Hong Kong church Island ECC acquires floors in building that is home to famous Sunbeam Theatre

The church has secured several floors at 413-423 King’s Road as its ‘future permanent home in Hong Kong’, it says
Church confirms it bought the floors in the building that houses the famous Cantonese opera theater for HK$750 million (US$95.8 million)

Hong Kong property

Cheryl Arcibal

Published: 8:30am, 6 Feb 2024

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Christian church Island ECC has acquired several floors in Kiu Fai Mansion in North Point, which houses the Sunbeam Theatre famous for its Cantonese opera performances, for HK$750 million (US$95.8 million).

The church has secured the floors at the property at 413-423 King’s Road as its “future permanent home in Hong Kong”, it said in a statement on its website.

“We identified this site in 2016 as an ideal location, but only recently did the property become available,” it said. “Our fundraising campaign over the past nine years provided the financial foundation that allowed the church to proceed and secure appropriate financing.”

Island ECC currently holds Sunday services on five floors at 633 King’s Road, a 30-storey mixed retail and office tower close to the Quarry Bay MTR station.

Island ECC, founded in 1999 with over 3,000 members, including locals and expatriates, said it was “excited to have secured the Sunbeam Theatre at North Point”, according to its reply to a request for comment.

“Since 2015, we have been looking for permanent premises that would serve the needs of our growing congregation,” the statement said. “Island ECC appreciates the historical significance of Sunbeam Theatre and we look forward to working with the local community to honour the shared memories of this national icon.”

In November, local media reports said that the floors at Kiu Fai Mansion acquired by Island ECC currently serve as a retail podium and were sold for HK$800 million. The reports did not identify the buyer.

Property consultancy Savills said in July that it was appointed as the sole agent for the tender sale of the floors. The floors have a total gross floor area of about 96,000 sq ft and a total site area of 29,800 sq ft.

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Kiu Fai Mansion is a one-minute walk from the North Point MTR station and is also close to recently completed projects such as the Hyatt Centric Victoria Harbour Hong Kong hotel and residential and retail property Novum Point.

The property, according to the Savills statement, was “expected to be redeveloped into a landmark residential or commercial project on Hong Kong Island”.

A residential unit in the building sold for HK$5.73 million – or HK$11,213 per square foot – in January, while last year, another flat in the building was bought for HK$8.2 million or HK$13,016 per square foot, according to data compiled by Centaline Property Agency.

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Meanwhile, a group led by Steve Chang, the Taiwanese co-founder and CEO of internet security software specialist Trend Micro, was confirmed by market sources as the buyer of the Nexxus Building in Central for a reported HK$6.4 billion.

The prime office property was owned by Truong My Lan, the Vietnamese real estate businesswoman who was recently jailed for her alleged involvement in a US$12 billion corruption case in Vietnam.

Despite the latest flurry of property sales, the market is still likely to be subdued in the first half of the year, according to Martin Wong, director and head of research and consultancy for Greater China at Knight Frank.

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“We could see isolated transactions in the property market, but mainly on distressed assets,” Wong said. “Interest rates are still high currently.”

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority has hiked interest rates by a cumulative 5.25 per cent since March 2022 in lockstep with the US Federal Reserve to maintain the local currency’s peg with the US dollar, but, in the process, pushed borrowing costs to a 22-year high, dampening appetite for investment.