Providence Ripley

Providence Takes Child’s Play To New Heights With Nature Play Partnership

What RGCMM achieved for Providence

Providence South Ripley has become the first masterplanned residential community to partner with Nature Play Queensland (natureplayqld.org.au) as part of a comprehensive initiative to get kids off the couch, off their devices and back out into the great outdoors.

This partnership will help shape Providence into a place for children to play freely outdoors and was launched at a community Playbourhood Day today (January 23) where local kids enjoyed a host of outdoor games and cubby house building.

Providence is the largest masterplanned community in the Ripley Valley with nearly 700 families now calling the estate home.

Nature Play Queensland’s mission is to increase the time Queensland kids spend in unstructured play outdoors and in nature. It is founded on the understanding that unstructured play outdoors – nature play – is fundamental to a full and healthy childhood.

Nature play promotes a range of health benefits, including cognitive, social and emotional development, and builds resilience and creativity. Experiences in nature as a child also leads to environmental awareness and stewardship later in life.

Providence Project Director Michael Khan said the project was proud to be the first property development to form a partnership with Nature Play Queensland.

“Providence has always been about families and one of the things we hear from our community is about the challenges of getting kids out of the house to enjoy the outdoors,” he said. “We have amazing parks, paths and playgrounds but need to do more to teach children about the value of unstructured, outdoor play.”

“Importantly, when you come into a community and you can see children outdoors playing, you know that it’s a safe, happy and connected community.

He said Providence’s partnership with Nature Play Queensland would lead to a more proactive approach to integrating the principles of nature play into in the designs of parks and streets and the delivery of community activities and events.

There are a number of ways communities can be designed to encourage nature play, including;

·       Promoting walkability – ensuring pedestrian paths and cycleways linking throughout the community.

·       Welcoming front yard – front yard design helps bring back traditional neighbourhood connections as it enables people to say hello as they walk past, for kids to make friends and find playmates and to create a feeling of openness and connection.

·       Open space – Maximising open and community places and spaces for playing and connecting.

·       Safe streets – designing streets that are safer for kids by reducing speeding  and ensuring kids can play and connect and neighbours can walk and socialize.

·       Masterplanning – ensuring residential areas are well connected to community facilities like parks, schools and shops to encourage walkability and connection

Nature Play QLD Program Manager, Hyahno Moser, said the partnership was an important step toward prioritising the health and well-being of children in local neighbourhoods.

“Since Nature Play QLD launched we have been working with communities’ right across the state addressing rising concerns around the health and well-being issues associated with children’s inactivity,” Mr Moser said.

“Providence South Ripley is the first masterplanned residential community in Queensland to prioritise children’s play and we applaud them for applying Nature Play principals to create better play experiences for local children, helping parents raise resilient, happy and healthy kids in the digital age.”

“We hope this partnership inspires other communities to prioritise children’s play and create opportunities for kids to get off their screens and return to playing outside.”

Orchard Property Group

Orchard Property Group Officially Launches $120 Million Project in South Maclean

What RGCMM has achieved for Orchard Property Group


Brisbane’s southwest growth corridor is set for a new wave of growth after the launch of a new 650-lot, $120 million residential community in the heart of the Greater Flagstone Priority Development Area (PDA).

Orchard Property Group’s 53ha Pebble Creek South Maclean project hit the market with stage 1 comprising 46 lots starting from $149,000. Lots in the first stage range from 280sqm to 516 sqm (average 350sqm) and frontages of 10-16 metres.

The centrepiece of the project will be a major new 9.4ha, $3 million regional park comprising a multi-purpose sporting field, basketball court, outdoor ping pong table, adventure playground, dog off leash area and learn to ride precinct.

The new park will wind along Flagstone Creek with the developer set to undertake extensive remediation and revegetation along the creek to create a family-friendly destination.

Major civil works on the community have now commenced, including construction of a new $4 million bridge over the creek that will link the project to Mountain Ridge Road, South Maclean.

Orchard Property Group Managing Director Brent Hailey said Pebble Creek would provide a fresh, new option for buyers in the fast-growing Flagstone region.

Orchard Property Group Managing Director Brent Hailey

“The Greater Flagstone PDA has begun to build momentum over recent years, and we think it will be one of Queensland’s fastest growing areas over coming years as the nearby employment hubs really kick into gear,” he said.

