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HPCL & property consultants Trammell Crow Meghraj (TCM) Cochin project to come in 60 acres with mall, residences and other entertainment facilities

State-owned oil marketing firm Hindustan Petroleum Corp (HPCL) has lined up its retail foray in Cochin and Jaipur with assistance from property consultants Trammell Crow Meghraj (TCM).

HPCL plans to build malls with multiplexes, food courts, hotels, convention centres, amusement parks besides commercial complexes and premium residential apartments at the 60-odd acres of land available with it in the two cities.

The Cochin project will be the first to get off the ground and the projected yield from this project, excluding the sale of residential flats, is pegged in the range of Rs 30 to 40 crore annually. Sale of flats is estimated to add another Rs 100 crore to the company’s bottomline.

Of the four models proposed by its consultant, HPCL has zeroed in on the joint venture partnership model with a private developer for development and management of the property.

The JV partner will construct and market the retail facilities and HPCL will bring in land as equity. The net revenues will be shared between HPCL and the other party in proportion of HPCL equity (including land cost) and partner’s equity construction cost.

This arrangement, according to HPCL, offers the highest value for HPCL as it gives it proportionate profit sharing without any capital investment. However, a final decision in this regard will be taken only after the approval of the company’s board.

HPCL currently owns huge chunks of prime real estate in several cities in the form of oil depots, terminals, LPG plants, housing colonies and retail outlets. At many such places, the operations have been shifted to other locations resulting in vacant land lying unused.

The other three options proposed by TCM were: forming a joint venture with a real estate fund, tie-up with integrated retail developers on BOOT basis and investment by HPCL itself in the development and construction of the property besides carrying out its own marketing and management of the complex. HPCL’s retail consultant, TCM has been associated with leading malls in the country like High Street Phoenix, Centre One, InorbitCentral Mall, Forum, Metropolls and Inox.
Indian Reality News

BlueLabs Technology a UAE based tech company with Swedish partner plans to set up office in InfoPark and come up with their own campus in Cochin!!

Kerala is blessed with a high density of science and technology personnel in India and has a low employee attrition rate in the country (less than 5%).

There are lot of IT parks coming up in Cochin. With the advent of Major IT parks like, Techno Park, Smart city, L&T, Muthoot, Leela Info Park, Kerala is to be the epicentre of the next IT boom.

BlueLabs Technology Solution is a leading supplier of high quality software development services, specialising in enterprise application development, system integration and business automation tools. Located at the Leela Infopark, they give access to professional solutions and expertise to the high standards required in international business. They follow high-end operations procedures to provide both intricate and simple software development services to a wide range of companies; with everybody receiving the same high level of professional service and having extensive experience in scientific, telecoms (VOIP), financial and process automation environments.

"We aim to make working at BlueLabs as rewarding and enjoyable an experience as possible. For our colleagues this means providing the benefits, rewards and recognition that makes BlueLabs such an amazing place to work. For our customers, it means an enjoyable experience, with friendly attentive colleagues, low prices and great services", says Mr. Mathews Jose, CEO, BlueLabs Technology Solution. Mr Jose who has just returned after attending CeBIT Australia added, "CeBIT lives up to the hype. It was an amazing experience at the CeBIT Australia. We had a great opportunity to put our organization in limelight. The business opportunities and brand exposure gained over the course of the event has been outstanding".

A technology driven company based out of UAE and having partner based in Sweden, they plan to have 250-300 employees by 2009 and around 1000 employees by 2011. They also have plans to set up a large office in Info Park and to come up with their own campus in Cochin

. "We're preparing for the future, examining every aspect of our business, from employing as many local people to recycling and use of less energy and reduction in our carbon footprint. Take a look at the people who work at BlueLabs and you'll notice, they all have one thing in common - we smile a lot. Not every minute of every day of course, but lots more than people in other companies. This is because we're an extraordinarily good company to work for", Mr. Jose feels.
Express Computer Online

Zoom developers to build 100-storey office in Kochi

India would soon have a 100-storeyed building. The New Delhi-based Zoom Developers has planned to build a 100-storey office complex in Kochi, Kerala.

