Rental turnover generated by our mainland China property leasing portfolio advanced by 9% to HK$4,354 million for the year ended December 31, 2014.
 
 
 

Our Shanghai properties, which accounted for 74% of total turnover of our mainland China portfolio, continued to deliver a stable performance, with a rental growth of 4% in 2014. Investment properties outside Shanghai contributed HK$1,141 million to the Group’s rental turnover. That included the full year impact of the Center 66 shopping mall and the additions of Riverside 66 shopping mall as well as the office tower of Center 66 during the second half of 2014.

With the openings of Riverside 66 in Tianjin and the office tower of Center 66 in Wuxi, total gross floor area of the investment properties of the Group operating in five cities on the Mainland increased to 1,911,000 square meters, comprising 1,513,000 square meters of commercial area (including car parks), 315,000 square meters of office spaces and 83,000 square meters of residential and apartments areas. Total retail sales of our shopping malls in mainland China exceeded RMB10 billion in 2014.

BRIEF ON PROPERTIES

PLAZA 66, SHANGHAI

Renowned as one of the most successful commercial complexes in mainland China, Plaza 66 comprises a five-story high-end shopping mall, houses a number of renowned luxury goods and fashion brands, and the two prestigious Grade A office towers, soaring 66-story and 48-story, respectively, attract prominent local and international businesses as tenants. The entire complex has become one of the city's most admired landmarks.

Commercial Segment Distribution
(by Base Rent)


GRAND GATEWAY 66, SHANGHAI

Located at the commercial hub of Xujiahui, Grand Gateway 66 is an interconnected complex comprising a shopping mall, office towers, residential and serviced apartments. Grand Gateway 66 has a unique and contemporary style that sets it apart from similar developments in the city.

The shopping mall of Grand Gateway 66 offers unmatched opportunities for business and leisure. With its superb location above the Xujiahui station, Grand Gateway 66 is a true one-stop shopping complex in Shanghai.

The two 51-story office towers of Grand Gateway 66 house prominent local and international businesses as tenants. Serviced apartments at Grand Gateway 66 comprise of three buildings offering 629 suites for lease.

Commercial Segment Distribution
(by Base Rent)


PALACE 66, SHENYANG

The magnificent Palace 66 shopping mall is located right in the vibrant financial and commercial heart of Shenyang. Situated on Zhongjie Lu, a famous commercial street in Shenhe district, Palace 66 houses an alluring blend of international and local brands. These encompass fashion and accessories, lifestyle and entertainment, beauty and cosmetics, as well as quality restaurants.

Commercial Segment Distribution
(by Base Rent)


FORUM 66, SHENYANG

Forum 66 sits ideally on Qingnian Da Jie, the "Golden Corridor" thoroughfare that runs through the city center, and is close to Shenyang's best known landmarks.

The shopping mall at Forum 66 houses a number of world-leading luxury brands that have chosen Forum 66 as the home for their first stores in Shenyang. The metro line No. 2 offers direct access to Forum 66 from the station, providing an additional boost to traffic flows to the project.

Commercial Segment Distribution
(by Base Rent)


PARC 66, JINAN

Situated on Jinan’s “Golden Avenue”, Quancheng Lu, Parc 66 introduced a number of international brands which are launched for the first time to the Jinan market. The shopping mall has been a most welcome lifestyle destination for Jinan residents with its cinema, supermarkets and cafés.

The architectural design of Parc 66 blends well with the surrounding environment. Taking its theme from the nearby lakes and springs, Parc 66 embodies a flowing design, an undulating roof, green spaces and curved façades. Its two triangular-shaped shopping buildings are linked by an undulating bridge, the Dragon at various levels.

Commercial Segment Distribution
(by Base Rent)


CENTER 66, WUXI

Situated ideally at the heart of Wuxi’s Chong’an central business district on Renmin Zhong Lu, Center 66 (Phase 1) is a commercial complex comprising a shopping mall and a Grade A office tower.

