ISSUE 188 | FEBRUARY 2026 | 02 9630 8000 | PAGE 4 Smithfield Fairfield East Telopea Thornleigh Rydalmere Blacktown Macquarie Fields Strathfield South Parramatta Ryde Bawdens Deals Done LEASED BY LEASED BY SOLD BY SOLD BY LEASED BY SOLD BY SOLD BY LEASED BY LEASED BY SOLD BY MARKET INSIGHT SPECIAL Industrial Market Activity Reacts to Past Inflation Pressures In the second of a two-part study, leading SME Industrial Property company Bawdens continues to identify factors that influence profit margins. In Issue 186, the firm identified that the lag effects of inflation impacted confidence, and so the number of sales even through a period of falling interest rates (see page 9). In this issue, the company identified the total number of enquiries received annually from the internet portals, Commercial Real Estate (CRE) and Real Commercial (REA), adjusted for differences in the total number of properties marketed for lease or sale each year. Again, despite both inflation and interest rates falling since 2023, total enquiries received in 2023 fell 29% from 2022. In 2024, the fall in total market activity, as measured by total enquiries received for the year, stabilised from 2023, as businesses focused on adjusting to profit margin pressure. A recovery in confidence, and so enquiry activity, is not likely until 2026 as businesses make further adjustments to manage declining productivity and adopt a “wait and see” approach to 2026.
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