Indiareit Fund Advisors is in talks with investors and property developers to sell the Alternative Investment Market-listed realty fund Trinity Capital’s investments in India, according to three executives with knowledge of the discussions.
Indiareit, the realty fund manager of the Ajay Piramal group, is also the Indian investment manager of Trinity, earlier known as Trikona Trinity Capital.
In India, Trinity had investments worth £172.5 million (Rs 1,178 crore) in eight properties and a logistics venture in March 2010, according to the company’s website. It had invested £150 million in these projects between 2006-2009. The investments included a 4.7 per cent stake in Mumbai-based property developer DB Realty.
The projects which Trinity looks to exit include Jodhana, a premium residential project with the Maharaja of Jodhpur within the precincts of Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, Uppal Information Technology Park in Greater Noida, an upscale residential project being developed by the Lokhandwala group in the Mahalaxmi area of Mumbai, Luxor Cyber City in Gurgaon, MK Malls, a commercial property being developed by DB Realty in the Bandra Kurla Complex of Mumbai, and Horizon Countrywide Logistics, a logistics venture of SKIL group.
In March 2009, Trinity decided to dispose its assets in India after some hedge fund investors demanded for it.
“There are valuation issues. We have to get the right valuations,” said an executive involved in the talks.
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An email sent to Trinity did not elicit a response. Ramesh Jogani, managing director of Indiareit Fund Advisors, declined to comment.
Last year, Trinity appointed Indiareit as its investment manager in India after it got in to a dispute with its the then manager, Trikona Advisors. Since then, Trinity and Trikona have settled their dispute. Last month, Trinity exited three of its investments in Mumbai-based Rustomjee Group, which the latter bought.
Trinity sold its 16 per cent stake in Kapstone Constructions, a unit of Rustomjee, for £12.6 million (Rs 90 crore). Kapstone is developing a 127-acre township in Thane, on the outskirts of Mumbai. Trinity had picked up the stake for £10.6 million in 2006. The sale was a 10 per cent discount to the September 2010 valuation of the investment, which was at £14 million. The executive said though the exit was at lower valuations, Trinity made foreign exchange gains, as the exchange rate for pound was much lower in 2006.
Trinity exited Rustomjee’s Bandra project for $4.4 million (Rs 30 crore). Trinity had 45 per cent interest in the project. It also exited Rustomjee’s Virar township in Mumbai, but the exact details could not be ascertained.
Trinity has already exited its investments in listed space, which include Phoenix Mills, Fortis Healthcare and Pipavav Shipyard. Trinity has also exited the hospitality business of DB Realty.