Thought Leadership

In recent years, the residential market has consistently embarked on a new chapter of growth, driven by buoyant consumer sentiment, robust property launches, competitive pricing, and a conducive interest rate regime. The strength of the residential market is evident from the robust sales volume recorded in the first half of 2023, with more than 62,000 units sold in each of the two quarters.

Notably, Q2 2023 saw sales of over 64,500 units, representing a 4% quarter-on-quarter growth. Interestingly, residential sales have consistently reached new peaks in each successive quarter over the past year. Aligning with this trend, Q2 2023 surpassed the previous historic high achieved in Q1 2023, making it the highest quarterly sales since 2008.

Key trends in residential market in Q1 2023 and H1 2023:

• Backed by quality launches, quarterly sales set new benchmarks
• Residential sales surge to a 15-year high in H1 2023
• Sales of the premium segment apartments showed an upward trend
• New launches remain buoyant in Q2 2023 and H1 2023
• Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Pune constituted 62% of the quarterly sales
• Robust demand leads to rise in capital values across the top 7 cities in India

Gross leasing activity across the top seven cities of India was recorded at 12.7 mn sq ft in Q2 2023, building on the market traction sustained from the previous quarter and signalling the resilience in India’s office sector. In comparison to H1, gross leasing was also up by 2.5%, showing India’s office markets being clearly insulated from the global headwinds’ impact.

Net absorption is up 4% q-o-q but is typified by occupiers remaining slightly bearish on big expansion plans given the still swirling global headwinds of economic uncertainty. India’s net absorption across the top seven cities broke its declining trend to be at a three-quarter high. While occupiers do remain slightly bearish on expansion activity, India continues to see growth from its domestic firms and global occupiers spreading their wings, albeit at a slightly slower pace.

Space requirements have now stabilized and are showing signs of recovery with deal closures being rolled over and replaced by new requirements, keeping the demand pie intact. While the global headwinds and tech sluggishness would continue to be limiting factors, India’s resilience in the past six months is expected to sustain over the remainder of the year as well. Transaction closures will be relevant to the forecasts of 2023 with any slippages likely to keep 2023 slightly muted but positively impact the years beyond.

Key trends in office segment in Q2 2023

• Net absorption recovers to 7.95 mn sq ft; highest in three quarters
• Quarterly supply at 10.5 mn sq ft; up by 5.3% q-o-q
• Tech continues to lead quarterly occupier activity; flex consolidates its growth and is in second spot
• Rental growth endures across all major cities

As Singapore exits the pandemic and business activity returns to normal, corporate occupiers are placing more emphasis on employee productivity and on increasing office utilisation. With workplace transformation underway, there is strong demand to adapt and “build a better office” to meet the fast-evolving needs of employees and senior management. Additionally, occupiers should be actively identifying new opportunities and strategies to future-proof their portfolios.

CBRE’s 2023 Singapore Office Occupier Sentiment Survey features insights from occupiers across various industries such as financial services, technology, media, telecoms and professional services etc.

Key findings include:

• Singapore’s median utilisation rate stands at 64% and this is expected to increase further over the next 6 to 12 months.
• Leasing sentiment remains cautious in near term with more opting for lease renewals and re-negotiations but 45% expect to grow their corporate portfolios over next 3 years.
• Strong demand for green buildings but amount of green premium remains low. 67% would be willing to pay a premium of less than 5%.
• Staff-to-desk sharing ratios set to increase as more companies adopt flexible seating and hybrid working. 67% plan to increase desk sharing ratios over the next 2 years.

This report was originally published in https://www.cbre.com.sg/insights/viewpoints/2023-singapore-office-occupier-sentiment-survey

• In Q1 2023, the industrial rental and price indices continued their tenth consecutive quarter of growth. The rental index rose by 2.8% QOQ, accelerating from 2.1% QOQ in the previous quarter, and marking the strongest quarterly growth since Q3 2013. Similarly, industrial prices rose by 1.5% QOQ, slowing slightly from the 1.7% QOQ registered last quarter.
• With a remaining supply of 10.3 mil sq ft in 2023, and an average of 10.9 mil sq ft from present till 2025, higher supply will continue to moderate rental and price growth but may also provide more options for occupiers.
• Industrial indicators remain soft, with continuous contractions recorded in manufacturing output, NODX and PMI.
• Trade tensions have resulted in industry players looking to fortify supply chains, with some looking to set up shop in Singapore, which will continue to prop up industrial demand.

