Rare vacant units offer foot in the door to prime Link Dr location

View of property at 18-20 Link Drive previously occupied by the Persian Rug Gallery and Cornish Furniture. Photo / Supplied

Three showroom units in one of Link Drive's destination retail complexes in the popular Wairau Valley precinct are being marketed to tenants in a leasing tender campaign closing in early August.

Trevor Duffin, marketing agent with Bayleys North Shore Commercial, says there is rarely any vacant space in the surrounding commercial area and it just happens that the two tenants shifting from the three units in the complex, at 18-20 Link Drive, are moving at the same time.

Duffin is marketing the property, which has a closing date for tenders of Friday, August 5, at 4pm, with Bayleys North Shore colleague Claire Rawkins.

"There really is very little vacant space ever available in this area and when there is, it is usually snapped up. Most of the property is modern and Wairau Park itself has proved a huge drawcard for retailers," Duffin says. "The last time two side-by-side units came on to the market was earlier this year and they were leased within five days."

Both retailers in the 21-unit complex on Link Drive, Corniche Interiors and the Persian Rug Gallery, have more than one store in Auckland and have decided to consolidate their retail businesses into alternative premises.

Duffin says the leasing tender is one way to test the market and will enable the vendor to be flexible in leasing the premises. The units range in size from 364sq m to 1400sq m and, as they are all interconnected, they can be leased as a single unit or in any configuration between one and three.

* Unit P at 16 Link Drive comprises a ground floor retail showroom of 467sq m with mezzanine space of 201sq m taking it to a total of 680sq m of lettable area, and comes with 13 on-site parking spaces.

* Unit Q at 17 Link Drive comes with a 256sq m ground floor showroom area and 108sq m of space on the mezzanine floor, with a total of 364 sq m and 11 on-site carparks.

* Unit R at 18 Link Drive has 270sq m of ground floor retail, 110sq m on the mezzanine, totalling 380sq m, and nine parking spaces.

Duffin says all three units present a modern, clean look and have worked well for the two departing tenants.

"They are fully air-conditioned and come with suspended ceilings and very good lighting, necessary for any retail operation. The floors have a natural wood look and all three units have been very well maintained, coming with modern amenities."

The property has a high exposure facing east on the western side of Link Drive and many well-known New Zealand furniture and other destination retailers have showrooms in this area including Spotlight, Harvey Furnishings, Freedom Furniture, Danske Mobler, Gascoigne Furniture, and Bedpost.

Rawkins says the lease tender was open to any tenants. However , to acquire the cheapest possible metre rate in the valley, at $50 a square metre for a starting rental, the parties had to meet some further terms and conditions. "This is a great opportunity for retailers to get their foot in the door in a prime location."