Inderbethal Singh Thakral

'We were in a difficult place and had to reinvent ourselves completely'

The group is also in the process of offloading two office buildings in Osaka. They are expected to be put on sale by September.

A non-disclosure agreement with Intrepid does not permit Thakral to provide additional financial information on the transaction.

A vendor can sometimes turn out to be an investment opportunity — even if it is just a minority stake.

Thakral Corporation has acquired some 13.4 hectares of prime land in New South Wales, Australia, through its GemLife joint venture for the development of over-50s lifestyle resorts.

Thakral Corp, which has its roots in trading, is going big on retirement resorts in Australia. CEO Inderbethal Singh Thakral is also trying to catch the revival in Japan brought about by the Tokyo Olympics.

(Nov 11): The Thakral family started out as traders and made additional wealth from real estate. They are ready to apply the same trading mindset to owning properties: When the timing is right and the opportunity is there, they are happy to book a gain. I

SINGAPORE (Nov 29): Thakral Corporation has expanded its real estate footprint in Japan with two new investments – R Hotel Inns Osaka Kita Umeda and Namba retail redevelopment site in Osaka.

SINGAPORE (Sept 28): Thakral Corporation has acquired two more properties outside Queensland, Australia to continue the development of resort-styled retirement housing for those over 50s.

SINGAPORE (April 7): When Thakral Corp was listed in 1995, it was valued at some US$400 million ($560 million). But its market value has shrivelled significantly since then.