Subiaco has reported falling commercial vacancies and a growing business base, but the available figures do not show that rent cuts caused businesses to open. The clearest picture is a mix of an official vacant-shopfront activation effort, community calls for more affordable rents and newer City-reported business and spending statistics.
What is known about rent cuts and new businesses?
The claim that rent cuts attracted businesses to Subiaco is not established by the available figures. The City of Subiaco said on 2 April 2025 that commercial vacancies were falling and announced a partnership with SPACEMRKT to activate vacant spaces. Mayor David McMullen described an “influx of new businesses” at that time, but the announcement does not identify businesses that opened because of lower rents or show that rent reductions caused the vacancy decline. City of Subiaco, 2 April 2025.
The distinction matters to business owners and prospective tenants: a program to bring vacant shopfronts into use is evidence of an activation effort, not proof of a rent-driven recovery. The available sources do not provide current asking rents or comparable lease terms.
What do the latest City figures say about Subiaco businesses?
In an announcement published on 6 August 2026, the City reported more than 5,037 active businesses and an average of 13 net business additions per quarter over the previous decade. It also reported a 19% increase in spending from 2021 to 2025. These are City-reported measures of business activity and spending; they do not isolate the effect of rents or count businesses attracted by rent reductions. The City said healthcare and social assistance accounts for 25.3% of local jobs. City of Subiaco, 6 August 2026.
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How do vacancy figures compare over time?
For Rokeby Road specifically, ABC News reported that Ray White Commercial data put business vacancy at 14.74% in 2019, down from 15.19% in 2018. This is a dated street-level statistic, not a measure of current vacancies across Subiaco. It cannot be directly compared with the City’s April 2025 statement that commercial vacancies had fallen, because that announcement did not provide a comparable rate. ABC News, 8 November 2019.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What have local businesses and residents said about rent pressure?
Rent concerns predate the recent vacancy-activation effort. The City’s 2022 community scorecard recorded concerns that “high rents contributing to empty shops” and proposed advocating for more affordable commercial rents. It also recorded suggestions to offer incentives to small businesses. These are consultation comments and proposals, not a measured estimate of how rents affect vacancies. City of Subiaco community scorecard, 2022.
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Historical reporting offers individual examples, not a current market-wide measure. In 2013, The West Australian reported business owners citing rising rents alongside fewer pedestrians, parking issues and competition; one retailer said an unaffordable rent increase preceded its closure. That account shows how rent can be part of a business’s cost pressures, but it does not establish what is happening to rents or vacancies today. The West Australian, 1 June 2013.
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How should a business owner interpret the recovery claims?
- Check the date and geography. The 2019 vacancy figure applies to Rokeby Road and should not be treated as Subiaco’s current vacancy rate.
- Separate the measures. Business counts, spending and shop vacancies describe different aspects of local activity; one does not prove the cause of another.
- Distinguish programs from outcomes. The SPACEMRKT partnership is an effort to activate vacant spaces. Its announcement does not establish that rent cuts filled them.
- Ask for lease-level evidence. The available sources do not set out current asking rents, negotiated rents or comparable lease terms, so they cannot show the scale or effect of any rent reductions.
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