Retail occupancy in Hawke's Bay is at its highest level in three years, a new report says.
Turley and Co's latest retail occupancy survey reported Hawke's Bay mainstreet occupancy at all main retails spots in Hawke's Bay were at more than 90 per cent and with the number of shops operating also going up in some areas.
The report said increasingly, hospitality and personal services were bolstering the main streets, assisted in Hastings by Council CBD vibrancy initiatives and for Napier buoyant tourism.
"There has been considerable Hawke's Bay mainstreet retail tenant reshuffling with tenants jostling for positioning", Turley and Co property strategist and valuer Pat Turley said.
"It is great to see pop-up shops backfilling vacant spaces for the holidays."
The report recorded Hastings city centre retail shops occupancy at 91 per cent - up one per cent from 90 per cent in April. The number of shops there had fallen by just three since 2015.
Napier CBD was at 90 per cent occupancy in December, also one per cent up from April. The number of shops there increased by four.
"Havelock North has a very high occupancy rate" the report says. This is 97 per cent up from 94 per cent in April notwithstanding seven more shops, with 75 per cent of these now occupied.
"Taradale is 'solidly occupied at 95 per cent' that was 94 per cent in April. There has been no change in the number of shops over 2015-17.
"Taradale's vacancy rate is the lowest since 2014 with occupancy much improved."
There are no signs of waning economic conditions for Hawke's Bay and the current retail roll should continue into 2018."
Mr Turley said while it was hard to judge the effects for Napier retail of the planned Kmart development at Prebensen Drive near Mitre 10 Mega, he speculated that the development could be net positive by improving Napier further as a desirable retail destination.