Brand Capital, the ad-for-equity arm of the publishing giant Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd., has enlisted the expertise of Knight Frank India Pvt. Ltd. to strategically manage its extensive INR5 billion real estate portfolio.
Amit Goenka, the national director of capital transactions at Knight Frank, stated, "This is the first initiative of its kind where we have taken up such asset management and advisory for a large corporate house." The dedicated real estate firm is set to handle various aspects of the portfolio, including timely exits, maintenance, reporting and analytics, property valuation, as well as assistance with leasing, compliance, and collections.
Bennett Coleman, known for publishing major newspapers like The Times of India and The Economic Times, pioneered in India the innovative concept of trading equity for advertising space, commonly referred to as private treaties. This model has captured the interest of several other media entities, including HT Media Ltd. with its Mint and Hindustan Times publications; Network18 Group, operating channels like CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz; DB Corp. Ltd., known for Dainik Bhaskar and Daily News and Analysis; and New Delhi Television Ltd., responsible for NDTV 24x7 and NDTV Profit.
Currently, Brand Capital’s real estate portfolio encompasses 13 firms, among them Emaar MGF Land Ltd., Sobha Developers Pvt. Ltd., Nitesh Estates Ltd., Shriram Properties, and Lavasa Corp. Ltd., as outlined on the organization’s official website.
Looking ahead, Goenka noted, "We have some other such orders in the pipeline from large financial institutions, ultra high-net-worth individuals, and family offices." Anshuman Magazine, the chairman and managing director of CB Richard Ellis India Pvt. Ltd., remarked on the growing trend of soaring real estate prices, emphasizing how substantial holdings in land and property have become crucial to a company's overall strategy. He added, "We have been managing real estate portfolios for various state governments; however, in the private sector, the trend has picked up recently."