Property Insights - Retail Property has shown good signs of recovery as lockdowns have receded. But the consumer financial fundamentals that support it still look far from strong.

Rural Limpopo's Steilloop Shopping Centre was bought by developer, GMI Property Group back in 2015. With USave as the only anchor tenant, the strip mall, more of an afterthought than a retail portal was falling far short of serving the needs of the local community.

The 13-storey Sunbel building, a landmark in Cape Town’s Bellville Central Business District, is up for sale.

Vukile Property Fund’s (JSE: VKE) 88% held Madrid-listed subsidiary, Castellana Properties Socimi, has acquired a 21.7% shareholding in its market peer Lar España Real Estate Socimi.

Hyprop Investments Limited (Hyprop) is pleased to announce it has concluded an agreement with Hystead to acquire the remaining four assets within the Hystead Eastern European (EE) portfolio.

The StatsSA November 2021 release of non-residential building plans pointed to early signs of weakening to come for the Commercial Property Building Sector in the run up to 2022.

When unrest flared up in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng from 9 to 18 July 2021, ultimately resulting in 200 shopping centres being looted and/or damaged, with a R50 billion knock on the national gross domestic product, leading Pan-African professional real-estate services provider Broll Property Group knew it had to act quickly.

South-African focused JSE-listed diversified REIT, Dipula Income Fund, today announced that it is considering a strategic partnership with Resilient REIT Limited (“Resilient”) in a R1 billion transaction that will see Dipula optimise its capital structure and benefit from the retail property and deal-making experience of Resilient to create further shareholder value.

Vukile Property Fund (JSE: VKE) today issued R500 million of senior unsecured corporate bonds with one- and three-year maturities.

While the COVID-19 third wave and severe social unrest have hampered sentiment, Redefine Properties says it has trimmed down and simplified it’s local and offshore property platforms, resulting in the de-risking of its balance sheet and providing it with sufficient liquidity to position the company for exciting new opportunities and a potential resumption of paying dividends.