Australia national retail market overview 1Q21
1Q21 statistics on the national Australia Retail markets.
The investment market was highly divergent in 2020 and into the start of 2021, with strong demand for defensive retail assets, being neighbourhood/non-discretionary-based centres and long-WALE retail. Despite the strong retail turnover growth, investors remained cautious towards shopping centres with significant discretionary components. There was a liquidity shortage for assets over AUD 200 million prior to the onset of the pandemic and that disconnect was more pronounced in the last 12 months as investors became more risk averse. Buyers were cautious towards the sustainability and reliability of income, given the subdued rent collection rates through the middle part of the year.