Shriram Properties, Xander ink $350 million deal for Chennai SEZ

Shriram Properties and Xander Group have signed a $350 million (about Rs. 2290 crore) deal under which Xander has acquired 100% interest in Shriram's Gateway Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Chennai for $ 190 million (Rs. 1250 crore) with a further commitment of $ 160 million (Rs 1040 crore) towards expansion of the IT SEZ.

This is one of the largest private equity (PE) deals witnessed in the real estate space in India and involves 1.7 million square feet of occupied and operational SEZ, and a partnership with Shriram Properties to deliver the under construction 1.9 million square feet, a press release from the two companies said.

Shriram Gateway, is a 58-acre integrated township project including office space, a shopping mall and residential apartments.  Shriram will continue to develop and own the residential and retail components comprising 2.6 million square feet while Xander will have the ability to develop an additional 1 million square feet of office space.

“This acquisition demonstrates our continued interest in large, well-positioned assets with growth potential across gateway cities in India, and nicely complements our existing office portfolio," said Rohan Sikri, Senior Partner, The Xander Group. 

“We are pleased to be working with Shriram Properties to expand our existing Chennai footprint.  We see the opportunity to deliver additional high-quality supply in a market where vacancy is rapidly falling.  As always, our team will be focused on tenant experience and satisfaction, which is a high priority across the portfolio," he added.

Shriram Gateway is the first integrated township in Chennai comprising a large office campus with 4.6 million square feet of SEZ and IT office space. The campus currently provides employment for over 20,000 employees which will grow to an estimated 50,000 employees by 2020. Accenture is currently the largest tenant.

“The project offers a plethora of opportunities and is a source of employment generation across various sectors in Tamil Nadu. The mixed use, commercial cum residential project is a benchmark in the industry, and we plan to develop many such projects across cities in India. We are also delighted to join our hands with The Xander Group and enhance our position as a leader in India’s real estate space,” said M. Murali, Managing Director, Shriram Properties.

“The project is strategically located near Tambaram and is very well connected to both the city and suburbs. Further addition of residential, office and retail space over the next three years will make it the most strategic location to invest in Chennai,” he said.

The comes close on the heels of the recent announcement by Shriram Properties on their plans to invest Rs 15,000 crore over the next 7-8 years for the development of around 30 ongoing projects, across six major cities - Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Vizag, Coimbatore and Kolkata. 

Shriram Properties holds close to 2% of the FDI in India, the largest by a single developer. Their key investors include Walton Street, Starwood capital, TPG Capital, Tata Opportunities Fund, ASK, Motilal Oswal, Amplus and ICICI Prudential, the release added.

The Xander Group Inc. is a global investment firm focused on real estate, infrastructure, hospitality, retail and credit in emerging markets. Since 2005, the firm has committed over $ 2.3 billion equity capital to the Indian market across private, public, credit and venture investments.

NNN