Savills Research New South Wales Spotlight Sydney CBD Office April 2015 Highlights The latest numbers from PCA indicate that overall vacancy has decreased to 7.4%, down from 9% 12 months earlier Full floor availability as at February 2015 is currently sitting at 14.5%, with 11 available options for tenants >10,000 square metres Net absorption of 78,262 square metres was recorded in the 12 months to December 2014 Sales activity in the 12 months to March 2015 totalled $4.5 billion, 55% higher than the amount recorded in the prior 12 month period Foreign Investors were responsible for 60% of these sales totalling more than $2.7 billion Indicative A Grade yields firmed by 25 basis points at the lower end of the and now range from 6.00% to 7.00% Savills Research | Sydney CBD Office April 2015 Savills New South Wales Team Research Managing Director Divisional Director Simon Hemphill +61 (0) 2 8215 8892 Managing Director Simon Fenn +61 (0) 2 8215 8830 shemphill@savills.com.au sfenn@savills.com.au Head of Leasing Rob Dickins +61 (0) 2 8215 8833 Divisional Director James Michail +61 (0) 2 8215 8839 rdickins@savills.com.au jmichail@savills.com.au Leasing Valuation & Consultancy Divisional Director Lester Alvis +61 (0) 2 8215 8857 Divisional Director Roger Price +61 (0) 2 8215 8855 lalvis@savills.com.au rprice@savills.com.au Investment Sales Divisional Director Ian Hetherington +61 (0) 2 8215 8925 Associate Director Ben Azar +61 (0) 2 8215 8824 ihetherington@savills.com.au bazar@savills.com.au Corporate Real Estate Project Management Divisional Director John Mackenzie +61 (0) 2 8215 8982 General Manager David Nicholas +61 (0) 2 8913 4813 jmackenzie@savills.com.au dnicholas@savills.com.au Savills New South Wales Level 7, 50 Bridge Street Sydney, NSW 2000 Australia +61 (0) 2 8215 8888 savills.com.au savills.com.au/research 2 Savills Research | Sydney CBD Office April 2015 Introduction With 4.9 million square metres of total stock, the Sydney CBD is the largest office market in Australia. Sydney is the primary location for the head offices of the majority of Australian companies, it is also traditionally the most sought after; a fact highlighted by strong prime property rents and yields. The market is currently comprised of 53 percent prime grade space (Premium & A Grade) and 47 percent secondary grade space (B, C & D Grades). Over the last decade the proportion of prime grade space has increased from 41 percent, illustrating the nature of development in the market. Office Development There is currently more than 400,000 square metres of new and refurbished stock in the supply pipeline under construction and due to complete by the end of 2017, 60 percent of which is already committed. Almost 90 percent of this supply is new space, with construction underway at 5 Martin Place (30,300 square metres), and International Towers T1 (101,000 square metres), T2 (89,000 square metres) and T3 (78,000 square metres) as well as a number of smaller projects. Gross supply over the next five years (2015-2019) is expected to total approximately 893,500 square metres; however, during the same period, 780,000 square metres of stock will be withdrawn from market. Should all of these developments proceed as planned; this will result in just 113,000 square metres of net additions in the Sydney CBD. Current Sydney CBD Office Development Activity Property Precinct NLA (sq m) Type Status Completion Major Tenant(s) International Towers - T2 Western 89,000 New Construction 2015 Westpac, Gilbert + Tobin 5 Martin Place Core 30,322 New Construction 2015 Ashurst, Challenger 20 Martin Pl Core 18,000 Refurbishment Construction 2015 International Towers - T3 Western 78,000 New Construction 2016 KPMG, Lend Lease 190-200 George St Core 37,672 New Construction 2016 Ernst & Young 333 George St Core 12,300 New Construction 2016 International Towers - T1 Western 101,000 New Construction 2017 The Ribbon (IMAX) Western 38,000 New DA Approved 2018 151 Clarence St Western 21,000 New DA Applied 2018 33 Bligh St Core 21,000 New DA Approved 2018 One Carrington Core 60,000 Mooted DA Applied 2019 5-17 Young & 20 Loftus St Core 30,000 Mooted DA Applied 2019 60 Martin Pl Core 27,500 New DA Applied 2019 182 George St & 33 Pitt St Core 26,400 Mooted Early Planning 2020 56-60 York St Midtown 12,000 Mooted DA Applied 2020 PwC, HSBC ARUP Source: Savills Research