Grand Towers Property Fund investing in developments in Nigeria’s state capitals

Registered in Mauritius, the Grand Towers Group developed the first Shoprite-anchored mall in Abuja and the Grand Towers Abuja Hotel which was commissioned in March 2013.

“We are partnering with Shoprite – which has planned a massive rollout of 50-60 malls in Nigeria – and other multi-national tenants seeking access to this unserviced market in the development of further malls in Africa”, Says Peter Collins, CEO of Grand Towers Property Fund

“The next cities earmarked for the launch of Shoprite-anchored malls – comprising over 24 000sqm, are in the state capitals of Minna in Niger State, Port Harcourt, in the hub of the country’s oil industry in Rivers State and Ekiti, the capital of Ado-Ekiti state.

“These will be the first Shoprite stores in these cities. In Minna, the new 8244sqm mall will be centrally located in the centre of town, in Port Harcourt a mall of 8100sqm is well positioned on the airport road, while in Ekiti, a mall comprising 7700sqm will be situated on the university road, about 2000m from the centre of town.  The Shoprite stores within these malls will comprise 2800sqm, 3000sqm and 2500sqm respectively.”

Nigeria’s rapidly changing retail landscape

The third largest contributor to GDP, the Nigerian retail market is experiencing burgeoning growth, steadily evolving from a large-scale informal sector toward formal spaces, encouraged by state government in an effort not only to provide better living conditions and quality of life for citizens but also to improve the standard of products and diversify the economy.

Says Collins: “This is underpinned by a strong demand among a young and increasingly savvy urban population for high quality, stress-free retail environments and a modern vibrant shopping experience which includes leading international brands.  This has prompted multi-national developers to seek land to develop malls anchored by South African retailers, thereby creating nodes of development in major metropolitan areas.

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“Partnering with the best in African property professionals to deliver quality, the fund offers a sound investment opportunity for those seeking exposure to the biggest retail explosion in decades in Africa’s largest economy. With some 180 million consumers in Nigeria – expected to grow to 211 million by the year 2020, the demand from a growing middle class for quality space is unprecedented.

“Grand Towers has access to these land portions in high-demand locations ideal for multi-national tenants and provides a secure vehicle to achieve excellent risk-adjusted returns from this market, achieving liquidity in year three, and with a five-year exit into a listing or directly to REITs (real estate investment trusts).

“Initially our primary focus is on West Africa and Nigeria specifically, with sites already secured in Abuja, Lagos, Jos, Kalaba and Kaduna, which are in various stages of preparation for development – flowing from Shoprite’s targeted list of stores in these states.  We will also diversify into properties in East and Sub-Saharan Africa, with sites being identified in DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Kenya and Ghana,” says Collins.

The fund has partnered with a development team of internationally recognised firms including Aurecon Group Engineering, DHK Architects, Profica Project Management, Aecom, DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, KPMG, Stanbic, Broll Nigeria and NinetyEast Financial in Mauritius.