高息下工商舖買賣淡靜，報告指，9月份工商舖僅錄216宗成交，為今年新低。

根據一間本地代理行資料顯示，9月份共錄得約216宗工商舖買賣成交，按月下挫約32%，租務方面更僅錄得約991宗成交，按月下跌約20%，創今年新低。

寫字樓租賃成交 按月少19%

工商舖租務成交宗數全數下跌，當中三個範疇均出現利淡因素，窒礙租客落戶決心，使租務方面僅錄得約991宗成交，為本年單月記錄最低，當中跌幅最大為工廈物業，按月下跌約27%至約324宗，為本年工廈單月租賃數字第二低，相信是由於近期政府向東九龍個別違反工廈地契用途的商戶採取執管行動，令不少在工廈經營餐飲的食肆及作零售用途的商戶受影響，間接拖累工廈物業租務。

寫字樓租賃成交則按月減少約19%至350宗，按年比較亦大減約33%，而舖位方面，租賃宗數按月亦減少13%至約317宗，成交金額僅約3,708萬元，按月減少約12%，為年內第二低，相信主因暑假結束，優質盤源已大致被消化，而本地消費力仍然以北上為主，令不少舖位商家對落戶持觀望態度，均令舖位租務受壓。

該行代理認為，目前市場觀望氣氛濃厚，施政報告的救市措施尤其關鍵，預料政府亦會針對工商舖市場推出適當政策改善投資氣氛，但整體經濟大環境復甦需時，相信10月份工商舖市況仍會維持黯淡。

(經濟日報)

高息下減磅 2投資者沽貨共套逾14億

陳秉志中環中心35車位全售出 馬亞木賣商廈地廠

高息環境下，持重貨投資者加快沽貨套現，而早年購入中環中心多層樓面的投資者，近期相繼沽貨，如「磁帶大王」陳秉志推售中環中心35車位全數售出，連同觀塘地廠、住宅單位，已套現5.74億元，連同「小巴大王」馬亞木沽貨，合共套現逾14億元。

近日陳秉志連環推售物業，承接力不俗，如8月尾，他放售持有中環中心35個車位，車位定價由438萬至550萬元，屬於低於購入價蝕放，承接力不錯，據悉經過個多月推售，35個車位全數沽出，套現約1.7億元。翻查資料，部分車位更由名人購入，包括中環「九記牛腩」、永亨馮堯敬家族成員等。

陳秉志亦蝕沽部分物業

另外，他近日亦蝕沽部分物業，其中觀塘成業街16號怡生工業中心G及H座地下多個地廠，面積由約3,309至4,623平方呎不等，總面積約2.4萬平方呎，以1.9億易手，平均呎價約7,917元。該批物業部分交吉，部分連同租約，目前租金收入約90萬元，而物業由持有觀塘大批物業，伯恩光學楊建文或有關人士承接。

陳秉志於2013年7月以2.45億購入物業，持貨10年，帳面蝕約5,500萬元。除此之外，上星期他亦以4,600萬元沽售薄扶林美景臺單位，連同其他舖位等，單計近一個月已套現5.74億元。

馬亞木7.78億 沽信德中心全層

另一中環中心大業主，「小巴大王」馬亞木同樣積極沽貨，最大手為上月尾以7.78億元，沽出信德中心招商局大廈28樓全層作自用，面積25,395平方呎，平均呎價30,636元，成為信德中心分層最大金額成交。買家為招商輪船，購入樓面自用。此外，馬亞木亦先後售出新蒲崗地廠、美孚地舖等，套現8.53億元。兩人近期連環推售多項物業，合共涉及逾14億元。

2017年，本地多名投資者合組財團，合共以402億元向長實購入中環中心逾7成樓面，而馬亞木更佔其中逾10層，陳秉志亦持有數層，惟受疫情衝擊，甲廈銷售及租務均欠佳，加上息口急劇上升，令持重貨投資者需加快沽貨，套現資金應對。

(經濟日報)

