Metro Hldgs was formed in 1973 to take over the namesake Metro Department Store operations started in 1957. The Company was subsequently listed on the Mainboard of the SES in the same year.Metro operates a chain of four Metro department stores in Singapore. A chain of four stores is also held in Jakarta and Bandung in Indonesia. The retail division continues to build a strong brand presence in these communities as it offers a wide range of merchandise on display over 783,000 sq ft of downtown and suburban retail space.The Group owns and operates severla prime retail and office properties in Shanghai and Guangzhou, China and Penang, Malaysia. It also holds significant investments in certain property businesses in China.Metro City, Beijing, a 50:50 joint venture, will see a launch of a retail mall, with in excess of 90,000 sqm of leasable space spread over six levels, on a site east of Beijing by the end of 2006..