News release

Average number of bidders for Kai Tak drops by 67% in two years

Land prices will continue to drop

November 28, 2019

HONG KONG, 28 November 2019 – The average number of bidders for residential sites in Kai Tak decreased by 67% to just 5.5 in 2019 from two years ago.  This reflects developers turned cautious in land acquisitions, according to JLL’s Residential Sales Market Monitor released today.

The residential site (NKIL 6554) at Kai Tak attracted 4 bids when the tender announced on 13th November. Along with NKIL 6577 which sold in July, this is the lowest number of bids attracted among residential sites sold in the vicinity thus far. The average number of bidders for residential sites in this area has dropped to 5.5 this year, compared with 6.5 in 2018 and 16.3 in 2017.

Henry Mok, senior director of Capital Markets at JLL, said: “This is partly attributed to the growing number of consortiums bidding for government land, especially for larger scale sites. However, it is evident that developers are trying to minimize investment size and risks on the back of the downside risks in the market.”

Cathie Chung, senior director of Research at JLL, said: “The Kai Tak site (NKIL 6554) has been sold to a consortium comprising of China Overseas Land and Investment, Henderson Land, K Wah International and Wharf Development for HKD 15.95 billion. The accommodation value was 27% less than the amount paid for an adjoining site (NKIL 6553) five months ago.”

“Hong Kong’s unemployment rate has climbed further to 3.1% in August to October, showing early evidence of weakness in the labour market. In addition, the uncertainties with the current political situation have continued to impact on sentiment within the city. As such, developers are likely to adopt more accommodative bidding and pricing strategies over the short-to-medium term, which will lead to a fall in land prices” she added. 


About JLL

JLL (NYSE: JLL) is a leading professional services firm that specializes in real estate and investment management. Our vision is to reimagine the world of real estate, creating rewarding opportunities and amazing spaces where people can achieve their ambitions. In doing so, we will build a better tomorrow for our clients, our people and our communities. JLL is a Fortune 500 company with annual revenue of $16.3 billion, operations in over 80 countries and a global workforce of more than 93,000 as of September 30, 2019. JLL is the brand name, and a registered trademark, of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated. For further information, visit jll.com.