In real estate, malls catch the fancy of private equity players

This is also because retail, especially malls as a sector, have emerged one of the most favoured asset classes for institutional investors in recent times

After a lull, malls have seen renewed interest from private equity (PE) investors since the last couple of years, with industry watchers expecting the momentum to continue in 2019. 

Larger planned premium properties coupled with consolidation among smaller players have been able to boost PE investments further.

According to Venture Intelligence data, announced PE investments in malls in India rose by nearly 60 per cent in 2017 to Rs 2,299 crore against Rs 1,467 crore in 2016. Industry watchers estimate a similar growth in 2018.

The investments have come on the back of larger premium properties announced not just in