bing in Manhattan; sovereign wealth fund Chinese Invest- balance lease term of 78 years. CoAssets, a Singapore-based and Australian-listed in- ment Corp has been active in the office sector in New CORPORATE According to sources, the buyer is said to be One vestment crowdfunding company, has acquired a 10% York as well,” says David Green-Morgan, research di- CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER | Ben Paul DIRECTOR | Anne Tong Tree Partners, a private-equity fund management firm stake in China’s crowfunding company Da Xian Bing rector for JLL’s Global Capital Markets. founded by Tan Shern Liang and Roy Tan. Internet Technology for RMB1 million ($206,755). Land acquisitions by Chinese investors made a come- PUBLISHER The space being sold by Epic Land is part of the CoAssets says there is good potential and synergy back last year, rising 44% y-o-y, following significant The Edge Publishing Pte Ltd 150 Cecil Street #08-01 230,700 sq ft that the consortium bought from Keppel for the overlap between users because Da Xian Bing transactions in Hong Kong, Australia and Malaysia. Singapore 069543 REIT in 2014 for $512 million, or $2,316 psf on stra- targets product crowdfunding, whereas CoAssets is in Overseas investment aside, Chinese investors fur- Tel: (65) 6232 8622 ta area. The 230,700 sq ft space is located on Levels investment crowdfunding. The investment will give ther deepened their investment domestically. They Fax: (65) 6232 8620 1 and 10 to 29 (excluding part of Level 16), which CoAssets access to Da Xian Bing’s rapidly growing accounted for more than 86% of transactions in Chi- PRINTER works out to 92.8% of the 30-storey office building. user base of more than 300,000 users, who are famil- na in 2016, up from about 75% in the past few years. KHL Printing Co Pte Ltd Epic Land has been selling some of the office space iar with the concept of crowdfunding. Tier-1 cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen 57 Loyang Drive over the past few years. Following the sale of these 17 “It is a synergistic relationship, as both platforms were most attractive to these investors, says JLL. — Singapore 508968 E Tel: (65) 6543 2222 strata-titled units, Epic Land still owns about 60,000 can grow together faster and unlock greater value Compiled by Michael Lim Fax: (65) 6545 3333 We welcome your comments and criticism: propertyeditor.sg@ bizedge.com Pseudonyms are allowed but Hilton to franchise Tapestry hotels, fifth new brand since 2009 please state your full name, address and contact number for us to verify. | BY HUI-YONG YU | open by 3Q2017, with a goal of 50 Tap- Tapestry is the second so-called soft are signs that business travel, which ac- estry hotels by 2020. brand that Hilton has developed, fol- counts for about 75% of total guests, ilton Worldwide Holdings intro- Hilton, which spun off its real estate lowing Curio, a collection by Hilton, is improving, CEO Christopher Nasset- duced its fifth new hotel brand and timeshare business into new pub- in 2014. ta said in a Bloomberg Television in- Hsince 2009 in the latest bid by the licly traded companies in December, Under soft brands, individual hotels terview on Jan 18 from the World Eco- world’s second-largest lodging opera- has sought to expand through franchise have their own name and image apart nomic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He tor to increase earnings by franchising and management contracts, rather than from the corporate manager or franchis- said Hilton sees potential for an urban properties. acquisitions. The company last year in- er. Soft brands typically involve convert- micro-hotel brand and is “incubating” The Tapestry Collection by Hilton troduced Tru, a line of low-cost, fran- ing an existing hotel, such as boutique five brands for introduction after 2017. will be upscale hotels, in the same gen- chised hotels with hip decor. properties that want to maintain their “It’s about organic growth,” Mark eral segment as the company’s Double- “It’s easier to grow franchises than own identity but rely on a global res- Nogal, global head of Hilton’s Tapes- Tree locations. Tapestry properties might to grow managed hotels,” says Thom- ervations system, frequent-guest pro- try and Curio brands, says in a phone include a bar with food service and a as Allen, an analyst at Morgan Stanley. gramme and sometimes management interview. gym, but not necessarily restaurants or “You’re basically just putting your brand expertise. Examples include the Boul- Hilton now has 14 brands, including meeting space. on the building.” ders Resort and Spa, part of the Curio one for timeshare properties. Hilton was Seven hotels in cities including Chi- Having more brands allows Hilton to brand, and the Cosmopolitan of Las Ve- surpassed as the biggest hotel compa- cago, Indianapolis and Nashville, Ten- expand in desirable locations where it gas, managed by Marriott Internation- ny in September after Marriott acquired nessee, have signed letters of intent to already has a presence, Allen says.