CBRE: Hong Kong and New York are world’s most expensive retail destinations

London -- Hong Kong is the world’s most expensive retail destination, with retail rents at $3,864 per square foot, according to the quarterly rankings of global retail rents from global property advisor CBRE Group. CBRE cited the city’s significant inbound tourist traffic and continued increases in domestic wealth as fueling demand from international fashion and luxury retailers. The CBRE rankings saw little change in the first quarter of 2012 compared with the previous quarter. New York retained the number two position, at $2,475 per square foot. Both New York and Hong Kong experienced significant increases in retail rents quarter-over-quarter.