Broll Property Group, the largest independently owned Pan-African commercial property services company, has entered into an exclusive affiliate arrangement with Cushman & Wakefield, a leading global real estate services company.

Many South African investors were recently introduced to Nomura Holdings Inc.’s new iPhone index which will most likely herald a brand new catchy acronym such as Ii or I2 (but we’ll leave that to the creatives to decide).

Having highlighted Africa as a primary focus, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ (RICS) global President Elect, Louise Brooke-Smith is currently visiting South Africa (February 2014) and Ghana.

Tuesday, 20 August 2013 23:10

Interpark makes further moves into Africa

With growth potential and investment in Africa increasingly under the spotlight, the South African based parking management company, Interpark – a member of the Excellerate Property Services group, is focused on increasing its footprint into the continent.

Saturday, 10 March 2012 02:00

Local waste business expands into Africa

Don’t Waste Services (DWS), the largest on-site waste management company in South Africa, has announced plans to open offices in African countries that include Zambia, Swaziland, Botswana, Mauritius and Kenya

Sunday, 23 October 2011 02:00

Call for state to fund railways

Senior railwaymen have called for state funds to be set up to maintain Africa’s rail infrastructure systems, says SARA executive director Bernard Dzawanda.

Friday, 07 August 2009 02:00

A firm foundation

Stephen Pell has his job cut out. The head of Stefanutti Stocks building unit is at the centre of the majority of the activity around the recent corporate merger.

Stephen PellA large part of the R1,1bn merger between the construction groups Stefanutti & Bressan and Stocks is taking place in Pell’s unit. That is because Stocks was largely a building business with a small civil engineering operation. So the essence of the 2008 merger that created the R6,3bn Stefanutti Stocks is being experienced in the building business unit.

Pell entered Stefanutti Stocks from the former Stocks, whose building operations had spread across the Southern African region and the Middle East. Pell says the merger was attractive because it provided good synergistic operational and cultural blends. He says the old Stefanutti & Bressan had its roots and a strong building base in KwaZulu Natal, whereas the former Stocks was stronger in other regions. The combined operation has produced a geographically diversified and strong entity, he says.

The new building unit spans a number of sectors that include the residential and commercial markets. The unit recently concluded work on the prestigious One&Only, the luxurious new Cape Town hotel undertaken by hospitality mogul Sol Kerzner. The group was also in the joint venture that won the R1,4bn expansion of the Cape Town International Airport and the R500m extension at the OR Tambo International Airport.

The unit also contains a focused housing operation, which operates mainly in the affordable housing sector. A large portion of the housing development work is from mining and industrial linked developments, as well as some private developers. This operation does, however, have the ability to operate in the low-cost RDP arena.

The building market is going through a lull due to the global economic meltdown, but Pell is confident that his division is well positioned. He says the merger has retained the entrepreneurial vibe, backed by a bigger operation. “Size does matter,” says Pell. “We are beginning to see the benefit by being recognised more often in larger projects.” Stefanutti Stocks’ building unit is probably within the top four in terms of size in the Southern African region, he says.

Pell says the group has successfully dealt with integration issues and more specifically the people factor. “This was important to us as it speaks to the strategic objective of the company. We want to be the best in our market by delivering quality service, on time. The only way we can achieve this is to ensure that all our people exude enthusiasm and proactiveness towards all our clients and customers because that will be our critical differentiating factor.”

Though the local building market has gone quieter, Pell sees growth opportunities, which can be derived through offering clients extra value. He says in such a tight market, Stefanutti Stocks’ black economic empowerment (BEE) credentials will add to the competitive edge. Stefanutti Stocks boasts the best empowerment credentials in the construction sector of the JSE. It was recognised as a leading BEE player in the FM’s 2009 Top Empowerment Companies survey.

