Argus Sells Metro Market Centre for $40m

24 March 2022

The Metro Market neighbourhood shopping centre on the northern Gold Coast, has sold for around $39.4 million in an off-market deal brokered by Savills.

Sydney based boutique fund manager Argus Property Partners held the centre in a managed Fund since 2015 and sold to an undisclosed Melbourne-based private investor.

Metro Market is a two-level mixed-use neighbourhood retail centre located in the northern Gold Coast suburb of Biggera Waters.

With a total GLA of 6,967sqm, the complex features a 1,490sqm Drakes Supermarket, 33 specialty tenancies and on-site parking for over 400 vehicles on a 10,980sqm site. The property also includes a 2,500sqm office component, leased as a call centre, and which accounts for approximately 30% of the gross income for the Centre. The Centre featured a weighted average lease expiry (WALE) of around 3 years. The sale price is believed to represent a fully let passing yield of 7.7% however with an expectation that rents will revert to a lower market value over the near term, the market yield is much lower.

Selling agent Jon Tyson of Savills negotiated the off-market transaction and said ā€œwe are seeing robust ongoing demand for the neighbourhood centre asset class.ā€

ā€œThe sale of Metro Market illustrates the wider demand for retail assets from all investor groups including private investors, property syndicates and fund managersā€ Mr Tyson said.

As Australia’s sixth largest city, the Gold Coast continues to attract significant retail investment capital, with this latest sale following a range of other major transactions including Benowa Gardens for $60.5million, in a deal also brokered by Savills, as well as stakes in Pacific Fair, Runaway Bay Village, Harbour Town and Westfield Helensvale totalling close to $3billion.

The strong fundamentals of South-East Queensland, including population growth for the City of Gold Coast continues to drive increasing retail demand, which in turn has attracted established and new capital for retail assets.