Stockland Cairns comes to market with a price tag of $230 million plus
Stockland Cairns – a nearly 50,000 square metre shopping centre in Cairns — is up for sale through an International Expressions of Interest (EOI) campaign closing March 31.
The sale is expected to fetch more than $230 million for the Stockland Group, which has appointed JLL’s Simon Rooney for the campaign.
Stockland Cairns, spread over 49,532 sqm, is a triple DDS anchored sub-regional shopping centre comprising a Big W, Target, Harris Scarfe, Coles, Woolworths, BCC six screen cinema complex, in addition to 10 mini majors, 110 specialty tenancies and kiosks.
“Investors continue to see long-term value in the Queensland retail market. Investment into retail assets in Queensland continues to strengthen from year to year. Total transaction activity has risen from $1.4 billion in 2013, to $1.7 billion in 2014 and to a record-high of $2.3 billion in 2015,” said Rooney.
“There have been very few opportunities historically to acquire a 100% interest in a major, high quality retail asset over $200 million in Queensland. We have recorded just three transactions above this threshold in the last 10-years. One of those transactions occurred directly off-market and one was part of a national portfolio.”
He said several institutional retail landlords bought assets in Queensland last year to increase exposure to the state. Blackstone acquired Westfield Strathpine as part of a wider portfolio transaction for $655.5 million, QIC bought Domain Central Homemaker Centre (nearly $130 million) and Hinkler Central ($110 million) and LaSalle Investment Management acquired three retail assets totalling $171 million.
“We expect Stockland Cairns will be highly sought after given the high level of demand for major retail assets in Queensland and the shortage of opportunities to acquire major assets,” said Rooney.
“The resurgence in inbound tourism, which follows the depreciation in the AUD, is supporting the local economies of major tourist regions such as Far North Queensland. Overseas visitor arrivals have increased by over 7% year-on-year, nationally, which supports a positive outlook for retail trading conditions.”
Stockland Cairns benefits from its location at the gateway to the southern growth corridor of the Cairns region, with 247,030 residents within the total trade area, including 168,810 residents in the main trade area.
Several major tenants including Target and Woolworths have renewed their leases to July 2022 and June 2036, respectively, as well as a brand new lease to Harris Scarfe to May 2026.
Stockland, Australia's largest diversified real estate investment trust, reported on Wednesday an 8.1 percent rise in first-half underlying profit to $313 million.