Newmark Knight Frank Devencore Reports on Space Availability in Ottawa Office Market

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - July 16, 2015) - In its Real Estate Market Study published today, Newmark Knight Frank Devencore reported that vacancy rates in downtown Ottawa's Class "A" and "B" office buildings continued to increase over the past six months, and are now edging up past 6.5%. However, there has been increased tenant activity in recent months and some landlords have begun to market their Class "A" properties more aggressively.

The steady climb in vacancy rates over the past few years has been driven by a variety of factors. First, the federal government--the single largest tenant in the nation's capital--has made a concerted effort to reduce its occupancy needs. Second, a number of new developments have been delivered to the greater downtown area, augmenting the existing inventory by over 900,000 square feet. This has provided some tenants with an opportunity to relocate and realize greater space efficiencies and lower occupancy costs. Finally, the increase in vacancy rates in downtown Ottawa reflects minimal private sector growth.

Occupancy rates have been gradually climbing since 2012 in the Kanata market, and there is a renewed sense of optimism in the technology sector, spurred by the recent success of Shopify's $100-million-initial public offering. Some industry analysts predict that more IPO's may be in the offing, which may generate more activity in the region's tech sector. In 2014, overall Class "A" and Class "B vacancy rates were in the 10%-11% range, and in the first quarter of 2015 overall rates reached 11.6%. In the Class "A" sector alone, vacancy rates fell to 9.1% at the end of Q1.

Most of Canada's largest cities have seen increases in office vacancy rates. In Calgary, where the energy sector drives the local economy, the combined Class "A" and Class "B" vacancy rate in office buildings jumped from 4.4% to 6.2% over the last six months of 2014, and rates in Montreal also climbed as new inventory was delivered. There were more moderate increases in vacancy rates in Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Halifax, while rates were essentially unchanged in Vancouver over the same period. One of the factors affecting the rise in the country's overall vacancy rates is the new inventory that continues to be built. Over 4 million feet of office space was added to the market inventory in 2014 alone.

About Newmark Knight Frank Devencore

As part of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, one of the world's leading commercial real estate advisory firms, Newmark Knight Frank Devencore is Canada's largest corporate real estate advisor and brokerage, exclusively representing corporate, industrial and retail space users. With offices across the country, Newmark Knight Frank Devencore offers its global clientele comprehensive services that are individually designed to ensure executive real estate decisions are supported by effective strategies and professional execution. To learn more about our capabilities, please visit www.devencorenkf.com.

About Newmark Grubb Knight Frank

Newmark Grubb Knight Frank is one of the world's leading commercial real estate advisory firms. Together with London-based partner Knight Frank and independently-owned offices, NGKF's 12,000 professionals operate from more than 330 offices in established and emerging property markets on six continents.

With roots dating back to 1929, NGKF's strong foundation makes it one of the most trusted names in commercial real estate. NGKF's full-service platform comprises BGC's real estate services segment, offering commercial real estate tenants, landlords, investors and developers a wide range of services including leasing; capital markets services, including investment sales, debt placement, appraisal, and valuation services; commercial mortgage brokerage services; as well as corporate advisory services, consulting, project and development management, and property and corporate facilities management services. For further information, visit www.ngkf.com.

NGKF is a part of BGC Partners, Inc., a leading global brokerage company servicing the financial and real estate markets. BGC's common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol BGCP. BGC also has an outstanding bond issuance of Senior Notes due June 15, 2042, which trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BGCA. BGC Partners is led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Howard W. Lutnick. For more information, please visit http://www.bgcpartners.com/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Sylvie Bachand
Director, Marketing and Communications
514-392-1330, ext. 225
Newmark Knight Frank Devencore
sbachand@devencorenkf.com
Devencore Ltd., Real Estate Agency