Market Reports

Industrial Owners Delight in Phoenix’s Thriving Market

by Camren Skelton October 11, 2016

The Phoenix industrial market is thriving, despite more than 5.6 million square feet of new construction set to deliver this year. There is enough demand in this market to keep the average vacancy rate at a near eight-year low of 9.7 percent, while absorption is on pace to exceed 6 million square feet for the third year in a row. Tenants have more choices than ever thanks to all this new inventory. Many are making a flight to quality, upgrading to next-generation space featuring wide column spacing and clear heights of up to 36 feet. This is particularly valuable in the West Valley, where large, efficiency-focused, third-party logistics firms and e-commerce companies must maximize how they manage vast amounts of product. Some of these needs are so specific that corporations have opted to custom build, as is the case with the recently completed 400,000-square-foot REI distribution center and the 384,377-square-foot IRIS USA facility, both situated in Surprise. These projects rank as the Valley’s two largest owner-builder completions of the year and have propelled the Northwest submarket — the third smallest industrial submarket in metro Phoenix — into the “hot” category. Meanwhile, owners and builders have gotten more creative in centralized …

October 11, 2016

Market Reports Maryland Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Experiential Retail Emerges as Significant Driver in Baltimore Metro Area

by John Nelson October 10, 2016

Not so many years ago, the typical consumer thought of visiting the nearby regional mall or neighborhood center to go shopping — possibly for a new pair of jeans or some shoes. Like everything else in this world, the internet has significantly altered this exercise and, today, people tend to think of retail centers as places to “experience” something that cannot be easily acquired or replicated by simply tapping on a keyboard to request it. Developers and retailers alike have adapted to this behavioral change by introducing new concepts that emphasize the delivery of this experience, including new restaurants, entertainment-style concepts and health care services. This trend remains in full swing in the Baltimore metropolitan region, coupled with game-changing projects planned or rising throughout the Charm City region. Food, Medical, Entertainment The continued popularity of fast-casual restaurants is driven in large part by time-depraved families with dual-income households that seek eating options offering both quality and quickness. The “burger war” includes recent entries such as Bobby’s Burger Palace, Clark Burger and Shake Shack. Wahlburgers, operated by actor Mark Wahlberg and his brothers, might soon follow. Pizza remains a crowded, yet vibrant, category with new arrivals &pizza, Blake Pizza, MOD Pizza …

October 10, 2016

Illinois Industrial Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports

Speculative Industrial Development Makes a Big Comeback in the City of Chicago

by Jeff Shaw October 6, 2016

Chicago’s nearly 1.2 billion-square-foot industrial market continues to be a strong performer, garnering national attention. Tightening vacancies, healthy absorption and rising rental rates have spurred increased construction across our region. In fact, 7.7 million square feet in new industrial product came on line during the first six months of the year, with another 16.6 million square feet currently under development, earning metro Chicago the distinction of having the second largest pipeline of new inventory in the country. As vacancies dwindle across the metro area, surging demand for quality, close-in manufacturing and distribution space is driving a critical mass of new speculative development in the city proper for the first time in more than a decade. From January 2015 through the second quarter of 2016, developers delivered 317,000 square feet of spec industrial product in metro Chicago, according to Cushman & Wakefield Research. To put that figure into context, a total of 238,000 square feet of spec product was introduced in the city during the prior 10 years (2005-2014). Another 369,000 square feet of spec development is underway and scheduled to be delivered in 2017, but the new construction will only partly mitigate the pent-up demand for space within city limits. …

