Villar’s Vista Land sets P25-B capex
VISTA LAND & LIFESCAPES, Inc. (VLL) is allocating P25 billion for capital expenditures (capex) this year to continue supporting construction and land banking plans.
In a statement over the weekend, the Villar-led property developer said it was revisiting its pipeline of projects for 2020 in light of changing consumer behavior due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Its P25-billion capex this year is lower than its 2019 capex of P38.29 billion and 2018 capex of P45.05 billion. About 90% of the allocation is intended for construction and land development, while 10% is for land acquisition and payment of land payables.
“We are revisiting our planned project launches as well as the expansion program of our leasing business for the rest of the year. And as previously mentioned, we have the capacity to fast track construction if we deem it necessary,” VLL Chairman Manuel B. Villar, Jr. was quoted as saying.
The company’s plan is to continue building integrated urban development that combine retail, office and residential projects along with healthcare and leisure components.
It said it draws optimism from its residential business, which has been recording improving sales to about 70% of pre-pandemic levels since June. The growth is attributed to its investment in digital platforms, which allows buyers to connect with VLL online.
“We are hoping that these encouraging signs in our residential business will continue,” VLL President and CEO Manuel Paolo A. Villar said in the statement.
“With the growing importance of staying at home, we are also seeing an increased preference for our housing products especially in the provincial areas. We are now taking advantage of Vista Land’s geographic reach, being present in 147 cities and municipalities across the country,” he added.
VLL’s profits fell 8% to P2.34 billion in the first quarter due to delayed project completions. The pandemic-related lockdown pulled down its revenues by 3% to P9.93 billion with the suspension of construction activities.
Shares in VLL at the stock exchange ended Thursday’s session at P3.12 apiece, up six centavos or 1.96% from a day ago. — Denise A. Valdez