At Rs 1 crore per acre, the 40-acre tract has been purchased by the Zoom Developers from the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure development (Kinfra) to build an international trade and convention centre at Kochi.

The 100-storey building developed as a part of the project will be around 1,640 ft (500 metres) in height. As per the mandate from the state government of Kerala the project should have convention halls and exhibition halls on an area of 2.5 lakh sq ft.

The mandatory requirements need to be completed by the end of this year. “The work is on full swing and we are confident of meeting the mandatory requirements by December 2008,” says Rumneek Bawa, managing director Zoom Infraestates. The total cost outlay of the project would be Rs 1,000 crore, which the company plans to fund through a mix of internal accruals and bank loans.

Zoom Developers has also roped in the Singapore-based CPG consultants for the architectural design of the project. The project will also include a five-star hotel comprising 31 floors and a total of 400 rooms. The unique 100-storey tower apart from offices would also have a shopping mall spread over six floors.

The other structures in the convention centre would include a trade centre, service apartments, restaurants, a post office, and a multilevel car parking.

The project will be completed in three phases. The first phase would involve the building of convention and exhibition halls, which will be completed by the end of this year. The second phase would involve the construction of a five-star hotel and shopping mall, while the third would involve completion of the office tower.

The development is located at a distance of 25 km from the Cochin airport and 26 km from the sea port.

Source: Financial Chronicle

Property Bytes

Kochi's Marine Drive is costliest realty in Kerala

By Amrita Martin, CNBC-TV18

Marine Drive in Kochi is the costliest kilometer and a half in Kerala. NRIs seems to be flocking to it, driving prices up to USD 1-2 million per apartment.

The Price of being posh

A gorgeous sunset view, boat jetties bobbing in the water, the famous Chinese fishing nets and the gentle breeze from Vembanad Lake. All this has made Marine Drive in Kochi one of the costliest piece of land in Kerala. And non-resident Indians are the ones who are shelling out the big bucks for the luxury apartments. Real-estate prices have risen from Rs 2,500 per square feet from three years ago to Rs 11,000 per square feet.

BR Ajith, Chief Executive Architect of Ajith Associates said ,"Kochi has the potential for another 30 years. If a foreigner investor internationally can think that way, there should be some reasons for that. The most important reason is that it is a beautiful location of Kochi, in the midst of beautiful trees, lots of greenery around and one of the best airports in the country. It means we are well connected and have a beautiful port with a lot of international passenger vessels calling on the port."

More homes in the offing

About 15 or more construction projects are going on. Developers like Prestige, Dewa Projects, EMAAR Group and DLF have pumped in an estimated investment of Rs 1,500 crore into these constructions. Prestige is offering 3 tier triplex and two tier duplex versions of pent houses with a personal swimming pool for a neat sum of Rs 8 crore and above.

According to developers, most of the apartments seem to be out-of-reach for the average Kochiite. Marine Drive certainly seems to changed the dynamics of realty prices in Kerala.
Money Control.com

School of Communication and Management Studies (SCMS), Cochin has become the largest business school in the country in the autonomous sector

SCMS becomes 'largest autonomous B School' in India

KOCHI: School of Communication and Management Studies (SCMS), Cochin has become the largest business school in the country in the autonomous sector with the sanctioning of 60 seats in its P G Programme in Management, a SCMS release claimed on Monday.

'The campus of SCMS at Cochin and the high quality level of professional education offered coupled with placement in top multinational corporate houses made the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) increase the intake to 330 seats in its PG Dioploma in Management programme from this academic year onwards, it said.

SCMS Cochin is the only business school in Kerala that is accredited by the National Board of Accreditation with A Grade, it said.

