Big Growth in Gold Coast Commercial Property: What It Means for You
Gold Coast Commercial Real Estate Market 2025: Overview
The Gold Coast’s commercial property market is experiencing big growth as we head into 2025. Demand for commercial real estate Gold Coast-wide remains extremely high, even though the volume of sales has dipped recently due to a shortage of properties on the market. In 2023, transactions across office, retail, and industrial properties totaled about $648 million – down 39% from the prior year – not because investors lost interest, but because owners are holding onto assets amid buoyant market sentiment. This bullish sentiment is driven by factors like strong population growth and major infrastructure projects in the region. In fact, both private and institutional investors are eager to gain a foothold in the Gold Coast, but many “can’t” find opportunities due to the limited stock available.
Multiple indicators point to robust conditions. Construction activity is rising to meet demand, yet supply often can’t keep up. The result is a classic supply-demand imbalance: undersupply and elevated demand are leading to capital growth and strong rental uptake across the city. Market observers note that in some cases commercial property values have even doubled over the past five years under these tight conditions. Add to this the Gold Coast’s appeal as a lifestyle location and business hub – it was the second most-searched Australian location by overseas buyers in late 2023 – and it’s clear why this region is a magnet for real estate investment.
Importantly, this big growth isn’t confined to one segment. All major asset classes – office buildings, retail centers, warehouses/industrial facilities, and even development sites – are seeing significant activity. Below, we break down the trends in each sector of the Gold Coast commercial property market and what they mean for investors, business owners, and tenants.
Office Sector: Low Vacancy and Rising Demand
Office space on the Gold Coast has emerged as a standout performer, bucking national trends. While many big-city office markets have struggled with high vacancies, the Gold Coast office sector remains tight and in-demand. The city’s population is growing at an estimated 2.3% over five years, far outpacing Queensland’s overall growth. This influx – along with expansion in industries like health, education, and professional services – is fueling tenant demand for quality office premises. Unlike some capital cities, where offices are challenged by oversupply and remote work, the Gold Coast benefits from a diversified economy and ongoing investment in transport and telecommunications infrastructure. In other words, businesses want to be here, and they need space.
Vacancies are near record lows. The Gold Coast’s office vacancy rate is hovering around 6–6.5%, one of the lowest in Australia. (By comparison, Brisbane’s office vacancy is almost 10%, and Sydney and Melbourne are higher.) Limited new construction and high construction costs have kept the supply pipeline in check. In fact, Colliers warns that supply of new office space is set to dry up in 2024 and 2025. With few new buildings coming online, any available Gold Coast office space for sale or lease is getting snapped up quickly. Landlords have gained pricing power – prime gross office rents jumped over 10% in the past year alone. Businesses seeking modern offices in key areas (e.g. Southport, Broadbeach, Robina) are facing rising rents and limited choices.
For investors, the tight office market has two sides. On one hand, higher rents and low vacancy underpin solid income streams. On the other, the lack of buying opportunities meant total office sales volume fell to just $106 million in 2024 (a 31% drop year-on-year). Essentially, owners are so confident in future growth that few are selling. Those Gold Coast commercial real estate listing portals show only a handful of quality office assets on offer at any time. This scarcity can push prices up for the rare trophy office that does hit the market. Yields (rental return rates) on prime Gold Coast offices have softened slightly due to higher interest rates, generally expanding by about 0.75–1.0 percentage points from their peak. Many prime offices still trade in the mid-5% to 6% yield range, reflecting confidence in the market’s long-term prospects.
Bottom line for offices: if you’re a business owner, plan ahead – the best spaces are limited. If you need to expand or secure Gold Coast office space for sale, start early and consider engaging expert commercial real estate agents Gold Coast has to offer. For investors, the office sector’s fundamentals (low vacancy, rising rent, population growth) make it attractive, but patience and local market insight are key to finding the right opportunity in this tight market.
Retail Sector: Thriving on Population and Tourism
Retail real estate on the Gold Coast is thriving, underpinned by a boom in consumer activity and tourism. As Australians favor domestic travel, the Gold Coast has benefitted enormously – more people staying and vacationing locally translates into stronger retail spending. The city’s numerous shopping centers, dining precincts, and strip retail areas (from Surfers Paradise to Broadbeach and beyond) have seen foot traffic and sales rebound beyond pre-pandemic levels. Recent upgrades to retail precincts like Broadbeach Mall have paid off; some new leases in prime locations are fetching rents 60–70% above pre-COVID levels after intense competition from tenants. This surge in rent is a clear sign of retailer confidence in the Gold Coast market.
Investor demand for retail property is similarly robust. Quality retail assets – whether it’s a popular beachfront restaurant site or a well-located suburban shopping center – are highly sought after. Retail yields on the Gold Coast are around 5%, according to market reports, with both values and rents on an upward trajectory. In other words, a prime Gold Coast retail property for sale today might offer roughly a 5% annual return to the buyer, and that return could tighten as rents continue rising. Retail property sales volume did drop in 2023 (only ~$193 million of retail assets traded, down from a record $675 million in 2022), but again the reason is scarcity of listings rather than any weakness in the sector. Many shopping centre owners and private investors are holding their Gold Coast retail sites, enjoying growth in rental income and waiting for values to climb further.
