Burnaby Retail Building Sales — Price Per SF Analysis (2016–2026)
Burnaby Retail Building Sales — Price Per SF Analysis (2016–2026)
This report analyzes 39 retail property transactions across Burnaby between June 2016 and January 2026, representing $519.1 million in total transaction volume across six commercial corridors. Burnaby retail is led by Kingsway — the municipality’s primary commercial spine — supported by Hastings Street, Edmonds Street, and Imperial Street. Small-format properties on these corridors have driven per-SF pricing from $611/SF in 2016–2018 to $1,228/SF in 2025–2026, with the dataset peak of $2,190/SF recorded at 5075 Kingsway in August 2024. Data compiled by David Taylor, Senior Vice President at Colliers International in Vancouver, and tracked on Vancouver Market.
Key Market Observations
5075 Kingsway at $2,190/SF (August 2024) is the dataset’s highest per-SF result and the current Kingsway benchmark for small-format retail. The 3,425 SF property sold for $7,500,000, surpassing the previous Kingsway high by a significant margin. At this level, Kingsway small-format retail is pricing in line with Vancouver’s most sought-after retail corridors, reflecting the premium commanded by high-exposure, transit-adjacent commercial on Burnaby’s primary retail spine.
Per-SF pricing has doubled over the dataset period. Excluding the two institutional-scale outliers (4331 Dominion Street at $253M and 3713 Kensington Avenue at $25.6M), the average $/SF for small and mid-format retail rose from $611 in 2016–2018 to $747 in 2019–2021, $1,053 in 2022–2024, and $1,228 in 2025–2026. This sustained upward trend reflects owner-user demand, limited supply of well-located street-front retail, and Burnaby’s growing residential density driving retail land values.
Edmonds Street is the tightest small-format corridor at an average of $1,035/SF. Seven transactions on Edmonds Street — ranging from $249/SF (7879 Edmonds, 2016) for a larger older building to $1,665/SF (7444 Edmonds, 2021) for a 2,670 SF small-format property — average $1,035/SF overall. The repeat sale of 7444 Edmonds Street (sold at $1,304/SF in January 2018 and $1,665/SF in May 2021) is the clearest single-asset evidence of appreciation on the corridor: a 28% increase in 3.3 years.
4101 Hastings Street has traded twice, demonstrating 39% per-SF appreciation over five years. The property sold at $837/SF in January 2017 and at $1,164/SF in February 2022 — a $327/SF increase, reflecting both genuine market appreciation and the corridor’s evolving tenant profile as Burnaby Heights continues to densify.
4331 Dominion Street ($253.6M, $845/SF, March 2018) is the largest transaction in the dataset but reflects land value, not retail income. The 300,148 SF Brentwood Town Centre transaction is a land and development-rights sale rather than conventional retail — included for completeness but not comparable to the smaller income-producing and owner-user transactions that make up the rest of the dataset.
Transactions by Corridor
| Corridor | Transactions | Avg Price / SF | Median Price / SF | Total Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingsway | 11 | $980 | $959 | $71,790,000 |
| Hastings Street | 8 | $787 | $707 | $72,905,000 |
| Edmonds Street | 7 | $1,035 | $1,028 | $28,030,000 |
| Imperial Street | 2 | $1,129 | $1,129 | $11,210,000 |
| Kensington Avenue | 2 | $366 | $366 | $28,805,000 |
| North Road | 1 | $505 | $505 | $5,500,000 |
| Other / Secondary | 8 | $629 | $625 | $300,824,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average price per square foot for Burnaby retail?
Based on 39 transactions from 2016 to 2026, the average price per square foot for Burnaby retail is $842, with a median of $779/SF. Small-format properties under 5,000 SF on Kingsway, Edmonds Street, and Imperial Street have consistently achieved $900–$2,190/SF, while larger-format buildings and redevelopment land have traded between $175/SF and $577/SF. The most current benchmark is $1,119–$2,190/SF for small-format Kingsway retail (2024–2026), with the 2025–2026 average across all corridors at $1,228/SF.
Which Burnaby retail corridor has the highest price per square foot?
Imperial Street has the highest average at $1,129/SF across two transactions (5609 Imperial Street at $1,326/SF in December 2022 and 4760 Imperial Street at $932/SF in January 2024). Edmonds Street averages $1,035/SF across seven transactions, with recent small-format deals at $1,590–$1,665/SF. Kingsway averages $980/SF across 11 transactions, with the most recent deal at $1,119/SF (January 2026) and the dataset peak at $2,190/SF (August 2024). Hastings Street averages $787/SF, with recent transactions ranging from $478/SF for larger product to $1,170/SF for small-format.
How has Burnaby retail pricing changed since 2016?
Per-SF pricing for small and mid-format Burnaby retail has approximately doubled since 2016. The 2016–2018 average (excluding institutional outliers) was $611/SF. By 2022–2024 that average had risen to $1,053/SF, and the 2025–2026 average stands at $1,228/SF. The repeat sale of 7444 Edmonds Street ($1,304/SF in 2018 to $1,665/SF in 2021) and the repeat sale of 4101 Hastings Street ($837/SF in 2017 to $1,164/SF in 2022) provide the most direct single-asset evidence of appreciation on individual corridors.
What was the largest Burnaby retail sale?
The largest transaction by dollar volume is 4331 Dominion Street (Brentwood Town Centre) at $253,624,830 ($845/SF, ~300,000 SF, March 2018) — a development-rights and land transaction rather than a conventional retail sale. Excluding that outlier, the largest income-producing retail transactions are 4440 Hastings Street at $27,355,141 ($441/SF, June 2016) and 3713 Kensington Avenue at $25,579,556 ($175/SF, February 2021). For conventional small-format retail, the largest is 6401 Kingsway at $10,300,000 ($959/SF, June 2023).
Is now a good time to sell a retail property in Burnaby?
The most recent Burnaby retail transactions confirm continued strong demand on Kingsway, Edmonds Street, and Imperial Street. The January 2026 sale of 5965 Kingsway at $1,119/SF and the 2024–2025 cluster of transactions at $1,119–$2,190/SF demonstrate that well-located small-format retail continues to attract competitive buyer interest. David Taylor at Colliers International offers confidential consultations on current market value. Contact david.taylor@colliers.com or 604-761-7044.
For Burnaby Retail Property Owners
If you own a retail property in Burnaby and would like to understand its current market value, David Taylor welcomes confidential inquiries from property owners at any stage of the decision-making process.
david.taylor@colliers.com |
604-761-7044 | Vancouver, BC
Interactive Chart & Full Transaction Table
The scatter chart and complete 39-transaction table are below. Each point is one transaction; colour indicates corridor; bubble size scales with sale price. The $253M Dominion Street transaction is included in the table but excluded from the scatter chart as a development-land outlier. Hover for details.