The P G Programme of SCMS is ISO certified as the most industry relevant management programme. The Association of Indian Universities, Government of India has recognised the PGDM programme as equivalent to MBA with all attendant benefits, it said.

With the 120 seats in the MBA programme of SCMS School of Technology and Management, SCMS Group has 450 seats in its management programme.

Established in 1976, SCMS Cochin has the distinction of being the first professional institution in the self-financing sector in Kerala,the release said.
Economic Times

Bangalore, Hyderabad lose IT jobs to Kochi

Kochi, May 29 In five years, 1.7 million jobs in Information Technology (IT) sector in India will move out of tier 1 cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad, to tier 2 cities, Siddhartha Bhattacharya, Infopark's chief executive officer, said here.

Bhattacharya was speaking Wednesday at a discussion organised by The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), a global not-for-profit organisation promoting entrepreneurship. Infopark at Kochi is a state government-owned IT Park.


It is the better quality of life and lower operating cost that are attracting the IT companies to these cities, he said quoting research reports.


He said among the upcoming IT destinations, Kochi has many inherent advantages.


'The data transmission cost from Kochi is low. Seventy-five percent of the country's data traffic goes out from Kochi. VSNL has a 15 gigabyte gateway here. The electricity and water tariffs are one of the lowest among all the states. Compared to Bangalore, house rent is low in Kochi. The attrition rates in IT companies are below 10 percent.'


At present around 40 companies in the Infopark employ around 7,000 people. 'In next four years we expect the number of companies to go up seven to eight times.'


He said that Kerala has the highest density of IT and science professionals. 'The state's infrastructure is pretty strong, especially in telecommunication sector,' he added.


Infopark is in the process of coming out with a dedicated incubator to help start up companies. 'This is an early life support system for start ups. We will help them with issues like government clearance, finance and also help them expand,' he added.

Addhra Cafe.com

COCHIN among 10 southern cities EmaarMGF plans to invest $3 billion in

EmaarMGF, one of India’s leading real estate developers, Friday announced plans to invest $3 billion at 10 cities in south India over the next few years. It plans to develop over 31 million square feet area in Hyderabad, Tirupati, Chennai, Coimbatore, Cochin, Mysore and Mangalore.

The plans span residential, commercial and retail, IT parks and special economic zones (SEZs) and hospitality sectors.

The company made the announcement while unveiling an integrated world-class leisure and residential community around an 18-hole golf course built with an investment of $1.4 billion (Rs.56.10 billion) here.

The unique project, first among several projects planned in south India, boasts of world-class golf course, luxury residences, large format retail facility, luxury and boutique hotels and IT SEZ.

EmaarMGF, a joint venture of Dubai-based Emaar Properties and MGF Development, developed the ‘Boulder Hills Golf & Country Club’ on 531 acres in the heart of the IT corridor in Gacchibowli.

The picturesque golf course, spread over 192 acres, is dotted with the peculiar Deccan plateau rocks and several lakes.

The project will have 110 luxury villas with a price tag of Rs.150 million to Rs 240 million. The integrated township will have 2,700 units, with 703 units in the first phase. The developers said many luxury units were already sold out.

“The most unique thing about this community is this is the only one of its kind in the country to be built around 18-hole golf course,” said EmaarMGF CEO William R. Rattazzi.

The IT SEZ called “IT Green” will have a built-up area of three million square feet and was expected to provide 37,000 jobs.

In the special purpose vehicles (SPV) for the project, EmaarMGF holds 74 percent stake while Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corp (APIIC) holds 26 percent.

EmaarMGF (south) CEO Srikant Joshi said the company has a land bank of 13,000 acres in 26 cities across India. It has 1,500 acres in south India alone.

To a query, Rattazi said EmaarMGF might revive its plans to go public in 12 to 18 months.


