IGB to sell The Gardens Mall to subsidiary

IGB Corp Bhd plans to sell The Gardens Mall, which has an indicative value of RM820 million, to its subsidiary KrisAssets Holdings Bhd, for cash as part of its ongoing streamlining scheme.

KrisAssets, its 75 per cent unit, essentially operates like a real estate investment trust, and the purchase will give it a new source of recurring income.

IGB entered into an agreement yesterday for KrisAssets to buy all of the shares in Mid Valley City Gardens Sdn Bhd (MVCG).

The purchase price will depend on the net tangible asset of MVCG for the fiscal year ended December 31 2010. The four-year-old The Gardens Mall has an indicative value of RM820 million.
KrisAssets now has two subsidiaries - Mid Valley City Sdn Bhd, which owns and operates the Mid Valley Megamall and Mid Valley Capital Sdn Bhd (MV Capital), which is the funding vehicle for the issuance of the RM400 million redeemable secured serial bonds in September 2004.

IGB said the proposed sale will enable the group to streamline its property holdings whereby its retail properties will be consolidated and held under KrisAssets. It would also allow the group to achieve greater operational efficiency and synergistic benefits.

IGB will use the sale proceeds for new investment opportunities.

"IGB will continue to derive benefits from the future growth of The Gardens Mall via KrisAssets," it said.

KrisAssets said the deal would enable it to achieve the required scale to enhance its competitiveness in the retail sector.

"There would be potential synergistic benefits arising from the proposed acquisition, which include, amongst others, cost savings, operational streamlining and collaborative marketing strategies in the Mid Valley City as a whole," KrisAssets said.

Trading in shares of both IGB and KrisAssets have been suspended since February 11 pending the announcement.

By Business Times