MCT – BT

Mapletree Commercial Trust to raise S$898m in IPO

Mapletree Commercial Trust is set to raise at least S$898 million in a Singapore initial public offering after its IPO was priced slightly above the midpoint of an indicative price range, two sources said on Friday.

A source indicated earlier this week that the IPO’s orderbook was at least five times covered and it would be priced at between the midpoint to the upper end of the range.

The pricing, which was delayed by the earthquake that struck Japan last month, could be a good omen for other property-related listings in Singapore.

This week Perennial China Trust, a China-focused business trust managed by former CapitaLand shopping mall chief Pua Seck Guan relaunched, its Singapore IPO, looking to raise S$840 million.

Mapletree Commercial Trust, managed by Singapore state investor Temasek’s property arm, priced the IPO at S$0.88 a unit against an earlier indicative price range of S$0.84-S$0.91, two sources with knowledge of the deal told Reuters.

The company plans to sell 1.02 billion units, excluding an over-allotment option, according to its prospectus.

This is the city-state’s second-biggest IPO this year after Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing’s Hutchison Port Holdings Trust’s completed a US$5.5 billion listing last month.

Mapletree Commercial, whose assets include Singapore’s largest shopping mall VivoCity, offers investors a chance to tap into the growth in Singapore’s retail market and to ride on a recovery in the city-state’s office sector.

The offering includes 302.2 million units, which will be sold to cornerstone investors AIA Group, Hillsboro Capital, Itochu Corporation and NTUC FairPrice.

Mapletree Commercial will have an initial portfolio worth about S$2.8 billion, including two office properties in the city-state, it said in a prospectus.

Mapletree Commercial’s sponsor, Mapletree Investments, has also granted the trust a right of first refusal for the acquisition of 10 properties including Mapletree Business City, an office precinct in the south of Singapore.

Citigroup, DBS Bank, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs are the joint global coordinators and, along with CIMB, are also joint bookrunners and issue managers.

Mapletree was not immediately available to comment, while the banks either declined to comment or were not available to comment on the pricing. — REUTERS