Thai Indian

Cochin is the clear leader as Tier 2 cities take IT jobs away from tier 1 cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad

Tier 1 Indian cites to lose IT jobs to tier 2 cities’

Kochi, May 29 (IANS) In five years, 1.7 million jobs in Information Technology (IT) sector in India will move out of tier 1 cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad, to tier 2 cities, Siddhartha Bhattacharya, Infopark’s chief executive officer, said here. Bhattacharya was speaking Wednesday at a discussion organised by The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), a global not-for-profit organisation promoting entrepreneurship. Infopark at Kochi is a state government-owned IT Park.

It is the better quality of life and lower operating cost that are attracting the IT companies to these cities, he said quoting research reports.

He said among the upcoming IT destinations, Kochi has many inherent advantages.

“The data transmission cost from Kochi is low. Seventy-five percent of the country’s data traffic goes out from Kochi. VSNL has a 15 gigabyte gateway here. The electricity and water tariffs are one of the lowest among all the states. Compared to Bangalore, house rent is low in Kochi. The attrition rates in IT companies are below 10 percent.”

At present around 40 companies in the Infopark employ around 7,000 people. “In next four years we expect the number of companies to go up seven to eight times.”

He said that Kerala has the highest density of IT and science professionals. “The state’s infrastructure is pretty strong, especially in telecommunication sector,” he added.

Infopark is in the process of coming out with a dedicated incubator to help start up companies. “This is an early life support system for start ups. We will help them with issues like government clearance, finance and also help them expand,” he added.
ThaiIndian.com

Cochin pins revenue growth aims on duty-free

The airport hopes that its duty-free operation will soon account for 40% of total airport revenues
Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) is hoping to attract new airlines by reducing landing charges with the help of its growing duty-free business. Speaking at the Gate One2One conference at the TFWA Asia Pacific show earlier this month, CIAL general manager commercial V Suresh Babu reported that duty-free revenue at the Kerala airport accounts for 30% of total airport revenues at present, and that the airport hopes to grow that figure to 40% with planned changes to the airport layout.

Babu said: “We want to be the first airport in India with no landing charges…Indian airports on average generate 70% of revenues through aeronautical operations and 30% through non-aeronautical operations. At Cochin we generate 42% through non-aeronautical. We have identified three areas to grow non-aeronautical revenue, of which duty-free is one. We are aiming to increase dwell time by redeveloping the airport layout, and to expand the area devoted to duty-free.”

Alpha Asia operates the duty-free business at Cochin under the Alpha Kreol fascia, through a management contract with CIAL. Alpha Asia managing director Paul Topping told DFNIonline that the business has been achieving “phenomenal” growth as a result of extending its product offer and improving customer service. He also attributed growth to the big space CIAL had given the retailer. Alpha Kreol grew sales by over 40% last year, while traffic at the airport grew by about 25%.

Cochin is the fourth biggest airport in India, behind Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai, and was the first greenfield airport operated by a private company in India.

DFNIonline.com

ETL Infrastructure Services Ltd Cochin project will be a leisure township.

