Opportunities in commercial and industrial markets for SMEs

GDP growth has been revised upwards. Data for total trade and manufacturing output has been growing year-on-year since 2017 began. With most analysts claiming that the property sector will rebound in 2017 or 2018, every media story about the real estate sector is bullish.

Oddly, while property industry players are celebrating, the vacancies of office, retail, factory and warehouse space are setting new highs.

Data for third quarter 2017 shows that the vacancies of office, retail, factory and warehouse spaces, at 13.3 per cent, 8.2 per cent, 11.1 per cent and 12.5 per cent respectively, have well exceeded the vacancies experienced during the Global Financial Crisis in 2009. The 11.1 per cent vacancy in the factory segment translates to 45 million sqft of vacant production area.