Stock News 2010: Acentic Acquired by PhilWeb Corporation and ISM Communications Corp

Image via WikipediaAcquisition paves the way for launch for expansion of Digital TV and HSIA services to the Asia and Middle East markets
Acentic, a leading supplier of digital interactive TV (iTV) systems for the hotel industry is pleased to announce the acquisition of the company by PhilWeb Corp. (WEB) and ISM Communications Corp. (ISM) which acquired a 65% stake in Acentic on January 11, 2010. The acquisition allows Acentic to further extend their digital TV and high speed internet access (HSIA) services throughout the European market and expand to the Asia-Pacific region, the fastest growing hotel market in the world.
The acquisition also strengthens the gaming offering Acentic will provide to its current and future hotel customers. WEB is one of the leading gaming and e-gaming technology companies in Asia.
"We are very excited about the entry of WEB and ISM in Acentic and about taking Acentic to the next level," said Alistair Forbes, CEO, Acentic. "Our digital TV and HSIA services are already in many of the world's leading hotel chains in Europe but as a perfect fit to the information technology business of ISM and the gaming expertise of WEB, we will be able to include Asia-Pacific in the list of growing regions that Acentic's in room hotel services are available in."
On December 24, 2009, WEB and ISM informed the Philippine Stock Exchange that through a jointly and equally owned Hong Kong special purpose vehicle entered into a binding agreement with Global Innovation Partners (GI Partners), a private equity firm based in the United Kingdom (UK), for the acquisition of a controlling 65% stake in Acentic. The remaining 35% of Acentic will continue to be owned by Niantic Holding GmbH, a German company controlled by Dr. Andreas Jacobs.
Forbes added: "Acentic's technology complements the information technology and telecommunications business of ISM as well as the gaming expertise of WEB. We're looking forward to the changes and growth this new dynamic brings to the Acentic family in 2010 and beyond. As a company that has always been dedicated to customer service and quality products, we remain dedicated to keeping our hotels happy and helping them deliver the best in room services possible to their guests.
"The substantial number of hotel rooms currently under contract to Acentic and the imminent roll out of Acentic Asia provides WEB with enormous opportunities to expand its gaming business, which is today limited only to the Philippine market, to many other major countries principally in Europe and the Middle East," said Dennis Valdez, President, PhilWeb (WEB). "WEB will have an instant platform of 200,000 rooms in Europe as a market for its internet gaming offerings. WEB's participation in the acquisition of Acentic will enable WEB to have a quantum increase in its business prospects worldwide and well beyond just the Philippine market."
According to Lodging Economics' latest Asia Pacific Pipeline Report, the Asia Pacific hotel pipeline is the second largest in the world and this region has two of the fastest growing economies in the world, China and India, with over 208,847 hotel rooms in the pipeline in China alone.
About Acentic
Acentic is an international provider of digital TV services to hotels. Acentic's digital content, technology, support and services deliver entertainment and revenue generation tools via the hotel television, providing a unique communications system that meets the evolving lifestyles of guests. Acentic's digital TV services are in many of the world's leading hotel chains including Accor, Dorint, Intercontinental Hotel Group, Hilton, Hyatt, Maritim, Marriott, Mövenpick and Starwood in more than 30 countries in Europe, Middle East and Africa. For more information, visit www.acentic.com.

http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article43144Acentic_Acquired_by_PhilWeb_Corporation_and_ISM_Communications_Corp.html

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Stock News 2010: RLC profit up to P3.3B

Image via WikipediaMANILA, Philippines – The Gokongweis’ Robinsons Land Corp. posted a four-percent year-on-year profit growth in fiscal year 2009 that ended September, on higher revenue from its shopping mall and office property portfolio.
Net profit hit P3.27 billion on the back of a P10.73-billion revenue. Excluding extraordinary items, RLC’s core net income grew by 10 percent, the firm said in a statement.
“RLC’s various business units managed to perform well because of our deep understanding of the market, commitment to operational efficiencies and a healthy balance sheet,” said Frederick Go, RLC president and chief operating officer.
The commercial centers division accounted for P4.21 billion or 39 percent of the real estate revenue for the year, up 14 percent from year-ago level.
Enterprise-wide average occupancy rate for the malls was steady at 93 percent.
From October to December last year, RLC opened four new malls: Robinsons Place General Santos, Robinsons Place Dumaguete, Robinsons Ilocos Norte and Robinsons Cybergate Cebu.
RLC is the second largest shopping mall developer in the country with 29 malls nationwide. The office buildings division, a leading provider of space to BPOs, reported gross revenue of P1.1 billion, or 26 percent higher than year-ago level. Accounting for 10 percent of total revenue, the office division’s operating profit grew by 20 percent to P738 million. It enjoys a stable recurring lease from its six office buildings: Robinsons Cybergate Towers 1, 2, 3, Robinsons Summit Center, Robinsons Equitable Tower, and Galleria Corporate Center.
RLC’s hotels division posted P1.04 billion in revenue, down from last year’s P1.14 billion due to the global travel slowdown. Its net income before tax reached P130.49 million.
Doris C. Dumlao
January 14, 2010
http://www.robinsonsoffices.com/news.html