Rents in the region fell at a faster clip in Q2 2023, maintaining a year-long downward trend as Knight Frank’s Asia-Pacific Prime Office Rental Index dipped by a fourth consecutive quarter, down 1.6% quarter-on-quarter, in Q2 2023. This brings annual decline to 3.1%, which were largely due to continued soft conditions in the Chinese Mainland.

15 out of the 23 tracked cities reported stable-to-increasing rents, down from 16 in Q1 2023. Vacancies also rose marginally by a quarter of a percentage point quarter-on-quarter to 13.8%, sustaining a trend that has seen the metric rise to its highest in over 10 years since Q4 2022.

However, seen in the context of a delivery of over 4 million sf during the quarter, office demand in Asia-Pacific has held up better than those in US and Europe, with a stronger return-to-office trend. With tech occupiers continuing to rationalise employee headcount, financial and professional services firm as well as flexible space operators have made up the slack in leasing activity. Demand was also supported by a flight-to-quality trend that has pervaded across the region.

With the region entering a development phase, new supply in 2023-24 will clock in at cyclical highs, near doubling the levels in 2022, which will add close to 10% to existing stock. Consequently, market conditions across most of the region will continue to favour tenants for the rest of the year.

This report was originally published in https://apac.knightfrank.com/office-highlights

• A worldwide shortage of available power is inhibiting growth of the global data center market. Sourcing enough power is a top priority of data center operators across North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Certain secondary markets with robust power supplies stand to attract more data center operators.
• New development is occurring across all four regions despite limited power availability. Northern Virginia remains the world’s largest data center market with 2,132 megawatts (MW) of total inventory.
• Despite new development, vacancy rates are declining in all four regions due to strong demand. Singapore—the world’s most power-constrained data center market—has less than 4 MW of available capacity and a record-low vacancy rate of less than 2%.
• Large corporations are finding it increasingly difficult to find enough data center capacity. Low supply, construction delays and power challenges are impacting all markets. For example, Querétaro, Mexico, has only 1.2 MW available for lease.
• The worldwide shortage of available supply is leading to price increases for data center capacity. Singapore has the highest rental rates at $300 to $450 per month for a 250- to 500-kilowatt (kW) requirement, while Chicago has the lowest at $115 to $125.
• The rapid growth of artificial intelligence—along with other modern technologies, such as streaming, gaming and self-driving cars—is expected to drive continued strong data center demand. This will spur innovations in data center design and technology as operators aim to deliver the capacity that meets the increased power density requirements of high-performance computing.

This report was originally published in https://www.cbre.com/insights/reports/global-data-center-trends-2023

On 4 July 2023, the Lease Agreements for Retail Premises Bill (“Bill”) had its first reading in Parliament. The Bill seeks to make it mandatory for retail lease contracts to comply with the Code of Conduct for Leasing of Retail Premises in Singapore (“Code“).

The Code was issued by the Fair Tenancy Pro Tem Committee in 2021 and was last updated in 2022. It sets out guidelines and principles for landlords and tenants of qualifying retail premises to enable fair and balanced lease negotiations. The full Code is available here.

The Bill serves the following functions:

• Establishes the Fair Tenancy Industry Committee;
• Provides for the Code and the obligations of landlords and tenants in relation to the leasing principles contained therein; and
• Establishes a dispute resolution process in relation to complaints of non-compliance with the leasing principles or obligations.

The introduction of the Bill follows a public consultation on the proposed legislation held by the Ministry of Trade and Industry from 18 July 2022 to 5 August 2022.

While adoption of the Code has thus far been voluntary, the Bill – when passed – will require compliance with the Code’s leasing principles. Landlords and tenants of retail premises should thus be aware of their obligations under the Code to ensure compliance.

