According to analysts, the country’s property industry will continue to have bright prospects in 2014. Having remarkable growth in 2013, continued growth in all segments of the real estate markets is expected backed up low interest rates and increased overseas remittances. With an improving economic fundamentals, domestic demand is increasing and sustaining the industry’s momentum. As Rick Santos, CBRE founder and chairman, puts it, “We are now experiencing the best real estate market in the Philippines in the last 20 years.”
Considering the recent expansion in the real estate market, developers now face the challenge of strategically positioning themselves to secure and maintain industry leadership. We hereby present the top real estate players whose making their mark in the present property boom.
Robinsons Land. With its property portfolio comprised of 32 malls, 8 office buildings, 9 hotels, 59 residential condominiums and 32 housing subdivisions, its top performance in last year’s Philippine Stock Exchange index, and P10.56-billion revenue in the first half of 2012, Robinsons Land was cited as overall best managed company in the Philippines by Euromoney’s Best Managed and Governed Companies Asia Poll in 2013.
Analysts praised Robinsons Land for its leading role in promoting transparent communication to investors, citing that “the company has a clear strategy and good visibility.” Robinsons Land President Frederick Go noted that the company’s efforts in managing resources wisely over the past two decades and its team of talented and dynamic people have allowed it to gain success and patronage. Robinsons Land is the real estate property arm of JG Summit Holdings Inc.
“Moving forward, RLC will be aggressively growing its recurring income base through our investment portfolio which includes our malls, offices and hotels and we will continue to take advantage of the growth opportunities of our residential business as we capitalize the growth prospects in the Philippine economy,” said Go.
Century Properties Group. Offering development projects with “superb value proposition” earned the Century Properties Group the coveted award as the Best Premier Real Estate Developer in 2013. The company recorded a 15 percent year-on-year growth marked by quality in products and services consistently delivered over the years. Notable development projects include the the New York-themed Gramercy Residences, currently the tallest building in the Philippines, and the Knightsbridge Building with its London-inspired ambiance.
The Milano Residences is another successful and rather unique collaboration between Century Properties and iconic Italian fashion designer Versace. This 52-storey building features a Versace-inspired façade and is part of Century City, a mega-development called as “a new urban experience” set in the commercial landscape of Makati.
Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) Considered to be the largest property and most diversified developer in the country, Ayala Land, Inc. has three-group divisions that enables the company to operate foreign brand hotels (Hotel Intercontinental Makati, Holiday Inn & Suites in Glorietta, Cebu City Marriott Hotel); launch their own boutique hotel line (Kukun Hotels now rebranded as Seda Hotels in Bonifacio Global City, Nuvali, Davao, Cagayan de Oro); and develop sustainable resort communities in El Nido, Palawan.
In 2013, ALI launch major projects such as 21-hectare Circuit Makati project with the Philippine Racing Club Inc. (PRIC) that transform the former Sta. Ana racetrack into Makati’s newest entertainment hub; the development of the sprawling 74-hectare Food Terminal Inc. in Taguig, master-planned to be southern metro’s modern business district; and redevelopment of the Gatchalian-owned 17-hectare “Plastic City” estate in Valenzuela into a mixed-use urban complex.
ALI’s four other residential brands serve specific market segments: Ayala Land Premier offers Garden Towers in Ayala Center for the upscale segment; middle-upper market brand Alveo Land has ongoing projects in Bonifacio Global City (The Meridien), Cebu (Solinea), and Tagaytay (KasaLuntian) for middle and low-middle market; and Avida and Amaia Land have new projects in the metro and in Laguna, Cavite, Lipa, Cebu, and Bacolod. In the mass housing market, ALI unveiled its fifth residential brand, South Maya Ventures Corp with its first project, Bella Vita in Cavite, launched in the last quarter of 2012.
ALI also has ongoing projects in its other divisions covering shopping and retail, office development and leisure.
SM Land, Inc. The publicly listed residential arm of SM Land, SM Development Corporation (SMDC), is said to be the fast-rising residential property developer in the country. SM Residences and M Place target the premium middle market with high-rise condo living. Also under the residential segment of SM Land, Highlands Prime is a leisure real estate developer within Tagaytay Highlands, an exclusive mountain resort and residential complex. For its hotel and resort portfolio, SM Land has Costa del Hamilo’s Pico de Loro Cove, a resort community in the coasts of Nasugbu, Batangas.
Hotel properties of the SM Group include the Taal Vista Hotel in Tagaytay, the Radisson Blu Hotel in Cebu, the Radisson Hotel Manila Bay, and the Regent Manila Bay. The holding company, SM Investments Corp. (SMIC), partnered with international hotel services provider Carlson Hotels Worldwide Asia Pacific to manage the Radisson and Regent branded hotels.