ETL Infrastructure Services Ltd, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, is developing several projects in the south at an estimated cost of Rs 14,262 crore.
"We have plans to execute nearly nine projects in Chennai, Erode, Chengalpet, Madurai and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, Cochin in Kerala, and Bangalore in Karnataka," says K. Sriram, Head - Finance, ETL.
According to Sriram, the two major projects, one in Cochin and the other in Bangalore, entail an investment of Rs 10,221 crore and Rs 1,670 crore respectively.
The Cochin project will be a leisure township comprising residential, educational, health and hospitality developments spanning 1,000 acres with a waterfront. Work has started and will be complete by the end of 2008.
The Bangalore DRC/IT park entails the development of the first private disaster recovery centre, IT park and apartments, spanning an area of 66 acres and located three km from the new international airport at Devanahalli. The centre will come up on 5.75 million sq. ft built-up area and will be one of the most secured buildings in the subcontinent. It will also include world-class social infrastructure like healthcare, clubs, bars, restaurants, health clubs, tennis and squash courts, swimming pools, and convenience stores. Work on this project will commence from November this year and complete by mid-2009.
Also on the cards is the Perundurai-Textile special economic zone, a textile park and commercial space for a power project that requires about 258 acres in Perundurai in Erode. The textile SEZ is estimated to cost Rs 855 crore and will come up on 6.3 million sq. ft built-up area. Work on the SEZ will start from October this year and complete within 14 months. The project will offer industrial, commercial and residential plots.
The company will set up a captive power plant of 18 mw in two phases of 9 mw each, which will be used for the company's captive use, said Sriram.
The company's upcoming SEZ in Chengalpet will serve residential, commercial, educational, health and hospitality needs with a golf course spanning 252 acres. This project will cost around Rs 897 crore. Work is expected to complete by the end of 2008. The project will also house India's first factory outlet mall of one million sq. ft and a golf resort.
Chennai One, an IT/ITES special economic zone that houses one of the largest gold-rated green buildings, is situated in the heart of the IT corridor of Chennai city. The company will develop phase-II of this project on about 2.4 million sq. ft that will include service apartments at a cost of Rs 358 crore. Construction work will start in October and take 15 months to complete.
Similarly, the IT park and retail mall with service apartments in Coimbatore are coming up on a built-up area of 1.5 sq. ft, entailing an investment of Rs 198 crore, and will be ready by end-2008.
Sriram said the company had planned to develop Heritage Hotel in Madurai along with a retail mall on 0.3 million sq. ft built-up area. Work on the Rs 62-crore project is expected to commence in March 2008 and take a year to complete.
ETL has acquired land and necessary clearances for the above projects
Projects Monitor.com

Alfa Horizon Vallarpadam Cochin the finest commercial property in COCHIN

Overlooking the bay and the proposed Vallarpadam International Container Terminal to be run by Dubai Ports (D.P World).
Office blocks -3 Towers.





Area :-
Tower1
Modules of 1000 sqft, 950 sqft,2375 sqft, 2000 sqft and 1950 sqft on each floor.
Tower 2 Modules of 1800sqft,1350sqft, 900 sqft and 450 sqft on each floor.
Tower 3 For rental purpose(not for sale).

75,000 sq.ft. Commercial shopping space for rent(not for sale).
Assured appreciation on investment .
High Rental Income
ALFA VENTURES

Kerala to spin land from Vaiga Thread Processors to IT park

The Kerala government is readying to spin an IT infrastructure out of a former cotton sewing threads unit. The proposed land for the IT park had been used on lease by Vaiga Thread Processors, formerly Yamuna Coats.

An IT park, yielding 10,000 direct jobs will be set up at Koratty (near Kochi and Trissur), state revenue minister KP Rajendran confirmed, when contacted. This is part of the initiatives from the 'land bank' that the state government is culling together for development projects, he said. About 45 acres for the new IT park will be from the excess land procured from the Koratty unit of Vaiga Thread Processors last year.

A small portion of the land from Vaiga Thread Processors was given to National Highways and one acre to Kerala State Electricity Board for infrastructure development.

The land bank is envisaged considering the development of the state in the next 25 years, the minister said. The land needs for many crucial infrastructure projects coming up in the state, including the new bypass in Kochi, ring roads, Kochi Metro Rail and IT Parks, are factored in, while detailing the land bank project. Construction of office and commercial complexes on BOT (build-operate-transfer) basis with State-run outfits like KSIDC, Kinfra, Kerala Power Finance Corporation and Kerala Tourism Finance Corporation are also in consideration. State Planning Board is considering whether the land bank can get more operational efficiency if it takes a company form.
Financial Express

After Club FM, Radio Mango hits Cochin airwaves

Cochin is witnessing some FM action this week. Close on the heels of Mathrubhumi Group’s Club FM going on air in Cochin, Radio Mango, the FM venture of Malayala Manorama Publications, has also launched its operations there. Radio Mango is already present in Kozhikode, Thrissur and Kannur – all in Kerala.