The shopping mall houses a selection of global brands, food & beverage outlets as well as lifestyle offerings.

The 52-story office tower of Center 66 begins operation in October 2014 and is home to a number of international and domestic leading corporations.

Commercial Segment Distribution
(by Base Rent)


RIVERSIDE 66, TIANJIN

Located strategically in the heart of Tianjin’s Haihe central business district, Riverside 66 houses an extensive tenant list encompassing an alluring mix of internationally renowned fashion brands, food & beverage outlets and lifestyle retailers. A number of tenants have also chosen Riverside 66 as the home for their first stores in Tianjin.

The unique and eye-catching architectural design of Riverside 66 extends approximately 380 meters from east to west amid the most hectic and bustling pedestrian zone in Tianjin.

Commercial Segment Distribution
(by Base Rent)


PLAZA 66, SHANGHAI

Our premier shopping mall in Shanghai, Plaza 66, enjoyed a stable rental growth of 6% in 2014.

The business environment was competitive due to the opening of new malls over the years and some affluent shoppers choosing to shop abroad. Persistent anti-grafting measures on luxury spending also affected the mall’s retail sales.

Despite the vagaries of the retail environment, Plaza 66 continued to be perceived as the home of flagship stores in Shanghai and enjoyed the loyalty of a group of high-spending customers. Luxury brand flagship stores including Chanel, Escada, Tod’s and Celine were further strengthened through expansion and enhancement during the year.

In the last quarter of 2014, we saw an upward trend in footfall as a result of the interest in new flagship stores at Plaza 66 and our very successful promotion campaigns.

Plaza 66 was the official sponsor of the 2014 Shanghai Fashion Week International Showcase and hosted various large-scale promotions such as Talking Fashion, a campaign that involved the participation of international brands and tenants as well as strong support from the District Government of Jing’an.

To further strengthen the prestigious positioning of the mall, enhancements will begin in phases at Plaza 66 from mid-2015. Our on-going trade mix reshuffle will bring a new look and an enriched shopping experience to the mall.

Plaza 66 Office Towers benefited from stable demand by local financial institutions for both new office space and the expansion of existing tenants’ business. We welcomed several new tenants during the year such as renowned international bank Credit Agricole. Rental turnover of the two office towers at Plaza 66 remained flat compared to a year ago.

The market saw an increase of Grade A office supply in Shanghai and multinational corporations becoming more cost conscious. Although the occupancy rate of the two office towers slipped four points to 91% due to the lease expiry of a major tenant in mid year, most of the space has already been pre-leased. The occupancy rate is expected to improve with the gradual arrival of new tenants from the first quarter of 2015.

We also took the opportunity to upgrade various electrical and mechanical systems such as air-conditioning and CCTV. In 2015, one of our objectives is to further enhance our tenant mix through recruitment of quality tenants. An asset enhancement initiative of the office towers is underway which will help us stay at the forefront of the market. Enhancement works for Office Tower One is scheduled to begin in the mid-2015 and will be completed in phases by the end of 2016.



GRAND GATEWAY 66, SHANGHAI

Retail sales at Grand Gateway 66 trended upward in 2014 and recorded a 3% gain in retail sales year-on-year. Rental turnover grew 8%. The shopping mall was almost fully let. Grand Gateway 66 continues to provide customers with varied physical shopping experience which helped make the mall resistant to the effects of online shopping. The mall also provided more choices for shoppers than competitors in terms of the trade mix and exceptional customer services.

Renowned brands including Bottega Veneta, GUCCI, Emporio Armani, Burberry, Balenciaga and Chloé opened their stores in the mall. The distinguished brand of French confectionary Ladurée and TWG Tea from Singapore also chose to open their stores at Grand Gateway 66, with the former being its first store on the Mainland while TWG Tea being the first tea shop in Shanghai.

