Delhi-NCR leads Asia Pacific in H12017 office leasing volumes
Real Estate

Delhi-NCR leads Asia Pacific in H12017 office leasing volumes

Although leasing activity declined by 13 per cent YoY in Asia Pacific in Q2, volumes were down only 2 per cent in the first-half of the year, indicating stable leasing levels across the region. Cities like Seoul and Taipei saw sluggish tenant demand impacting leasing activity. Delhi-NCR has continued to be the regional leader for leasing volumes while Bengaluru also came ahead of other active regional markets, including Guangzhou, Manila and Melbourne.
 
Higher levels of activity in Bengaluru (+11 per cent) and Delhi-NCR (+14 per cent) were, however, offset by lower levels of take-up in Mumbai (-23 per cent) and Chennai (-53 per cent). While Mumbai saw lower volumes in Q2 as a few big-ticket deals did not crystalise in time, Chennai suffered from lack of quality office spaces in a low vacancy market. Aggregate gross leasing for four of India Tier-I cities registered a small 3 per cent decline in H12017.
 
The first-half of 2017 has seen take-up reach just under 10 million sq ft across the four major cities, which is slightly less than H12016 when the take-up exceeded 10 million sq ft. Traditional sectors remained the primary demand drivers but uncertainty surrounding US offshoring policy and automation has seen ITeS’ firms exercise caution. Co-working operators have started to be major contributors of space take-up.
 
What happened in other leading markets?

  • Leasing activity was higher in all three China Tier-I cities. Domestic financials, insurance, real estate and tech firms drove leasing activity across these markets. At the same time, Hong Kong has witnessed strong demand from financial firms from the PRC.
  • A lack of available space in existing buildings and upcoming supply in Japan’s core areas continued to impact leasing activity in the Grade-A segment in the first-half of the year.
  • Gross leasing volumes in H12017 in Singapore were notably higher than a year earlier, bolstered by large deals on recently completed or upcoming buildings as tenants take advantage of lower rents to lease high-quality space.
  • Aggregate gross leasing volumes in Australia during H12017 were flat on a year ago. Demand is strong and broadly-based in Melbourne (up 78 per cent in H1), with centralisation a key theme. In Sydney, however, gross leasing was 33 per cent lower than a year earlier due to a high base effect as leasing levels in H1 2016 were bolstered by pre-leasing in new developments.
 
(Based on six cities in Australia; three cities in China; two cities in France; five cities in Germany; four cities in India; one city (Tokyo) in Japan; 50 cities in the US; two cities in the UK.)
 
Overall, Asia Pacific leasing volumes this year are likely to be marginally lower (0 per cent to -5 per cent) than in 2016, with upside potential for improved activity by year-end.
 
Globally, however, office leasing activity has been remarkably stable during the first half of 2017, with global volumes virtually unchanged on the same period of 2016. For the full year 2017, we expect global leasing volumes to remain steady, matching the levels recorded in 2016. Volumes are projected to be somewhat higher than in 2016 in the US, stable in Europe and slightly lower in Asia Pacific.
 
About the Author:
Ramesh Nair
is CEO & Country Head at JLL India.

Although leasing activity declined by 13 per cent YoY in Asia Pacific in Q2, volumes were down only 2 per cent in the first-half of the year, indicating stable leasing levels across the region. Cities like Seoul and Taipei saw sluggish tenant demand impacting leasing activity. Delhi-NCR has continued to be the regional leader for leasing volumes while Bengaluru also came ahead of other active regional markets, including Guangzhou, Manila and Melbourne.   Higher levels of activity in Bengaluru (+11 per cent) and Delhi-NCR (+14 per cent) were, however, offset by lower levels of take-up in Mumbai (-23 per cent) and Chennai (-53 per cent). While Mumbai saw lower volumes in Q2 as a few big-ticket deals did not crystalise in time, Chennai suffered from lack of quality office spaces in a low vacancy market. Aggregate gross leasing for four of India Tier-I cities registered a small 3 per cent decline in H12017.   The first-half of 2017 has seen take-up reach just under 10 million sq ft across the four major cities, which is slightly less than H12016 when the take-up exceeded 10 million sq ft. Traditional sectors remained the primary demand drivers but uncertainty surrounding US offshoring policy and automation has seen ITeS’ firms exercise caution. Co-working operators have started to be major contributors of space take-up.   What happened in other leading markets? Leasing activity was higher in all three China Tier-I cities. Domestic financials, insurance, real estate and tech firms drove leasing activity across these markets. At the same time, Hong Kong has witnessed strong demand from financial firms from the PRC. A lack of available space in existing buildings and upcoming supply in Japan’s core areas continued to impact leasing activity in the Grade-A segment in the first-half of the year. Gross leasing volumes in H12017 in Singapore were notably higher than a year earlier, bolstered by large deals on recently completed or upcoming buildings as tenants take advantage of lower rents to lease high-quality space. Aggregate gross leasing volumes in Australia during H12017 were flat on a year ago. Demand is strong and broadly-based in Melbourne (up 78 per cent in H1), with centralisation a key theme. In Sydney, however, gross leasing was 33 per cent lower than a year earlier due to a high base effect as leasing levels in H1 2016 were bolstered by pre-leasing in new developments.  (Based on six cities in Australia; three cities in China; two cities in France; five cities in Germany; four cities in India; one city (Tokyo) in Japan; 50 cities in the US; two cities in the UK.)   Overall, Asia Pacific leasing volumes this year are likely to be marginally lower (0 per cent to -5 per cent) than in 2016, with upside potential for improved activity by year-end.   Globally, however, office leasing activity has been remarkably stable during the first half of 2017, with global volumes virtually unchanged on the same period of 2016. For the full year 2017, we expect global leasing volumes to remain steady, matching the levels recorded in 2016. Volumes are projected to be somewhat higher than in 2016 in the US, stable in Europe and slightly lower in Asia Pacific.   About the Author: Ramesh Nair is CEO & Country Head at JLL India.

Related Stories

Gold Stories

Hi There!

Now get regular updates from CW Magazine on WhatsApp!

Click on link below, message us with a simple hi, and SAVE our number

You will have subscribed to our Construction News on Whatsapp! Enjoy

+91 81086 03000

Join us Telegram