“With Queensland experiencing strong interstate migration and a rapidly growing population and with Pebble Creek set to provide some of the most affordable land in the country close to a capital city and secondary employment hubs, we are confident the project will be a huge success.”

Mr Hailey said the new $3 million park would be a great asset for the entire South Maclean community.

“With the project nestled along the banks of Flagstone Creek, we had a unique opportunity to create an outdoor recreation and adventure destination that would be unmatched in the area and provide options for people of all ages,” he said.

While the built form of the park will entice visitors, park designer Dean Butcher of SLR Consulting said nature would be an integral part of the experience.

He said vegetation and ecology would be blended into every aspect of the park in order to prevent the feeling of over-urbanisation, and instead give residents and visitors the feeling of “being one with nature”.

“The playground, for example, is positioned so it feels like it is nestled within the trees and the picnic facilities are integrated with enough vegetation to provide plenty of natural shade,” he said. “A section of the park has also been allocated for rehabilitation and feature planting, providing a section that will one day reflect a time of uninterrupted forestry.

“The layout will embody the whole natural movement of water into the design, from linked facilities right down to the meandering pathway that is reminiscent of the flowing creek.”

Pebble Creek will be Orchard’s largest project to date and comes after the successful completion late last year of PineVue @ Maudsland (110 lots) and The Rise @ Thornlands (156 lots). Other completed Orchard projects include the $105 million Silkwood at Mount Cotton, Park Central @ Oxenford and The Outlook @ Oxenford.

Located just north of Jimboomba and 45 minutes drive from Brisbane, South Maclean is one of a number of suburbs in the area that is undergoing transformative growth thanks to a comprehensive masterplan as a result of its designation as a Priority Development Area (PDA) by the Queensland Government.

The Greater Flagstone PDA was declared in 2010 and covers a total area of 7,188 hectares. It is located west of Jimboomba and the Mount Lindesay Highway, along the Brisbane-Sydney rail line. It is immediately north of the Bromelton State Development Area.

When fully developed it is anticipated that the Greater Flagstone PDA will provide approximately 50,000 dwellings to house a population of up to 120,000 people.

Existing employment hubs at Park Ridge and Logan Central and proposed economic development at North Maclean, Bromelton and within the adjoining Flagstone Town Centre will provide a range of job opportunities.

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Orefox launch provides Artificial Intelligence for Mineral Exploration

Mineral explorers are now able to reap the benefits of using artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyse large amounts of geological data in identifying possible mineral deposits with the launch to market of a new data analytics solution.

Brisbane-based analytics and technology company Orefox has begun working with Mining Projects Accelerator (MPX) in assessing data identification of drill targets on prospective gold and copper targets in Australia. 

Orefox is the company commercialising the research undertaken by Quantum Geology on Artificial Intelligence and deep learning driving ore discoveries. 

Orefox founder and CEO Warwick Anderson said it was satisfying to bring the offering to market after several years of research and development culminating in securing MPX as a foundation client.   

“We’ve developed a system that utilises a hybrid artificial intelligence capability to analyse huge amounts of geological data and then collate patterns in that data,” Mr Anderson said. 

“The patterns uncovered by this process are patterns that a human geologist could never see as the datasets are simply too large and complex for a person to make sense of.

“We are delighted that MPX, who are the foundation client for Orefox, could see that this technology can accelerate the discovery of new ore deposits for them.”  

Orefox has participated in the Unearthed Accelerator Program.  Parent company Quantum Geology also counts Queensland University of Technology (QUT) as a shareholder through their QUT Bluebox company. QUT Bluebox is the innovation, venture and investment company for the university.

At a time when mining investment is rising and the need for new discoveries to meet future demand is high, Orefox is providing these services to market not to replace traditional exploration, but to work with client’s geology teams to accelerate the discoveries. 

“Our mission is to put our clients at the centre of geological data science innovation, allowing them to make bigger mineral deposit discoveries, faster,” Mr Anderson said.

MPX Co-founder and Director Grant Wechsel said the technology had the potential to help fast track the development of suitable projects.

“We believe heavily in the use of this technology from Orefox to help us analyse data and more accurately identify drill targets, which will help us focus on moving suitable projects forward in an accelerated time frame,” Mr Wechsel said.

