Leasing Highlights

In a retail landscape that is constantly evolving — shaped by changing consumer behaviours, economic cycles and shifting urban dynamics — there are very few streets that consistently outperform expectations while remaining fiercely authentic. Gertrude Street in Fitzroy is one of them.

From a retail leasing perspective, Gertrude Street stands apart not because it chases trends, but because it sets them. The strength of the precinct lies in its deeply curated tenancy mix, its strong sense of place and the longevity of businesses that have become inseparable from Melbourne’s cultural fabric.

Victorian seaside towns have always held a strong emotional pull for both locals and visitors. As someone who works closely with businesses navigating growth, brand presence, and commercial strategy and having spent time in Sorrento for a number of summers now, I’ve had time to analyse how retail thrives in this coastal location (currently full retail occupation by the way!) Suburbs like Sorrento demonstrate a particularly resilient form of retail ecology—one that thrives on a balanced mix of uses, seasonal versatility, and strong anchor tenants.

In recent years, the vibrant neighbourhoods of Fitzroy and Collingwood in Melbourne, have witnessed a resurgence of vintage stores. On a recent trip to Newtown in Sydney we saw this trend was not only reshaping the retail landscape but also influencing commercial leasing dynamics.

We love a before and after. Outstanding square metre rates achieved for the lease brokered by our director Katherine Dean, followed by a stunning transformation.

In ear­ly 2023 our direc­tor Richard Miglic bro­kered the leas­ing deal to Chi­a­ki — a cap­ti­vat­ing col­lab­o­ra­tion between Ali­cia Feng, Mo Zhou, and Kan­taro Oka­da. Chi­a­ki serves Japan­ese ochazuke and cof­fee by day and iza­kaya-style dish­es and sake cock­tails by night. This amaz­ing col­lab­o­ra­tion was recent­ly award­ed the Age Good Food Guide Café of the Year 2024.

The Nursery on Brunswick Street, a stunning build-to-rent mixed residential & commercial development designed by the award-winning Clare Cousins Architects.