Real estate opportunities in Nigeria

Currently, there is over 200 000 square metres of retail development under construction, mainly concentrated in the South of Nigeria. These include Port Harcourt Mall (11 000 square metres), which is almost 90 percent leased, The Owerri and Delta Malls measuring 12 000 square metres and 15 000 square metres respectively, and set to open in 2015.

 Ranked 120th in the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness Report, Nigeria continues to benefit from its relatively large market, which has the potential for significant economies of scale and is an important factor for attracting investment.

Currently, there is over 200 000 square metres of retail development under construction, mainly concentrated in the South of Nigeria. These include Port Harcourt Mall (11 000 square metres), which is almost 90 percent leased, The Owerri and Delta Malls measuring 12 000 square metres and 15 000 square metres respectively, and set to open in 2015.

According to the WEF report, Nigeria also benefits from an efficient labour market, and its financial market has been recovering gradually from the 2009 crisis.

Nigeria’s property market is becoming more sophisticated, with prime grade developments seen in the commercial and retail sectors.

Bolaji Edu, Broll Nigeria Chief Executive Officer, says there are an increasing number of opportunities in these sectors for investors, as these particular markets suffer from an undersupply of A-grade stock.

Edu says they project that there will be a stabilising of rental growth over the next two to three years as the current and development pipeline come to completion, and they remain optimistic about the long-term prospects for investors.

However, due to the various legal and bureaucratic challenges, investors in Nigerian real estate need to take +7 time horizon.

The recent Nigeria Economic Report released by the World Bank shows that real estate is the third largest contributor of GDP growth at 11 percent.

Although the New World Wealth (NWW) report notes that Nigeria’s commercial property market performed poorly during 2007 to 2013, with prices falling by three percent in US$ terms, in the local currency Naira (?) terms, prices were up by over 20 percent.

According to the Broll Nigeria Q2 Retail Market Update, as Nigeria’s demographic profile, economic fundamentals and growth potential continue to impress many global and South African retailers, an increased number of retail brands are looking to explore entry into the country.

Edu explains that one of the major challenges facing the retail sector is the buying power in relation to the rents that tenants are paying outside of the first tier cities such as Lagos and Abuja.

The focus of the malls in second tier cities like Enugu, Kano and Ibadan is on groceries and basic essentials rather than the fashion and aspirational shops.

“Aspirational tenants still want representations at these malls, but rentals over the next few years will need to adjust to be more aligned with the consumer’s buying power.”

He says over the next five years, malls in second tier cities will become increasingly more acceptable than the traditional informal retail stores although not on the same scale as malls in the more sophisticated cities of Lagos and Abuja.

Currently, there is over 200 000 square metresof retail development under construction, mainly concentrated in the South of Nigeria. These include Port Harcourt Mall (11 000 square metres), which is almost 90 percent leased, The Owerri and Delta Malls measuring 12 000 square metres and 15 000 square metres respectively, and set to open in 2015.

In Abuja, Jabi Lake Mall, which is currently under construction, will see global brands such as Versace, Armani Jeans, Swarovski and Jack Jones enter Nigeria for the first time.

Apart from the growing population that bodes well for the consumer sector, the NWW in Nigeria 2014 report reveals that Nigeria has the third highest number of High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs) recording 15 700 HNWIs in 2013, with a combined wealth of US$82 billion and accounting for roughly 36 percent of Nigeria’s total individual wealth (US$227 billion).

Nigerian HNWIs outperformed the worldwide HNWI average during 2007 to 2013, with Nigerian HNWIs numbers increasing by 44 percent, while worldwide HNWIs volumes declined by 0.3 percent.

HWNIs otherwise known as millionaires, refer to individuals with net assets of US$1 million or more, excluding their primary residences.

Nigeria’s HNWIs is forecast to grow by 47 percent, to reach 23 000 in 2017, while the global HNWI wealth will see a slightly smaller percentage increase, growing by 42 percent to reach US$117 billion in 2017.

In 2013, equities were the largest asset class for HNWIs in Nigeria (26 percent of total HNWI assets), followed by real estate (22 percent), cash (16 percent), business interests (15 percent), fixed income (15 percent) and alternatives (6.1 percent).

Broll Nigeria and Broll South ranked number one overall in the Real Estate Advisors and Consultants category in the Euromoney Real Estate Survey Awards, which recognise excellence in the real estate sector.

Broll South Africa was also ranked number one in the same category in South Africa, while the group won awards for Real Estate Advisors and Consultants - Overall 1st place in Africa,  Real Estate Agency/Letting - 1st place in Africa,  Real Estate Valuation – 1st place in Africa and Real Estate Research Services – 1st place in Africa.

Edu says it is a great honour for Broll Nigeria to be recognised in this way by such a prestigious organisation and testament to the talent, knowledge and expertise of all the staff at Broll Nigeria.

He says going forward, they envisage that the award will improve the Broll Nigeria profile to investors and corporates globally and assist Broll in attracting new clients and winning new mandates and instructions.

Broll Nigeria scooped two more awards in the Real Estate UNITE 2014 Awards held on 2 October at the Intercontinental Hotel in Lagos.

Ikeja City Mall (a Broll Nigeria managed retail centre) won the Best Commercial Property Award and Broll Nigeria won the Best Real Estate Support Service of the Year.

“I am proud that Broll Nigeria has been recognised by our peers for standards and knowledge of real estate services. In addition, we are able to demonstrate how our market leading retail management team can benefit our clients in achieving their commercial and investment objectives.”

The Real Estate UNITE Awards aim to elevate the standards of the industry and practice by providing an opportunity to encourage, promote and recognise spectrum of talents, achievements and excellence in the built sector.

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