Orefox has officially launched to market after Mr Anderson spoke at the Geological Survey of Queensland’s Digging Deeper 2018 forum and announced the commercialisation of the Quantum Geology research.  

In addition to their founding client, Orefox is speaking with a number of ASX-listed companies about providing services and welcomes enquiry from other interested parties.

About Orefox.
Orefox works with mining companies to put them at the center of geological data science innovation. Our artificial intelligence and machine learning allows companies to increase efficiency and success in finding new ore deposits. www.orefox.com

Nick Milillo, Hire My Trailer

Mercury Commerce Launches First Instant Hire Platform

Platform-as-a-Service startup Mercury Commerce has released its first self-developed product to the market, with the launch of the Hire My Trailer app and website.

After nearly 12 months of beta and in-market testing Gold Coast based Mercury will be rolling out the fully featured Hire My Trailer platform in key markets across Australia over coming months.

Hire My Trailer was developed to demonstrate the efficacy of Mercury’s instant hire platform that allows any business or industry with excess equipment to generate an income by renting it out.

Founder Nick Milillo said the Mercury platform could be white-labelled and allows businesses to simply feed in their inventory and market to customers.

“Any business that has idle equipment can now rent it out quickly and efficiently and turn something that is costing money to do nothing into a revenue,” he said.

The Hire My Trailer business was created to test and market the platform and enables person to person trailer rental, by putting under-utilised trailers to good use.

“Hire My Trailer was born from the observation that just about every street in Australia had a least one house with a trailer sitting idle in the yard or carport,” Mr Milillo said.

“At the same time you have people utilising expensive, short term hires to take a couple of loads of rubbish to the dump.

“Hire My Trailer provides a cost effective way for people to hire a trailer while giving owners the opportunity to offset some of the cost of ownership.”

“Renters of Trailers will no longer need to drive kilometres to find their mainstream hire company, reducing time and effort whilst also reducing the cost of the hire.”

The platform allows people to upload their trailer for hire via an app, receive bookings, pre-payments, rental agreements, bond and payments. No cash is exchanged with an electronic rental agreement ensuring both the renter and the hirer are protected.

The process for trailer hirer is as simple as putting your location into the app, choosing a trailer and booking. Once the owner accepts the booking the fee is charged to a credit card via secure payment provider.

What RGCMM achieved for Providence


simPRO Brisbane Office

Australian Trades Must Adapt Or Perish To IoT Wave

By Peter Darley


Ten years ago most people operating in Australia’s trade services industry were still scribbling quotes, invoices and their daily schedule on the back of any scrap of paper they could find. It was chaotic, inefficient and costly.


Move forward a decade and many, if not the majority, of these businesses are now utilising complex cloud-based technologies to manage their businesses, allowing them to get on with the job they are paid to do. From accounting to job management, MR and quoting, most administrative jobs can now be done easily and simply.


While many are still bedding down this first wave of change, a new wave is about to hit. The second phase of the trade services digital revolution, the Internet of Things (IoT) age, could have an even more profound impact on the way the entire industry operates. For those businesses that embrace the opportunity it will be a pathway to growth and prosperity.


Those that resist will be very quickly left behind.


In its simplest form, IoT refers to the interaction between machines which are connected to the internet. When the digital age first took off, technology was still dependent on physical input; machines still needed a human being at the helm. Today, IoT represents the next stage of digital evolution. Human-to-machine interaction has been streamlined with an online network that processes data and allows sensors or devices with an internet connection to speak to each other and perform automated functions.


One of the biggest barriers preventing some trade service companies from getting on board is a lingering confusion about what IoT means for their business.


In the trade service industry, IoT can be seen when a technician synchronises their job calendars to track appointments, prioritise projects and plan best routes.
An example of this is where simPRO assisted Swissport and Thermacell in improving it’s facilities management capability at England’s Luton Airport through installation of simPRO’s IoT hardware and software solutions. With simPRO IoT, the airport established sensors that monitored the performance of its lounge air conditioners remotely in near real time, and automatically received alerts in response to anomalies.

The applications are various and can be applied to many different sectors. For example, IoT can assist fire safety technicians through sensors in a fire detection or sprinkler system, which then monitors and reports back the current state of the equipment they are tasked to keep an eye on. In the security sector, IoT allows real-time viewing of security cameras from devices connected to the internet, allowing clients to view live footage of their home or business anywhere, at any time and on different devices.