savills.com.au/research 3 Savills Research | Sydney CBD Office April 2015 The future net supply pipeline remains relatively constrained over the short to medium-term, despite a number of large commercial towers commencing construction during the last 12 to 18 months. However, with almost 70 percent of this new stock already committed to, there will be an increased amount of backfill space in the market over the medium-term. That said, a large amount of that backfill space will be removed from the market for shortterm refurbishment, medium-term redevelopment or removed from the office market altogether for conversion to residential or hotel uses. There are a number of buildings within the Sydney CBD that have been earmarked to be withdrawn from the market for conversion to residential or hotel use over the next three years. The potential future withdrawals over the next decade adds up to more than 272,000 square metres and would shrink the current size of the Sydney CBD by 5.5 percent. The resultant spill of tenants, which totals approximately 240,000 square metres, would place considerable downward pressure on the overall vacancy rate. Sydney Office CBD Forecast Gross Office Supply by Type (sq m) 2015 to 2024 300,000 250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0 2015 2016 2017 2018 Precommitment New 2019 2020 Mooted 2021 Refurb 2022 2023 2024 Backfill Source: Savills Research The bulk of the future supply pipeline is expected to be delivered by the Barangaroo project located at East Darling Harbour, with three commercial buildings known as International Towers Sydney T1, T2 and T3. According to the latest information available, the project is valued at over $6 billion. Barangaroo is Sydney's largest redevelopment project this century and will evolve over the next 10 to 20 years, injecting more than $1.5 billion into the NSW economy annually. The first of these towers (T2 – approx. 89,000 square metres) is almost 80 percent precommitted and due to complete in late 2015, this will be closely followed by T3 (approx. 78,000 square metres) which is 77 percent precommitted and due in early 2016. The final, and at approx. 101,000 square metres the largest, building is known as T1. This building is currently only 34 percent precommitted and is due to be delivered to the market in early 2017. savills.com.au/research 4 Savills Research | Sydney CBD Office April 2015 Leasing Activity In the 12 months to March 2015, Savills identified 268,004 square metres of leasing activity in the Sydney CBD. This is up 2 percent on the 12 months prior, and down on the five year average (295,506 square metres). The majority of these leases (approximately 35 percent of space) occurred in the Western precinct. Select Sydney CBD Office Leases to March 2015 Date Property Jan-15 201 Sussex St, Sydney 33,000 na Feb-15 60 Castlereagh St, Sydney 3,531 540 N University of Newcastle Feb-15 2 Market St, Sydney 2,270 785 G iiNet Feb-15 9 Hunter St, Sydney 994 665 G Empired Ltd Feb-15 24 York St, Sydney 830 710 N IMED Mar-15 201 Elizabeth St, Sydney 3,456 na Mar-15 1 Bligh St, Sydney 1,115 976 N Holman Fenwick Willan Mar-15 37 Pitt St, Sydney 775 570 G Australian Credit and Finance Mar-15 9 Castlereagh St, Sydney 674 575 N LJ Hooker Mar-15 264-278 George St, Sydney 1,032 913 G State Water* Source: Savills Research na = not currently available In a boost to recent leasing activity, it was announced during the March 2015 quarter that IAG would be taking up 33,000 square metres of space at Darling Park 2, 201 Sussex Street. Whilst the lease is not due to commence until early 2018, the deal removes a significant chunk of future vacancy for the Western precinct. Other deals of note during the quarter include; the University of Newcastle (3,531 square metres) at 60 Castlereagh Street, and iiNet (2,270 square metres) at 2 Market Street. NLA (sq m) Rent ($/sq m) Tenant IAG Campaign Monitor *Sublease **Renewal ***Assignment Sydney Office CBD Net Absorption (sq m) Dec-04 to Dec-14 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0 -50,000 -100,000 -150,000 -200,000 Total Absorption (sq m) Linear (Total Absorption (sq m)) Net absorption totalling 78,262 square metres was recorded for the 12 months to December 2014, representing 1.6 percent of the Sydney CBD market. This is a vast improvement 6,305 square metres of absorption