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Stock News 2009: Philippines' RLC Opens Robinsons Cybergate Cebu Complex

Image via WikipediaCEBU CITY, Dec 11, 2009 (AsiaPulse via COMTEX) --
Robinsons Land Inc. (RLC, PSE:RLC) has opened its multi-million-peso Robinsons Cybergate Cebu, a mixed-use project that fuses office, wellness and retail into one development.
Robinsons Cybergate Cebu is the newest is the newest high-rise building around the Fuente Osmena rotunda in the heart of Cebu City and is just across the Robinson mall and Cebu Midtown Hotel.
RLC general manager Nilo Mapa Jr. said the project is a testament to the companys intention to expand its presence in Cebu.
Momot Irizari, RLC-Cebu group property manager for the commercial centers division, said 80 percent of leasable space of the seven-story building is already booked.
RLC is still negotiating with various business process outsourcing (BPO) companies for its 6,300-square-meter space allocated for a call center operation.
Hopefully, by the end of the year we will be able to sign a deal with a company for the BPO space, she said.
She said that right now, inquiries come from BPO players that have existing operations in Cebu and those that have yet to locate here.
But RLC is open to have more than one BPO locator to occupy the fifth to seventh floor of the building, depending on the need of the company.
Since the call center is open on a 24-hour shift, some of the retail and food tenants have also agreed to operate 24/7, like the pharmacy, convenience stores and the coffee shop.
The first two floors of the Robinsons Cybergate Cebu features food and retail outlets, including homegrown restaurants Mooon Cafe, Flame It and Golden Cowrie. The second level also features a food court, where food kiosks and carts are located.
The third floor of the building is dedicated to its wellness component and this includes salons and spa operators.
The fourth floor is where the medical clinics are found and Irizari said a number of medical practitioners are going to open clinics there, ranging from internal medicine doctors, obstetricians, dentists and orthopedics.
Although the structure is already 100 percent complete, some finishing touches and final fit-outs have yet to be done. RLC is looking at holding a grand opening or a building inauguration by the third quarter of 2010.
Irizari said RLC is already looking ahead to the start of initial ground work for a similar development at the North Reclamation Area in Cebu City.
The development of RLCs 45,000-square-meter property, located near the old White Gold department store, is set to open in 2011.
Though still a mixed-use project, it will have a different concept from the Robinsons Cybergate Cebu.
Irizari said the still unnamed project will have a supermarket, department store, al fresco dining, a serviced-apartment component and a convention center.
December 11, 2009
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2717041/

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Stock News 2009: Cityland plans to raise P900-M from debt papers

Image via WikipediaMANILA - Listed property firm Cityland Development Corp. is planning to issue P900 million worth of short-term commercial papers (STCP) to pay maturing obligations and to partially finance its real estate projects.
Cityland sought approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission for the STCPs, which would mature in one year and would carry a fixed interest rate of 5.23%. The company said these will be sold to local small investors and institutional buyers.
Of the amount, Cityland said it will allot P240 million for more than half of the total development cost of 2 real estate projects.
The company said it may tap its existing credit line with banks and other financial institutions to cover for the remaining amounts needed for the Makati Executive Tower III (a 37-storey commercial, office, and residential condominium in Makati City) and the Mandaluyong Executive Mansion III (a 7-storey commercial and residential condomium in Mandaluyong City).
As of end-June, Cityland has P1.91 billion in total outstanding loans.
Formerly called Statehouse Land Development Corp., Cityland has projects in medium to high-rise office, commercial, and residential condominiums in Makati, Mandaluyong, Manila, and Pasig. The company also develops farmlots and residential subdivisions in Bulacan and Cavite provinces.
Shares of Cityland fell to P1.44 apiece on Wednesday from P1.50 on Tuesday.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/10/14/09/cityland-plans-raise-p900-m-debt-papers

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Stock News 2009: Gokongwei firm to open Tagaytay hotel

Image via WikipediaMANILA, Philippines--The Gokongweis’ Robinsons Land Corp. is set to open next month a 108-room hotel called “Summit Ridge” in Tagaytay City, the fourth member of its hotel portfolio.
The property developer has also firmed up plans to launch by next year a budget hotel chain called “Go Hotel,” which seeks to capitalize on the synergies with affiliate budget carrier Cebu Pacific Air, RLC president Frederick Go told reporters.
“The one in Tagaytay, I think it will be a successful hotel. It has the most commanding ridge view of Taal Volcano and climate is the best,” Go said.
The pilot site for the Go Hotel chain, on the other hand, is in Pioneer Street, Mandaluyong City. It will occupy two floors of the Robinsons Cybergate Plaza and offer 229 rooms to budget-conscious travelers.
“It’s a budget hotel chain which we think will do well especially because we can have an alliance with Cebu Pacific which is the largest budget airline. There is similarity between the markets they serve,” Go said.
In its fiscal year ending September 2008, the hotels division accounted for P1.14 billion or about 10 percent of total revenues. The group’s revenues last year went up 3 percent from a year ago.
The three other existing hotels in RLC’s portfolio are the 285-room Holiday Inn in Pasig City, 263-room Crowne Plaza in Quezon City and 210-room Cebu Midtown Hotel. These hotels reported a respective occupancy rate of 76 percent, 70 percent and 52 percent in 2008.
Doris Dumlao
April 19, 2009
http://www.robinsonsoffices.com/apr-jun2009.html

