The astute property development of a country is vital to increase the value of its lands and buildings, and for an increased worth of national acreage. The property boom of a nation functions as a compass to indicate the direction of progress for a nation or even a continent. In this issue, the Top 10 of Asia takes a peek into its list of the top 10 property developers in Asia.
Sun Hung Kai Properties
Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP) is one of Asia’s leading property developers and one of the largest property companies in the world by market value. It has a stellar reputation for developing premium-quality residential projects, offices and shopping centres. SHKP’s core business is property development for sale and property investment in Hong Kong and on the mainland, and it possesses a substantial development land bank. It strives for balanced income from residential sales and commercial rentals and it has collateral businesses in hotels, insurance and property management as well as telecommunications, information technology, transportation, infrastructure and logistics. SHKP employs prudent financial policies, including maintaining abundant liquidity and low gearing, and this is reflected in historically high credit ratings. Building homes with heart and putting customers first lie at the heart of SHKP’s culture, so customers trust SHKP to always deliver excellence and innovation.
Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd
Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd is one of Hong Kong’s leading multinational conglomerates and is the flagship company of the Cheung Kong Group headquartered in Hong Kong. The Chairman of the corporation is Li KaShing, who founded Cheung Kong Industries in 1950s as a plastics manufacturer and later evolved it into Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd, a property investment company, by 1971. Presently Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd is one of the largest developers of residential, office, retail, industrial and hotel properties in Hong Kong. It is well known in Hong Kong for having built many of the nation’s notable landmark buildings.
China Overseas Land & Investment Ltd
Another one of Hong Kong’s leading property corporations is none other than China Overseas Land & Investment Ltd or COLI. It is a subsidiary of China State Construction Engineering Corporation and was incorporated in Hong Kong in June of 1979. Operating in Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland China, the corporation is engaged in construction, contracting, property development and also infrastructure development – which leads to China State Construction International Holdings Limited, a spin-off of the parent company. COLI was listed as a red chip stock in August 1992 and was later upgraded to a blue chip in December 2007 on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
CapitaLand Limited
A Singapore-based real estate company, CapitaLand Limited was formed in November 2000 due to a merger of DBS Land and Pidemco Land; and is currently one of Asia’s largest real estate companies. Though geographically focused in Singapore and mainland China, the company is also engaged in various European and Gulf countries. The corporation’s core businesses are real estate development, real estate financial services and hospitality. Capital Tower, the current headquarters of CapitaLand Limited, was opened in May 2001 and is the fourth tallest skyscraper in Singapore. CapitaLand is the parent company of Ascott Limited, CapitaMall Trust and the Australian property group, Australand.
Global Logistics Properties
Just like CapitaLand Limited, Global Logistics Properties is another Singapore-based real estate company that has successfully forayed into the international property development arena. Founded in 2010, GLP quickly became the largest provider of modern logistics facilities in China, Japan and Brazil by floor area. It was first listed on the Mainboard of Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited in October 2010. To date GLP has completed more than 578 properties across 66 cities and has won the Euromoney Real Estate Award many times. The company is also active in fulfilling its corporate social responsibility by building and renovating schools in Mainland China.
Ayala Land Inc
Ayala Land Inc or ALI is none other than the real estate division of one of the Philippines’ oldest and largest conglomerates – the Ayala Corporation. It was spun off into a separate entity from an internal division in the year 1988 and subsequently listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange in 1991. Chaired by Fernando Zobel de Ayala, the company’s main businesses are strategic land management, residential development, shopping centres, corporate businesses, construction, property management and hotels. Even though it was founded in Manila, the headquarters is currently located in Makati City and is the holding company for many subsidiaries and affiliates.
Longfor Properties Co Ltd
Based in Mainland China and operating in various cities ranging from Beijing to Wuxi, Longfor Properties Co Ltd is part of the Forbes Global 2000 companies. As of December 2011, the total land property of the company was 33.76 million square meters, with major subsidiaries being Beijing Huicheng Investment Limited and Beijing Longhu Properties Company Limited. Led by the founder and chairwoman, Wu Yajun, the company is headquarted in Beijing with more than 7,400 employees. Its ventures include high-rise apartments, luxury villas, office buildings, residential buildings and large scale shopping malls.
S P SetiaBerhad Group
S P SetiaBerhad Group is a main property, infrastructure and business company based in Malaysia. The country’s leading property developer is a public listed property development company that was traditionally involved in general building and home construction. Following mergers with various property-based companies, S P Setia has transformed itself from being a building contractor to becoming an integrated property development entity. The corporation has successfully ventured into various nations such as Vietnam, Australia, Singapore, China and the United Kingdom. S P Setia’s first property development – the 700 acre Puchong Town Centre – set the benchmark for all of the company’s subsequent property developments.
Land and Houses Public Company Limited
Based in Thailand, the Land and Houses Public Company Limited is one of the leading corporations in developing residential housing in the nation. The main business of the company is residential housing development. Though its developments are mainly focused in the Greater Bangkok city area, they have reached other parts of Thailand too, such as Chiang Mai and Phuket. The company has incorporated in 1983 and since then has embarked on other types of ventures as well. As its pilot banking project, the Land and Houses Public Company Limited has also opened a bank in Phuket to provide housing loans.
China Vanke Co. Ltd
China Vanke Co. Ltd is the largest residential real estate developer in the People’s Republic of China. The corporation is involved in developing, managing and selling of various types of properties across 20 cities in Pearl River Delta, Yangtze River Delta and the Bohai-Rim Region. Headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, the company’s largest shareholder is China Resources. Vanke was listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 1991, the second listed company on the Exchange after Shenzhen Development Bank.
Issue 4/2013