recorded in the prior 12 month period. Despite soft leasing conditions in the market, the opposite is true for levels of enquiry. An increase in the availability of space, coupled with high market incentives, has brought tenants into the market much earlier than usual. As a result there has been a record level of enquiry throughout 2014. Given the lag between enquiry and leasing transactions, Savills expects an uptick in leasing activity in the next 12-18 months. savills.com.au/research 5 Savills Research | Sydney CBD Office April 2015 Of the 268,004 square metres leased in Sydney CBD in the last 12 months, the 'Finance and Insurance' sector was the dominant sector, leasing 38 percent of the stock, or 101,662 square metres. Similarly, the largest number of transactions was through the 'Finance and Insurance' sector with 31 transactions. Demand from the ‘Finance and Insurance’ and the ‘Property and Business Services’ sectors, which make up the majority of tenants in Sydney, continues to underpin leasing activity in the market. The two sectors combined accounted for 65 percent of leases signed during the last 12 months totalling approximately 174,000 square metres. W'Sale, Retail 0% Sydney Office Total Reported Leased in Sydney CBD (%) 12 months to Mar-15 Undisclosed 0% Property & Business Services 27% Govt & Community 11% Recreational Services 2% Mining & Utilities & Industry 6% Finance and Insurance 38% IT & Communication 16% Source: Savills Research Net face rents in the Sydney CBD as at March 2015 typically range from $600 to $850 per square metre per annum for A Grade buildings, and between $450 and $585 per square metre per annum for secondary grade buildings. The average A Grade face rent is $725 per square metre per annum, with no change being recorded over the last 12 months. Following on from aggressive growth in market incentives over the last five or so years, a period in which the average A Grade gross incentives were as low as 12.5 percent in December 2007, there has been a stabilisation of incentives recorded over the last 18 months. Given the current level of tenant demand in the market, the recent drop in vacancy rates and the low level of net supply, Savills expects the current level of A Grade incentives at ~32 percent to come under downward pressure over the medium-term. The current lease expiry profile for the Sydney CBD indicates that 960,000 square metres of leases will expire between 2015 and the end of 2017. However, given that a number of large space users have already committed to new developments due to complete in the next three years, the resultant backfill space has the potential to place upward pressure on the overall vacancy rate, although this will be tempered by withdrawals of office buildings for redevelopment. savills.com.au/research 6 Savills Research | Sydney CBD Office April 2015 Vacancy According to the latest PCA figures, the current composition of the market is as follows: Sydney CBD Vacancy Rates – December 2014 Grade Stock (sq m) Vacancy (sq m) Vac % Dec-14 Vac % Dec-13 Premium 793,963 56,808 7.2 9.9 A Grade 1,835,294 146,417 8.0 9.8 B Grade 1,576,404 115,521 7.3 8.3 C Grade 563,308 37,341 6.6 7.8 192,759 13,533 7.0 6.7 4,961,728 369,620 7.4 9.0 D Grade Total Source: PCA / Savills Research The latest PCA Office Market Report indicates that the overall vacancy rate in the Sydney CBD decreased to 7.4 percent in the 12 months to December 2014. As the above table demonstrates, vacancy rates throughout the Sydney CBD by grade have dramatically decreased over the last 12 months. Indeed, with the exception of the D grade stock, vacancy across all grades decreased by at least 1 percentage point and even by as much as 2.7 percentage points for Premium. Sublease vacancy, often the barometer by which the relative health of an office market is measured, remained stable at an almost negligible 0.5 percent (22,582 square metres). Sydney Office CBD Vacancy by Grade (%) Dec-04 to Dec-14 14% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0% Prime Vacancy Secondary Vacancy Total Vacancy The latest PCA release indicates that there is currently 22,582 square metres of sublease availability in the Sydney CBD market, down from 38,736 square metres in December 2013. This is the result of ‘Prime’ (that is Premium and A Grade blended) sublease vacancy decreasing by 