The deal size could be in excess of Rs 2,000 crore, though this could not be verified. Sivasankaran had invested close to Rs 1,800 crore in 2007 to take a 41 per cent stake in Aamby Valley. The Sahara Group is the majority investor, with a 51 per cent stake.
The last date for receiving EoIs is February 28, after which a new reserve price will be announced.
Apartment prices at Planet Godrej, a premium residential property developed by Godrej Properties in the tony Mahalaxmi area of Mumbai, had come down to as low as Rs 17,000 to Rs 18,000 a sq ft in the property market slowdown last year.
Kishore Biyani's Future Group has seen a turnaround in home retailing after months of decline, on the back of improved consumer sentiments and focused merchandising plans, a key group executive said.
The Maharashtra government has decided to increase floor space index (FSI) to 3 from the current 2.5 for buildings which have come up between 1940 and 1960. The decision opens up the possibility for redeveloping 16,461 old buildings.
Litigation, regulations and the process of seeking approvals have also discouraged some developers.
Reliance Brands, a group company of Reliance Industries, began operations two years earlier to launch premium-to-luxury domestic and international brands and also set up retail stores for them.
After the euphoria, "affordable" realty developers are faced with the reality of excesses.
Because of oversupply and rising vacancy levels in cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, among others, rentals are expected to remain stagnant in the next six months or see a further fall of 10-15 per cent.
The growing margins suggest that the belt tightening is paying off. For example, the margins of Pantaloon Retail, the country's largest listed retailer, have gone up from 9.2 per cent in June last year to 10.6 per cent in June 2009.Others such as the Raheja-owned Shoppers Stop and Tata Group's Trent, Reliance Retail and Spencer's Retail aren't far behind.
Sales grew only 5-10% last year on weak consumer sentiments
After a year of slow growth, apparel maker and retailer Provogue is reworking its business strategy to boost revenues and prop up margins, a top company executive said.
Q3 will be better than the second, say bankers and builders.
Last week, banks were asked to factor in the loans extended to a group -- comprising subsidiaries, special purpose vehicles and related parties of a real estate company -- 'as a matter of prudence'.
According to sources close to the development, the ministry feels that the National Textile Corporation (NTC), which has put the land on sale, will get better prices than the bid put in by Lodha Developers. The company, which had initially placed a bid of Rs 657.90 crore (Rs 6.57 billion), later hiked it to Rs 710 crore (Rs 7.1 billion), following a request from NTC.
Prices of agricultural commodities have risen 23 per cent so far this month.
Last year, the group held discussions with potential investors and started putting in place a management team to run the fund. Knight Frank India executive director Keku Cola was expected to head the new fund, but he has quit and joined the Shapoorji Pallonji group. According to a report by global research firm Preqin, private equity real estate funds are still struggling to raise capital in the current economic environment.
After Pune, the swine flu scare is affecting footfalls and sales in malls and retail stores in Mumbai. Sales in these places have fallen by up to half in the past two days.
Shopping malls, multiplexes and top retailers in Pune are seeing as much as a 70 per cent drop in business owing to the swine flu outbreak in the city.
After a long hiatus, home sales are finally back on track. Sales of major real estate developers have more than trebled in the June quarter compared to the preceding three months, amid growing expectations that the good times will continue to roll.