去中环化持续空置率5年高

2019年商厦整体租金向下，有代理统计显示，在去中环化加快下，中区空置率升至5年高位。

据代理数据显示，上月各区甲厦租金普遍向下，中环租金跌势持续，传统商厦及超甲厦租金按月跌约1%，而金鐘区跌3.1%，为港岛区最高。九龙区尖沙咀、东九龙等，均呈现下跌，全港仅港岛东较平稳。

中环全年租金跌14%

总括2019年，整体中环商厦租金跌14.3%，而超甲厦跌幅更高见18.7%，为各区之冠，而湾仔及铜锣湾，全年跌逾7%。受惠于去中环化加快，港岛东租金逆市向上，全年升幅为2.4%，另租务较旺的港岛东，跌幅约3.6%。代理指，目前各区空置率向上，包括中环3.4%、金鐘5.6%、湾仔5%，以及铜锣湾4.1%，各区为近5年最高。

近日整体商厦租务不算活跃，市场消息指出，中环交易广场1期12楼全层，面积约1.3万平方呎，获广发银行承租，属近月较少出现中资租用本港超甲级商厦。据了解，该集团于香港设有办公室，惟楼面面积较细，如今扩充业务，租用全层楼面。是次成交呎租约140元。据悉，该厦为中环指标商厦之一，去年高峰期呎租高见160至170元，如今租金回调约15%。

宏利扩充租观塘全层

非核心区租务相对理想，市场消息称，领展（00823） 旗下观塘商厦项目海滨汇，录得全层租务成交，涉及物业11楼，楼面面积约5.2万平方呎，每平方呎租金约30元，新租客为宏利保险。项目楼高23层，去年入伙，出租面积近90万平方呎，据悉出租率逾7成。

近期保险业有所扩充，友邦保险洽租尖东海港城港威大厦全层2.5万呎，呎租约60元，消息指，尖沙咀港威大厦录得全层租务，涉及永明金融大楼高层全层，面积约2.5万平方呎，获友邦保险积极洽租，估计呎租水平约60元。

代理指，2020年整体商厦租务暂仍未活跃，机构採取观望态度，而在控制成本下，呎租100元或以下的中环商厦，仍获不少机构垂青。

(经济日报)

Hong Kong, hurt by US-China trade war, protests, replaced by Tokyo as Asia-Pacific’s largest commercial real-estate market in 2019

Hong Kong is no longer the largest commercial real-estate market in Asia-Pacific, having lost its crown to Tokyo in 2019, data and analytics firm Real Capital Analytics said on Thursday.

Tokyo and Seoul took the first two spots. In 2018, they were in second and third spots, behind Hong Kong.

“After experiencing years of strong rental and capital value growth, Hong Kong’s property market is entering a downward phase while the local economy faces pressure from both external and internal volatility and tensions,” a managing director from an international agency firm said.

Since June, the city has been rocked by its worst political crisis in decades, with anti-government protests hurting Hong Kong’s tourism and retail sectors in particular. It was also affected by the US-China trade war, which weighed on trade and investment activity.

In the next 12 months, Hong Kong is likely to be a buyers’ market, with property prices returning to a more reasonable level. This, in turn, will prompt investors to seize opportunities and seek huge discounts.

“Affluent investors and institutional funds are also eyeing opportunities presented by distressed sales of assets,” the agent said.

Business activity in Hong Kong has also been affected by the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, which will have “short-term implications on investment volume”, according to another property consultancy. The company added that, with the exception of 2018, owing to a one-off large commercial property deal in Hong Kong, Tokyo had always been the largest commercial real-estate market in Asia-Pacific.

“Funds across the region have raised capital in the past two years, which they are looking for somewhere to deploy. Japan is an attractive destination because of the depth and the breadth of its market, as well as low interest costs,” property consultant said Pacific.

The Japanese capital is likely to remain an investors’ darling as demand is expected to continue to outstrip supply, particularly when it comes to offices.

“In Tokyo’s office market, asset performance remains solid. A near-term increase in pre-commitments already exceeding 70 per cent of 2020 supply has reduced vacancy, keeping the average rental growth around 3 per cent,” the agent said.

Meanwhile, domestic investors had ramped up activity in Seoul’s commercial property, which had “more than tripled in the period”, a commercial real estate analytics company said. “Investment momentum in Seoul has been building for some time,” it said.

Sydney remains the fourth-largest commercial market in the region, while Beijing has leapt three notches to take the fifth spot. “The metro [Beijing] registered a record year for income-producing deal activity and climbed into fifth place,” it said.

(South China Morning Post)