CBRE and Stonebridge broker Caltex service stations sales across Australia

Five developers, including two well-known institutional entities, are behind the purchase of $136 million worth of Caltex service station properties across Australia with plans for a mix of residential and retail development. 

The sales of the 25 properties - 15 in NSW, eight in Victoria, and one each in Queensland and WA - were brokered by CBRE’s Mark Wizel and Julian White with Lincoln Blackledge of Stonebridge. 

The institutional buyers purchased several sites, while three other groups purchased single sites. 

Wizel said the marketing campaign had attracted more than 2000 enquiries and ultimately 160 offers.

He said developers had been attracted by strong locations, the lack of development site options, predictions of housing undersupply, and the license agreement that offered an income well above what they were currently returning on cash in the bank. 

“Given widely forecast predictions of a looming undersupply of apartments, purchasing one or more of these sites was an ideal way to build a pipeline to cater to pent up demand whilst generating an attractive income in the interim,’’ Wizel said. 

“The market’s response to the campaign was not surprising, indeed it was a clear indication that confidence is returning to the residential development sector on the back of what has been perhaps a surprisingly quick rebound in housing prices across key markets.’’

He said the fact that the bulk of the sites were extremely well located to transport, schools and town centres made them ideal for residential redevelopment. 

Caltex Chief Development Officer David Bridger said the success of the campaign had unambiguously vindicated the divestment strategy involving a portfolio of 50 well located properties. 

“These sites had been identified as having a higher and better, non-fuel related use and obviously the market is in accord with that rationale given the success of this first tranche of sites we are very confident in putting to market another 25 sites across Australia early next year,’’ Bridger said. 

White said the properties, located in prime suburban precincts, including Surfers Paradise, Bondi, Mascot, Box Hill, and Perth, were sold via an expressions of interest campaign with purchasers having options to buy individual sites, sites in any combination or the offering as a whole.

He said the currently trading petrol stations - the first in tranche of a 50 property divestment strategy - would soon cease trading with remediation to be undertaken under a license agreement.