TROPHY BARANGAROO HARBOURFRONT RETAIL PRECINCT HITS MARKET
Sydney Harbour Retail at Barangaroo, achieving $28,000 per square metre, is being offered to investors as retail investment volumes surpass office and industrial for the first time on record.
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A tightly held stretch of Sydney Harbour waterfront retail has launched to market, with Sydney Harbour Retail at Barangaroo tipped to draw strong domestic and international interest.
Exclusively offered through JLL’s Retail Investments team of Nick Willis, Sam Hatcher and Sebastian Fahey, the asset marks the first time prime Barangaroo waterfront retail has been made available to investors.
The offering comes amid a structural shift in capital flows, with retail investment volumes overtaking those in the office and industrial sectors for the first time on record.
Owned by Marquette Property, the premium harbourfront destination comprises 20 tenancies across 2,600 square metres and boasts 175 metres of direct Sydney Harbour frontage within the $10 billion Barangaroo precinct.
Key tenants including Grill’d, Yo-Chi, Zushi, Lotus, Anason, Love.Fish, Muum Maam and Bourke Street Bakery are delivering productivity of $28,000 per square metre, about 60 per cent above industry benchmarks.
Nick Willis, Executive Director at JLL Retail Investments Australia & New Zealand, said: “2025 marked a turning point for the retail sector. For the first time on record, retail investment volumes outsold both office and industrial sectors, signalling restored confidence and deepening liquidity.
“As capital returns to the sector, we’re seeing a clear preference for assets that offer defensive income and exposure to experience-led spending.”
The property is fully leased under long-term net-lease structures with fixed 4 per cent annual rent reviews, offering predictable income growth. It also benefits from strong foot traffic, supported by approximately 18 million annual visitors to the precinct, 24,000 daily workers and the surrounding affluent mixed-use development.
Sam Hatcher, Head of Retail at JLL Australia & New Zealand, said: “The speciality performance of the asset at $28,000/sqm outstrips almost all major retail and dining precincts in Australia – a staggering 60 per cent above industry benchmarks, providing significant future rental reversion. The 100 per cent net lease structures provide bulletproof income growth potential.”
Connectivity via Barangaroo Metro, Wynyard Station, and nearby ferry terminals underpins the location’s appeal, while integration with luxury residential towers achieving sales rates of more than $90,000 per square metre and A-Grade office buildings creates a strong captive customer base.
According to JLL research, Sydney CBD retail vacancy has fallen from 14.3 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2022 to 3.4 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2025, the lowest level since late 2019. Barangaroo’s office vacancy rate of 4.2 per cent sits well below the wider CBD average of 14.7 per cent, further supporting spending within the precinct.
Designed by ASX-listed Lendlease, the Barangaroo development is Australia’s first large-scale carbon-neutral precinct and has received numerous national and international awards.
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Hospitality entrepreneurs Bruce and Chyka Keebaugh have set a new price benchmark for apartment living in Richmond with their purchase of a Carmine House penthouse.
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Leading Australian development manager Fortis has secured a landmark off-the-plan sale at Richmond Square, with high-profile hospitality entrepreneurs Bruce and Chyka Keebaugh purchasing a 550sqm penthouse residence in Carmine House, establishing a new price benchmark for apartment living in Richmond.
The purchase underscores the continued demand for premium, amenity-rich residences in Melbourne’s inner east.
The transaction marks a significant milestone for the $330 million mixed-use precinct, reinforcing buyer appetite for integrated, lifestyle-led developments.
Richmond Square comprises two residential offerings – Carmine House and Wiltshire House – alongside a 57-room boutique hotel, strata office space and a curated mix of retail and lifestyle operators.
As part of Carmine House, residents have access to hotel-style amenities and services, including concierge, housekeeping, dry cleaning and in-residence food and beverage delivery.
Best known for building The Big Group into one of Australia’s leading luxury hospitality and events businesses, the Keebaughs were drawn to the precinct’s integrated lifestyle offering and its proximity to Melbourne’s hospitality, cultural and sporting precincts, while remaining well connected to the Mornington Peninsula, where they spend much of their time.
As well, Chyka is well known to Australian audiences as one of the original stars of The Real Housewives of Melbourne, appearing across three seasons of the hit reality series.
Alongside her business ventures with Bruce, she has built a public profile as a lifestyle authority, authoring two books on home and entertaining, Chyka Home and Chyka Celebrate.
“We weren’t simply looking for a luxury apartment,: the couple said. “We were looking for a home that delivers an exceptional lifestyle every day. The combination of design, walkability, security and the broader precinct vision for the broader precinct immediately stood out.”
Jordan Winada, Head of Acquisitions (Commercial) Victoria at Fortis, said the result highlights evolving priorities at the top end of the market.
“This sale reinforces that premium buyers are prioritising the complete lifestyle experience,” says Winada.
“They’re increasingly looking beyond the apartment itself and assessing the quality of the surrounding neighbourhood as well.”
Sean Cussell, Director at Christie’s International Real Estate Victoria, who negotiated the transaction, said the result reflects the lack of comparable product at this level of the market.
“There’s simply no direct comparison for this in Richmond. It’s not just an apartment; it’s part of a fully integrated precinct combining residential, hotel, workplace and lifestyle amenity,” Cussell said.
“Buyers are increasingly assessing the broader offering, from amenity and walkability to service and convenience. Projects that deliver a complete lifestyle experience continue to outperform.”
The sale contributes to Fortis’ strong national performance, with the business recording more than $124 million in sales since March, the last three all record-breaking penthouse sales across the country, reflecting sustained momentum across its portfolio and continued appetite for premium, design-driven developments.
This follows Fortis’ recent record-breaking Ruby House penthouse sale in Sydney’s Double Bay, which set a new benchmark for apartment living in the suburb and underscores the strength of demand at the ultra-premium end of the market.
Richmond Square will announce its hospitality and lifestyle operators in the coming weeks as the project progresses towards completion this year.
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