Sy investing P19B in China projects

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MANILA, Philippines—SM Development Corp. will jumpstart its overseas expansion by investing up to 3 billion renminbi (about P19 billion) in two high-rise residential projects in China adjacent to the SM shopping malls in the cities of Xiamen and Jinjiang, both in Fuijian province.



Outside of the planned investment in China, SMDC is also investing up to P20 billion in the Philippines for new projects this year and in 2011, top officials said during the listing on the Philippine Stock Exchange of P11.7 billion worth of company shares sold in a recent stock rights offering.



“The proceeds of this stock offering will be used mostly to purchase new land and for the continuation of all our buildings and probably some overseas expansion, too. As you know, our sales have been doubling for the last two to three years and we need a lot of funds right now to keep with the pace,” said SMDC vice chair and chief executive Henry Sy Jr.



In China, Sy said SMDC’s first two projects would be pursued as a joint venture with sister company SM Prime Holdings Inc. using the latter’s existing land bank in Xiamen and Jinjiang. “We always try to be near SM malls [because buyers], whether Chinese or Filipinos, look for convenience and affordability,” he said.



He said SMDC would later on work to acquire its own land and pursue projects even in areas where SM Prime did not have any shopping mall. “We’re very much interested also in Shanghai because it’s the center of commerce. It’s like Makati in China,” he said.



SM Prime, for its part, is focusing on second- or third-tier cities in China and has not made plans to put up any mall in Shanghai.



Similar to its strategy in Manila, Sy said SMDC would bring to China “affordable housing with five-star amenities,” adding that the property business looked promising in China because of that nation’s very high savings rate.



In Xiamen, Sy said SMDC would likely start construction next year of a 150,000-square-meter project, the first phase of which would have a living space of 80,000 sqm. The company has yet to finalize how many residential units to offer or how big each unit will be. It will construct on a two-hectare property owned by SM Prime adjacent to the SM Lifestyle Center.



In Jinjiang, the city where his father Henry Sr. hails from, Sy said SMDC would build on a four-hectare lot near the SM mall.



The entry into the Xiamen and Jinjiang property markets will cost SMDC about 2 to 3 billion renminbi (P13-P19 billion). In general, it is more expensive to develop a property in China because additional provisions are needed for the winter season.



Unlike in the Philippines where pre-selling is a common practice, SMDC is only allowed to sell residential units once construction of the top floor has been finished.



As of Wednesday, SMDC’s stock price has rallied to P9.38 a share, up 4.8 percent from the previous session. This gave the company a market capitalization of P65.6 billion.