Background
The Company Haldane McCall PLC (Company and Group) was incorporated in February 2011. Merrill Lynch provided the initial funding. HMK is a British Island Company, domiciled on the Isle of Man, a crown dependency. HMK was founded as a European holding for the existing Suru Group Ltd. (SGL). Suru Group Ltd. was incorporated in November 2008 as a private limited company, based in Ikeja G.R.A., a part of Lagos in Nigeria. SGL is mainly managing the operations of the Group in Africa.
Since September 2011 HMK (ISIN IM00B3Z98S67, WKN A1JJA7, HMK) is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in the “Open Market” segment and applied for the upgrade into the Entry Standard segment. The Company operates as the dedicated unit for the ongoing investments in Africa and other countries in conjunction with the international expansion of the core businesses.
Businesses and Culture
The management’s main business aim is creating a business with sustainability in the challenging home market: Africa.
South Africa and Nigeria play an increasingly important role in the in the worldwide economy with an above average growth rate of 7%. Therefore South Africa was honoured to become a member of the “BRICS” in 2011. “BRIC” was defined as an abbreviation by the chief economist of Goldman Sachs, Jim O’Neill, being used in his publications the first time in 2001. It originally stands for the four states: Brazil, Russia, India, China. Since 2011 the group includes also South Africa and is re-named in “BRICS”. Due to its extraordinary economic potential and meanwhile much more stability, Nigeria is supposed to follow this year. The Group is benefiting from this economic development for example with the increasing demand in the real estate sector based on the urbanization and also in its hotel business with a rising number of business travel guests.
The Group’s corporate culture is an asset and reason for the extraordinary success of its operations and investment models:
“Promoting a culture of excellence in all that we do is the basis of our corporate ethos. We stand for a growing business. Our Company is being built on integrity, hard work and dedication. We believe our corporate culture is enabling us to build a strong Company that all can be proud of being a part.“
(Edward Akinlade, Chairman and Managing Director of HMK/the Group)
Hotel industry (current investment as of December 2011 89 Mio. €) and real estate (37 Mio. €) are the two core business sectors SGL is currently operating in and HMK is mainly making its long-term valuable investments. Last year the hotel occupancy rate increased by 7%.
The HMK portfolio of investments and operations:
As a holding, Haldane McCall PLC owns and acts as the supervisor for operations of the Best Western Brand in Nigeria, Suru Express Hotels in West Africa and Suru Homes in Nigeria and UK, Suru Suites and Hotels Ltd., Suru Express Ltd., Suru Homes Ltd.), as well as the Independent Prolific Micro Finance Bank Ltd. and other entities.
The real estate business spans from creating concepts, economically build-up real estate and trading of these properties. As an example SGL has developed and built luxury residential apartments in the affluent neighbourhood of Ikeja G.R.A., an area of the Lagos metropolitan. HMK has also invested in hospitality and manufacturing. For instance SGL operates Three Star business hotels in Lagos State. Multiple own budget hotels (Suru Express Hotel) have been launched in Lagos, serving as a prototype for the future projects in Nigeria. 45 further hotels are currently planned. Matching their quality standards SGL has a strategic partnership with Best Western Hotels and is authorized to use the name as the exclusive partner in West Africa. In the medium term the Group plans to develop further five Three Star Hotels under the Best Western brand. Up-coming milestones in Africa: - The next Best Western hotel in Abuja is planned. - The next Suru Express Hotel in Ikeja (Lagos) will be opened in June 2012.
“My philosophy is: Touching lives and creating value.”
(Edward Akinlade/ Chairman and Group Director) Read more about Edward Akinlade in his own website
To realize this human approach it is important to partner with institutions to touch lives for the benefit of the society. By building 900 units of low cost residential estates in a public private partnership to support the Federal Government’s ambition providing affordable housing for all is the first large project in the business plan. In the near future this path gives people with lower income a chance to become apartment- or homeowners. In this respect the own Independent Prolific Microfinance Bank Ltd., as a strategic part of the Group, enables them to buy occupancy by using special loans from a micro finance bank.
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