FRASERS Centrepoint Trust (FCT) posted a committed occupancy of 99.5 per cent for its retail portfolio for the first quarter of its financial year ended Dec 31, 2024.
This was maintained through proactive asset and property management, its manager said in a business update on Wednesday (Jan 22).
Key metrics remain healthy, underpinned by strong leasing demand, it added.
But retail occupancy slipped marginally, from 99.9 per cent in the year-ago period and 99.7 per cent in the preceding quarter. Still, each of the retail malls under the trust has a committed occupancy of at least 99 per cent.
Tenants’ sales for the quarter were up 2.5 per cent year on year, while shopper traffic for its malls grew 2.7 per cent.
The manager also said that it had successfully completed its asset enhancement initiative (AEI) at Tampines 1.
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Meanwhile, the progress for its Hougang Mall AEI is on track, with its main contract awarded within its budget.
It has achieved about 50 per cent pre-commitment ahead of works commencement, and is targeting a return of investment of about 7 per cent on its S$51 million capital expenditure. The mall continues to operate.
The trust’s gearing level was relatively stable at 39.3 per cent as at end-December 2024, compared to 37.2 per cent in the corresponding year-ago quarter, and 38.5 per cent in the preceding quarter.
Its portfolio’s weighted average lease expiry stood at 2.06 years by net lettable area and 1.94 years by gross rental income.
The manager noted that real estate services provider CBRE expects islandwide retail rents to recover to pre-Covid levels in 2025. It also highlighted that there is low new retail supply risk, with private retail supply estimated to grow less than 1 per cent a year between 2025 and 2027.
“The limited retail pipeline, coupled with cautiously optimistic consumer sentiments, will likely aid the recovery of the overall retail market,” it said, citing CBRE.
The suburban retail market shows strong resilience to market conditions, it noted.
It noted that new homes, especially in the north, north-east and east, are expected to expand the shopper catchment population of FCT’s malls in those regions and boost higher shopper traffic, while higher household incomes should support retail spending growth.
It added that constructive government support measures could help improve retail spend capacity.
It is “poised to leverage these factors for sustainable organic growth”, the manager said.
Units of FCT ended Wednesday at S$2.11, down S$0.04 or 1.9 per cent, before the announcement.
