Oaktree Capital invests Rs 425 crore in Hubtown-Rising Straits' Prabhadevi project

Oaktree Capital invests Rs 425 crore in Hubtown-Rising Straits’ Prabhadevi project

MUMBAI: Global alternative investment management firm Oaktree Capital Management has invested Rs 425 crores in 25 South, a prime sea-facing luxury residential development spread over 5.3 acres of land in central Mumbai’s Prabhadevi locality.

The project is owned by the Hubtown Group and Singapore-based private equity firm the Rising Straits Capital, while realty developer the Wadhwa Group is the development manager for the same.

Part of the funds raised through this transaction will be utilised to complete the project and partly to retire the existing debt facility of Indiabulls Housing Finance.

“The Oaktree investment and strong sales are a testament to the strength of the project’s location, design and execution and a validation of our vision to make 25 South the foremost luxury residential development in Mumbai,” said Rushank Shah, Director, 25 South Realty, the special purpose vehicle developing the project.

Oaktree Capital Management declined to comment for the story.

The project located opposite the Siddhivinayak temple, had made headlines in 2018 for one of the largest residential apartment transactions in the country when Welspun Group’s promoter and Managing Director Rajesh Mandawewala had purchased an 18,000 sq ft penthouse on the top 3 floors of the South Tower in the project for around Rs 150 crores.

Hubtown and DLF had jointly acquired the said land parcel from Thackersey family-owned Hindustan Mills in 2007. DLF moved out of the project later just before the Rising Straits entry as an investor in the subsidiary developing the project. Wadhwa Group entered the project as a development manager in 2015.

The plot is estimated to have a total development potential of half a million sq ft. One out of total three luxury towers proposed to be developed on this plot is nearly completed and has seen good sales traction recently.

In the backdrop of the stamp duty reduction announced by the government of Maharashtra in August, the project has witnessed robust sales of more than Rs 350 crores in the last quarter ending December. Most of the homebuyers in the project are from the financial services, banking and consulting industry.

Several high-value transactions are getting finalised and registered in the luxury segment of the country’s most expensive property market of Mumbai helping drive volume in the luxury segment that had remained sluggish for nearly half a decade.

While registration data has suggested more traction in housing sales in suburban localities, these luxury deals in south-and south-central Mumbai are also taking the market to new highs and renewing institutional investors’ interest in this segment.

Oaktree Capital has started betting big on the India story for the last few quarters. The Los Angeles-headquartered firm is one of the frontline bidders for the now defunct non-banking finance company (NBFC) Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL) along with Piramal Capital and Housing Finance. It has also invested in other real estate projects that were earlier financed by Indiabulls Housing Finance. Ends.