Melbourne’s shopping centres draw billion-dollar investors, and other headlines

For PropertyGuru’s real estate news roundup, Melbourne’s shopping centres are in the hands of some of Australia’s wealthiest entities. In other headlines, Vietnam’s construction industry is booming, expanding at the highest rate since 2020. Lastly, Thailand is drawing significant attention from institutional investors, buoyed by a favourable economic outlook.

Melbourne shopping centres: Owners of the city’s major retail destinations include some big names worth billions

Melbourne’s shopping centres are in the hands of some of Australia’s wealthiest entities, according to realcommercial.com.au. Scentre Group owns 37 Westfield shopping centres across the country, and they have a 50 per cent share in the iconic Westfield Doncaster in Melbourne. Vicinity Centres, meanwhile, owns a massive portfolio that includes Australia’s largest retail complex, the prestigious Chadstone Shopping Centre, valued at a whopping AUD6.725 billion. Major players like GPT Group, IP Generation, and the Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC) are also heavily invested in Melbourne’s retail property market. The combination of high demand and strategic locations continues to fuel these billion-dollar investments.

Vietnam’s construction industry expands at the highest rate since 2020: Ministry

Vietnam’s construction industry is booming. VietnamPlus reports that in 2023, the sector contributed over 6 percent of the country’s GDP, driven by increasing urbanisation, large-scale infrastructure projects, and a surge in demand for residential and commercial buildings. Experts estimate the industry to expand at around 7.8- 8.2 percent in 2024, the highest rate since 2020. Next year, the ministry set the target for an urbanisation rate of at least 45 percent and more than 100,000 social housing units to be completed. To achieve these goals, the ministry will continue to improve the legal framework and law enforcement next year.

Institutional investors upbeat on Thailand’s outlook

Thailand is drawing significant attention from institutional investors, buoyed by a favourable economic outlook. Fund managers expect the GDP will grow continuously, and the domestic policy interest rate may be adjusted to 1.75 percent by the end of the year to stimulate the economy. However, the Bangkok Post report cites their concerns about political instability, which may affect investor confidence. Regarding equity investments, they will focus on medium to large-cap stocks with environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies, which are expected to generate better returns than general stocks. Prominent industries include commerce, tourism recreation, technology, and finance. Regarding domestic bond investment, the focus is on medium and long-term government bonds and private debt instruments.

The Property Report editors wrote this article. For more information, email: [email protected].