Mapletree Logistics Trust (MLT) is Singapore’s first Asia Pacific-focused logistics real estate investment trust with a portfolio of 141 properties in Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, China, Australia, South Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam. As of 31 March 2019, MLT’s portfolio was valued at S$8.0 billion.

To me, warehouses used to be regular commodity. However, the rise of e-commerce has given certain logistic properties a competitive advantage over others – especially those in prime locations near logistic hubs that can expedite same-day delivery to customers.

Over the past two decades, Hong Kong has seen a migration of warehouses towards the northwest New Territories, from Hong Kong Island and Kwun Tong to the Kwai Tsing/Tsuen Wan district which are close to cargo terminals and the Hong Kong International Airport. This is a concentration of smart modern warehouses, built to enable automation, to increase the efficiency of the supply chain.