Several trends are boosting retail real estate. Population growth in residential areas means more local shoppers. Perhaps even more impactful, the Gold Coast’s tourism sector has roared back: domestic and international visitors are flocking to the coast in large numbers. This has helped specialty retail (like souvenir shops, leisure and entertainment venues) and kept resort-style retail complexes bustling. Retail vacancy rates are very low, and many national retail brands are expanding into the Gold Coast market to capitalize on consumer demand. If you’re scouting for a Gold Coast retail property for sale, be prepared for competition – both from other investors and from owner-occupiers (some business owners prefer to buy their shopfront to secure their presence long-term).
Bottom line for retail: The Gold Coast retail sector is in a growth phase, with strong rents and stable yields. Investors can find good opportunities in niche segments (e.g. food and beverage precincts or convenience retail in growth suburbs) – ideally by working with a knowledgeable commercial property broker Gold Coast buyers trust. For retailers and businesses, this market means act fast if a prime space becomes available. It might also be wise to lock in leases or even consider purchasing your premises if possible, since values are on the rise and competition for prime locations is fierce.
Industrial/Warehouse Sector: Record Demand, Scarce Supply
The warehouse and industrial segment has been the star of the Gold Coast commercial property market in recent years. In 2023, industrial property sales led all sectors – totaling about $346 million in transactions, up from $285 million in 2022. In fact, industrial assets accounted for more than half of the Gold Coast’s commercial sales by value. This trend reflects how in-demand industrial real estate has become, thanks to the rise of e-commerce, logistics, and local manufacturing/storage needs in a growing region.
The fundamentals for industrial property are exceptionally strong. Vacancy rates for Gold Coast industrial and logistics space are at historic lows, effectively near zero in prime locations. It’s not uncommon for warehouses to lease almost immediately upon coming to market, and any Gold Coast warehouse for sale tends to draw multiple offers. A big driver here is limited land – there’s a true shortage of industrial-zoned land on the Coast, especially for new large-scale development. Land supply constraints have meant that from 2020 to 2023, industrial land values surged dramatically (as much as doubling in some areas), and even in 2024 they stabilized at a high level rather than falling. High construction costs and a scarcity of big sites have pushed some developers to look just beyond the Gold Coast (for instance, south to Tweed Heads) for new industrial projects. Nonetheless, demand remains focused on the Gold Coast itself, where established industrial estates like Molendinar, Yatala, Burleigh Heads, and Currumbin are seeing intense interest.
For existing industrial properties, rents and values have climbed significantly. Over the past couple of years, many industrial landlords enjoyed double-digit rent growth. By late 2024, that rent growth began to plateau – tenants are resisting further hikes and are negotiating for better lease incentives after successive steep increases. Even so, current rent levels are among the highest ever seen on the Gold Coast, reflecting how tight the market is. On the investment side, industrial yields remain very attractive. Smaller, boutique warehouse units in areas like Currumbin or Burleigh Heads are trading at yields around 5% (meaning strong prices per square meter), while larger industrial assets in places like Molendinar or Biggera Waters might see yields in the 6.0–6.5% range. In fact, high-quality industrial assets often sell at yields under 6% – for example, one modern warehouse in Molendinar sold at a tight 5.24% yield in 2024, highlighting investor willingness to pay a premium for Gold Coast industrial stock.
One notable trend is the rise of owner-occupiers in this space. Many business owners are keen to secure their own warehouses and are even purchasing tenanted industrial properties with short-term leases, paying a premium now so they can occupy the premises when the leases expire. This strategy lets businesses lock in a location for future expansion, which is wise given how few options are available to lease. From an investor perspective, the industrial market’s only challenge is finding stock to buy. With so many positives (low vacancy, strong tenant demand, solid yields), most owners are not keen to sell. Those looking to invest should monitor the market closely for any Gold Coast warehouse for saleand be prepared to move quickly, often with the guidance of a local commercial property broker Gold Coast investors rely on.
Bottom line for industrial: This is arguably the Gold Coast’s hottest commercial sector. For investors, industrial properties offer great long-term prospects – just be aware of slightly higher interest rates which have softened prices a bit from their absolute peak (yields have widened ~0.5–1% since 2022, giving buyers a window to enter). For businesses needing industrial space, consider buying if you can; owning your facility not only shields you from rent increases, but you stand to gain from capital growth in this high-demand market. Opportunities do exist in new industrial strata developments and infill sites, but given land scarcity, even Gold Coast development site for sale listings in industrial zones are rare gems.
