Xander to set up logistics platform in India

Real estate-focused private equity (PE) firm Xander Group Inc. is in talks with potential investors to set up a logistics platform in India.

Based in Singapore, Xander invests primarily in companies in infrastructure, hospitality, entertainment, retail and real estate sectors. It manages equity capital in excess of $2 billion. In the past, the PE firm has raised capital from several global investors, most recently from Dutch pension fund manager APG to co-invest in the firm’s retail platform, Virtuous Retail South Asia Pte Ltd.

Xander has also begun negotiations to identify and acquire land, where proposed logistics parks are expected to come up.

In October, it was reported that Xander Investment Management Pvt. Ltd, the real estate PE arm of Xander, will invest $350 million to develop and subsequently acquire 4.5 million sq ft of office space in Phoenix Group’s project. It has also backed The Hive, a co-working space venture.

After the implementation of the goods and services tax (GST), India has seen a lot of activity in the warehousing space with several investors announcing investment plans to create greenfield warehousing projects as well as to acquire existing assets.

India’s logistics industry, which is worth around $160 billion, is likely to touch $215 billion in the next three years with the implementation of GST, according to the Economic Survey 2017-18. This growth potential, in turn, has attracted several global investors.