Lendlease Calls Link Offer for Retail Assets Opportunistic and More Asia Real Estate Headlines

Australian opportunities dominate Mingtiandi’s headline roundup today as Lendlease is forced to sell off a retail portfolio with Hong Kong’s Link REIT ready to pounce on marked-down properties. Also in process Down Under are talks for Goodman to buy a discounted western Sydney site from ESR, while Sweden’s EQT is re-emphasising its big plans for Asia.

Lendlease to Sell Off Retail Assets, Calls Link REIT Offer Opportunistic

Lendlease will sell down the remaining assets in a A$2.8 billion ($1.8 billion) retail property fund after investors demanded redemptions, as the Aussie fund manager is said to be reviewing a bid from Hong Kong’s Link REIT to acquire assets from the private vehicle. 

Speaking to local media Friday, Lendlease boss Tony Lombardo described Link REIT’s offer as opportunistic. Redemption requests for the retail vehicle were due to close Monday, with major investors said to be demanding payouts that would require asset sales. Read more>>

Goodman Said in Talks to Buy $457M ESR Western Sydney Site at a Discount

Goodman Group is in talks with Asian warehouse giant ESR to pick up a real estate parcel near Sydney Airport for close to A$700 million ($457 million), or about A$100 million below what national airline Qantas sold the land for in 2021.

At the time, logistics investor Logos acquired the 13.8 hectares (34.1 acres) from Qantas for a record A$802 million. ESR later took over the Logos operation as part of a corporate transaction. Logos was backed by AustralianSuper and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority when it bought the land, and they will pocket proceeds in the latest deal. Read more>>

EQT Boss Vows to Triple Asia Investments

Billionaire investor Jean Eric Salata’s first foray into Asia was painful: five write-offs in India and mounting losses worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Times were so tough, he changed his computer password to “perseverance” as a daily reminder to keep going.

Fast forward two decades, and Asia is now a key growth driver for Salata’s current firm, EQT. It’s aiming to triple Asia investments to as much as $110 billion in five years, outpacing deployment in its home turf of Europe. Executives project another $10 billion in exits from the region over the next year, people familiar with the matter said. Read more>>

OTPP to Disband Asia Real Estate Team by Year-End

The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan will disband its Singapore-based Asia real estate team by the end of next year, further paring its physical presence in the region.

“This change simplifies our operating structure in real estate,” a spokesperson for the Canadian pension fund said about its plan to wind down the Asia division. OTPP will transition oversight of its property investments in Asia to its Toronto office, and affected staffers in Singapore will either relocate there “or leave the organization in phases”, the spokesperson said. Read more>>

Barings and Aware Super Launch $1.3B Aussie BTR Platform

Barings has teamed with Australia’s third-largest superannuation fund, Aware Super, to launch WeAreLiving, a stand-alone brand for their A$2 billion ($1.3 billion) build-to-rent platform.

With a current pipeline of 2,000-plus BTR dwellings either under management or in planning across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra, the WeAreLiving platform is now one of Australia’s biggest BTR players. The portfolio comprises one completed and operational asset located in Dickson, Australian Capital Territory; four assets under construction, two of which are set to reach completion by the first half of 2026; and a further two in planning. Read more>>

Evergrande Liquidators Call for Bids on Property Management Unit

Liquidators for the de-listed China Evergrande Group have asked “selected bidders” to submit their offers by the end of the month for a property management unit they have been seeking to sell, according to a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange on Friday.

The deadline for the offer, as well as identifying bidders for China Evergrande’s stake in Evergrande Property Services, comes as creditors seek to recover assets from the Guangzhou-based developer, which collapsed under the weight of more than $300 billion in liabilities. Read more>>

Melbourne-Based Satterley Aims for Commercial Pipeline of $650M Annually

Nigel Satterley is competing with retail veterans like Sam Gance for the wealth and attention of family offices and high-net-worth individuals as he drums up new investors to back up to A$1 billion ($650 million) a year in new commercial retail and medical centre developments.

Satterley, the country’s biggest private developer of residential land, said he and a pool of long-term investors currently hold A$600 million worth of commercial assets as long-term plays and he wants to develop at least as much again each year. Read more>>

Singapore Luxury Home Sales Rebound to Pre-Cooling Levels

Sales of high-end condominiums in Singapore rebounded this year, even as stiff stamp duty barriers have deterred foreign buyers and depressed investment demand since 2023.

While hesitant to call it a recovery, market watchers say factors driving sales in 2025 include lower borrowing costs, revived interest in prime projects with a flurry of new launches, and Singapore’s continued safe-haven appeal among the globally wealthy. Read more>>

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