Colliers International Central London Retail Health Check

Colliers have just released their latest Central London Retail Health Check 'which provides an overview of the current state of the retail market and assesses the extent to which these trends are impacting on the high street by using vacant units as a key indicator'.

A summary of the conclusions follows:

• The proportion of vacant units in the sample of 10 Central London streets has risen over the six month period to 3.1% - up from 2.4% in January 2013. Vacancy by floor space also rose from 1.3% to 1.8%.
• The vacancy spread between the UK and Central London retail markets by vacant units has fallen with the national market rate 13.1% higher than in the capital. This is due to a slight fall in the national vacancy rate and the rise in their July 2013 Central London survey.
• The average size of a vacant unit in Central London rose to 1,950sqft in July 2013, from 1,754sqft in January 2013.
• The proportion of vacant units that have been unoccupied for six months or more has risen to 28%, from 24% in January 2013.

The full Health Check report can be found here: Central London Retail Health Check