22,106 square metres over the last 12 months. The decrease in sublease vacancy has been mainly driven by leasing activity as well as tenants resuming control of the space. In a few cases it has been the result of leases expiring and sublease availability reverting to direct vacancy. Should the withdrawal of office stock for conversion, as mentioned on page 4 of this report, proceed as planned, the spill of tenants into the market will place considerable downward pressure on the Sydney CBD vacancy rate. savills.com.au/research 8 Savills Research | Sydney CBD Office April 2015 Full Floor Availability The Savills Prime Full Floor Availability Report assesses the state of the leasing market in a different manner to standard vacancy surveys. The report shows each Premium and A Grade building in the city on a floor-by-floor basis highlighting which floors are available for lease, now and in the near future, including those under construction and refurbishment. Sydney CBD Prime Full Floor Availability – February 2015 By Grade By Precinct By Grade Total Premium A Grade Core Midtown Southern Western W.B / Rocks Total Prime Floors 2,297 636 1,661 1,088 501 598 92 18 3,168,818 1,021,486 2,147,333 1,321,917 705,759 992,789 127,306 21,048 319 110 209 154 65 90 3 7 460,379 196,627 263,752 186,750 96,135 166,261 3,909 7,325 14.5 19.2 12.3 14.1 13.6 16.7 3.1 34.8 Max Contiguous Floors (no) 17 14 17 17 13 15 2 6 Max Contiguous Area (sq m) 34,238 34,238 27,135 22,281 23,309 34,238 2,606 7,121 Total Prime NLA (sq m) Prime Floors Available (no) Prime Full Floor Availability (sq m) Prime Full Floor Availability (%) Source: Savills Research *numbers may not add up due to rounding The February 2015 Sydney Prime Full Floor Availability Report currently shows that 204 full floors are available in the next 12 months, and that 319 floors are available in total, which includes future development and existing refurbishments. The dramatic increase in available floors in over the second half of 2014 was due to the addition of four buildings to the report. Most notable was the addition of 20 Martin Place and 333 George Street, both of which are under construction and added a combined 34 vacant floors to the Full Floor Report. A further five vacant floors were added through the inclusion of 155 Clarence Street. Sydney Office Prime Full Floors Available (No) Sep-13 to Feb-15 360 340 320 319 325 343 320 326 289 301 300 281 283 290 293 310 317 301 304 260 307 280 313 300 240 220 Adding to this are a number of tenants who are taking advantage of ‘efficiency dividends’ by relocating to buildings with larger floor plates. As a result the number of available floors increases but the amount of occupied stock in square metres remains the same. The current level of prime full floor availability is sitting above the long-term average, as there are a number of backfill floors currently available in the Sydney CBD market. Savills expect the number of available floors to remain at cyclical highs over the coming months as new developments are added to the full floor report which are only partially committed. savills.com.au/research 9 Savills Research | Sydney CBD Office April 2015 Sales Activity Savills have recorded approximately $4.5 billion of office transactions in the 12 months to March 2015 in the Sydney CBD. This is up 55 percent from $2.9 billion in the previous 12 months, and up on the five year average of $2.5 billion. During the same period 43 properties were sold, up on the prior 12 months (39), and up on the five year average of 30. Select Sydney CBD Office Sales to March 2015 Date Property Jan-15 19-31 Pitt St, Sydney Price ($m) NLA (sq m) Price $/sq m Yield (%) 73.00 5,561 13,127 na ^ Feb-15 161 Castlereagh St, Sydney (25%) 240.00 59,427 16,154 Feb-15 130 Elizabeth St, Sydney 121.30 9,839 12,328 na Feb-15 92 Pitt St, Sydney 30.63 4,598 6,661 8.02* Mar-15 309 George St, Sydney 112.30 9,044 12,417 6.00 Source: Savills Research na = not currently available *equated yield 5.76* ^ represents 100 percent of NLA Almost $1.5 billion of investment has been made by Foreign Investors throughout the Sydney CBD in the last 12 months who are looking to convert office buildings to residential, serviced apartment or hotel uses. This trend has also been repeated outside of the Sydney CBD market; most notably the Lower North Shore Office