Eastern suburbs offices finishing 2018 strongly: Macau-based investors have paid $28.3 million for the Ringwood office development at 60-62 Maroondah Highway, fully pre-committed to the state government on a 12-year term, rounding out a busy year for Melbourne’s popular eastern suburban market which has attracted local and offshore interest.
It comes quickly after the $6.58 million sale of a modern two-level office building of 1,005sqm at 317-321 Whitehorse Road in Balwyn to an owner occupier, while a private investor paid $7 million for the partly-vacant refurbished 1,740sqm building at 417 Ferntree Gully Road in Mount Waverley.
Recent months have seen the VicRoads headquarters within the Tally Ho business park sell for $25.5 million to a China-based investor, while Hong Kong-listed Glorious Sun paid $28 million for 16 Lakeside Drive (also at Tally Ho) and 255 Whitehorse Road in Balwyn; News Corporation sold the 1 Chapel Street building in Blackburn, home of Leader Newspapers, for $30.2 million; and the converted Congregational Church building in Hawthorn changed hands for $9.85 million.
Collingwood commands further commercial development interest: V-Leader has acquired the 4,287sqm corner site at 128-144 Wellington Street for around $40 million, with intentions to build a 20,000sqm office and 200-room hotel project.
Currently within the city-fringe suburb, Grocon is constructing its Northumberland project that will have 15,000sqm of office space, while on Langridge Street Pace is developing a 10-storey commercial tower Tribe Hotel is looking to introduce a new offering.
Investors grab Coles assets: In separate deals this week, the Coles and Aldi-anchored Aurora Village shopping centre in Epping was sold by Coles Group for around $44 million, while a Coles supermarket in Hamilton in Victoria’s south-west traded for $23 million.
A mainland China investor acquired the 8,284sqm Epping centre at a circa-5.6 yield. On a 23,265sqm site over two titles, it has 16 specialty stores and a Coles Express service station with a combined $2.5 million return. Coles has a 15-year lease, and Aldi 10 years.
Coles Hamilton sold to a private investor with a 5.2% yield, with a 20-year lease to 2035 plus two 10-year options. Built in 2015, the 3,870sqm store includes a liquor outlet and is on an 11,584sqm site.
Disclosure: The weekly Fitzroys Property Wrap is for information only on transactions in the Melbourne property market. Fitzroys provides this information as a public service. We are not purporting that all sales and leases within this report were transacted by Fitzroys.