Europe dominates global retail rent growth – CBRE

According to CBRE research, Europe is leading the world in retail rent growth, driven by high demand for prime retail locations that have pushed rents higher and lengthened lease terms.

Retail - CBRE

European retail rents rose by 3.8% year-on-year in Q3, significantly outpacing other regions like APAC (1.4%) and the Americas (1.3%), and the global average (2.1%).
Shopping centres saw a 4.1% increase in prime rents, while prime high street units experienced a 3.8% rise over the last 12 months.
Increased tenant activity has led to a significant boost in capital investment in European retail properties. Investment volumes grew by an impressive 39% between Q3 2024 and Q3 2025, making retail the fastest-growing asset class for investment.
This investment surge is partly due to larger deal sizes, with the average European retail transaction being the biggest since 2018. Deals over €20 million now make up about a quarter of all transactions.
Chris Gardener, head of European Retail at CBRE, commented: “The occupier landscape is rich in diversity, with appetite for prime, flagship sites instilling investor confidence. We’ve also seen the return of bigger deals, notably in the shopping centre space, which have been propelled by a supportive debt market.”