Lodha group's UK arm launches $225-mn bond issue in Singapore market; aims to refinance part of outstanding debt

New Delhi: Realty firm Lodha group’s UK subsidiary on Thursday launched a $225 million-bond issue in the Singapore market to refinance part of its outstanding debt. The issue has been opened and the closing date will depend on market response, sources said. The bonds will be listed on Singapore exchanges. JP Morgan, UBS and CLSA are the merchant bankers for the issue. Lodha Developers International, a subsidiary of Mumbai-based Lodha Developers (which has been renamed Macrotech Developers), proposes to offer $225 million (around Rs 1,611 crore) aggregate principal of senior secured notes maturing in 2023. [caption id=“attachment_4292949” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. News 18.[/caption] The company would use the proceeds of the issue to refinance a part of its outstanding $324 million (around Rs 2,320 crore) senior notes due to mature in 2020. “Earlier this week, we raised 86 million pound (Rs 800 crore) in the UK. With these proceeds and additional cash flows from our UK and India businesses, we look forward to fully repaying our 2020 USD bonds in March 2020,” said Abhishek Lodha, MD and CEO, Macrotech Developers. In November 2019, Lodha had said it had arranged $325 million to repay bonds maturing in March 2020 through infusion of funds from promoters, sale of commercial properties and refinancing against unsold inventories in London projects. “Our $325 million bond pertaining to London business is maturing in March next year (2020). So we have arranged funds in advance to meet our obligations when bonds mature. About $155 million has been arranged through financing against unsold inventories in a London project, while another $110 million will be infused by promoters through family offices,” Lodha had said. Lodha group had made a foray into the London market in 2013 with the acquisition of the landmark MacDonald House at 1 Grosvenor Square in prime Central London for over GBP 300 million (Rs 3,100 crore). Macrotech Developers is India’s largest residential real estate developer by sales and construction area. The company has clocked net new sales of over Rs 7,000 crore in 2018-19 with collections of over Rs 9,000 crore. It delivered over 10,000 offices and homes in FY 18-19. In the first nine months of 2019-20, sales have reached around Rs 5,000 crore, up 15 percent from the corresponding period of the previous year. India business debt of the company is around Rs 15,000 crore.