Im sure all of you will agree that the turn of events during the
bygone fiscal was anything but usual. Iconic institutions in the West
received government bailouts; foreclosures skyrocketed and market rates
were down by 35%, with selling and leasing coming to a standstill.
Credit squeeze further added to the woes. Indeed, the world of real
estate was shaken to its roots. However, these times proved to be an
important test of our business strategies. While the meltdown spared
none, thanks to our addiction to a cautious approach, we remained
rooted, unlike someofourcontemporaries.
STRATEGIES AND EXECUTION -TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN
During the year under review, we proved it beyond doubt that IBREL is
standing tall on strong fundamentals. Our business is governed by three
strong principles - selecting premier tier I locations, playing large
consolidated bets to propel growth and maintaining a high operating
leverage. Even during boom time, we never forgot that real estate is a
business that has less predictability on cash flows. Our business
insight rightfully compelled us to remain conservative in financing our
projects. All our land banks were acquired prudently at fair value. We
were also successful in maintaining optimal material and overall
project construction costs. The results are for everyone to see.
Today, we enjoy one of the best balance sheets in the industry. With a
strong equity and cash position, we are successfully creating assets
without relying on debt for our growth. In fact, we are amongst the
very few real estate companies that are entirely debt free at the
parent level. This has been a tremendous advantage in times of a
general credit squeeze faced by our competitors, whose projects have
languished and as a result, given even more visibility to our assets.
Our sound cash and risk management abilities are reflected in the fact
that our financial health was never in doubt, even at a time when our
peers are dealing with the pressures of a liquidity crunch. A healthy
cash position has empowered us to deliver optimum value by enabling
time-bound execution of our projects, whilst allowing us to capitalise
on other lucrative prospects. As a result, we are diligently releasing
a pipeline of cost-effective products into the marketplace and aim to
derive satisfactory returns from them.
I strongly believe that strategies and efficient execution abilities go
hand in hand - each one incomplete without the other. We have mastered
both these prerequisites to success. Im pleased to announce the
timely rollout of our projects, One Indiabulls Centre and Indiabulls
Financial Centre that reached completion during the year under
consideration and are now ready for occupancy. Despite tough economic
environment, these iconic destinations have been able to garner ample
interest and closure. These projects are testimony to our unparalleled
and aggressive execution capabilities, whilst adhering to the highest
quality standards.
MARKET UNDERSTANDING OUR FORTE
Most of our new projects under execution are mixed-used developments,
highlighting our ability to adapt to the changing market requirements.
Going forward, we aim to deliver solid traction towards our mixed
residential and commercial projects across India. Our product designs
go beyond delivering brick and mortar - they are conceived to fulfill
the dreams of our future home owners. Every project is being undertaken
with the unanimous objective of delivering superior client
satisfaction. Keeping our distance from the stand-alone malls business
for now further accentuates our desire to be value driven. We are also
sensitive to the growing need and demand for inexpensive housing. As a
result, we are ensuring a healthy product mix by developing reasonably
priced homes of multiple configurations and sizes, at a quality
standard that will be our trademark. Going forward, we will continue
to develop products which are now being expected by todays more
discerning home owners.
POWERING UP
IBREL thrives on the philosophy of leveraging its strengths to derive
maximum value out of opportunities. Driven by our excellent execution
skills, we are well-positioned to make the most of the prospects in the
power segment. Within just two years of our foray in the power
industry, we have initiated the development of as many as five thermal
power projects, with a combined capacity of 6615 MW once completed.
Additionally, we also have four medium-sized hydro power projects
aggregating to 167 MW, under development in Arunachal Pradesh. I now
look forward to the power segment of our businessto deliver enhanced
shareholder value by becomingan independent listed entity in the near
future.
I take this opportunity to thank all our investors, shareholders,
customers and employees for making our success a reality.
Sameer Gehlaut
Founder and Chairman
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