Firm aims for top spot in property management

SUBANG: Andaman Property Management Sdn Bhd (APM), which is currently building and managing 10 ongoing property projects locally, aims to be the country's leading property management and property related services company.

Its executive director (sales and marketing) Datuk Vincent Tiew said from Jan 2011 onwards, the company would be launching and managing at least 10 properties worth RM2bil simultaneously.

Tiew said of 10 projects it currently managed, four belongs to the Andaman group.

“And we anticipate more developers and landowners to request for our services this year,” Tiew told StarBiz, adding that APM's business model was to develop and manage properties while generating high yield and fast turnaround for developers and landowners.

APM was formed in 2009 by some of the management members of the Andaman Group, an established property developer.

“After honing their skills in property development and managing properties of the Andaman Group, they decided to form an independent company, which is how APM was incorporated,” Tiew noted.

On its business model, Tiew said: “We want to be a leader in the industry in the country and build a strong track record of developing, maintaining and adding value to the properties that we manage in terms of yield, occupancy rates and capital gain for our clients, including property buyers.”

He said when APM was given the go-ahead to develop and manage a property project, it would first be looking to fulfill the developers expectation of the property project in terms of commercial reality, yield, bottom line.

“And our work starts from the onset of planning, authority management, construction and building maintenance to units selling, project administration and securing of strata-title. We also provide developers and landowners advice on how to best position the property development in terms of architectural design and other value-added services in line with developers/landowners expectations,” Tiew said.

On pricing he said: “We built shop lots and residential developments with per unit prices ranging from RM2mil to RM10mil and RM350,000 to RM1mil respectively.”

APM targeted its properties at the mass market to ensure that they remain in demand, even during the downturn, Tiew said, adding that for certain properties, buyers were guaranteed with return on investment.

APM's current property projects for the Andaman Group include Kota D'Sara with gross development value (GDV) of RM125mil, and Casa Residenza (GDV: RM180mil), both located in Kota Damansara. APM plans to launch the The Academia@South City Plaza in Seri Kembangan and the RM700mil The Arc@Cyberjaya in Cyberjaya.

By The Star

Sycal Ventures unit signs property JV

Sycal Ventures Bhd's wholly-owned unit, Sycal Properties Sdn Bhd, has signed a joint venture agreement with Global Net Communication Sdn Bhd.

In a filing to Bursa Malaysia today, Sycal said the companies aimed to jointly develop three plots of land in Kuala Lumpur into a high-end residential villas with estimated gross development value of RM70 million.

It said the development would contribute positively to the construction order book of Sycal Group.

By Bernama

Sunrise shares to be delisted on Jan 21

SUNRISE Bhd’s shares will be removed from the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia with effect from 9am on January 21.

Sunrise, which develops high-rise residences and commercial properties locally and abroad, has been taken over by UEM Land Holdings Bhd.

By Business Times

UEM Land jumps as Sunrise bid completes

UEM Land Holdings Bhd, a Malaysian property developer, rose to a record in Kuala Lumpur trading as it’s close to completing a takeover of Sunrise Bhd.

The stock climbed 1.7 per cent to RM2.94 at 9:16 a.m. local time.

The takeover offer closed on Jan. 7 and it will now invoke a compulsory purchase order for all remaining shares of Sunrise, it said in a statement.

By Bloomberg

JCorp may sell land, property to pare down debts

KUALA LUMPUR: Johor Corp (JCorp) is considering selling various assets including some landbank, properties and plantation assets to partly repay its current RM3.6bil debt which is due for repayment in July next year.

The state investment arm first plans to bring down the debt level of RM3.6bil to a “sustainable level” of between RM1bil and RM1.5bil following a debt restructuring exercise, its newly appointed president and chief executive Kamaruzzaman Abu Kassim said.

That would mean that it needs to raise at least RM2.1bil by 2012.

“About 70% (source of funding) for the RM2.1bil needed has already been identified and this includes selling some of our assets,” he said at a meeting with the media yesterday.

The group has “saleable assets” of RM2.1bil, Kamaruzzaman said, without elaborating.

JCorp's landbank and properties are largely in Johor and this includes up to RM2.5bil in commercial properties.

At at March last year, it had about 2,000ha to be developed in the Iskandar Malaysia region.

It also has major plantation and palm oil businesses in Papua New Guinea.

Kamaruzzaman said the group's remaining debt would be restructured via new loans or instruments.

JCorp has appointed CIMB Bank and Maybank Investment Bhd as advisors for the restructuring.

Both banks are also the biggest lenders to JCorp which could probably mean that both banks own the bulk of the bonds due for maturity.

According to JCorp's 2009 annual report, it has RM705mil in cash but a whopping RM6.62bil in debt and with hardly any free cash flow.

The RM3.6bil debt was due to JCorp's investment projects since 2000, “mainly in landed property and industrial areas”, it has been reported.

JCorp has been in the news in recent weeks after it rejected two bids for the takeover of its QSR Brands Bhd. One was by a company linked to tycoon Tan Sri Halim Saad and another by the Carlyle Group.

JCorp is the ultimate shareholder of the lucrative fast-food businesses of QSR and KFC Holdings (M) Bhd.

Its interests in both companies are held through its 53%-owned subsidiary Kulim (M) Bhd, which main business is in the plantation sector.

Kulim owns a 57.5% stake in QSR, which in turn, owns a 50.6% stake in KFC.

As one of the country's largest state economic development authorities, JCorp has about 250 companies under its stable from which it currently derives RM90mil in annual dividend income, Kamaruzzaman revealed.

Kamaruzzaman said yesterday there was a possibility some of these might be listed in the future. “But the proceeds will not be to repay our current debt due for maturity,” he said.

JCorp's other key assets apart from those in the recent limelight include private healthcare service provider KPJ Healthcare Bhd, property development companies Johor Land Bhd and Damansara Realty Bhd, intrapreneur venture business Sindora Bhd and the London-listed plantation company, New Britain Palm Oil Ltd (NBPO). (Kulim owns about 50% of NBPO).

NBPO is one of the world's largest producers of sustainable palm oil.

By The Star

Hua Yang sells retail units

KUALA LUMPUR: Main-board listed Hua Yang Bhd is selling 73 retail units in its flagship commercial property, One South, Sungai Besi, to South Crest Synergy for RM105mil.

One South, an iconic landmark in Sungai Besi, is a mixed development project spread over 1.72ha and is a key revenue driver for the company.

The development represented a large chunk of RM1bil worth of projects that the group was rolling out, the company said in a statement yesterday.

By Bernama

Mitrajaya unit wins RM53.5m contract

PROPERTY developer Mitrajaya Holdings Bhd’s subsidiary has won a RM53.5 million contract for the construction and completion of five units of hangar, one unit of two-storey multipurpose café building, two units of electrical substation and one unit guardhouse at Subang Airport, Selangor.

The contract awarded to Pembinaan Mitrajaya Sdn Bhd, is for a period of 10 months and work starts on January 1 2011.

By Business Times