This Update highlights the key features of the framework set out under the Bill and the Code.

Despite ongoing economic uncertainty, logistics occupiers in Asia Pacific maintain a positive business outlook for the next three years. Expansionary demand continues, although appetite has weakened slightly compared to 2021, with occupiers shifting their focus toward optimising their operations.

CBRE’s 2023 Asia Pacific Logistics Occupier Survey features insights from more than 120 logistics real estate executives in the region on their business outlook, growth plans, strategic opportunities and concerns for the next three years. Key findings include:

Market Sentiment

• 81% of respondents are confident about their business outlook for the next three years.
• Expansionary appetite weakened from 78% in 2021 to 68% this year.

Supply Chain

• Warehouse automation is seen as integral to logistics operations; Automated storage and retrieval systems remains the most sought after logistics technology.
• 87% plan to outsource more or the same amount of operations to 3PLs to enhance operational efficiency.

Portfolio Strategy

• Modern logistics assets near customers and public transport are the most sought after, especially those in urban areas.
• Short-term leases and/or flexibility for expansion ranked as the most important element of future lease management.

ESG Considerations

• ‘Green energy supply’ and ‘Electric Vehicle charging stations’ are the most desirable features for future-proof warehouses.
• 51% expressed an interest in green certified warehouses.

This report was originally published in https://www.cbre.com/insights/reports/2023-asia-pacific-logistics-occupier-survey

Despite facing lower risks of obsolescence compared to the US and Europe, the office sector in Asia Pacific is not without challenges. Pressure is starting to build on several fronts including elevated vacancy levels, evolving occupier space requirements and impending government legislation .

This report takes a deeper dive into the underlying dynamics and drivers across the APAC region’s major markets and provides a roadmap for asset optimisation.

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Since 2015, Cushman & Wakefield has been taking the pulse of CRE leaders around the world to understand What Occupiers Want. In our annual survey—conducted in partnership with CoreNet Global External Link—we ask about trends in office location and workplace, perspectives on changes to portfolios, and strategies around policies, procedures and decision-making. Over the past five years alone, we’ve uncovered critical insights about what matters most to occupiers, including sustainability, recruiting tech talent and post-pandemic portfolio transformations. This year, we asked more questions about Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), and occupiers told us how they’re incorporating meaningful changes across environmental, sustainability and governance standards within their organizations.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE 2023 SURVEY:

• Cost and talent—cost pressure is the #1 challenge for companies across the globe
  • Globally, cost has moved to the forefront of strategic drivers for CRE, followed by talent and operational excellence. In 2022, the reverse was true, as most occupiers sought talent before cost reduction.
• Communal office space for sparking creativity and innovation—targeted space has doubled from pre-pandemic levels, from 20%-30% to 40%-50%
• • Most occupiers see the office as a centralized, planned meeting spot to learn, develop and ignite ideas collaboratively. As such, they seek to grow their communal spaces to foster a flexible and synergistic workplace environment.
• Finding talent beyond the city limits—26% of occupiers are recruiting from anywhere in the world
• • Though occupiers mostly prefer Central Business Districts (CBD) for HQ locations, this doesn’t limit their reach to hire from a global talent pool.
• Footprint reduction—nearly two-thirds of occupiers (63%) plan to reduce real estate footprint in the next two years
• • With office occupancy at half of pre-pandemic levels, most occupiers want to reduce overall footprint, while simultaneously optimizing their current space with amenities and services to increase office usage and experience.
• The importance of ESG—with a dramatic jump, from #8 to #5, ESG rose in importance as a key driver of real estate decisions
• • Social consciousness and sustainability are becoming increasingly important to occupiers around the world. Forty-two percent of CRE executives told us they have ESG goals either in operation or in planning stages.
• Making an impact with flexible work—employees report a better workplace experience when given autonomy to work when and where they want
• • Employees want to have agency to independently choose where and when to work. CRE executives see that providing workplace flexibility not only drives employee engagement, but also aligns with their social pillar goals.

This report was originally published in https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/insights/what-occupiers-want