From November 2014 onwards, Grand Gateway 66 launched a very successful branding campaign, “Where Vibrancy is Sophistication”, with a significant amount of online and offline media support.

Leasehold improvements at Grand Gateway 66 including enhancement works of the second and sixth floors were completed in September 2014.

In 2015 the mall will benefit from the installation of a new Wi-Fi infrastructure. This technology will introduce apps for in-car navigation as well as enabling restaurants to offer customers information on queuing. Both features will enhance the shopping experience at Grand Gateway 66.

The Group also plans to kick-start an asset enhancement initiative in late 2015 or early 2016.

Positioned as a mid- to high-end super-regional shopping mall, Grand Gateway 66 is ideally located for reaching customers beyond its existing catchment area, servicing not only Shanghai but also surrounding cities in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. The goal of Grand Gateway 66 in introducing these software and hardware enhancement initiatives is to strengthen the mall’s overall shopping experience and attract more customers from the surrounding area.

The Office Tower of Grand Gateway 66 experienced stable growth in 2014 despite keen competition in Puxi. The performance of residential and serviced apartments remained soft due to lower occupancy as a result of subdue demands from corporate clients.



PALACE 66, SHENYANG

Against the backdrop of increasing competition in Shenyang, Palace 66 recorded a rental growth of 4% as tenant remixing began to bear fruit. Footfall and tenant sales were on the increase, and retail sales of the mall climbed 12% despite a lower occupancy rate of 85% against the previous year.

New brands were well received by customers, including Boy London and #113潮匯 whose young and trendy fashion positioning attracted many customers.

In 2014, Palace 66 hosted several highly visible marketing events that appealed to the fashion tastes of young people, including the UK in Shenyang Week organized by the British Embassy in Beijing, the China Britain Business Council and the Shenyang Municipal Government, plus an amazing 3D performance and the final of the Dream Show. These events not only attracted great interest, particularly among young consumers and well-to-do shoppers, but were also well received by tenants, helping to improve their sales performances significantly.

Palace 66 is currently working on expanding its Wi-Fi capacity with the number of access points to be increased from 50 to 200. The work will be completed in February 2015. Once in service, the mall will be able to offer more interactive elements in promotional events. As we move into 2015, we will continue to adjust our tenant mix so as to enhance the shopping mall’s uniquely inspiring, unorthodox and stylish brand identity.



FORUM 66, SHENYANG

Forum 66 recorded a stable rental turnover and a 2% growth in retail sales during 2014 as a result of innovative promotional activities that provided a favorable environment for our tenants. The occupancy rate fell six points to 93% due to a change of tenant mix and the government’s anti-grafting measures.

The opening of the metro connection in January 2014 and the enhancement of our hardware and software had a positive effect on the shopping mall. Footfall picked up in the fourth quarter.

The interior fitting out works of Forum 66 Office Tower were almost completed. Pre-leasing activities have started with a good response while the handover to tenants will be carried out by phases from the first quarter of 2015. The opening of office tower is expected to create synergistic effects with the Forum 66 mall.



PARC 66, JINAN

After operating for three years, many tenancies at Parc 66 came to an end of the first lease cycle. This presented the Group with an opportunity to modify the tenancy profile. In 2014, Parc 66 recorded an 8% decrease in rental turnover and a lower occupancy rate by six points to 82% during the process of change.

New elements of non-conventional shopping, entertainment and lifestyle luxury have been introduced to replace the more traditional luxury spending pattern. The Trick Eye Museum, a Korean brand famous for delivering fascinating 3D experiences, successfully opened its first operation in mainland China at Parc 66 in December 2014. Other innovative arrivals in 2014 included footwear icon UGG, Gymboree for children’s apparel and education, American-style diner Laya Burger and a combined book-and-café tenant Penjoy.

In August 2013, the Shandong government enacted a new economic strategy in which Jinan is included as a main core city. Parc 66 is now the most popular mall in Jinan and the “go-to” destination in the region for young consumers and families with strong purchasing power.