Of course, there will always be those who think IoT is nothing more than a gimmick, and an unnecessary disruption in technology development that will only make life and business more difficult. There may be business owners out there who believe that IoT is an extravagant and unjustifiable expense, and that IoT systems will likely die down to serve a niche market.


Those that accept the disruption will be those who prosper from the adoption.


A recent report commissioned by the Australian Computer Society (ACS) revealed that there is much to gain from IoT, as it currently presents a $30 billion opportunity for Australia’s tech sector by 2023, with IoT hardware, software, solutions and communications systems presenting unprecedented growth rate prospects.


At this point, being left behind by not embracing IoT is not a risk; it’s a certainty. But why risk it? IoT has the potential to streamline business processes, increase productivity and produce logical and data-driven solutions that consistently help to achieve goals. Trade businesses that adopt IoT are effectively future proofing their operations with strong competitive advantage
like real-time productivity and energy monitoring of machinery, as well as tracking of key maintenance indicators to predict and prevent failure provide real-time inventory of inputs. It also allows businesses to communicate with supply chain and factory operations and monitor real-time tracking of outputs, allowing for quality assurance to be performed in real time as well as status and location tracking of goods.


At simPRO we have seen how IoT systems can help trade businesses across the spectrum, from ambitious niche startups to globalised industrial companies. It facilitates machine learning and automation that can help those small businesses explore new growth opportunities, and larger businesses to stay competitive in the market for for longer.


No matter their size, trade service businesses are able to use IoT systems to respond more quickly to competition and customer’s demands and volatile market conditions. It can provide real-time insights into trends, creating opportunities to alter production activity, fine-tune strategies or find alternatives that saves a business cost and time. Essentially, machines that are connected and able to share data allow business owners the luxury of spending less time wondering and more time taking action.


The truth is that IoT is already making a significant impression on Australia’s economy. Manufacturing, for example, is expected to achieve potential benefits of $50 to $88 billion, according to ACS’s IoT report.


IoT systems are certain to change the way service scheduling is completed and therefore we all must be prepared for new styles of service agreements, scheduling and task related activity. This means the time is now for businesses to consider the following preparations for a world where IoT makes significant industry contributions.


Plan
. IoT systems are rapidly changing how we do things but a business still needs to have a clear direction. Identify where your business uses the most resources or requires the most time and effort. Pinpoint opportunities where a process can be streamlined, and consider whether these areas could be improved by automated systems and an IoT network.


Security.
Cyber security is one barrier keeping many businesses away from connecting to IoT. While there is certainly an ever-present risk to online data, a growing IoT presence means a greater acknowledgement of online safety. Technicians are constantly developing new ways of protecting data and the integrity of IoT system, so be sure to keep up to date with the latest security developments.

Invest in the infrastructure. It’s no use committing to a new age of industry when the office is filled with lock-and-key filing cabinets. IoT systems require an efficient flow of data and therefore require suitable hardware, including internet ports, hard drives, strong connection speeds and modern interfaces. The good news is that simPRO IoT can be retrofitted to existing systems with little effort and no extra cost.

 

Peter Darley has been appointed General Manager Australia for fast-growing SaaS business simPRO. He joins simPRO with a strong background in sales, marketing and operations in field service industries, events, broadcasting and information technology. Mr Darley joined simPRO from Schindler Lifts where he was National Sales Manager, Repair and Digital Services, where he oversaw a number of complex digital implementation projects as well as developing new product development sales and marketing for Schindler’s Internet of Things (Iot) strategy. He also previously held positions with Wesfarmers and OTIS.

What RGCMM achieved for Providence

Cory Johnston

Cory Johnston – One of Australia’s Leading Commodity Trading Companies

 

Meat and agri-products trader Cory Johnston is celebrating its 50th year of operation in 2018 and is confident about its future after a decade where turnover has doubled in size through a strong commitment to customers and a diversification of its product range.

 

Specialising in sourcing and supplying an extensive range of protein-based produce: chilled and frozen meats, grains, pulses, oil seeds, and various vegetable and animal protein meals, Cory Johnston is targeting the food service industry, smallgoods manufacturers and opportunities for growth through its grain and meals division.

 

Cory Johnston director Peter Shearer said domestic meat trading had been the main foundation of the business but that the company was looking at opportunities in new markets.

