The Pittsburgh retail real estate market continues to be strong. The vacancy rate across all retail property types dropped to 3.5% during the last quarter, although the numbers are skewed upward by large vacancies in a few submarkets. The market for prime anchored shopping center space is extremely tight and the effective vacancy rate for most quality centers is between 1-2%. Absorption for the period was 208,000 square feet. The total retail market is 138,741,180 square feet, including 32,945,052 of shopping center space. Low vacancy rates and high absorption has pushed lease rates up.

Overall lease rates increased by .2% over the previous quarter to an average of $12.03 per square foot. High quality retail locations now typically lease in the low to mid $30 range, with some leases coming in as high as $55 per square foot. Small shop space in fringe market anchored space is usually near $15 per square foot. New construction typically requires a lease rate no less than $22.50.

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