St Kilda is one of Melbourne’s most enduring and recognisable commercial leasing markets, and for landlords seeking reliable tenants and for businesses seeking exposure to one of the city’s most iconic destinations, few suburbs offer the breadth and resilience of demand that St Kilda consistently delivers.
At Aston Commercial, we have been active in St Kilda’s commercial leasing market for more than thirty years. Our qualified tenant database, our structured campaign approach and our deep understanding of the suburb’s hospitality, retail and professional leasing dynamics give every landlord and every tenant who works with us a genuine advantage in a market that rewards experience and the right representation.
Whether you are a landlord seeking to lease hospitality or retail space on Fitzroy Street or Acland Street, or a business looking to establish itself in one of Melbourne’s most culturally significant and consistently visited precincts, Aston Commercial has the qualified tenant reach, the campaign expertise and the senior oversight to deliver the leasing outcome you need.
Browse our current commercial properties for lease across St Kilda and Melbourne, or contact our team directly to discuss your requirements.
Why Lease Commercial Property in St Kilda
St Kilda’s commercial leasing market is built on a foundation of genuine and enduring demand that few comparable inner suburban precincts in Melbourne can match. The suburb’s combination of year round tourism activity, a large and diverse permanent residential population, its proximity to Port Phillip Bay and its status as one of Melbourne’s most culturally significant destinations creates a commercial environment where demand for quality retail, hospitality, office and mixed use space remains consistently strong across every market cycle.
Fitzroy Street and Acland Street are two of Melbourne’s most recognised commercial strips, attracting a concentration of hospitality operators, boutique retailers, wellness businesses and professional services firms whose customer bases draw from across metropolitan Melbourne and from interstate and international visitors who make St Kilda a destination on every trip to the city.
For landlords, this breadth of demand origin creates resilience that many single audience commercial markets cannot match. For tenants, leasing in St Kilda means access to a customer base that combines a loyal local population with a constant flow of visitors drawn to one of Melbourne’s most iconic destinations.
The St Kilda Leasing Market
Fitzroy Street and Acland Street Hospitality Tenancies Hospitality tenancies along Fitzroy Street, Acland Street and the broader Esplanade precinct attract strong and sustained demand, supported by the suburb’s year round visitor economy and its reputation as one of Melbourne’s most recognised dining and entertainment destinations.
Boutique Retail Tenancies Boutique retailers seeking exposure to St Kilda’s combination of local and visitor foot traffic continue to generate strong leasing demand across the suburb’s most recognised commercial strips.
Office and Professional Suites A growing concentration of professional services, creative agencies, wellness practitioners and allied health operators have made St Kilda their preferred business address, drawn by its high profile, accessible inner city location without the cost and density of a CBD office environment.
Heritage and Character Tenancies St Kilda’s significant proportion of heritage listed and period buildings offers tenants the opportunity to trade from genuinely distinctive premises, an attribute that continues to attract hospitality and retail operators seeking a point of difference.
Why St Kilda Landlords Choose Aston Commercial
For landlords, the difference between an average leasing outcome and an outstanding one comes down to the quality of the tenant secured, the speed with which vacancy is filled and the strength of the lease terms negotiated. Aston Commercial delivers on all three.
Our focus is to reduce vacancy time, increase rental return and create long term value for every landlord we represent. We manage one of Melbourne’s most active leasing portfolios, and in 2024 alone our team completed more than 370 leasing and renewal transactions across Melbourne. Our more than thirty years of active engagement in St Kilda gives us a precise understanding of where demand is strongest across the suburb’s hospitality, retail and professional categories.
Once a tenant is secured, we oversee the entire handover and fit out process to ensure the property is delivered in the right condition and the tenancy commences on a strong footing. In a suburb where hospitality lease structures often involve turnover rent and seasonal considerations, getting this process right at the outset is essential to a successful long term tenancy.
Our Leasing Approach
At Aston Commercial, our approach to commercial leasing in St Kilda is built on qualified tenant reach, structured campaign management, tenant quality assurance and director level involvement at every stage.
Qualified Tenant Database Our database and market reach are unmatched among independent agencies, built across more than thirty years of active engagement in Melbourne’s commercial market, including more than three decades of direct activity in St Kilda specifically.
Structured Campaign Management Every St Kilda leasing campaign is supported by professionally executed marketing across major commercial property portals, targeted direct outreach to our qualified tenant network, professional photography and copywriting, and social media distribution, all designed to generate the strongest possible competition among quality tenants.
Tenant Quality Assurance Every applicant undergoes a strict vetting process to ensure reliability, financial capacity and long term stability. In a suburb where hospitality and retail performance is closely tied to visitor patterns, securing the right tenant is the single most important factor in protecting a landlord’s income.
Director Level Involvement Every Aston Commercial leasing campaign is personally overseen by a director, ensuring that experience, accountability and market knowledge drive every decision from listing through to lease commencement.
Who Leases Commercial Property in St Kilda
Our more than three decades of active engagement in St Kilda have given us a clear understanding of the tenant community that drives the suburb’s leasing market.
Hospitality and Entertainment Operators Restaurants, bars and entertainment venues consistently seek space along Fitzroy Street, Acland Street and the Esplanade, drawn by St Kilda’s status as one of Melbourne’s most visited dining and entertainment destinations.
Boutique Retailers Independent and boutique retail operators seek space across St Kilda’s commercial strips, valuing the combination of local loyalty and visitor exposure the suburb provides.
Wellness and Allied Health Practitioners Wellness businesses and allied health practitioners continue to be an active and growing tenant category in St Kilda, supported by the suburb’s large permanent population.
Creative Agencies and Professional Services Creative agencies and professional services firms have made St Kilda a preferred business address, drawn by its character, accessibility and high profile inner city location.
Our Leasing Team
Our leasing division is led by Rodney King, Executive Director and Head of Agency. Rodney brings extensive experience across hospitality, retail and office leasing and a proven record of high volume results across Melbourne’s key precincts. He is supported by an experienced team including Angus Parnham, Oliver Redfern, Zak Lewski and Sebastian Origlia, and every Aston Commercial leasing campaign is personally overseen by a director to ensure accountability and results at every stage.
Meet our broader team here.
Lease Commercial Property in St Kilda
If you are a landlord seeking to lease your St Kilda property to a quality tenant, or a business seeking exposure to one of Melbourne’s most iconic and consistently visited commercial precincts, Aston Commercial is the agency to talk to.
Browse our current commercial properties for lease, explore our property management services, or contact our team on 03 8532 2222 to discuss your St Kilda leasing requirements.
