Southeast Market Reports

Restaurants, Grocers, IKEA Headline Positive Retail Activity in Memphis

by John Nelson May 8, 2017

If it’s been several years since visiting Memphis, it’s time to come back and see the improvements. The city and suburbs have experienced large amounts of new construction and redevelopments, from the downtown Memphis Pyramid becoming the grandest Bass Pro Shops outside of their headquarters to the new Tanger Outlets in Southaven, Miss., and many more developments in between. The most active retail category continues to be restaurants, followed closely by grocers and service-oriented retailers. New restaurants have leased space across the market, varying from fast-casual options like Pimento’s Kitchen + Market to upscale options like Cheesecake Factory and Char, a steakhouse based in Jackson, Miss. In the grocery sector, Kroger, The Fresh Market and Whole Foods Market expanded their reach by adding new and redeveloped stores. Kroger, with its 125,000-square-foot Marketplace concept, is further solidifying market share and geographic footprint with Marketplace units in Hernando and Arlington and a 100,000-square-foot unit in Germantown. These locations were also joined by new-to-Memphis Sprouts Farmers Market. Trader Joe’s also announced plans to open a new store later this year. One of the most notable new Memphis-area retailers is IKEA, which opened its 271,000-square-foot store along Interstate 40 in late 2016. The store …

May 8, 2017

Industrial Market Reports Southeast Southeast Market Reports Tennessee

Nashville Industrial Market Will Continue to Ride its Hot Hand Through 2017

by John Nelson April 17, 2017

The Nashville commercial real estate market’s growth is no longer a local secret. In fact, it very well may be one of the most desired areas for investors for an MSA with a population less than 2.5 million people. In case you haven’t heard, read or taken notice, you likely have been living under a rock. Those who call this market “hot” are making an understatement. As the downtown core sees land sites trade in excess of $13 million per acre (and in a few interesting cases eclipse $1,000 per square foot), the multifamily and hospitality markets have moved at a torrid pace. Even office rents have climbed to record highs near $40 per square foot for full service gross rates. Some covering that sector project this number will peak around the $50 per square foot mark due, in part, to the higher land costs driven by the other sectors. Multifamily developers have seized upon this growth by paying record prices for downtown real estate in hopes of capturing the fancy of Millennials as they enter the workforce. Top this off with hotel stays in downtown costing as much as those found on Times Square in Manhattan, some ponder the …

April 17, 2017

Market Reports Office Southeast Southeast Market Reports Tennessee

Nashville’s Tight CBD Benefits the Metro’s Satellite Office Submarkets

by John Nelson April 10, 2017

Robust population and job growth are fueling a resurgence across all sectors of Nashville’s commercial real estate market, pushing vacancies lower, boosting rental rates and attracting strong interest from investors. With increasing demand for office space in the central business district (CBD), a rush of both in- and out-of-state developers and equity have descended on Nashville to deliver Class A product. That delivery timeline has subsequently pushed the demand for existing space to the adjacent Midtown, Wedgewood-Houston and MetroCenter submarkets. These satellite areas are benefiting from the positive absorption with existing space back-filled in record time, and some deliveries of conversions of older warehouses to hip office and retail space. CBD Construction Perhaps predictably, after the city climbed higher among the nation’s top job markets, (ranking third on NerdWallet’s list based on top cities’ unemployment rates and increase in working-age population between 2010- 2015), Nashville ranked sixth among the nation’s top cities for real estate investing in 2017, one spot higher than last year, in the annual Emerging Trends in Real Estate report put together by PricewaterhouseCooper and the Urban Land Institute. These accolades are a testament to Nashville’s crane-filled skyline, confirming that new construction is the dominant force in …

