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Country Garden sees 09 contracted sales up 8.6%

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-04-21 20:05

Chinese property developer Country Garden Holdings Co Ltd said it estimated contracted sales would rise 8.6 percent in 2009 despite slowing growth in China.

Contracted sales are seen at 19 billion yuan ($2.81 billion) this year, up from 17.5 billion in 2008, the company's president Cui Jianbo told reporters on Tuesday.

Chinese property firms sign contracts to pre-sell Country Garden's housing developments but revenue from sales can only be booked when construction is completed and the property is delivered.

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Sales of about 2.68 million square meters will be booked in the first quarter, representing about 80 percent of the company's sales target of 3.3 million square meters for 2009, Cui said.

The target is 54 percent above its 2008 sales of 2.15 million square meters, he added.

But Cui declined to give estimated values of the properties.

"Under Beijng's support, we are cautiously optimistic on China's property market this year," he said.

Country Garden's main exposure is in Guangdong province, the worst hit property market in China in the past year.

Its net profit fell 67 percent to 1.38 billion yuan in 2008.

The company has accelerated its expansion outside Guangdong. It launched 23 new projects in 2008, of which 20 are located outside the province.

But the company also said it had no early redemption plan for its convertible bond issue, due 2013 with a principal amount of $600 million.