Development Sites: Limited Land, High Potential
When it comes to development sites on the Gold Coast – whether for commercial projects, mixed-use, or even high-density residential – the story is one of high stakes and high potential. Simply put, developable land on the Gold Coast is in very short supply. The city’s geography and past growth mean most of the prime locations are already built out. Any vacant sites or old properties ripe for redevelopment are attracting keen interest from developers, despite the challenges posed by current construction costs and financing conditions.
A critical land shortage has been noted across the region. This has pushed up land values and made some projects less feasible in the short term. For instance, industrial land prices grew so rapidly in recent years that many developers have struggled to make new projects stack up financially. Similarly, in the commercial and mixed-use space, high construction costs in 2024 led to delays for some approved projects (e.g. apartment towers or new shopping complexes). However, this environment also creates opportunity: with fewer new buildings coming, the value of existing well-located sites is rising, and forward-thinking developers can benefit by securing land now in anticipation of easier conditions (like lower interest rates or improved construction capacity) in the near future.
When a Gold Coast development site for sale does hit the market, it often sparks a flurry of interest. We saw an example in early 2024 with a southern Gold Coast hotel development site attracting multiple bids and selling at a premium, as developers vied to position themselves for the next wave of growth. Even just outside the Gold Coast, large land deals (such as a Tweed Coast parcel selling for $24 million) signal confidence in the region’s expansion. Key infrastructure initiatives – like the expansion of the Gold Coast Light Rail, highway upgrades, and the upcoming 2032 Brisbane Olympics – also boost the appeal of development sites, since new transport links and events tend to increase demand for commercial space. Investors looking at development land should factor in longer timelines and the need for careful due diligence, but the payoff can be substantial given the Gold Coast’s projected growth trajectory.
Bottom line for development land: Scarcity is the defining feature. If you own land or an older commercial property, now might be a great time to seek a commercial property valuation Gold Coast experts can provide, as values may be higher than you think. For buyers, focus on strategic locations (city center, transport hubs, burgeoning suburbs) and be ready to act decisively. Engaging seasoned commercial real estate agents Gold Coast developers trust can help you uncover off-market opportunities and navigate council planning processes. In a market like this, the right site can position you for strong returns as the Gold Coast continues its upward march.
Opportunities for Investors and Business Owners
With the Gold Coast commercial property market booming across sectors, what are the opportunities and strategies for you as an investor or a business operator? Here’s what to consider:
Investors: The current market presents a chance to invest in a high-growth region, but strategy is key. Yields have ticked up slightly from their ultra-low peaks (meaning prices are a bit more attractive now than a year or two ago). Coupled with the forecast of potential interest rate cuts in 2025 – which could revive buyer activity, especially for sub-$5 million properties – this suggests a window for savvy investors to enter before competition heats up even more. Look for assets in sectors with enduring demand: small industrial units, neighborhood retail centers, and modern office spaces with good tenants are all promising. Many interstate and international buyers are eyeing the Gold Coast, so local expertise is an advantage in spotting value. Working with an experienced commercial property broker Gold Coast investors rely on (like Norton’s Real Estate) can help you source deals in this tight market. Remember, the Gold Coast’s long-term fundamentals – population growth, infrastructure investment, and lifestyle appeal – indicate that well-chosen commercial properties here should enjoy capital growth and income stability.
Business Owners/Tenants: For companies and entrepreneurs, the Gold Coast’s growth means you should plan your real estate needs proactively. Vacancy is low in all sectors, so whether you need an office, a shop, or a warehouse, start the search early. Many business owners are choosing to buy their premises instead of leasing, to ensure they can secure a base of operations. In the industrial market especially, some owner-occupiers have paid a premium for sites with a short lease remaining, with the plan to move in once that lease ends. Owning commercial property can be a smart move: you control your destiny, potentially save on future rent increases, and benefit from property value appreciation (one local business famously saw their Gold Coast premises double in value in just five years). If buying isn’t feasible, consider locking in longer lease terms to protect against rising rents. And always stay informed on market trends – for instance, if retail rents are surging in one precinct, you might target a slightly emerging area nearby for a better deal. Lastly, don’t hesitate to seek a professional commercial property valuation Gold Coast businesses trust, even if you’re leasing; knowing the true market value of properties can give you leverage in negotiations and clarity on whether purchasing makes sense for you.
At Nortons Real Estate Agency we specialize in commercial property sales across the Gold Coast. Whether you're seeking expert advice on your commercial property goals or considering bringing your asset to market, our team is here to help. From premium Gold Coast office space to sought-after warehouses and development sites, we have the experience and network to position your property for the best possible result. If you’re thinking of selling, trust the commercial real estate agents Gold Coast property owners rely on. Contact Norton’s Real Estate today for strategic guidance and a confidential appraisal.
Disclaimer: This blog post is general in nature and intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute professional financial or investment advice. Readers should seek their own independent advice and research before making any investment decisions.
Sources: Gold Coast market data and insights have been drawn from industry reports and news including Colliers International, CBRE research, Mortgage Professional Australia, LJ Hooker Commercial, and Herron Todd White, as cited throughout this article.