Cairns retail property market remains stagnant: HTW Retail

The Cairns retail property market passed through the bottom of the cycle during the course of 2014, but the limited recovery thus far means that the retail property market remains relatively flat, according to the latest retail report from valuation firm Herron Todd White.

The property valuation firm found that it must be also said that retail property sales in Cairns are extremely sporadic, with most sales involving retail property of mixed use retail and office buildings or tenant buyouts of single premises.

The level of general commercial property sales in Cairns, inclusive of retail and commercial office premises, highlights that activity in the Cairns commercial market remains well below the levels achieved in the 2003 to 2007 period.

Sales volumes have been gradually rebuilding over the past nine years, but are still only averaging around 90 to 100 sales per annum.

The HTW report authors said, "median prices paid specifically for strata titled premises have increased mildly over the past seven years, but our general impression is that prices per square metre of floor area are mostly stable within the $2,500 to $4,500 range for strata units."

"High exposure CBD retail space remains reasonably well occupied, but vacancies are more noticeable in the lesser exposure locations and on the CBD fringe. Rents have remained generally stable, showing ranges of $600 to $800 per square metre per annum for prime CBD space and $1,000 to $1,750 per square metre per annum in key tourist precincts such as the Cairns Esplanade."

"Blue chip retail located within the main Esplanade tourist strip as well as the central business district show reasonably low vacancies, though there is also limited demand from new businesses."

"There remains good investor demand for well leased properties which rarely come onto the market."

"The Cairns retail property market overall has experienced little change thus far during 2019 and is expected to see little change for the remainder of the year," they concluded.