April 10, 2017

Market Reports Multifamily Southeast Southeast Market Reports Tennessee

Accelerating Demand, Deliveries Set the Tone for Nashville’s Apartment Market

by John Nelson April 3, 2017

The Nashville multifamily market’s roll continued through the end of 2016 with nearly 6,400 units absorbed, a 10 percent increase compared to 2015, according to Axiometrics. This demand was fueled by steady employment growth of nearly 28,000 new jobs, led by world-class healthcare employers, educational institutions and a burgeoning tech scene. The rate of job growth in Nashville is currently about 50 percent faster than the national level, and as a top destination for young people and the creative class, it’s becoming a cultural and entertainment destination that’s nationally recognized. Rental rates grew on average by 5.6 percent in 2016, buoyed by the fact Nashville had the nation’s second-highest rate of wage growth at 5.3 percent, behind only the Silicon Valley tech hub of San Jose, according to Headlight Data. Average market occupancy remained tight at an average rate of 96 percent, with the Murfreesboro, Southeast Nashville (Antioch) and Sumner County submarkets being the highest performers to end the year. Four submarkets saw rent growth over 7 percent in 2016, including Southeast Nashville, Wilson County/Hermitage, Airport/Briley Parkway and Rivergate/Hendersonville. Submarkets with concentrations of new supply lagged the market average, highlighted by Downtown and Williamson County. Transaction volume set a new …

April 3, 2017

Market Reports Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports Tennessee

Nashville’s Retail Market is Growing Leaps and Bounds, Both Inside and Out

by John Nelson March 27, 2017

Just like the hit show, “Nashville,” Nashville’s retail market has more than one storyline in play and all of them intertwine to create a tapestry that showcases the retail development in our city. You don’t have to look too hard around downtown Nashville to see the redevelopment surge that is bringing retail as part of mixed-use and traditional developments to this market. Greenfield development in suburban nodes is also capturing the spotlight, albeit a smaller one, as a direct result of the intown growth that is driving up land and construction costs to a level that puts available space out of reach for many retailers. Those that can’t absorb the risk or afford the rent in downtown are looking to Nashville’s most popular suburbs for reasonable storefront alternatives. Mixed-Use Downtown Downtown Nashville redevelopment is a hit right now with no end in sight, which is welcomed news for well-capitalized, specialty retailers. Because of the continually rising costs of land and construction, redevelopment and mixed-use projects are the only feasible entry points for retailers in this market. One of the most significant projects highlighting downtown’s potential is the 6.2-acre redevelopment of the Nashville Convention Center: Fifth + Broadway. A high-quality, mixed-use …

March 27, 2017

Market Reports North Carolina Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Grocery, Infill Mixed-Use Projects Make Up Bulk of New Retail Supply in Triangle

by John Nelson March 20, 2017

The Raleigh and overall Triangle retail markets ended 2016 in a very healthy position. The Triangle vacancy rate is currently at 6.09 percent, nearing 10-year lows dating back pre-recession and includes retail absorption nearing 900,000 square feet over the past four quarters. The region’s diverse economic engine driven by technology, university systems, heathcare and Raleigh as a state capital, combined with a relatively low cost of living and temperate climate, continue to push population growth and related retail expansion. With fierce grocery competition, a natural evolution of inward growth and urbanization and several large mixed-use development projects, the Triangle retail market is thriving. However, e-commerce, rightsizing and store closures continue to challenge the broader U.S. retail market and the Triangle has not been spared. Grocery Competition With several homegrown grocery brands, North Carolina and the Triangle region have historically been one of the most competitive areas for grocers in the United States. Regional players like Harris Teeter (now owned by Kroger), Lowes Foods, Food Lion, The Fresh Market, Ingles and Earth Fare (all based in North Carolina) have competed for years with out-of-state supermarkets Kroger, Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s and even Walmart. This year brought a new level of …

March 20, 2017

Industrial Market Reports North Carolina Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Rents, Occupancy Rise for Triangle’s Industrial Market as Supply Lags Demand

by John Nelson March 13, 2017

The Raleigh-Durham business climate has been on the climb for several years now and it doesn’t seem to be slowing anytime soon. The market continues to outpace most of the mid-tier markets across the country by all metrics of economic stability, quality of life, business environment, education, arts and quality of workforce. As a result, construction of office and retail projects has been strong, yet industrial construction and thus available space is lacking. Average asking rental rates have continued to rise in response to increasing demand and low supply. The remaining 550,000 square feet of industrial space that is expected to deliver has significant prelease commitments, creating competition for tenants looking for space. Raleigh-Durham’s warehouse market sits at a current vacancy of 3.8 percent with average asking rental rates at $5.01 per square foot triple net. The biggest challenge is for new and expanding tenants needing 35,000 to 200,000 square feet of space. Demand has been outpacing supply for several years in the market and industrial developers who recognized this trend were unable to fill the need because of the lack of available financing during the downturn. It has just been in the past 24 months that significant construction has …