market. As a result of the continued interest in secondary grade office towers in the Sydney CBD market by Foreign Investors seeking such conversions, average B grade yields have once again tightened over the last quarter by 25 basis points, and now range between 6.75% and 8.25%. Sydney Office CBD Office Sales ($m and number) (>$5m) Mar-05 to Mar-15 $5,000 50 $4,500 45 $4,000 40 $3,500 35 $3,000 30 $2,500 25 $2,000 20 $1,500 15 $1,000 10 $500 5 $0 0 Sales > $5m (LHS) Sales No (RHS) In what was a slow start to the year, the standout transaction of the March 2015 quarter was the purchase of a 25 percent share of Liberty Place, 161 Castlereagh Street by Blackstone Real Estate Asia from LaSalle Investment Management for a reported $240 million. Liberty Place is Sydney CBDs newest ‘Premium’ building having only competed construction in early 2013. The sale represented an initial yield of just under 5.50%, and the building benefits from a WALE in excess of 10 years. savills.com.au/research 10 Savills Research | Sydney CBD Office The 'Foreign Investor' purchaser category was the most active in the investment market in the 12 months to March 2015, purchasing 60 percent of the stock sold (or $2705 million worth of CBD transactions). Similarly the 'Foreign Investor' category had the most transactions (20). Australian Institutional Investors were net sellers in the Sydney CBD market in the last 12 months. Indeed, in the 12 months to March 2015 these types of investors were net sellers by $1.5 billion. This is the fourth consecutive year in which they sold more assets than they purchased, totalling almost $2.9 billion. April 2015 Sydney Office CBD Office Sales Buyer Profile (%) 12 months to Mar-15 Mortgagee Government 0%0% Foreign Investor 60% Undisclosed 0% Developer 2% Private Investor 5% Fund 19% Owner Occupier 1% Syndicate 1% Trust 12% Source: Savills Research Capital values in the Sydney CBD as at March 2015 are estimated to range from $8,571 to $14,167 per square metre for A Grade buildings, and between $5,455 and $8,667 per square metre for secondary grade buildings. Average capital values for A Grade properties are $11,154 per square metre, a 3.8 percent increase over the last 12 months. Market yields in the Sydney CBD as at March 2015 are estimated to range between 6.00% and 7.00% for A Grade buildings, and between 6.75% and 8.25% for secondary grade buildings. The average yield for A Grade office buildings in the quarter to March 2015 is 6.50%, a 25 basis point firming over the last 12 months. Key Market Indicators – March 2015 Premium A Grade B Grade Low High Low High Low High Rental - Gross Face ($/sq m) 970 1,505 730 1,020 550 730 Rental - Net Face ($/sq m) 785 1,300 600 850 450 585 Rental - Net Effective ($/sq m) 513 803 396 493 313 366 Outgoings - operating ($/sq m) 130 140 80 105 70 85 Outgoings - statutory ($/sq m) 55 65 50 65 30 60 Outgoings - total ($/sq m) 185 205 130 170 100 145 8 10 7 10 4 7 Yield - Market (% Net Face Rental) 5.50 6.00 6.00 7.00 6.75 8.25 IRR (%) 7.50 8.00 8.00 8.75 8.25 9.25 Cars Permanent Reserved ($/pcm) 800 1,000 650 850 550 650 Cars Permanent ($/pcm) 750 800 600 700 500 600 13,083 23,636 8,571 14,167 5,455 8,667 Typical Lease Term Office Capital Values ($/sq m) Source: Savills Research Rental rates reflect single, whole floor, net effective and mid-rise rental rates unless specifically otherwise stated. Discounts and premiums exist for low and high rise space and for significant occupiers. savills.com.au/research 11 Savills Research | Sydney CBD Office April 2015 Outlook The greater Sydney economy grew by 4.3 percent during FY 2013/14, this is the fastest rate in well over a decade, with output reaching $353 billion; almost a quarter of Australia’s GDP. The majority if this growth was directly attributable to the finance and insurance sector, with healthy contributions from professional services, manufacturing, real estate services and construction. Given that the tenancy profile of Sydney CBD is dominated by most of these sectors; it necessarily follows that growth in these sectors can be expected to translate into increased leasing activity over the short to medium-term. Indicative market yields for A Grade stock in the Sydney CBD now average 25 basis points lower than 12 months ago. Savills also recorded compression in indicative Premium yields during the same