更多中環中心寫字樓出售樓盤資訊請參閱：中環中心寫字樓出售

更多中環區甲級寫字樓出售樓盤資訊請參閱：中環區甲級寫字樓出售

更多信德中心寫字樓出售樓盤資訊請參閱：信德中心寫字樓出售

更多上環區甲級寫字樓出售樓盤資訊請參閱：上環區甲級寫字樓出售

汽車品牌代理商擴張地廠成租賃目標

近期市場連錄汽車品牌代理商承租物業，並以大型地廠及舖位為目標，長沙灣香港紗廠6期地廠及多層樓面，獲比亞迪代理商租用，月租料約180萬元。

長沙灣香港紗廠6期地下、地庫、1及2樓等，建築面積約11萬方呎，上址由 JC Motor 以約180萬元承租，呎租約16元，JC Motor 為內地大型汽車品牌比亞迪香港代理商。市場人士指，上述樓面作為維修中心，該地廠位處長沙灣，可方便各區用戶前往。

香港紗廠地廠月租180萬

該代理商積極擴充，數月前租用九龍灣三湘貨運中心7樓及地庫單位，面積分別為65096方呎及27867方呎，月租約111萬元。

另一品牌 Tesla 亦積極擴展，早前租用石門冠華大廈地廠及1樓，建築面積共7萬方呎作為體驗中心，近期更承租沙咀道1號地舖及樓上單位，作為陳列室及寫字樓用途。

告士打道巨舖呎租54元

灣仔告士打道56號東亞銀行港灣中心地下2號舖，亦由 Wearnes moters (HK) LTD承租，月租24萬元。Wearnes 為名車代理及經銷商，旗下包括瑞典 Polestar、Volvo，以及英國 Lotus 跑車。

(星島日報)

更多東亞銀行港灣中心寫字樓出租樓盤資訊請參閱：東亞銀行港灣中心寫字樓出租

更多灣仔區甲級寫字樓出租樓盤資訊請參閱：灣仔區甲級寫字樓出租

Buyers home in on deals

Ten blue-chip housing estates saw six deals over the weekend despite adverse weather, the same as the previous weekend, data from a property agency revealed.

It came as some buyers hurried to lock in purchases of units that had seen steeper price cuts ahead of the policy address on October 25, which is expected to announce an easing back of "spicy measures" that have been introduced to cool the property market since 2010.

Though the No 9 typhoon signal was hoisted late yesterday, the secondary market seemed surprisingly unaffected, with six homes traded in 10 major housing estates.

Of the 10 housing estates, Taikoo Shing in Quarry Bay and Kingswood Villas in Tin Shui Wai saw two transactions each.

The other two deals were struck for units at Whampoa Garden in Hung Hom and Mei Foo Sun Chuen in Lai Chi Kok.

A property agent said that the market's having the same number of transactions under adverse weather showed that sentiment was strengthening.

Another boost came from price cuts offered by homeowners.

A three-bedroom unit at Kingswood Villas went for HK$5.13 million, or HK$9,500 per square foot, marking a paper profit of just HK$90,000 for the vendor. The agent said buyers showed a tendency to snap up the cheaper units as soon as possible, to lock in the benefits in advance while waiting for the anticipated stamp duty cuts.

Expectations for the upcoming policy address also boosted the number of deals in another agency's 10 major housing estates to nine over the weekend, up by 50 percent weekly.

But the agency expects the home prices might remain flat until the US Federal Reserve gives a clearer signal on when this interest rate hike cycle will end.

Meanwhile, home prices might drop further, making for a 3 percent fall for the whole year, if the policy address disappoints the market, warned by the agency.

Hong Kong Property recorded five transactions in its top 10 blue-chip housing estates, one case more than the previous weekend, as more buyers viewed flats in advance to seek quality targets with price cuts.