2014 saw more joint promotions with tenants, including the World Cup Fever that capitalized on the World Cup with demonstrations of Brazilian martial arts, a freestyle soccer demonstration and samba dancing. We also celebrated the third anniversary of Parc 66 with a number of exciting events that included the chance to win a ride in a Rolls-Royce. Chinese Valentine’s Day was celebrated at the same time with the micro-movie “7 Days of Love” — a heart-warming tale of love produced by Parc 66 in collaboration with a number of jewelry brands in the mall. These events boosted the overall shopping ambience and popularity of the mall.

Looking ahead in 2015, Parc 66 aims to attract customers not only from Jinan but also from surrounding cities that are about a two-hour drive away. The mall will introduce more social media channels including website enhancement. There will also be new brands that have not previously appeared in Jinan before. Under the theme of “The New Fashion of Fun”, the mall will introduce a VIC (Very Important Customer) program and other promotional activities that aim to increase footfall and tenant sales.



CENTER 66, WUXI

2014 was the first full year of Center 66 since its opening in September 2013. The opening of a number of exciting new shops and metro connection contributed to the satisfactory performance of Center 66. Retail sales in the last quarter of 2014 jumped 48% against the corresponding period in 2013. Average occupancy rate was 91% in 2014.

New shops include Panerai, Blancpain, Jaeger-Lecoultre, Annvita and Bluefrog which opened their first shops or flagship stores in Wuxi at Center 66 in 2014. The opening of the first Ferrari & Maserati car showroom and Apple store at Center 66 also helped enrich the tenancy and product variety of the mall.

The pedestrian tunnel linking the basement of Center 66 to the metro station opened in October 2014, further strengthening the mall’s accessibility and popularity. During the year, innovative marketing events and promotions were held using a combination of online and offline media. The mall celebrated its first anniversary with VIP events for luxury brands such as the Jewelry & Watch VIP Appraisal Event, Trendsetter’s Closet and SS/FW Fashion Show. The mall also held a Christmas promotion under the theme of New Attitude and organized weekend performances throughout the month of December.

Looking ahead in 2015, the mall will continue to face competition in the market. But with the introduction of substantial promotion activities, tenant sales are expected to remain steady.

The Office Tower of Center 66, our first office tower outside Shanghai, commenced operation in October 2014. With the excellent location and superior quality of the building, we were able to command a premium rent rate.

Part of the low-zone units were leased shortly after the opening with the first influx of tenants moving in. Many of the new tenants came from international corporations. To meet the keen demand for office space, leasing of the mid-zone occurred earlier than originally planned.



RIVERSIDE 66, TIANJIN

Our youngest mall, Riverside 66 in Tianjin was unveiled on September 26, 2014. Riverside 66 is destined to become an iconic retail landmark for Tianjin, introducing a new lifestyle concept for customers in the city and the surrounding neighborhoods.

The mall’s performance was pleasant in the first three months. Occupancy rate was 85% at year-end date, or 91% when including committed tenancies.

Out of the 297 tenants operating at Riverside 66, a total of 60 new brands were introduced to the Tianjin market for the first time. Average daily footfall has increased to 31,000 during weekdays and 52,000 over the weekends.

We saw income rises for the average consumer leading to increased demand for higher-end goods and services. As consumers in Tianjin began looking for good shopping and consumer experiences, Riverside 66 suited their needs perfectly. The establishment of the China (Tianjin) Pilot Free Trade Zone will also have a positive economic effect on the city.

Key marketing events of the year included the Rainbow Run, Mirror Mirror Party, Bazaar Art Show and Batman exhibition. Riverside 66 also hosted the One & Only exhibition of brands making their debut in Tianjin. To improve the customer experience, Riverside 66 installed touch screens for displaying store information and delivering promotional messages to consumers as well as social media channels.

In 2015, we will continue to enrich the mix of international and local brands in the mall, including first-ever brands to Tianjin.