Nieuwstraat, Meir most expensive shopping streets, but far behind Fifth Avenue

The Nieuwstraat in Brussels and the Meir in Antwerp are Belgium's most expensive places in terms of renting commercial property to open a shop. The average price per square metre has climbed to 1,850 euros per annum, a study by Cushman & Wakefield reveals.
The Meir in Antwerp.

The Brussels Louisalaan/Avenue Louise has dropped a little bit to third place, with 1,775 euros. Belgium's posh high streets are popular locations for the opening of flagship stores. They also have an important extra to offer in terms of e-commerce, due to their visibility and the opportunity for customers to come in and "meet" the products.

Following just behind the top-3 are Ghent's Veldstraat (1,375), Hasselt's Hoogstraat (1,250), Liège's Vinâve d'Ille (1,125) and Bruges' Steenstraat (1,100).

Worldwide, it's New York's Fifth Avenue topping the list. Renting a commercial property in the heart of the Big Apple will set you back 29,065 euros per square metre per annum (despite a recent drop in prices due to the success of e-commerce). Causeway Bay in Hongkong (27,884) and the Champs Elysées in Paris (13,255) make up the top-3.

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