(The Standard)

UK developer Berkeley takes a punt on Causeway Bay space once occupied by Gucci and La Perla, launches pop-up to sell homes in London, Kent

Firm’s Russell Street location aims to provide ‘experiential retail’ to potential buyers, managing director says

Pop-up stores suit both tenants and landlords in a struggling retail property market: an international property agency

UK-based developer Berkeley Group has leased for a month the 8,000 sq ft, four-storey retail space formerly occupied by Italian luxury brands La Perla and Gucci in Causeway Bay, riding the pop-up store wave as Hong Kong’s retail market grapples with changes in spending patterns of mainland Chinese tourists.

Berkeley, which has a marketing suite in The Landmark commercial complex in Central, is adding to its presence in the city through the Russell Street location, with the aim of providing “experiential retail” to potential buyers with interactive displays and virtual tours, according to Gavin Sung, managing director of international operations at Berkeley Group.

“The decision to employ a pop-up retail concept to promote our property developments in the UK stems from a thoughtful strategy that recognises the unique advantages of this approach,” Sung said. “This approach can create a more personalised and memorable connection with our brands and developments.”

Berkeley’s lease expires on October 24. So far, most of the clients walking in have been from Hong Kong, said Anthony Jurenko, director of Hong Kong at Berkeley.

Pop-up stores suit both tenants and landlords in a struggling retail property market, a property agent said.

“The lease period is more flexible and it is not necessary to invest a large lump sum in renovations,” the agent said. “Retailers can try different ideas at pop-up stores whilst providing a refreshing shopping experience to customers.

“At the same time, some landlords would take the opportunity to lease to short-term pop-up stores, rather than leaving shops vacant.”

The pop-up – billed as “Berkeley on the Square” – is the first time that the developer has put up such a store and ventured into Causeway Bay for a marketing and promotional campaign. The retail experience is expected to attract 3,000 visitors for its entire duration, Sung said.

Berkeley is promoting projects in London, such as Camden Goods Yard, Broadway East, Cascades 2 at White City Living and Palmer House at Fulham Reach. It is also promoting Oakhill in Kent.

Before Berkeley, Hong Kong-based and listed fashion brand Esprit had also leased the Causeway Bay space for a pop-up store.

High-street shop vacancies in Hong Kong dropped to 11.4 per cent as of the end of September, from a peak of almost 20 per cent during the coronavirus pandemic, the agent said.

Hong Kong’s retail property market, however, has yet to recover to its pre-pandemic levels. From 2020 to 2022, retail sales in the city were between HK$326.4 billion (US$41.7 billion) and HK$352.9 billion, according to government data. In the 2011 to 2019 period, the segment’s gross receipts ranged from HK$405.7 billion to HK$494.5 billion.

In the first eight months of this year, retail sales amounted to HK$270.5 billion, according to provisional figures released by the government, a growth of about a fifth from the same period last year.

On a monthly basis, however, August’s sales increased 13.7 per cent from a year ago to HK$32.4 billion, the year’s lowest in terms of value following July’s HK$33.03 billion in sales and the second-slowest in terms of growth after January’s 6.9 per cent rise, latest official data shows.

Moreover, retail sales are not likely to have improved significantly in September and October, if recent trends are to go by.

During the recent seven-day “golden week” holiday for China’s National Day, when millions of mainland Chinese tourists travel with many heading to Hong Kong, the city’s retailers saw sales “similar to that of a typical weekend” despite a 20 per cent to 30 per cent increase in foot traffic, according to another international property agency, based on the property consultancy’s interviews with more than 10 retailers.

“Retailers are losing confidence in the business prospects of the Lunar New Year holiday in 2024, following disappointing retail sales during [this past] golden week,” agent said. “The agency expects retailers to slow down their expansion plans in the fourth quarter of 2023 and the upwards trend in retail rents is losing momentum.”

An estimated 1 million visitors came to Hong Kong between September 29 and Wednesday, according to Immigration Department statistics.

“The weak retail sales during the golden week reflected a change in the shopping behaviour of mainland tourists, who now prefer social media check-ins over shopping,” the agency said.

“Their spending power has also decreased.”