GIC inks US$197m deal with top Korean retailer to develop mall in Incheon

Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC and Korean department store Shinsegae are partnering to develop a prime retail mall in the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ).

Working through affiliates, the companies have signed a US$197 million sale-and-purchase agreement for 59,730 sqm of land for the Incheon mall in the international business district of Songdo, close to a subway station, bus terminal and expressways. Scheduled for completion by 2020, the mall will include entertainment as well as leisure attractions.

Songdo is a new city part of IFEZ, 65km southwest of Seoul, where Shinsegae has its headquarters. The name of Shinsegae literally means “New World”.

Set up in 1981 to preserve and enhance Singapore’s foreign reserves, GIC is one of the world’s largest global investors with more than US$100 billion of assets in more than 40 countries.

GIC and Shinsegae are already working together on developing a prime retail mall in Dongdaegu Station, scheduled for completion in the second half of this year.

GIC last year partnered with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) to acquire the Seoul-based D-cube retail mall, rebranding it as the Hyundai Department Store.