Realtor Brigade cuts rate by 15% across projects

Plans to build cheaper flats for buyers with Rs. 25-30 lakh budgets, construct hospitals, residences and malls

Close on the heels of DLF Ltd slashing ticket prices of its homes by 30%, Brigade Enterprises Ltd cut rates by 10-15% in all its projects and will build small, cheaper apartments to cater to buyers with budgets of Rs25-30 lakh.

The Bangalore-based developer has lined up 12 projects, which include hospitals, residences and malls, and would start building them before the end of this year. It plans to raise Rs1,000 crore for its ventures.

“We are planning to raise the money this year through a combination route of private equity and institutional funding,” said chairman and managing director M.R. Jaishankar.

Brigade, which has around 14 million sq. ft under development in southern India, is aggressively looking at expanding its hospitality business in 2009.

On Friday, the company, in partnership with Accor hotels and resorts, launched Mercure Homestead, which is a 126-room luxury service apartment complex in north-west Bangalore. This also marked the launch of Accor’s global Mercure brand in India, with the next property lined up at the hill station of Lavasa, near Pune in Maharashtra.

“We are positive on the Indian market and are planning 50 properties here by 2012 under our various brands, such as Mercure, Novotel and others,” said Daniel Tannenbaum, Accor’s India regional director of sales and marketing. He was responding to a query on a dull hospitality sector and dipping demand in the serviced-apartments segment.
Brigade has a debt of Rs. 350 crore, but will not restructure its loans like other developers that include Unitech Ltd, Sobha Developers Ltd and Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd.

“We didn’t commit the mistake of buying land indiscriminately and only bought enough that would be developed within five-seven years. So, if there is a good piece of land, we are still looking to buy,” said Jaishankar. The company has a land bank of about 450 acres.

Brigade’s net profit for the nine months to 31 December dipped by 17.3% to Rs67.44 crore from Rs81.55 crore in the same period a year earlier.

The company’s stock closed at Rs. 38.75, up 5.59%, on the Bombay Stock Exchange on Thursday, on a day when the Sensex rose 4.51%.