As the country’s biggest developer of shopping malls, SM Prime Holdings has built 46th shopping malls with SM Lanang Premier in Davao as its latest addition. Plus, SM Group also operates retail chains such as SaveMore Supermarket and SM Hypermarket.
The Commercial Properties Group of SM Land already completed two of the four E-com buildings. TwoE-com was recognized last April as the Best Office Development in the Philippines in the 2012 Asia Pacific Property Awards. There is also the Mall of Asia Arena, a 62,000-sqm sports-and-multi-event complex, as venue for entertainment and sporting events.
Megaworld Corporation. Megaworld has pioneered the mixed-use development of real estate in the form of community townships with live-work-play concept. Located in Libis, Quezon City, the Eastwood City township project features a cyberpark, residential condo towers, and mall. McKinley Hill and Forbes Town Center cater to an international clientele situated in the progressive business district of Bonifacio Global City. The Newport City in Pasay combines residential development with hotels, a themed entertainment and commercial hub.
While the Megaworld brand caters to the upscale segment, Empire East Land Holdings targets the middle-income housing segment and Suntrust Properties caters to low- to moderate-income families. Last July 2012, the real estate company partnered with the Kazuo Okada Group for a joint venture to develop a P45-billion luxury condo project in Pagcor Entertainment City.
In 2011, Megaworld Corp was cited as the largest builder of residential condos in 2010. This was followed by a recognition given by CB Richard Ellis for Megaworld’s offering of more than 40,000 condo units between 2001 and 2011.
Rockwell Land Inc. Established in 1995 by the Lopez Group of Companies, Rockwell Land Inc. has quickly made a name for itself as one of the country’s top-tier real estate firms. As of August 2012, Rockwell Land has reached a 12-week high on the Philippine Stock Exchange and netted an enviable P1.1 billion in profits, a figure predicted to double within two to five years.
The 15.5-hectare Rockwell Center in Makati was developed to be a high-end community complete with commercial and residential hubs. There is also the launch of the 50-story Edades Tower and Garden Villas. Another exciting development is the Proscenium, a mixed-use development with designs credited to renowned Uruguayan architect Carlos Ott, who designed the L’Opéra de la Bastille in Paris.
The Grove features wide-open spaces with lush resort-style landscaping. At the Meralco compound, the Rockwell Business Center was developed for the commercial market. Rockwell Lands’ first low-rise development is 205 Santolan in Quezon City with townhouse units in proximity to business districts and schools.
Stateland Inc. is one of the leaders in property development and Philippine real estate innovation having mastered the rudiments of the real estate business for three decades. Keeping up with its commitment of building houses that people deserve, Stateland Inc. has ventured in economic housing with developments in Calamba, Laguna. Introduced last July 2013, Gran Avila is a master-planned community with a subdivision divided into five phases and a total of 1,222 residential units.
Stateland is a property developer focused on projects in Cavite and Laguna. After almost four decades of operations, this real estate company has a portfolio of more than 40 completed projects and seven ongoing projects, including the Gran Avila.
PRO-FRIENDS. With 15 years in the property development industry, Property Company of Friends, Inc. (PRO-FRIENDS) has been consistent in its mission: to be a trusted developer in building homes and communities. Currently, PRO-FRIENDS has completed 15 successful communities and has 11 on-going projects including Parc Regency Greens, a nature-inspired community, first of its kind in Iloilo and Ilustrata Residences, the very first vertical property development set in New Manila and Greenhills area. PRO-FRIENDS has also expanded its roots to the North with the Palms Lakeshore.
From clubhouses with swimming pools to multipurpose halls, PRO-FRIENDS stands out as the first to introduce the linear park and family courtyard – open spaces for families to enjoy picnics, games and other recreational bonding activities. A proof to this “complete community” campaign is PRO-FRIENDS’ flagship project in Cavite, the Lancaster New City.
Filinvest Land, Inc. In the last quarter of 2012, Filinvest Land launched a massive promotional campaign that included one of the top BPO/IT hubs in the south, the Northgate Cyberzone in Filinvest City.
Targetted for completion this year, Filinvest Land alloted P7-billion for the makeover of the Festival Supermall, covering an additional leasable space in its brand new wing. The developer also started building more homes with residential projects like Studio City, The Levels, and the Entrata Urban Complex. For the upscale market, there is Filinvest Land’s One Spatial, a mid-rise condo development with high-end amenities located in Pasig.
Down South in Cebu, Filinvest Land opened the 25-storey Grand Cenia Hotel & Residences and the 50-hectare residential project Citta di Mare. Through Filinvest Land’s Futura Homes division, there are development projects in Cavite, Batangas and Bulacan to make available affordable residential communities.
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