 

“International trade is expanding for us and we’re looking at new markets including in Latin America and Europe,” Shearer said.

 

Shearer said that grain and associated products, whilst making up about a quarter of the business, would look to expand as the company invests more resources into that part of the business.

 

He said that a focus on the supply of food products in the community was centred on quality and sustainable operations.

 

“People are becoming a lot more concerned about where their food comes from,” Shearer said. “We work closely with suppliers to get the right quality products to the right sections of the market.”

 

Cory Johnston was formed in 1968 after frozen beef retrieved from a distressed cargo ship – which had caught fire off the Queensland coast – needed to be sold in the domestic market on behalf of the insurance company. This opportunity lead to Douglas Cory and the late Don Johnston forming a partnership which lead to the creation of Cory Johnston Pty Ltd later that year.

 

The continued growth in business, as well as astute investments, allowed Doug Cory to diversify into cold storage which led to the establishment of the Doboy Coldstores in 1976.

 

Late in 1987, Doug decided to purchase Don Johnston’s share in the business. This resulted in Cory Johnston (NSW) which operated together with Cory Johnston for the next eight years. After that time the Cory Johnston (NSW) office was (by mutual agreement) divested.

 

In 2001, Doug decided to step back from his commitments and negotiated the sale of Cory Johnston to younger brother Trevor and long-time employee Peter Shearer. Under the direction of Trevor and Peter, the business has continued to diversify and prosper. In early 2012, Cory Johnston moved from its home of 26 years at Doboy Coldstores to new offices in the Metroplex Development at Murarrie.

 

Trevor Cory will be retiring from the business in 2019 and attributes much of the success of Cory Johnston to its staff and their market knowledge.

 

“Knowing what our clients need and making sure that need is filled coupled with our financial reliability has been the cornerstone to our longevity and in building successful relationships,” Cory said.

 

“We see opportunities to build the by-products part of the business, such as tallow, poultry oil and feather meal and to increase supply to stock feed manufacturers.

 

“Whilst I’m looking forward to retirement, the business is in very good hands with opportunities in the near term for continued expansion.”

 

For further information on Cory Johnston visit: www.coryjohnston.com.au

Providence Ripley

Providence Puts The ‘Best On Show’ At New Display Village Launch

Ripley Valley’s Providence master planned community will unveil a new $15 million display village this weekend (September 1) with more than 1,000 visitors expected to descend on the community for a fun-filled day of food, entertainment and informative presentations.

The event, which kicks off at 1.00pm, will include food trucks, a play zone with face painters, kids playzone, sideshow alley, live entertainment, show bags, and a spectacular firework’s display at 6.00pm.

Centre stage of the event will be hosted by broadcaster Ben Davis with Selling Houses Australia’s Andrew Winter providing insights on buying property and Michael and Carlene Duffy from The Block providing home styling tips.

The new display village will include nearly 30 homes designed to provide a window into the incredible lifestyle available when location, amenity and a strong sense of community are combined with innovative thinking.

Builders on display at the new village include Metricon, Rivergum Homes, Stylemaster, Simonds, Burbank, Bold Living, Coral Homes, Bella, Desire Homes, Homes by CMA, Stroud Homes, Silkwood Homes, GJ Gardner Homes and Brighton Homes.

One of the highlights of the village will be Rivergum Homes’ Oxygen Series designs, which features the ‘Volar’ and ‘Latitude’ homes that have been designed to create a perfect balance between South East Queensland’s temperate climate and modern design.

Rivergum will use the Providence Display Village as a stage to showcase how builders today are keeping the great Australian dream achievable and affordable in the face of increasingly harsh weather conditions and soaring electricity bills.

Rivergum Homes National Design Manager John Eckert said the designs incorporated elements that acknowledged a potential buyer’s obvious desire to be comfortable in their own home.

“The whole range has been designed with solar flip, where the outdoor entertainment area, kitchen and living area is flappable on every plan, so we can get the best available solar orientation,” he said.

“We’ve also made sure all of our homes, Latitude in particular, has cross ventilation throughout all living areas, with windows and door openings that line up with each other to ensure that cross ventilation through the home.

The Latitude also utilises external solar screens to mitigate the heat load on glass surfaces and high level fans to encourage air movement.