timeframe, which now range between 5.50% and 6.00%, a firming of 50 basis points at either end of the range over the last 12 months. The influence of overseas investors in the market continues to have a profound effect in Sydney CBD, as evidenced by the high levels transactions over the last 12 months. Indeed, the $4.5 billion of transactions over the last 12 months is the highest level of sales recorded in the last decade. Recent interest in secondary grade buildings with either residential upside and/or redevelopment potential from both overseas and local investors has also created price tension. There are currently a number of secondary grade assets in the market that are earmarked for conversion to residential or hotel use. This will combine with an increasing lease expiry profile for the Sydney CBD over the next two years and the withdrawal of a number of commercial assets from the market that are earmarked for conversion. As a result, Savills expect incentives to come under pressure toward the end of this period. The future net supply pipeline remains relatively constrained over the short to medium-term, despite a number of large commercial towers commencing construction during the last 12 months. With almost three quarters of this new stock already committed to there will be a significant amount of backfill space in the market over the medium-term. That said, a large amount of that backfill space will be removed from the market for short-term refurbishment, medium-term redevelopment or removed from the office market altogether for a change in use. Savills expect the recovery phase to continue over the coming year with moderate rental growth over the medium-term as tenants in the Sydney CBD market start to feel the pinch from a lack of supply. savills.com.au/research 12 Savills Research | Sydney CBD Office April 2015 Savills New South Wales Team Our highly regarded research divisions are dedicated to understanding and giving indepth insight into the commercial, industrial & retail markets throughout Australia. We also provide in-depth consultancy services, ranging from tenant representation to property site selection for multinational businesses. Our research teams are highly qualified real estate professionals with comprehensive knowledge of property markets across Australia. The Savills Research & Consultancy team has years of experience, and supported by our extensive agency, property management and valuation professionals, are highly regarded and respected along with Savills Research teams across the globe. For our latest reports, contact one of the team or visit savills.com.au/research National Head of Research Tony Crabb +61 (0) 3 8686 8012 tcrabb@savills.com.au Savills provide free research reports on all major property markets, and some example papers include: Office Markets Retail Markets Residential Trends Industrial Markets International Markets Download the Savills iPad App for insights at your fingertips This information is general information only and is subject to change without notice. No representations or warranties of any nature whatsoever are given, intended or implied. Savills will not be liable for any omissions or errors. Savills will not be liable, including for negligence, for any direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential losses or damages arising out of our in any way connected with use of any of this information. This information does not form part of or constitute an offer or contract. You should rely on your own enquiries about the accuracy of any information or materials. All images are only for illustrative purposes. This information must not be copied, reproduced or distributed without the prior written consent of Savills. savills.com.au/research 13 With a rich heritage and a reputation for excellence that dates back to 1855, Savills is a leading global real estate provider listed on the London Stock Exchange. Savills advises corporate, institutional and private clients, seeking to acquire, lease, develop or realise the value of prime residential and commercial property across the world’s key markets. Savills is a company that leads rather than follows with over 600 offices and associates throughout the UK, Europe, Americas, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. 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