Historic butchery offers rare stake in Herne Bay
A historic butchery premises for sale in one of New Zealand’s most prestigious suburban villages presents a meaty opportunity for commercial property investors.
The two-storey corner building dating from the early 1900s is one of the most recognisable character buildings in Auckland’s Herne Bay shopping district.
Sitting prominently at the corner of Jervois and Albany roads, the immaculately presented property is surrounded by one of the country’s most affluent residential catchments and within a five-minute drive of Auckland’s CBD.
The building is fully leased to six established retail and office/live-work tenants, generating a total annual net income of $320,492 plus GST.
The property began its life as the premises of the renowned butchery chain, R&W Hellaby.
Established in 1873 with a butcher’s shop on Shortland St, the company soon established outlets across what is now the city fringe and beyond. By the turn of the 20th century, R&W Hellaby was the country’s biggest butchery firm, described by The Cyclopedia of New Zealand as “the largest and most complete private firm in the colonies”.
The business formed the origins of premium meats brand Wilson Hellaby, which is still owned by the Hellaby and Syminton families and today employs 500 staff.
The R&W Hellaby name and 1905 construction date are marked prominently on the corner facade of the Jervois Rd property. Today fronted by an upmarket homeware store, hair salon and cafe, the site is being marketed as the epitome of a “trophy investment”.
The freehold land and building at 222-228 Jervois Rd, are being offered for sale by Alan Haydock and Damien Bullick of Bayleys Auckland Central.
The property will go under the hammer on Wednesday 7 December, unless sold prior.
Haydock said the property consisted of a 592sq m building on a fee simple site of 446sq m.
“The ground level is split into three retail tenancies, each offering a high-profile frontage to Jervois Rd. These are leased to luxury homeware store Tessuti, a Frenchie & Co hair salon and Goodness Cafe.
“Level one consists of three office/live-work tenancies, each of which is fully self-contained, with access from the rear of the property.
“The elevated, north-facing position provides all-day sun and attractive views over the northern slopes of Herne Bay and Waitemata¯ Harbour,” said Haydock.
Bullick said the site’s Business–Local Centre zoning provided future flexibility.
This zone permits a range of local convenience activities including retail, commercial services, offices, food and beverage and localscale supermarkets.
It typically supports buildings of up to four storeys, enabling residential use on upper floors.
“The Jervois Rd retail strip is a proven and sought-after precinct which features numerous popular restaurants and boutique shops. It benefits from an established and affluent residential catchment, notably Herne Bay and Ponsonby.
“Herne Bay, in particular, is highly soughtafter, with an average house price of over $3.5 million making it Auckland’s highest value residential suburb.
“Popular for its character homes and quiet environment, Herne Bay is also home to numerous more recent developments, including the neighbouring Jervois & Lawrence mixed-use development. The good level of local amenity has improved further in recent times with the completion of the nearby Countdown Metro supermarket,” Bullick said.