CapitaLand Mall Trust remain stable despite challenges as retail sector stalls

Despite challenges in the retail sector, CapitaLand Mall Trust (CMT) maintained stability in its fourth quarter.

“This points to the underlying strength of our well-located malls, and the management’s continuous focus on enhancing their offering as well as improving efficiency,” says CMT management company CMTML chairman Professor Richard Magnus.

CMT achieved net property income (NPI) of S$119.3 million (US$90.6 million) for the period, to the end of December, up 2.6 per cent from the final quarter the previous year.

With Singapore’s GDP growth expected to be stable this year, competition in the retail sector will remain intense, with new retail space coming onstream, says Magnus. “To stay at the forefront of a dynamic retail landscape, CMT will continue to push the boundaries and explore new ways to future-enable its malls.”

CMT’s malls had an occupancy rate of 99.2 per cent at December 31, says CMTML CEO Tony Tan.

“As part of our ongoing effort to enhance the offline and online shopping experience in our malls, we introduced seven click-and-collect lounges under CapitaLand’s partnership with e-commerce player Lazada. They are in Bedok Mall, Bugis+, IMM Building, JCube, Plaza Singapura, Tampines Mall and Westgate.”

He says construction for Funan is progressing well. “With less than two years to target opening, Funan has received strong leasing interest for its retail and office components.”

For its fourth quarter, CMT recorded growth of 1.8 and 2.6 per cent in gross revenue and NPI respectively year on year. The increase was mainly because of higher occupancy for Bugis Junction and The Atrium@Orchard, partially offset by lower gross revenue from Bedok Mall because of lower rental rates and reduced occupancy.

For the full year, CMT recorded S$682.4 million in gross revenue, down 1.1 per cent. This was mainly because of the closure of Funan mall for redevelopment, lower rental rates and the lower occupancy at Bedok Mall. This was partially offset by higher rental from IMM Building, JCube and Clarke Quay.