Ensuring a strong foothold
Sta. Lucia’s sprawling ‘East District’ in Cainta, Rizal
How does a brand remain relevant to its market? With the influx of new players wanting to be part of the Philippine economic growth story, what can veteran brands do to cement their position in the market? How do you ensure your brand is built to last?
For a long time property developer like Sta. Lucia, innovation and an astute knowledge of the market’s changing preferences allowed it to remain relevant and to thrive for more than four decades as a group, and 10 years as a publicly listed company through Sta. Lucia Land Inc.
Over that span of time, it has built over 250 pioneering, innovative projects spanning across 10,400 hectares in 15 provinces, in 10 regions. These landmark developments were built, having aptly anticipated the changing needs of its residents and locators.
Transforming land
It comes as no surprise that Sta. Lucia Land remains top-of-mind for many Filipinos living both here and abroad. Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in fact comprise the bulk of Sta. Lucia’s buyers, proving that the brand continues to have a strong recall despite the entry of new players in a highly cutthroat real estate industry in the Philippines.
How did Sta. Lucia achieve such a strong recall? Officials point again to innovation. Sta. Lucia Land was able to transform idle lands into thriving premium residential and commercial communities, while helping improve the lives of many Filipinos across generations, and spurring progress in the areas where it is present.
Among Sta. Lucia’s most renowned innovations include world class golf courses such as the Orchard Golf and Country Club, the site of several prestigious international golfing events, including the Johnnie Walker Golf Classic in 1995; the Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall, the first and most comprehensive commercial mall in the eastern side of the metro; resort-themed communities; lake developments; hotels; and residential condominium and condotel projects, among others.
Sta. Lucia has pioneered lake developments in the country.
New ventures
And by the end of this year, Sta. Lucia will be marking its initial foray in office space development with the expected completion of the six-storey Sta. Lucia Business Center.
The said business center, which will offer over 10,000 sqm of leasable office space, formed part of the company’s diversification plan to tap new growth areas in property development.
The Sta. Lucia Business Center, which will be connected to the ongoing LRT-2 extension project, is located along Marcos Highway. The first two floors would be dedicated for retail shops while the third to sixth floor will be leased out as offices. This center is envisioned to jumpstart the development of Cainta as a business hub eventually.
An added bonus is the fact that most of Sta. Lucia’s developments both in the metro and in the provinces complement the government’s thrust for decentralization and its ambitious “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure initiative which is expected to further unlock land values in the various project areas.
Strong financials
Of course, there’s no better proof that Sta. Lucia continues to be just as relevant today as it was 45 years ago than its stellar financial performance.
Last year, Sta. Lucia chalked up a record high P29.8 billion in total assets; P3.689 billion in gross revenues; P817 million in net income. Over the past five years, Sta. Lucia also posted over 20 percent in compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) in gross sales and net income.
And there is no doubt that Sta. Lucia remains well poised to sustain such a growth and retain a healthy position in the Philippine real estate market.
What’s important to note is that through all the different developments it has built over the decades, Sta. Lucia has shown exactly what it takes to cement its position in a highly competitive industry and still remain relevant as a brand, even across generations.
