Link Marks 20 Years with Launch of New Sustainability Lab Theme

To promote liveable communities, Link Sustainability Lab launches Link’s 20th Anniversary Special – People make Places: the Making of Liveable Spaces.

British artist Emily Allchurch visited and extensively photographed Link sites and their surrounding locations in Hong Kong in November 2024 during her creation of Link: 20 Years Together.

Since 2010, Link has transformed 52 fresh markets by blending Hong Kong’s wet market heritage with modern features like e-payment, turning them into vibrant community hubs.

Link revitalises assets through “Asset Enhancement” projects, with the refurbishment works, space reconfiguration, sustainable facilities, enriched tenant mix and placemaking culminating in the creation of a 15-Minute City.

Since October 2020, Link Together Initiatives has been funding Environmental Association’s Nature LINK project to set up butterfly gardens in the outdoor spaces of 10 of Link’s shopping malls. A kinetic art installation showcases butterflies made from discarded aluminium cans, fluttering gracefully.

Link has integrated the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and big data analytics with property management, automating the monitoring of environmental data to provide targeted solutions.

At the Co-create Our Future zone, visitors can grab a paintbrush, unleash their creativity, and let’s build our ideal community together.

To mark the 20^th anniversary of the listing of Link Real Estate Investment Trust (Link REIT, Hong Kong stock code: 823) on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Link Asset Management Limited (Link), the manager of Link REIT), today announced its new theme at the Link Sustainability Lab titled “People make Places: the Making of Liveable Spaces”.

George Hongchoy, Link Group Chief Executive Officer, said: “Over the past 20 years, Link has been an integral part of our community, transforming spaces and fostering connections. Our success during this period could be measured in a variety of ways – from our expanded scale and reach into APAC, the asset enhancements we have completed which now numbers over 100, the tenants whose businesses have flourished in our properties, the various sustainability-focused innovations we have pioneered, or the value we have created for Unitholders – but ultimately these successes were only possible because of our understanding and appreciation of how places make people, and people make places.”

Speaking about the Lab’s new theme, Mr Hongchoy added: “Our new theme showcases our unique journey and aims to inspire like-minded partners to collaborate in creating sustainable cities of the future. We dedicate this theme to tenants, communities, Unitholders, colleagues, and all stakeholders who have been part of our shared history.”

Link’s latest curation at the Sustainability Lab highlights the art and science behind Link’s efforts over the past twenty years to create long-term value for Unitholders and the wider community, while delving into the expertise that goes into creating liveable communities including topics such as commercial revitalisation, placemaking, ecological conservation, technological innovation, and fostering care within the community.

The relaunched Lab also features newly-commissioned artistic interpretations of “Future City” by United Kingdom artist Emily Allchurch and local artists Michelle Fung and Mimi Luk, presented in various mediums.

To learn more about the People make Places theme, please refer to the attached fact sheet or visit the Lab’s webpage on Link’s corporate website.

About Link’s 20^th Anniversary

As Link marks the 20^th Anniversary of the IPO of Link REIT, the achievements over the past two decades are a testament to its growth and transformation, including:

Transforming from a single-market, single-asset-class operator into a regionally-leading real estate investor and manager with presence in five markets, experience operating various classes of property assets, and as the manager of an expanding set of property investment platforms on behalf of public and private investors
Completing more than 100 asset enhancement initiatives, showcasing strong asset management capabilities with an average return on investment of 18%*
Successfully divesting 57 assets, generating an unlevered 21% gross internal rate of return and creating value for Unitholders*
Maintaining a relentless focus on creating sustainable value across our business
Making a positive impact on the communities with committed donation of more than $150 million for Link Together Initiatives community engagement projects with more than 18 million beneficiaries
Delivering annualised total unitholder return of 10.9% since IPO*

These achievements and learnings, which we realised across market cycles and despite various crisis and challenges, provide Link with confidence to sustain in the future.

* For further highlights on Link’s 20^th Anniversary and details on how these figures were calculated, please see Pages 9 and 10 of Link’s recent annual results presentation.

About Link Sustainability Lab

Link Sustainability Lab is Hong Kong’s first sustainability education and collaboration platform in the local community. Link aims to support public education and foster collaboration among stakeholders, including customers, tenants, suppliers, business partners, industry peers and other organisations in the community, making Link’s properties ideal places for people from all walks of life to learn and explore sustainability solutions. The Lab has generated much interest since its debut in April 2023. Almost 400,000 people have visited the Lab to date while more than 370 workshops featuring a wide range of NGOs and community groups and addressing diverse topics and issues have been held at the Lab.

The Lab has earned multiple prestigious sustainability, CSR, and ESG-related awards from chambers of commerce, professional bodies, regional organisations, and government entities, reflecting its strong commitment to social responsibility. Notable accolades include:

Best Cultural, Sports and Education Project at the MIPIM Asia Awards 2024
Sustainability, Social Impact & Governance Award at the Australia Hong Kong Community Awards 2024
Silver Award in the Property Management Category at the Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence 2023 for Lok Fu Place
Corporate Social Responsibility Project of the Year at the RICS Hong Kong Awards 2023

High-definition photos can be downloaded here.

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About Link Asset Management Limited

Link Asset Management Limited (Link) is a leading, independent, and fully integrated real estate investor and manager focusing on the APAC region. It manages Link Real Estate Investment Trust (Link REIT, Hong Kong stock code: 823), the largest REIT in Asia, and its real estate investment portfolio. Link also aims to leverage its investment management capabilities to serve as a trusted investment manager to capital partners through its business line, Link Real Estate Partners.

Building on its strong track record over almost two decades, Link targets to deliver resilient returns and growth to its unitholders. Link offers a “REIT plus” investment case through its strategic focus on diversifying the Link REIT Portfolio across geographies and asset classes in APAC and expanding its investment management business.

Link aspires to be the trusted partner in APAC real estate sector for unitholders, capital partners, tenants, and the wider communities it serves.

For more information about Link, please visit https://www.laml.com/en/.