New York

By James Nelson, principal, head of Tri-State investment sales, Avison Young It probably won’t be a shock to learn that in the aftermath of COVID-19, we are going to need to reimagine retail. Even before the pandemic hit, retail vacancy was becoming more prevalent throughout New York City. Now more than ever, landlords and retailers are going to need to think outside the box to fill vacancies and allow retailers to survive. A recent survey among members of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), which consists of landlords, tenants and service providers, found that 57 percent of retail professionals believe that the economy will improve over the course of the next year. That being said, 73 percent wanted to see businesses open again in their state. A key question involves when we could expect to return to the in-person conventions and events that our industry is known for. ICSC is famous for its annual conference in Las Vegas that draws over 30,000 people. It’s a chance to catch up with friends and business contacts in a fun setting while also being able to accomplish dozens of meetings over a few days, as everyone is in the same place. Industry …

By Pierre Debbas, Esq., partner at Romer Debbas LLP While headlines have primarily focused on impacts to small businesses, contrary to popular belief, large retailers and national chains have not been immune to the COVID-19 pandemic. Restaurant and hotel chains, movie theaters, gyms and other experiential retailers have shuttered locations across the country. Just this past July, legacy retailer Neiman Marcus closed its Hudson Yards location due to heavy COVID-19 impacts. The big box retailer also faced store closures in other locations, such as Florida and Washington, due to a high loss of revenue. These large, vacant retail spaces have created problems, especially in markets ike Manhattan. While there are some moves in play, such as Home Depot taking over the Bed Bath & Beyond’s midtown location, or Target setting sights on the former 86th Street outpost of Barnes & Noble, the reality of vacant spaces – large and small – is apparent throughout the city’s prime retail hubs. When looking forward, landlords will have to consider subdivisions and repurposing of big box spaces to make leasing viable, potentially making way for smaller-concept retailers and the return of mom-and-pop shops. Essentially, the question remains: What is the true absorption rate …

By Kristin Hiller and Taylor Williams Retail and restaurant reopenings this fall gave a modest boost to the New York City retail market in the third quarter. But even with the easing of some operational restrictions, business activity remains diminished in a city known for its hustle and bustle. Both retail tenants and landlords have had to regroup and quickly adapt to the curveballs thrown at them by COVID-19 over the past nine months. While retail and restaurant users in some areas are finding more success than others, the market as a whole has been characterized by falling rents and a pronounced shift to delivering goods, services and experiences through different channels. In order to get a better handle on current market conditions and the outlook for 2021, Northeast Real Estate Business spoke with retail real estate experts in New York City, Northern New Jersey and surrounding markets. Submarket Fortunes Vary Without question, the city’s retail market is still suffering from a lack of office workers and a reduced tourist population as a result of COVID-19. According to recent data from CBRE, through September, the average office re-occupancy rate in Manhattan was 11 percent, meaning that roughly 89 percent of …

The value proposition for retail investment in New York City is reaching new highs amid an arguably overvalued office market and a multifamily market that continues to grapple with onerous new regulations. Rapid price escalations in both of these sectors have played an integral role in spurring additional investor demand for retail as of late. Analysis of Avison Young’s third-quarter property sales report for Manhattan revealed a rare opportunity, as the average price per square foot for retail properties has now dipped to $1,449, nearly 40 percent below the trailing four-quarter average. In addition, deal volume was also down nearly 40 percent below the trailing four-quarter average, clocking in at just $175 million. The glory days of 2014, when the market eclipsed $3.5 billion in sales volume, are well behind us. “For Rent” signs now cover swaths of the hardest-hit corridors of Broadway in SoHo, Third Avenue on the Upper East Side and Canal Street. What’s The Upshot? All is not lost, however, in the world of retail investment. In fact, it’s very much the opposite. The legislative constraints putting pressure on the multifamily investment market do not currently exist in the retail world. And with retail pricing down significantly …

Retail leasing activity across New York City accelerated during the second quarter of 2019, but the market continues to see vast discrepancies in supply-demand balances across various submarkets. In certain parts of Manhattan, year-over-year asking rents declined by double-digit percentages, according to the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) Spring 2019 Report. Midtown East, for example, saw its average asking rent drop by 22 percent from $3,900 per square foot to $3,050 per square foot during this time period. The corridor between 42nd and 49th streets experienced similar activity, sliding 20 percent from an average asking rent of $1,000 per square foot to $800 per square foot. Historically high vacancy and low absorption rates are behind the negative rent growth. Due to the high cost of doing business in New York, landlords have also struggled to backfill spaces vacated by tenants that were victims of the e-commerce world. As a result, property owners are being forced to bring down their tenant improvement allowances and integrate more flexibility into their leases, primarily in the form of shorter lease terms to stimulate cash flows. Midtown East had approximately 100 vacant retail spaces totaling more than 500,000 square feet at the end …