Takara Leben sees ‘big potential’ in Ph market
Japanese real estate firm Takara Leben Co. Ltd. has high hopes for the Philippine market and its partnership with homegrown developer Ovialand Inc.
According to the company’s new president Shoichi Akisawa, several factors make the Philippines an attractive investment destination. The country’s growing economy and young population have created a favorable environment for real estate development, while their partnership with Ovialand aligns well with Takara Leben’s vision of providing affordable yet high quality homes to its buyers.
“We have conducted a lot of research. If you look at the details of the population, the average age in the Philippines is 24 years old, and in Japan, it’s double at 48 years. The Philippines is a young country, with the population still growing. And if you look at the Philippines’ GDP (gross domestic product), you’ve been achieving 5 percent or 6 percent as opposed to Japan, which is quite a mature economy,” Akisawa said in an exclusive interview with Inquirer at their headquarters in Tokyo.
On top of these, the Philippines is also geographically positioned in the middle of Southeast Asia and other key countries including Japan and China, making it a strategic location for businesses.
“We see very big potential in the Philippines,” Akisawa added.
Promising signs
This early, Akisawa is already seeing promising signs of that “potential.”
The first project of Takara Leben and Ovialand—the 6.5-hectare Savana South in Laguna—has already exceeded their expectations, with early bookings surpassing projections, he disclosed.
To recall, Ovialand and Takara Leben officially announced their partnership in January this year, along with their first project comprising 657 homes, expected to generate P1.97 billion worth of sales within a four-year period. The two companies also established a joint venture company to serve as the project developer for Savana South.
Akisawa expressed his satisfaction with the results so far and hinted at the potential for future projects, signaling an intent to possibly expand further in the Philippine market. While he noted that there’s a “very big possibility of going forward in the Philippines,” he, however, declined to cite specific details or make commitments at the moment.
“We would like to make our first project very successful together. As the first project progress, we would like to and wouldn’t mind to start talking about the second or the third project—to discuss future projects together. We’re very interested to talk about doing more projects together with Ovialand,” Akisawa said.
He likewise showed interest in sharing their best practices and know-how in terms of construction, sales, and methodologies, especially since Takara Leben already has a long and well established corporate history in Japan. At the same time, he wanted to learn as well Ovialand’s own methods and processes. In fact, Akisawa pointed out Ovialand’s speedy and well organized construction methods, which he is interested in learning.
“By sharing our strengths, we can start creating synergy and improving together,” he added.
Shared vision
Ultimately, the goal of Takara Leben, based on its corporate philosophy which started 52 years ago, is to provide high quality, affordable residence to first buyers and to everyone—a goal that dovetails with Ovialand’s own vision.
“Aside from their financial investment, the real clincher of our partnership is our shared values and vision as developers for first time homebuyers,” said Ovialand president and CEO Pammy Olivares-Vital.
“Our goal is to deliver our development on the planned timeframe to satisfied homebuyers. We are doing this by ensuring that each home we build passes the Ovialand standards in terms of materials, craftsmanship and the overall experience. We are also working with our financing partners to ensure that our homebuyers have access to the right facilities that will help them achieve their dreams of homeownership,” she added.
Premier family experience
Indeed, Ovialand’s completed developments are the best showcase of how it delivers quality homes on time to its satisfied buyers, truly providing that “premier family living experience”.
“Our completed developments have now blossomed into thriving communities, and we look forward to seeing the first batch of homeowners move into their brand new homes in Savana South before the year ends,” she said.
Savana South, which is the joint project of the partnership, is actually the fourth community that Ovialand is developing San Pablo, Laguna.
“Our ultimate goal is to be the jewel of San Pablo City together with Ovialand. Wherever we do our business, we want to grow together with the area. As we make this project successful, maybe there will be a second and a third one in the future,” Akisawa said.
“We see Ovialand as a very valuable (partner) and we hope for our success together,” he added.
