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It has been over a month since Thailand announced the state of emergency to combat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The global pandemic has created disruptions to the Thai economy to the extent that the Bank of Thailand has had to revise the previous 2.8% GDP growth projection to a 5.3% contraction for 2020. We are seeing a variety of ways in which different organizations are responding to the crisis as part of the largest workplace experiment conducted to date. Some companies are…

It has been over a month since Thailand announced the state of emergency to combat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The global pandemic has created disruptions to the Thai economy to the extent that the Bank of Thailand has had to revise the previous 2.8% GDP growth projection to a 5.3% contraction for 2020. We are seeing a variety of ways in which different organizations are responding to the crisis as part of the largest workplace experiment conducted to date.

Some companies are shuffling their staff, rotating their employees between entering the office and working from home schedules. Others have their entire staff working from home. This has radically impacted the way in which both organizations and employees work, especially in a country with a relatively high level of resistance to prior changes in the workplace. It has also led to many questions and judgements on the long-term impact that COVID-19 will have on the office property market, including those that radically proclaim the demise of the office.

The following dynamics are what we at Knight Frank and Peoplespace Thailand believe will shape the workplace as a result of COVID-19. COVID-19 most likely will not completely revolutionize or cause the death of the office. While the pandemic will lead to greater scrutiny and change in some prior market behavior, its most profound impact will be to drive and accelerate trends that were already underway for many of the leading office market participants.

“When virus-related restrictions ease, we expect to see the release of some pent-up demand, but this will reflect shifting preferences following the experience of the pandemic and extended working from home, with businesses all likely to take a different approach.”

We entered 2020 with cautious optimism as Asia-Pacific property markets remained relatively healthy and the phase one trade deal was signed between the US and China. Then COVID-19 struck, throwing markets into turmoil, and with it, knocking many of our previous forecasts off-course. This year has been dominated by the pandemic, with activity and performance of the various real estate asset classes linked to just how they have been impacted by the virus. As this report highlights, geographies and property types have all been influenced by lockdowns, restrictions, and the ensuing economic weakness. However, as we now look towards 2021 and the potential recovery it may bring, here are six trends that give a sense of what lies ahead:

We entered 2020 with cautious optimism as Asia-Pacific property markets remained relatively healthy and the phase one trade deal was signed between the US and China. Then COVID-19 struck, throwing markets into turmoil, and with it, knocking many of our previous forecasts off-course. This year has been dominated by the pandemic, with activity and performance of the various real estate asset classes linked to just how they have been impacted by the virus. As this report highlights, geographies and property types have all been influenced by lockdowns, restrictions, and the ensuing economic weakness. However, as we now look towards 2021 and the potential recovery it may bring, here are six trends that give a sense of what lies ahead:

1. Work-from-home experiment will leave a lasting impact
2. Logistics driven by e-commerce and supply chain security
3. Investors circling for distress may be disappointed
4. Monetary policy to remain supportive of residential markets
5. Real estate to contribute to the ‘Green Recovery
6. US-China relations to continue to be important for the region

Many occupiers are looking to reduce the total amount of office space they occupy, due to the preference for some employees to continue working from home following lockdown. This change in occupier preference, combined with the large amount of new supply, has resulted in occupiers looking to…

Many occupiers are looking to reduce the total amount of office space they occupy, due to the preference for some employees to continue working from home following lockdown. This change in occupier preference, combined with the large amount of new supply, has resulted in occupiers looking to secure smaller office spaces within new developments, enabling them to increase the quality of their offices whilst also potentially reducing their total rent. This shift will have a severe impact on landlords of older buildings, however and it is likely that occupancy rates across the market will continue to fall.

With the eff ects of the pandemic looking likely to continue into 2021, Savills expects to see more occupiers looking to reduce their office space. Considering this along with the large amount of future supply completing over the next five years, it’s likely a large number of occupiers will seek to relocate into smaller units within newly completed office buildings.

The trade war between China and the US has pushed Taiwan’s tech and manufacturing companies to rethink their supply chain strategies which used to rely heavily on China. Taiwan’s tech industry saw a large wave of off shoring to China from 2000, especially the electronic component and computer sectors, resulting in…

The trade war between China and the US has pushed Taiwan’s tech and manufacturing companies to rethink their supply chain strategies which used to rely heavily on China. Taiwan’s tech industry saw a large wave of off shoring to China from 2000, especially the electronic component and computer sectors, resulting in four of China’s top 10 companies exporting to the US originating from Taiwan, including Foxconn, Quanta, Pegatron, and Compal Electronics. As the trade war tensions have escalated, Taiwanese companies are considering relocating production lines to Southeast Asia and Taiwan in order to diversify their manufacturing base.

Industrial land prices have increased steadily over the past five years owing to the strong demand from local end-users. Although the global economic outlook is gloomy, we believe that the average industrial land price could rise by 3% in 2020, especially in traditionally cheaper areas. As land prices in New Taipei City and Taoyuan have increased significantly, tech corporates have had to modify their factory expansion plans to focus on more affordable areas, such as industrial parks in middle and southern Taiwan. We reason that industrial land in those areas is expected to witness stronger price growth in the near future.

Retail projected were forced to actively adjust their tenant brand mixes to stand out in the increasingly competitive crowd of retail projects in Chongqing. Following the Metro Park’s substantial brand adjustment in 1H/2020…

Retail projected were forced to actively adjust their tenant brand mixes to stand out in the increasingly competitive crowd of retail projects in Chongqing.

Following the Metro Park’s substantial brand adjustment in 1H/2020, the shopping mall actively introduced many new retail brands into its low zones, such as children’s entertainment brands, medical beauty institutions and fine dining establishments with larger leased areas than in the high zone, helping strengthen the brand richness in the project.

In Q3/2020, Starlight Plaza, located in the Jiefangbei submarket, announced that it would officially launch a major adjustment to comprehensively renew the positioning of the mall and brand categories to accelerate the integrated development of the project. This adjustment will be the first since the project opened in 2015.