Mr. Rosenberg said KKR has a competitive advantage in realestate because of the firm's large staff and the numerous companies it owns through its buyout portfolio.
At a center for registering realestate transactions in Shanghai's Xuhui district, staff said that there has been a pickup in the number of applications for property deeds from homebuyers in recent weeks.
HMV's realestate costs -- to maintain a presence in city centers -- as well as staff wages, gave it overheads that can be avoided by some online competitors.