Cromwell E-REIT Buying Euro Sheds for $137M and More Asia Real Estate Headlines

A European industrial acquisition leads today’s set of real estate news from around the region, as a Singapore-listed REIT expands its holdings on the Continent.

Also in the news, a Blackstone-backed Indian REIT is aiming to raise $1 billion in fresh equity to fund a Bangalore acquisition, and China’s Country Garden hopes to sell $1 billion worth of new shares as it aims at takeovers and mergers.

Cromwell E-REIT Buying Eastern European Warehouses for $137M

Cromwell European Real Estate Investment Trust (Cromwell E-Reit) has proposed to buy 11 logistics and light industrial properties for 113.2 million euros ($137.1 million).

This comprises 50.8 million euros for six light industrial/logistics properties in the Czech Republic and 62.4 million euros for five industrial/logistics properties in Slovakia. Read more>>

Blackstone’s Embassy Office Parks REIT to Raise $1B

Embassy Office Parks REIT’s unitholders have approved plans to raise up to Rs 8,000 crore ($1 billion) through sale of units to institutional investors, mainly to fund its big-ticket acquisition of ‘Embassy TechVillage’ in Bengaluru.

Embassy REIT is India’s first publicly-listed real estate investment trust sponsored by Blackstone and Embassy group. It got listed on stock exchanges last year. Read more>>

Country Garden in $1B Share Sale to Fund Acquisitions

Country Garden Services Holdings, the property management arm of mainland Chinese developer Country Garden, plans to raise HK$7.78 billion (US$1 billion) from the sale of new shares, which it plans to use to fund potential mergers and acquisitions.

The company is placing 173 million shares at HK$45 each, according to an exchange filing on Friday. The price represents a 9.5 per cent discount to the closing price on Thursday. It appointed China International Capital Corp, JPMorgan Chase and UBS to arrange the placement. Read more>>

Marks & Spencer Continues Asia Retreat with Closure of Raffles City Shop

British retailer Marks & Spencer will be closing its outlet at Raffles City Shopping Centre on Dec 31, but its 10 other stores islandwide will remain open.

The update comes after the company placed an advertisement in The Straits Times on Thursday (Dec 10), about a “moving out sale” at its Raffles City shop. Read more>>

Hong Kong’s Far East Sees Sales Edge in UK Immigration Surge

Hong Kong property developer Far East Consortium International is hoping to capitalise on a potential mass exodus of citizens to the UK, where it is spearheading a huge urban renewal project.

The British government’s decision to offer residency to about three million people as its former colony comes under increasing Chinese control has created a large pool of potential buyers. Read more>>

Hong Kong’s Shop King Struggles to Sell Down Portfolio

Hong Kong property tycoon Tang Shing-bor is seeking to offload billions of dollars of real estate after an ill-timed expansion at the top of the market.

Known as the “Shop King” for his vast holdings of retail property amassed over six decades, Mr Tang is among those hit as Hong Kong suffers through a deep recession triggered by civil unrest and the coronavirus pandemic. Read more>>

Mainland Apartment Platform Needs $153M to Stay Solvent

Financial troubles at Chinese apartment rental platform Danke are causing problems for hundreds of thousands of renters, forcing local governments in China and a bank backed by Tencent Holdings Ltd. to step in.

Danke needs at least 1 billion yuan, equivalent to about $153 million, in cash to meet its near-term debt obligations, one of the people familiar with the situation said, adding that Beijing municipal government officials have asked some significant shareholders of the company to discuss plans to keep it afloat. Read more>>

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