Pell also sees opportunities for growth in the Middle East, where his unit maintains a fair amount of exposure. “When we talk about the Middle East people focus on Dubai,” says Pell. The region is bigger than Dubai and offers opportunities in places like Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Qatar, he says. “Our Middle East operations include interior fit-out and refurbishment business Al Tayer Stocks and the electromechanical business Zener Steward. We have also recently announced that we intend to start up a general construction operation focused on the infrastructure market in the Middle East, which will be an area of growth to us in the long term.”

Pell also expects work to flow in from the broader Southern African region. The group has satellite offices in Swaziland, Botswana, Zambia and Mozambique.

He says that though building margins remain tight, the group is expecting an increase in business. He says the order book is geared to remain solid into 2010 and beyond. The unit will rely on its geographical diversification to navigate the market.

The building unit derived 20% of its total 2009 financial year revenue of R2,7bn from foreign operations. This is projected to reach the 35% mark in the near future. The backing of an enlarged group also promises synergistic opportunities.

 

 

Wednesday, 11 February 2009 02:00

Regional cement sales down

Cement sales in January in southern Africa were down 4.7% year-on-year to 935,913 tons from 982,424 tons at the same time a year ago, data from the Cement and Concrete Institute showed on Tuesday.

Construction IndustryThe institute noted that January 2009 had one less sales day than January 2008.

"If the decrease in sales days is taken into account, total regional sales were only 0.2% lower than January 2008," it said.

Regional sales are down 4.7% at 935,913 million tons on a year-to-date basis in 2009.

The moving annual total in southern Africa was down 4.0% year-on-year in January to 14.7 million tons.

Exports to other countries excluding Swaziland, Botswana, Lesotho and Namibia rose by 376.5% to 31,986 tons – up 376.5% on a year-to-date basis.

 

Wednesday, 14 January 2009 02:00

Regional cement sales up

Cement sales in southern Africa were up 0.8% year-on-year (y/y) in December to 921,570 million tons, data from the Cement and Concrete Institute showed on Tuesday.

The institute noted that December 2008 had two more sales days than the same month last year, and if the increase is taken into account, total regional sales were 9.3% lower than in December 2007.

Regional sales are down 3.9% at 14.719 million tons on a year-to-date basis.

The moving annual total in southern Africa was down 3.9% y/y in December to 14.7 million tons.

Exports to other countries excluding Swaziland, Botswana, Lesotho and Namibia rose by 158.1% to 18,385 tons, bringing total exports sales since the beginning of the year to 153,065 tons - down 28.2% on a year-to-date basis                                                        

Construction Industry

Thursday, 14 February 2008 02:00

Growth boosts Hardware Warehouse revenue 73%

AFFORDABLE bulk building materials supplier Hardware Warehouse, which listed on AltX in September, yesterday reported a 73,5% increase in revenue to R103m for the six months to December.

Construction IndustryCEO Shaun Miller said the surge in revenue was thanks to an increase in the number of stores, as well as growth from existing stores. New stores accounted for 38% of the revenue increase, and growth from existing stores made up 30%. The company delivered an 82,8% increase in headline earnings per share, from 5,3c to 9,7c.

Hardware Warehouse’s share price surged nearly 17% to 70c by about 4pm yesterday after publication of the results.

Miller said the company, which has traded for 12 years and has its head office in East London, mainly supplied affordable bulk building materials to rural communities, home builders and “more informal builders”. He said building cost inflation of about 10% was also contributing to the bottom line.

The company operates predominantly in the Border-Kei area of Eastern Cape and has also established a branch in Mtubatuba, north of Richards Bay.

“We will be expanding a number of stores in that region and are looking for opportunities in Swaziland,” said Miller.

He said the company’s market differed from the “suburban” market, where people built when they had money and in “good times”. The “suburban” market was likely to slow because of tougher economic conditions.

But Hardware Warehouse’s market consisted of people who were building homes through necessity, as they had previously lived in informal settlements. He said previously these customers were unable to borrow money, but were now receiving finance from the banks.

 

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