Working individually or together each of these features can have a dramatic impact on the temperature inside a home and reduce the need for energy-hungry air-conditioning.

The impact of smart design on the hip-pocket can be significant. A Canstar Blue survey1 recently found 62% of Australians were cutting their air-conditioning usage to save money with 69% believing air-conditioning was the largest contributor to their power bills.

Canstar estimates a split-system air-conditioner can cost about $648 to run for 12 hours a day through summer and, but just $216 if running for four hours a day. Ducted air can cost more than $3,200 over summer if running 12 hours a day and $1,080 if on for four hours a day.

What RGCMM achieved for Providence

CFMG - Ormeau Hills - Elevate

CFMG Capital Wins Residential Land Parcel In Queensland Growth Corridor

National property group CFMG Capital will launch a new residential community in the Brisbane to Gold Coast growth corridor after beating fierce competition for a land parcel in Ormeau Hills.

The 5.4-hectare piece of land will be home to ‘Elevate’, CFMG Capital’s latest lifestyle endeavor which will provide 100 residential allotments for home buyers and investors seeking entry into the highly-contested region.

The site was acquired for $7.6 million from an undisclosed vendor via a campaign run by Colliers International.

CFMG Capital General Manager Andrew Thomson said there was intense competition for quality sites in Brisbane’s southern growth corridor.

Strategically positioned approximately 25 kilometres north of the Gold Coast CBD and 45 kilometres south of the Brisbane CBD, he said the project site ticked all the boxes CFMG Capital used to assess project opportunities.

“As the future community ‘Elevate’, this new acquisition at Ormeau Hills will be developed among an abundance of already established lifestyle amenity, health and education facilities, outdoor living, public transport and major road networks.

“The project site currently has the benefits of an existing approval for a 96 lot residential community and is situated within a kilometre of the Ormeau Town Centre and the ‘future’ North Ormeau town centre, which includes Woolworths, Coles and IGA supermarkets, petrol stations, cafes and specialty shops,” he said.

CFMG Capital have already seen the proof of the corridor’s residential market strength through the recent completion of their existing Ormeau-based project called ‘The Brook’, which launched 251 residential lots and grew to a gross realisation of $52.2 million.

Market data from realesate.com.au revealed that demand for the area had led to a 24.4% increase in median house sales prices, equating to a compound annual growth rate of 4.5% compared to the same period five years ago.

“Land remains relatively tight in this corridor with several large scale subdivisions recently completed or nearing completion within this area,” Mr Thomson said.

Prospective investors will be offered the opportunity to invest into the project through the CFMG Land and Opportunity Fund, which offers the potential to invest at a fixed rate of return of 12 per cent per annum for a fixed investment term.

What RGCMM achieved for CFMG Capital

CFMG’s story also appeared in the ‘Daily Telegraph’, ‘The Courier Mail’ and the ‘Australian Property Journal’.

 

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Travellers Paid More for Their Domestic Tickets in 2017

Travellers paid more for their domestic tickets in 2017, while corporate international fares remained flat and leisure travellers paid on average 4.3% less for their long-haul tickets.

 

According to the latest 4D FOCUS – AUSTRALIA Aviation and Airfare Analysis, compiled by Flight Centre Travel Group’s 4th Dimension Business Travel Consulting division – (purchased) domestic economy corporate and leisure ticket prices rose, on average 3.5% and 8.9% in 2017 respectively.

 

The report includes a benchmarking study that compares tickets purchased from FCTG’s corporate and retail businesses in 2017 compared to 2016 and 2015 airfares.

 

Felicity Burke, General Manager of 4D, said the ticket increases the business had witnessed during the year in the domestic space had been driven by strong consumer demand, steady tourism growth and gradual increases in carrier published fares.

 

“Both Qantas Airways and Virgin Australia increased their published airfares during the year, with the largest percentage increases on the economy class restricted airfares,” Felicity said. “The carrier-driven increases have pushed the cheaper ‘leisure traveller’ airfares upwards to the range of 2.5% to 8%. Also noted are business class fare increases of between 2% to 8% and economy class flexible fares 2% to 7% during 2017.”

 

Felicity said the positive news was that international economy fares for corporates had remained flat in 2017 and leisure travellers had another year of excellent value, low-priced long-haul fares.