As part of the Cochin launch, Radio Mango has undertaken an intensive multimedia campaign along with innovative on-ground promotional activity, christened ‘Nattile Tharam’ (Star of the State). The on-ground activity covered over 800 panchayats throughout Kerala.

Besides Malayalam music, Radio Mango would play Tamil, Hindi and English songs. Commenting on the launch, Amit Mathew, General Manager, Radio Mango, said, “Coming from the house of Malayala Manorama, we have in-depth understanding of the lifestyles, tastes and preferences of the listeners in Kerala. This has enabled us to formulate the right programme mix and marketing strategies. The recent IMRB study has ranked us as No. 1 at the three stations we currently operate in. We are confident of replicating the success story in Cochin as well.”

Targeted at not only the youth, but also the youthful, Radio Mango was the first private FM station to go on air in Kerala.

Exchange4media.com

Genovate Solutions which is already in Cochin plans to invest around $3-5 million to open eight new centres.

IT and training solutions company, Genovate Solutions, plans to invest around $3-5 million to open eight new centres across the country within the next 12 months, a top company official said.

"We will be investing $3-5 million for opening eight new centres in various parts of the country," Genovate Group's CEO J Anton Ravindran told PTI on the sidelines of a conference here today.

The company, in the last 12 months, had invested a similar amount in infrastructure upgradation and renovation of its existing centres.
Genovate, currently operates in Mumbai, Cochin, Trichy, Ahmedabad, Pune, Lucknow, Mangalore, Baroda, Hyderabad and Bangalore.

Out of the eight centres, two centres would be opened in the next three months in Lucknow and Thane, he said. "The remaining would be set up by April next year".

The company has not yet decided the cities where it would be opening its other six centres but would target the northern part of the country, he added.
Business Standard

Sun TV launches FM station at Kochi

Sun TV Network, a television broadcasting company based in South India, announced the launching of its FM Radio Station at Kochi under the brand ``S FM`` from May 21, 2008 through its Subsidiary Kal Radio. This Station can be heard at 93.5 MHz frequency in Kochi and will cater to the audience of all age groups.

Sun TV will be operating in seven stations, as it already operates FM stations in Chennai, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli and Visakhapatnam. Work on 38 FM stations is in progress, as the company has retained 45 FM radio stations across India out of 68 FM stations successfully bid.

The SunTV Network originally began as a Tamil satellite channel. It has expanded with other channels in other languages including Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. The channels offered are SunTV, KTV, Sun Music, Sun News, Chutti TV, SuryaTV, GeminiTV, Teja News, Gemini News, Gemini Music, Gemini Cable Vision, UdayaTV, Udaya Movies, Udaya News, etc.

The SunTV Network is available in Asia, South Africa, Australia, Europe and USA. The company has hiked its advertisement rates by 5% to 27% with effect from January 2007. The corporate and registered office is located at Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Shares of the company declined Rs 7.7, or 2.17%, to settle at Rs 347.2. The total volume of shares traded was 12,851 at the BSE. (Tuesday)


MY IRIS.COM

Club FM’s fourth station goes on air in Cochin

May 19 2008


Club FM, the FM venture of the Mathrubhumi Group, hit the Cochin airwaves on May 16. With this FM station, Club FM has completed the launch of all its four stations. Apart from Cochin, Club FM is present in Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Kannur.

Shreyams Kumar, Director, Electronics Media, Mathrubhumi Printing and Publishing Co, is gung-ho about the Cochin market, which is considered to be the fiefdom of the Matrubhumi Group.

Club FM will be on air from 5 am till midnight everyday. Apart from regular interactive and live shows, the FM station has lined up some live road shows as part of its exclusive ‘connect to people’ marketing strategy.

Kumar feels that the three RAPA Awards for station anthem, humour programme category and best female radio jockey is a reiteration of the fact that Club FM’s programme quality is the ultimate differentiating factor for its success.

