New Bond Street is Europe's most expensive shopping location (GB)

Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay has retained its crown as the world’s most expensive shopping street with London’s New Bond Street taking the title for the costliest place in Europe to locate a retail store, according to new data from Cushman & Wakefield. The annual ‘Main Streets Across the World’ report tracks rents for 448 locations across 68 markets - the largest number ever included since it started in 1988. The report ranks locations by their prime rental value using Cushman & Wakefield’s proprietary data.

Last year Causeway Bay ended five years of domination by New York’s Upper 5th Avenue and in the 2019 rankings, it retains its position with rents to locate a store amounting to €25,965 per m²/yr. Upper 5th Avenue is in second place at €21,295 per m²/yr), with London’s New Bond Street third in the global list, with annual rents at the London thoroughfare having risen 2.3% in the past 12 months to €16,222 per m²/yr.

The Avenue des Champs Elysées in Paris €13,992 per m²/yr, and Milan’s Via Montenapoleone €13,700 per m²/yr complete the top five. The biggest rental rise in the top 10 saw Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall increase rents by a colossal 17.9% over the past 12 months to reach €10,185 per m²/yr). Five of the top 10 global streets were in Europe, with four in Asia and just one in the US.

Report author Darren Yates, Head of EMEA Retail Research at Cushman & Wakefield, said: “In terms of rental performance, this year’s results are encouraging and demonstrate the resilience of the premier retail locations. Rents on the world’s top retail streets have been fairly stable and there is greater clarity on where retail is heading. However, there is downward pressure on rents in many weaker locations, particularly in the more mature markets of Europe and North America.  In Asia-Pacific, retail has generally performed well across a very diverse group of markets. Online sales continue to increase around the world, but while much of the narrative is focused on the challenges the internet poses for traditional bricks and mortar, the relationship between the two is more complex. While quantifying the value of the store has become more difficult, it remains an important touchpoint for the consumer and generates both in-store and online sales by acting as a showroom and creating a wider brand presence - the so-called ‘halo effect’. The most successful retailers will be those who best integrate their physical and online operations to create a seamless, positive brand experience for shoppers.”

From a European perspective, New Bond Street leads the way ahead of Paris and Milan, with Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse at €8,195 m²/yr and Vienna’s Kohlmarkt at €4,860 m²/yr, completing the top five. Dublin’s Grafton Street comes in at number 7 of the top 10 European streets at €3,794 m²/yr. Among the top 10, Ermou in Athens saw the biggest rental rise of 14% to reach €3,420 m²/yr. Overall, rents in around 70% of locations in Europe were stable or up on last year. Polarisation is evident, however, between the more established markets of North-Western Europe and Southern, Central and Eastern Europe, where modern supply is lower and online sales have yet to really accelerate.

Boris van Haare Heijmeijer, Head of EMEA Retail at Cushman & Wakefield, said: “Even at the top end of the luxury market, retailers are having to work harder than ever to increase or maintain customer footfall. This means diversifying their offer away from just pure sales or transactions. Customers want a destination or attraction as part of their brand experience and that means adding other services or partners such as food and drink or leisure activities. We expect this type of brand extension to continue as retailers seek to maintain the attention of their customers and to stay relevant.”

The Asia Pacific region is in a relatively strong position, with rents in over 80% of locations covered either rising or stable. India recorded a particularly strong performance, with solid rental growth across several cities, while retail rents in Hong Kong have been resilient in the face of the recent protests - although the outlook is more uncertain.

In the Americas rental trends have shown a wide degree of variation. Rents in Canada and the US remain under pressure in many areas, although there can be significant variations between individual streets. There is some good news in that rents in New York streets appear to be stabilising, following falls in recent years. Latin American retail markets continue to mature, although rents can be volatile.