October 6, 2016

Arizona Market Reports Multifamily Western Western Market Reports

Renter, Investor Demand on the Rise in Phoenix’s Multifamily Market

by Camren Skelton October 4, 2016

The Greater Phoenix multifamily market continues to thrive in a high-demand environment, driven by strong tenant volume and investor interest. As the local economy expands, employers are adding workers at a steady pace while demand for housing is on the rise. Apartments remain the preferred choice for many, pushing multifamily vacancy rates low even as new units are added to inventory. We fully anticipate these conditions to continue in the year ahead. Multifamily vacancy in the Greater Phoenix market ended the second quarter of 2016 at 5.9 percent, 20 basis points lower than one year earlier. Vacancy typically ticks higher in the second quarter, as some part-time residents escape the summer heat wave. This trend occurred again this year. Despite the recent seasonal rise, vacancy has been below 6 percent for the past four quarters, and the rate will undoubtedly tick lower in the second half of this year. The low-vacancy conditions are fueling robust rent growth. Asking rents have spiked by more than 8 percent in the past year, while the pace of gains is accelerating. Asking rents rose more than 5 percent in the first half of 2016, with additional increases anticipated in the months ahead. More than …

October 4, 2016

Market Reports North Carolina Office Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Limited Office Construction in Triangle Area Bolsters Market Fundamentals

by John Nelson October 3, 2016

The Raleigh-Durham office market has not only recovered from the Great Recession, it is solidly in expansion mode, and tenants are facing market conditions not witnessed in 15 years. The current cycle has been marked by a prolonged period of limited development activity. While job growth in the local market has been rebounding for more than five years, the construction pipeline has only recently filled in a meaningful way, and a large portion of the development activity in 2014 and early 2015 was driven by build-to-suits. With Class A vacancy now at a 15-year low, speculative development is heating up again. While projects totaling 1.4 million square feet were underway in the first quarter, most of this product will not be delivered until 2017 or later, and approximately half of the space has already been spoken for. In the near term, the market heavily favors landlords. The Triangle office market began 2016 with strong activity as tenants absorbed 453,997 square feet, driving vacancy down by 40 basis points to 12.1 percent. This figure is down by 180 basis points on a year-over-year basis and has fallen from a cyclical high of 18.7 percent. Class A vacancy ended the first quarter …

October 3, 2016

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Minnesota Retail

Grocers, Redevelopment Projects Highlight Twin Cities Retail

by Jeff Shaw September 28, 2016

It’s hard to argue with the fact that the Minneapolis and St. Paul metropolitan areas are among the most economically dynamic and socially vibrant cities in the United States. With a thriving business environment, strong growth and impressive demographics, Minnesota consistently ranks in the top five of the most educated states in America, according to the United States Census Bureau. The Twin Cities also boast an expanding workforce, outstanding public transportation network and a booming economy. With 17 Minnesota-based Fortune 500 companies, it’s not surprising that the Twin Cities are competitive on a national and even global scale. The competitive energy and high-level activity in the city’s retail marketplace is being fueled in part by a surge of new retailers. The aggressive entry of new tenants to the market, along with the challenge of a 4 percent vacancy rate, is prompting quality spaces to be absorbed almost immediately. As stated in the Welsh Q2 2015 market report, over 1.1 million square feet of retail space were absorbed during 2015, the highest number in the market in over a decade. The vacancy rate for regional mall trade areas is actually closer to 2.6 percent, with numbers for the Minnetonka/Ridgedale Mall trade …

September 28, 2016

Market Reports North Carolina Retail Southeast Market Reports

Infill, Transit-Oriented Developments are Driving Charlotte’s Retail Market

by John Nelson September 26, 2016

As Charlotte’s employment surpasses the pre-recession peak of 2007 and the metro swells to almost 2.4 million residents — growing three times faster than the national average — Charlotte is on every retailer’s radar and poised for continued retail growth. Retailers seeking customers with disposable income benefit from Charlotte’s strong affordability index, relative to similarly sized cities, and have enjoyed a positive trend in household incomes, which increased 8 percent between 2010 and 2015. This income growth is bolstered by the 35- to 54-year-old “big-spender” segment, which makes up approximately 30 percent of Charlotte’s population, and is expected to continue to grow in spite of shrinking nationally. Retail developers and investors are also big fans of these fundamentals, which have yielded positive retail absorption over the past 12 months, impressive rent growth of 4.3 percent year-over-year, and vacancy of 5.5 percent, well below the historical average. Similar periods of growth in Charlotte’s history have delivered traditional grocery-anchored neighborhood centers, garden-style apartments and mid-rise office buildings, primarily surface-parked to accommodate the vehicle-centric nature of Charlotte. That trend is changing as Charlotte adapts to the cultural shift and increased density that now prioritizes proximity, access and convenience over McMansions and white-picket-fenced suburbia. …

