Commercial Property: The Changing Retail Scene

<span class=THERE WAS an article in The Age last Saturday (BusinessDay) — which provided some fascinating insights into Australia’s retail scene.

Based upon GPT’s national portfolio, some interesting long-term trends are taking shape. And while GPT’s overall earnings actually rose by 7% over the past year … it required a fair amount of “fancy footwork” to achieve that. [Read more…]

Sentiment is Strong … Despite the Economy

Looking Up

Looking Up


These graphs are painting a very encouraging picture.

As you can see, the Westpac-Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment index increased strongly by 9.5% for June.

And that means it has now leapt by some 23% since May — the largest 2-month increase for over 30 years.

First-home buyers have also been active, accounting for nearly 30% of all loans during May.

And this overall level of confidence follows an increase in retail sales, for three months in a row.
[Read more…]

This is Not Quite the Stuff of Fairytales …

But for the most of 2008, Australia has basically experienced what you might term a Goldilocks market for Commercial property … “not too hot, and not too cold!

Despite Office, Retail and Industrial being near the top of their cycles … the global turmoil has prevented the usual runaway activity occurring — in most capital Cities.

[Read more…]

Recognise the Investment Opportunities …

Anecdotal evidence suggests that consumers are cutting back on their spending around Australia. And it’s likely that luxury items and overseas travel will be the most affected.

The Flight to ValueA recent article in The Age expounded “The Flight to Value” — where Australian Property Monitors reported a 24% drop in the median price for Toorak Homes, in the 6 months to September.
[Read more…]

Retail Construction Continues

Australia wide, the level of Retail construction was up by some 17% for the 12-month period to June 2007.

In the main, this involved extensions to existing suburban Shopping Centres; plus some new construction in many of the growth corridors.
[Read more…]