Meanwhile, adding to its medley of music and game shows, Club FM will be coming up with a new lunch time show, ‘Meals Ready’, especially crafted to capture the distinctive eating-out habit of the people of Cochin. The show will cover various eateries and food joints of the city.

Exchange4Media.com

30 Acre Residential Township by Jairaj Builders to come within 2 km from COCHIN Seaport-Airport Road

Residential Township from Jairaj Builders

Matching the contemporary industry standards and customer response, Jairaj Builders has its seventh project fast progressing. The proposed project is a residential township, comprising of villas and apartment homes ranging from economy to super-luxury. To be launched in an expanse of over 30 acres, the township will promote the following features, including a fully-equipped private club with a thousand-seater auditorium, a banquet hall, health club, swimming pool and other recreational facilities. The site located within 2 km from seaport-airport road will also boast of well-planned layout and excellent sewage system. Having completed 6 projects - 5 deluxe residential apartments at Padamugal, Kakkanad and one commercial building complex at NH-47 by-pass Edapally, this residential township from Jairaj Builders too will be a promising deal to home buyers!

Jai Raj Builders

DEWA GROUP to invest Rs 3,000 crore in 'Dewa Royale', spread across six acres of premium property at the Marine Drive in COCHIN

The world's finest in living spaces. At Marine Drive, Cochin(KOCHI).

Dewa Royale is a premium apartment project coming up on a 6-acre waterfront property at Marine Drive, Kochi. The apartment project itself will be the first stage of a groundbreaking, multi-phase development – including an exclusive shopping mall and a world-class hotel – which the company plans to execute on its 18-acre property at Marine Drive.

DEWA PROJECTSKochi (PTI): Leading real estate and infrastructure development group, Dewa Group is foraying into the real estate sector in Kerala with a Rs 3,000 crore project, which includes a super luxury apartment complex.

The complex 'Dewa Royale', spread across six acres of premium property at the Marine Drive in the city, will be launched on Saturday, Group Chairman K Venugopalan Nair told reporters here on Thursday night.

The group would set new benchmarks for residential space creation in the state in terms of quality of construction and construction material, he said claiming it would be the first apartment venture in the country, which would be providing a 10 year warranty for the entire complex.

The warranty would be applicable for electrical installations, bathing systems and a slew of instruments, which includes even screws used for fixing doors and windows.

The entire project will come up in a 22.5 acres land. The first phase, being built at an estimated cost of Rs 1,500 crore, will have six towers comprising 400 apartments surrounded by four acres of landscaped garden.

This is expected to be ready by 2011, Nair said adding each apartment would be approximately priced at Rs 3.25 crore.

The project also includes a five star hotel and a convention centre.

Dewa Projects Private ltd is a venture promoted by a group of NRIs based in Kuwait.

The group and its allied companies had substantial real estate holding in the major cities of India, including Bangalore, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, he said.

The Hindu

COCHIN(Kochi ) Duty Free Shop wins best Indian retailer award

Kochi wins best Indian retailer award

CIAL has the best duty free shop

Press Trust of India / Kochi April 24, 2008



The Cochin Duty Free shop at the Nedumbassery airport has won the 'Best Indian Duty Free Retailer' for 2007-08 from among 11 international duty free shops in India.



The award, conferred by the UK-based Mars International Travel Retail (MITR), would be received at the Tax Free World Association (TFWA) asia pacific retail conference at Singapore on May 13, CIAL Managing Director S Bharat said at a function at the Cochin Duty Free yesterday.


The Cochin Duty Free shop at the Nedumbassery airport here, which accounts for 30 per cent of CIAL's annual revenue, has registered a 44 per cent growth in revenue in 2007-08, netting Rs 42 crore turnover against the previous year's Rs 32 crore, he said.


An additional 5,000 square feet of duty free shop space would be added at CIAL's new international arrival terminal getting completed soon, he said.


Many promotional schemes launched by the Duty Free had helped boost its sales, of which foreign liquor accounted for a major chunk, he added.


Business Standard