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Retail leasing demand in the world’s leading retail markets continues to rebound as economic activity recovers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tokyo retail market is no exception, with a resurgence in retailer demand having commenced in H2 2022.

In addition to existing retailers looking to increase their store numbers, several overseas brands have made their first ventures into the Japanese market. As was the case prior to the pandemic, Tokyo continues to be a preferred location for retailers seeking to establish or extend their store presence.

This report compares Tokyo with several of the world’s other major retail markets including New York, London, Paris, Milan, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Singapore and explores the following factors that make Tokyo, and Japan as a whole, an attractive location for retailers to establish stores.

Tokyo: Rents are reasonable when compared to city GDP
Japan: E-commerce ratio as a percentage of total retail sales is low
Japan: Inbound tourist numbers and tourist consumption have demonstrated considerable scope for growth

This report was originally published in https://www.cbre.com/insights/viewpoints/tokyo-the-city-of-choice-for-retailers

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Please find below the rebalancing results (effective 18 September 2023 start of trading) for the:

  • GPR/APREA Investable 100 Index
  • GPR/APREA Investable REIT 100 Index
  • GPR/APREA Composite Index
  • GPR/APREA Composite REIT Index (indicated with an asterisk)
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Companies around the world are stepping up on their efforts to decarbonise their business, and countries are setting national targets to reach net zero under the Paris Agreement. As APAC’s largest real asset manager powered by the New Economy and the third largest listed real estate investment manager globally, ESR Group Limited (“ESR” or “Group”) places top priority on its transition to become a net zero organisation.

Climate Emergency and the Era of Global Boiling

Recent climate events – extreme heatwaves and devastating floods – are occurring globally and this highlights the urgent need for concerted climate action. Instead of focusing on this urgency, some countries are shifting their focus to address energy security as a result of external headwinds such as
economic recession, supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical tensions. The disparity between the current climate crisis and inadequate actions has resulted in global greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions reaching an all-time high this year. This prompted the United Nations to warn that the era of global warming has ended, and the era of global boiling has arrived. To address the catastrophic impacts of climate change, ESR believes that immediate decarbonisation actions must be taken to transit to a net zero future.

Net Zero in the Real Estate Sector

The built environment is responsible for almost 40% of global energy related GHG emissions and the real estate sector could contribute to a positive impact. Achieving net zero depends on a myriad of factors such as the type of asset class, location, and condition of buildings, with a fit for purpose strategy. In developing a decarbonisation strategy, real estate owners and managers should consider their building portfolios, regulatory requirements, and the market availability of low-carbon technologies and solutions.

At a basic level, real estate companies should reduce their Scope 1 and 2 operational GHG emissions, which are normally associated with energy use from direct and indirect sources (e.g., on-site fuels and grid electricity). Specifically for developers and owners, GHG emissions across their value chain such as embodied carbon should also be considered. This includes tackling other forms of Scope 3 GHG emissions throughout the life cycle of a building (i.e., from design, construction, operation to demolition) and addressing tenants’ energy consumption within the portfolio.

After establishing the boundaries and sources of GHG emissions, companies should set realistic targets which are aligned to global standards such as SBTi , WorldGBC or RE100. However, companies must avoid setting underpromise or ambiguous net zero targets with misleading climate claims. Companies’ targets should be supported by robust performance data which are collected through the data management system to facilitate monitoring and reporting.

ESR’s Decarbonisation Approach

As part of its ESG 2030 Roadmap, ESR is on track to develop and announce its net zero commitment and strategy this year. This encompasses a carbon mitigation hierarchy approach which prioritises GHG emissions avoidance through low-carbon design and construction (i.e., minimise embodied carbon) and achieves energy efficiency through the asset enhancement initiatives and optimisation of operations (i.e., reduce operational carbon). These efforts will be complemented with the adoption of on-site renewable energy from sources such as solar or hydrogen to further reduce emissions. As of first half of 2023, close to 100 MW of rooftop solar power capacity has been installed across the Group’s global portfolio with approximately 39% of its assets being awarded with sustainability building certifications and ratings. Additional highlights include ESR leveraging on the rooftop space of its assets to provide renewable energy certificates for its customers. For more information, please refer to ESR’s ESG Report 2022.

Climate change has no boundaries and affects the current and future generations. The real estate sector could play a significant role in combating the climate change. However, fighting this uphill battle is a collective effort that requires everyone’s commitment, collaboration, and concerted actions. In accelerating a positive impact in the real estate sector, ESR will lead the way forward to a climate resilient future.

Alton Wong Green
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Tang Boon Kang

Group Head
Governance & Sustainability ESR Group

 
 
 
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Asia Pacific is continuing to witness aggressive expansion across primary and secondary data centre markets with 9.7GW operational, 3.3GW under construction and 8.5GW in planned stages across the region.

The usual primary markets, Beijing, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney and Tokyo, continue to experience growth despite headwinds originating from a lack of land parcels and power availability. As a result, ancillary locations are being evaluated as part of expansion strategies. The moratorium’s cap on Singapore’s IT capacity has led to unmet demand in the market, which has spilt over into nearshore markets such as Johor, which is seeing a huge pipeline under development and commitments to land banks. Similarly, Greater Jakarta’s large pipeline is driven by its central geographic location in South-East Asia and the country’s immense population growth has sustained its appeal to major investors and operators.

Global cloud service providers (CSP) continue to show a marked interest in secondary markets across the region. Hyperscale CSPs have planned presence in the secondary markets of Auckland, Bangkok, Busan, Kuala Lumpur, Osaka, Pune and Taipei.  The tendency for colocation operators, developers and investors to follow CSPs into new frontiers with their own data centre deployments will see secondary markets attract new players and witness rapid growth over the next few years.

The Asia Pacific data centre region is experiencing varying speeds of development and so, for the first time, we have introduced our Asia Pacific Data Centre Markets Maturity Index, to track the evolution of a number of notable markets each quarter. This report will delve into 12 notable markets: Tokyo, Mumbai, Sydney, Singapore, Seoul, Johor, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Manila, Bangkok, Auckland, and Ho Chi Minh City.

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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
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