 

With approximately 62 airlines now servicing the international landscape, Felicity said Australian travellers continued to be ‘spoilt for choice with carriers, flight frequencies and in-flight product’.

 

FCTG Managing Director, Graham Turner, said the golden era of travel continued to shine brightly for travellers.

 

“Competitive international airfares, new direct flights such as the Perth to London, more frequent services, continually improved in-flight amenities plus unprecedented discounting on some routes are but a few of the positive takeaways from 2017,” Mr Turner said.

 

“If the price of oil continues to rise this could potentially mean ticket prices may increase in the near term. But we’re still going to see some excellent value across the international and domestic landscape as airlines compete for both the corporate and leisure dollar.”

Qantas’ recent start of non-stop services between Perth and London is the first of new city pairs to be offered by the airline as it welcomes new long-range aircraft to its fleet.  Qantas is also targeting ultra-long haul flights from the east coast of Australia to London and New York by 2022.

 

John Simeone, Qantas’ Head of Business and Government Sales, said in the report, ‘We’re seeing growth across all markets including the resources sector and the arrival of new aircraft allows us the chance to open new routes, just like Perth-London’.

 

The report indicated that Virgin Australia continued to focus on its guests’ travel experience rolling out wi-fi across the majority of its fleet, introducing Melbourne to Hong Kong flights in 2017 and commencing Sydney to Hong Kong services in July this year.

 

Some of the key findings in 4D’s report are below.

 

Domestic Travel – CORPORATE Economy Class airfare benchmarking

 

(based on 2017 fare benchmarking against 2016 fares)

 

  • Domestic economy class price changes for tickets purchased through FCTG’s corporate brands ranged from a 1% to 9% increase on key routes
  • Corporates flying the CBR – SYD route incurred the lowest increase with fares rising by 1%
  • Those corporates travelling on the ADL – SYD and HBA – MEL routes incurred the largest economy increases of 6% and 9% respectively.

Domestic Travel – LEISURE Economy Class airfare benchmarking

 

(based on 2017 fare benchmarking against 2016 fares)

 

  • From 2016 to 2017 the average price of domestic economy class leisure fares purchased through FCTG’s leisure division increased by 9%
  • The biggest increase for leisure tickets was for the ADL – SYD and MEL – SYD routes where prices increased by an average 14% over 2016
  • Leisure economy travellers flying BNE – PER saw the smallest increase of 4%.

BENCHMARK SUMMARY – Economy Class

 

 

Felicity said the increase in in-bound visitors and domestic tourism, had also impacted the availability of domestic seats with load factors reaching nearly 80% in 2017.

 

“The demand for domestic seats in the leisure space was very strong last year, which has also affected ticket prices,” she said.

 

The 4D report indicated a 2.5% and a 4.6% increase for corporate and leisure domestic fares during the next 18 months provided the carrier mix remained the same along with a positive outlook for the domestic economy.

 

Additionally four key industry themes have been highlighted for the year ahead:

 

  • Shifting airfares due to continued airline transformation, strong tourism numbers, solid load factors, a rise in oil prices and positive economic outlook
  • Connected technology such as biometric systems are producing a frictionless international passenger experience, speeding up processing times and reducing airport congestion;
  • Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia ending their trans-Tasman alliance, and Air New Zealand, Qantas and Virgin Australia making tactical moves to increase market share across the Tasman; and
  • International airlines continuing to adjust their networks from and to Australia, and deploy new aircraft for an improved flight experience.

FAST FACTS

  • MEL- SYD is the busiest domestic route (10.8 million seats – up 1.2% on 2016; 54,500 flights) and 2nd busiest route in the world in 2017 (up from 4th in 2016)

  • Brisbane – Sydney is the next busiest domestic route with 4.7 million seats flown during 2017

  • 8 million inbound visitors into Australia during 2017 (+6.5% on 2016)

  • 62 international airlines operated to/from Australia during 2017

  • 2017 On-time performance:

Virgin Network – departure 85.3%; arrival 83.4%

 

Qantas Network – departure 85.1%; arrival 84.4%.

 

Woolworths Woodford-14_preview

SCA Property Group Sells Four Neighbourhood Shopping Centres Into $58 Million Unlisted Fund

Shopping centre owner and manager SCA Property Group (ASX: SCP) has backed continued investor demand for neighbourhood shopping centre investments, launching the third iteration in its highly successful SCA unlisted retail fund strategy, SURF.