March 13, 2017

Market Reports North Carolina Office Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Despite Active Construction in Raleigh-Durham, Office Absorption Outpaces Supply

by John Nelson March 6, 2017

At the close of 2016, over 1.9 million square feet of office space was absorbed in the Raleigh-Durham market and overall vacancy increased by one percentage point from 10 percent to 11 percent. Activity was strong and can partially be attributed to a very active suburban Raleigh submarket that absorbed over 1.1 million square feet. Vacancy in this submarket ended the year at 10 percent, down from a high of 17 percent in 2010. It was also an active construction year for Raleigh-Durham, with developers completing over 1.3 million square feet of new office space. There is currently another 2.7 million square feet of new projects underway, and an additional 2 million square feet of proposed projects. Downtown Durham, an approximately 4.5 million-square-foot market, has multiple office projects underway, including: The Chesterfield: Renovation on the 286,000-square-foot building should be completed soon with the first tenants moving in in July 2017. The project, being developed by Wexford Science + Technology, is approximately 75 percent leased. One City Center: The mixed-use, 432,000-square-foot project has 130,000 rentable square feet of office space and should open in late 2017. The office component is 50 percent preleased. Activity in downtown Durham has been driven by …

March 6, 2017

Florida Market Reports Retail Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Jacksonville Retail Market Finally Makes Broad-Based Recovery from Downturn

by John Nelson February 27, 2017

While Florida as a whole was able to bounce back from the Great Recession relatively quickly, one market that had been lagging behind in that recovery was Jacksonville. However, a surge of new development and strong population growth has kicked Jacksonville’s retail market back into high gear. Occupancy rates have gone up year-over-year to 91.1 percent and the retail sector currently has 748,000 square feet of new space under construction, according to JLL’s 2016 Florida Retail Report. While this infusion of new space may have a small squeeze on asking rates — currently at $13.24 per square foot — the outlook for Jacksonville’s retail market remains strong. The St. John’s Town Center has had a transformative effect on the Northeast Florida market over the past decade. The shopping center saw huge success when it first opened its doors in 2005 and was relatively immune to the effects of the downturn. As the economy started to trend upward, the St. Johns area saw even greater shopper traffic and with that came expansion; in fact most of the 748,000 square feet of retail space currently under construction is in the St. Johns area. As St. John’s continues to fuel Jacksonville’s retail market, …

February 27, 2017

Florida Industrial Market Reports Southeast Southeast Market Reports

Major Expansions, JaxPort Boost Health of Jacksonville Industrial Market

by John Nelson February 20, 2017

Jacksonville’s industrial market continues to improve as encouraging fundamentals are in place that are prompting developers to commit to building spec warehouse again. The lack of new construction over the last eight years, the expected reduction in regulations and taxes by the new administration in Washington and the commitment to upgrades in the local infrastructure will drive growth in our market. A 5.3 percent vacancy rate for warehouses and distribution space is also a major factor. With 126 million square feet of existing warehouse space spread over 860 square miles, our market has room to grow. Recent announcements of major expansions coming to Jacksonville include Amazon, General Electric and UPS. Amazon will occupy 2.5 million square feet in North Jacksonville and will have the largest impact on employment in the history of the city. General Electric is leasing 500,000 square feet in Hillwood’s Cecil Commerce Center. Situated on Jacksonville’s Westside adjacent to Pattillo’s Westside Industrial Park, UPS is adding 260,000 square feet to its existing 560,000-square-foot facility. When completed in the fall of 2019, the 820,000-square-foot facility will be able to process more than 80,000 packages per hour. Jacksonville is a tier-two market nationally and typically has a few large-scale …

February 20, 2017

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