September 26, 2016

Market Reports Midwest Midwest Market Reports Missouri Retail

New Development, Healthy Leasing Activity Powers St. Louis Retail Market

by Jeff Shaw September 22, 2016

Retail development in the St. Louis metro area continues to gain momentum. Rental rates are strong, with triple-net asking rents averaging $12.30 per square foot, and are expected to trend upward as the retail market continues to grow. Absorption of existing product along with multiple new developments has created a positive forecast for the St. Louis retail market. In the second quarter of 2016, the St. Louis retail vacancy rate dropped to 5.9 percent from 6.1 percent the previous quarter with positive net absorption of 449,056 square feet. Leasing ramps up Contributing to the healthy retail market are several tenants moving into large blocks of space including two 41,921-square-foot Walmart Neighborhood Market stores now open in St. Peters. Among other store openings: • At Home has announced two 100,000-square-foot locations on the site of a former Walmart in Town & Country and a former K-Mart in O’Fallon, Mo. • Academy Sports will open two 62,000-square-foot locations in Manchester and O’Fallon, Ill. • Camping World will move into 34,710 square feet in Wentzville. • Stein Mart will occupy 31,000 square feet in Town & Country. • Bob’s Discount Furniture has signed a 28,035-square-foot lease in Manchester and a 30,000-square-foot lease at …

September 22, 2016

Industrial Market Reports New Hampshire Northeast Northeast Market Reports

Landlords Have the Advantage in the New Hampshire Seacoast Industrial Market

by Jaime Lackey September 21, 2016

Driven by strong leasing activity, the New Hampshire Seacoast industrial market now has a limited supply of available options. The overall Seacoast vacancy rate is currently 5.6 percent. Compare that to the end of 2010, when vacancy in the market hit 12.9 percent. Narrowing the focus to the Portsmouth industrial market (excluding the Pease Tradeport), the vacancy hit 8 percent in 2010 but it had dropped to 3 percent at the end of 2015 — and at the end of June 2016, the vacancy rate hovered at 2 percent. This significant drop in vacancy leaves users with less viable product to choose from and is pushing them away from the Interstate 95 corridor of Portsmouth and Seabrook. Industrial Users Turn to Ground-Up Development Users in Portsmouth and surrounding communities, unable to find existing buildings to meet their needs, have turned to ground-up development in areas outside of Portsmouth and further away from the Interstate 95 corridor. Two large industrial users, Rand Whitney and Stonewall Kitchen, broke ground on projects in 2015 and have recently moved into their new facilities. Rand Whitney, part of the Kraft Group, originally opened a corrugated cardboard sheet plant in Dover back in 1972. Over the …

September 21, 2016

connecticut-multifamily-trends-2016-rent-vacancy-construction

Connecticut Market Reports Multifamily Northeast Northeast Market Reports

Investors Seeking Yield See Opportunities in Fairfield & New Haven Apartments

by Jaime Lackey September 21, 2016

Employment gains in New Haven and Fairfield counties, coupled with a bustling job market in the New York City metro, have generated high demand for apartments in New Haven and Fairfield counties, overcoming some of the recent negative optics in Connecticut. Newly hired employees are looking for housing. Employers in New Haven and Fairfield counties are set to add 10,500 individuals to the local workforce this year. And although a significant number of tenants work in the boroughs of New York, they prefer Connecticut rentals due to a significant price differential. Even after considering costs for commuting, the value proposition New Haven and Fairfield counties remains very robust as average rents are priced at approximately $2,000 less per month than those in New York City. Market demand for housing in these two counties will create upward pressure on rent this year, advancing average effective rent 1.6 percent to $1,635 per month. In 2015, effective rent closed the year at $1,609 per month — an 18.3 percent pace of growth since 2011. Builders will deliver 2,100 apartments in New Haven and Fairfield counties in 2016, a reduction from the 3,550 apartments that were delivered in 2015; and they are focusing on …

September 21, 2016

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