 

The third SCA Unlisted Retail Fund, SURF 3, seeks to raise $35 million to help acquire a $57.9 million portfolio of neighbourhood shopping centres in Moama and Swansea in New South Wales, Woodford in Queensland and Warrnambool in Victoria. The opportunity to invest is open to both retail and wholesale investors.

 

The Moama Marketplace, Swansea Woolworths and Woodford Village properties are anchored by a Woolworths supermarket and Warrnambool by Target. Moama is also anchored by a Woolworths petrol outlet.

 

The fund income is primarily from the anchor tenants with 71% of income from Woolworths Limited and Target Australia. The specialty tenants are primarily non-discretionary focused including medical centres, pharmacies and food-based tenancies.

 

The fund has a weighted average lease expiry over 10 years and is forecasting an attractive initial distribution yield of 7.1 per cent.  The fund term is 6.5 years and approximately 30 per cent of distributions are expected to be tax deferred. It is an unlisted closed end property unit trust registered as a managed investment scheme with a minimum investment of $25,000.

 

SURF Fund Manager Melissa Kingham said, “Already we have over 50% registered interest from SMSF trustees who are looking for long average lease expiries and stable distributions.”

 

SCA engaged Australia’s leading economic location advisory firm Location IQ to undertake a demographic review of each of the assets. The research found the main trade area for all locations was growing and primarily comprised couples with dependants. The populations are typically strongly associated with the local convenience shopping facilities.

 

Location IQ also found the Warrnambool Target had a trade area population of more than 95,000, nearly double the typical trade area population for a discount department store-anchored shopping centre of 50,000 people.

 

SURF 3 Fund Manager Melissa Kingham said the research gave SCA confidence that each of the assets was well positioned to deliver on the targeted distribution rate.

 

“All four assets are surrounded by populations that, demographically speaking, are pre-disposed to visit their local shops for groceries and other essentials,” she said.

 

SURF 3 Portfolio Overview*

Property

WALE (years)

GLA (sqm)

Anchor Tenant

Valuation

Moama Marketplace, NSW

14.39

4,514

Woolworths

$14 million

Swansea Woolworths, NSW

15.76

3,677

Woolworths

$15.3 million

Warrnambool Target, Vic

5.82

6,983

Target

$16 million

Woodford Woolworths, QLD

8.39

3,668

Woolworths

$12.6 million

TOTAL

10.3

18,842

 

$57.9 million

*As at valuation date of 31 March 2018

SCA Property Group Chief Executive Officer Anthony Mellowes said the SURF series had proven extremely popular with retail investors seeking exposure to convenience-based shopping centre assets, underpinned by the security of long leases to anchor tenants.

 

“Both the SURF 1 and SURF 2 offerings are now closed and investors are happy with their quarterly distributions,” he said. “Each of the assets has a strong lease profile, quality tenant base and together provide broad geographic diversity.

 

“SCA will manage the assets on behalf of the fund and will co-invest a minimum of 20% of the amount to be raised.”

 

The SURF 1 and SURF 2 unlisted property funds have delivered unitholders annual returns more than 8% and 7% respectively since being launched in October 2015 and June 2017.

 

SURF 3 was independently reviewed by Core Property Fund Research and Ratings and ‘recommended’ for investment.

 

Managing Director of Core Property Dinesh Pillutla commented that the interest for direct property investment was due to predictable income distributions with potential for capital growth. SMSF investors are also looking for regular distributions with tax deferral benefits.

 

The properties are currently owned by SCA Property Group and will be acquired on an arm’s length basis following an independent valuation carried out by JLL of $57.9 million with a weighted average capitalisation rate of 6.92%.

 

SCA utilises the SURF structure to provide existing unitholders and other investors with an opportunity to invest in assets that are non-core to the Group’s future strategy. The SURF 3 portfolio takes to 11 the total number of properties that have been syndicated in this way.

 

The SURF 3 portfolio has a total Gross Lettable Area of 18,842 square metres and Total Site Area including car parking of 44,822 square metres.

 

SCA Property Group owned and/or managed over $2.5 billion of retail properties in Australia as at end December 2017. SCA announced Funds From Operations (FFO) of $56.1 million for the six months to 31 December, 2017, up 4.9% on the same period last year.