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Stock News 2009: Robinsons earmarks P8 billion for expansion

Image via WikipediaMANILA, Philippines - Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC), the real estate development arm of Gokongwei flagship firm JG Summit Holdings Inc., is setting aside around P8 billion this year to bankroll the construction of new shopping malls, office buildings, residential units and a chain of budget hotels.
RLC president and chief operating officer Frederick Go said the company intends to open five new malls this year which will make available an additional 71,000 square meters of gross leasable space.
At the start of its fiscal year ending September 2009, RLC had completed and opened Robinsons-Pulilan and Tagaytay as well as the first phase of the redevelopment of its Luisita mall.
Other malls targeted for opening this year are in Davao, Tacloban and Gen. Santos.
RLC’s shopping mall network will increase to 26 by the end of September this year from 21 the previous year.
“The company’s business plan for the commercial centers division over the next five years, subject to market conditions, is to sustain its growth momentum via development of new shopping malls and expansion of existing ones,” Go said.
Aside from this, RLC will continue to take advantage of the resilient demand for office space by allotting leasable area for BPOs (business process outsourcing) as needed in its malls. It started construction of Robinsons Cybergate Plaza, which will have 20,000 square meters of net leasable office area.
“While demand is still strong, we expect rental rates to be under pressure this year with the increase in office space supply. However, we are confident that our office buildings will maintain high occupancy because of their better locations, geographic spread, and the fact that they are anchored in our mixed-use developments,” Go said.
RLC is completing the 108-room Summit Ridge Hotel Complex in Tagaytay, which is slated to open this June.
To cater to a wider section of potential clients, RLC launched a new concept in the hospitality business with its budget Go Hotels, offering affordable and value-for money accomodation. These hotels will rise in RLC’s malls and 24-hour convenience stores.
The first site of the Go Hotel is in Robinsons Pioneer Cybergate complex, which is expected to be completed in the next fiscal year.
As for its housing projects, RLC has a pipeline of over 30 residential buildings planned for the mid term, five of which will be launched this year. Among these include the second residential tower of Sonata Private Residences, the second tower of additional buildings in Woodsville, and the first tower of the recently-acquired Magnolia property.
Go said the company aims to launch three new housing projects annually.
“Our business model remains the same-searching for joint venture partners in provincial areas that will allow us to expand into new localities with less upfront capital tied up to land acquisition. The lower price points of our products in this division should give us more traction in a property downturn,” Go said.
At the same time, RLC said it remains to be on the look out for opportunities to pick up good value assets that might become available in the midst of these challenging times.
Zinnia B. Dela Peña
March 10, 2009

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Stock News 2009: Robinsons Cybergate Center Tower offers top grade building facilities

Image via WikipediaRobinsons Land Corp. (RLC), the country's top developer of premium office spaces, continues to offer the best value for locators from business process outsourcing industry through it's recently-completed Cybergate Center Tower 3.
At Robinsons Cybergate Center Tower 3, tenants will get to enjoy various tax and fiscal incentives since it is located within Robinsons Cyber Park, a PEZA-certified IT Park.
This building has been designed by seasoned professionals to offer locators with large floor plate of about 2,100 sq.m. of contiguous space, as well as widely spaced column ideal for BPO/call center type offices to give them more flexibility in organizing their work areas.
High-speed telecommunication and broadband data lines are made available through major telecommunications providers. The design also provides for interfloor communication trunking and telecom risers for additional trunking installation.
Cybergate Center Tower 3 has synchronized generator sets and a redundant generator to ensure 100 percent back-up for an uninterrupted power supply, as well as an automatic sprinkler system for protection against fire. The building has 11 high-speed elevator units.
It uses a Variable Refrigerant Volume (VRV) Air-conditioning System, a new generation technology, which allows users to control its operation to generate savings on electrical consumption, especially after standard office hours. This system is ideal for offices operating flexible hours.
Cybergate Center Tower 3 is located within the Robinsons Pioneer Cybergate Complex, which has its own transport terminals and is adjacent to the MRT station. This convenience is seen to make it easier to hire skilled workers since accessibility is one of the prime considerations of BPO recruits.
Aside from restaurants and convenience store integrated into the building, Cybergate Center Tower 3 shares the complex with Forum Robinsons, a specialty mall where employees get to relax, shop, dine and be entertained after a day’s work and several Robinsons-built residential towers.
Meanwhile, RLC recently “top-off” Cybergate Plaza, the fourth office building within the same complex in response to the continued uptake of traditional and BPO office spaces. This office building will have a total of six leasable office floors with ample parking and is expected to be ready to handover this year.
Zinnia B. Dela Peña
March 10, 2009

http://www.robinsonsoffices.com/jan-mar2009.html

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