Market Reports

By Dino A. Christophilis, Senior Vice President, CBRE; Daniel Tibeau, Associate, CBRE; and Parker Ksidakis, Associate, CBRE Few sectors were as disrupted by the pandemic as retail. While 2020 proved to be a tumultuous year, the last year and a half have demonstrated the resiliency of retail — both in Seattle and nationally.  The Seattle economy is performing well for a recovering retail sector, with continued employment growth and increasing retail spending. The Puget Sound is notorious for its lack of new retail development, and the recent years have been no exception. The environment of increasing demand with a flat level of supply results in positive conditions for existing retail space.  Like much of the nation, concerns persist in Seattle around inflation, increasing debt costs and a potential slowing in the global economy. However, the situation in Seattle is more positive and nuanced.  Growing Investment Activity Year to date, Seattle is poised to outperform the prior year in terms of total investment dollars. The second quarter of 2022 experienced 65 percent greater investment volume relative to the same quarter in 2021. This figure is particularly notable as 2021 was an exceptional year. Investors deployed pent-up capital that was held during the height of the pandemic. Total retail …

By Hank Wolfer, First Vice President of Investments, and Derek Peterson, Associate, Marcus & Millichap National retail chains favor Seattle’s surrounding neighborhoods. Prior to the pandemic, retailers were taking notice of strong demographic trends in the submarkets surrounding Seattle. Between 2009 and 2019, the number of households across the metropolitan area grew by 13 percent, nearly double the national rate. High homeownership costs directed many of those new households to the suburbs where living expenses are lower. Following rooftops, multiple developers have pursued expansion opportunities in these areas, with recently opened projects in locations like Renton, Frederickson and Shelton. These new floor plans are drawing prominent retailers, including 7-Eleven and medical provider DaVita Dialysis, as well as fast food operators like Popeyes. Although initially challenged by lockdowns, these facilities are poised to benefit from the ongoing economic recovery. Suburban properties are outperforming urban counterparts. While no tenant was free of pandemic-induced challenges, operations outside the urban core proved more resistant on average. Vacancy in downtown Seattle rose 80 basis points over the 12-month period that ended in March. This is compared with a 60 basis point climb in Tacoma and a 20 basis point increase in the Southend. Moving through the rest of 2021, metro-wide vacancy is …

By Tory Glossip, Managing Director, Colliers Puget Sound has 553,566 square feet of retail under construction, comprising 0.4 percent of existing inventory. The market dynamic will keep retail property values in the Pacific Northwest higher than most U.S. markets that are overbuilt. Puget Sound’s retail market posts rents 30 percent above the national average at $20.71 per square foot.  Pricing is traditionally a function of supply and demand. In the retail world, that demand relies partially on income. The most expensive markets to lease retail space also happen to have the highest incomes…by far. Despite ideas in some circles that retail is dead, physical footprints will continue to be an important part of the retail landscape, although less so in downtown areas until workers return to the office. Most consumers have retreated to submarkets, leaving retailers to explore alternative options to use their property more effectively. Brands are expanding their reach with small-format stores and cross-promoting their products and services in showrooms. Many are leveraging smaller footprints into touch-and-feel locations that seamlessly blend online browsing and in-store purchasing. The shopping mall as we know it will have a different look and feel post-COVID. With big box retail reallocating existing space into localized …