Manhattan Landlords Are Offering Massive Giveaways to Lure Retail Clients (IN LIEU OF MUCH-NEEDED PRICE CUTS)

"We're seeing tenant-improvement and concession packages that retail landlords never, ever contemplated before," he said.

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The details of leases in Manhattan are often closely guarded secrets, making it difficult to quantify the incentives retailers are receiving. Landlords have a lot of ways to cut a deal without lowering asking rents, such as paying the construction contractor, offering an extended period of free rent or simply writing a check for the tenant to use at their discretion.

... Tepid demand for luxury goods and a stronger U.S. dollar that's crimped spending by tourists have particularly hurt Fifth Avenue, where the space-availability rate was at a record 15.9 percent in fourth quarter, up from 10.1 percent a year earlier, Cushman data show. The average rent on the stretch from 49th to 60th streets reached a record $3,213 a square foot in the third quarter before dropping in the last three months of the year to $2,985.