AYALA Land Inc. (ALI) said the number of units launched in the first semester this year already exceeded half of last year's target. In a briefing, Antonino Aquino, ALI president, said the company has already launched 6,000 units at end-June, more than half of last year's goal, amid strong demand across all residential products.

He said Ayala Land Premier contributed 40 percent to the bottom line of ALI's residential business.

"I think the pacing of our product introductions really tell you the demand for Ayala Premier products has tripled-if I will make an understatement-as far as the market is concerned," Aquino said.

This year, ALI plans to increase the number of residences for sale by three-fold with the launch of 9,275 units in 17 out of its 30 identified growth centers, namely Laguna, Baguio, Subic, Cavite, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro and Davao.

"It's something we may have found not only in Ayala Premier products, but across all our various products as well, including Alveo, Avida and Amaia," Aquino said.

ALI has been tapping the high-end market through Ayala Land Premier, while Alveo Land and Avida Land address the mid- and low-income markets, respectively.

Amaia is the "economic housing" brand of ALI.

Aquino said the real estate firm has started launching products when actual take up of a previous development has reached 80 percent.

"We feel very optimistic [about] business results this year. Our second quarter [performance] is of similar level of consistency with our first quarter performance," he said.

Record sales and bookings from recently launched residential projects pushed ALI's first-quarter net income by 32 percent to P1.2 billion.

The company is also spending P4 billion to develop The West Tower, its last project under One Serendra.
Ayala Land Premier's latest offering comes with several limited edition units, including the three-bedroom sky pool unit worth P75 million-the most expensive ALI unit in the Bonifacio Global City.

Since 2004, the country's biggest property developer has launched 1,020 units under One Serendra, with a take-up of 93 percent. Property valuations in Bonifacio Global City have also increased by 50 percent in the last six years, Aquino said.

For July to August, ALI would be spending P10 billion for projects in Bonifacio Global City, including the West Tower.

The property giant is also looking to expand its portfolio of products in the fast-growing business district with the establishment of mid-rise office buildings and a boutique hotel near West Tower.