Investors’ Demand for Auto Parts Stores Still Growing

The average age of cars on the road will continue to increase until 2018, driving more customers into auto parts stores such as this.

CHICAGO—Many drivers hung onto their old cars during the recession, providing a boost to the nation’s auto parts sector. Net lease investors were then drawn to these properties, pushing down their cap rates to historic lows. And even though the worst of the economic times seems past, auto parts remains one of the more popular net lease options.  

Cap rates for the single tenant net leased auto parts store sector sank to 5.98% in the fourth quarter of 2015, a decrease of 27 bps from the previous year, according to a new study from the Boulder Group, a net lease firm in suburban Chicago. This decline slightly outpaced the overall net lease retail market which compressed by 25 bps over the same time period.