Guy Stafford has joined as Director, Retail Leasing QLD, alongside Liam Ghietti as Manager, Retail Leasing QLD, bringing additional depth to the firm’s retail leasing platform and expanding its ability to advise landlords, developers, investors and occupiers across Brisbane and the broader Queensland market.
Guy brings more than 15 years’ property experience and has specialised exclusively in retail since 2010. His experience spans CBD retail, shopping centres, hospitality precincts, mixed-use developments, neighbourhood centres, large format retail and flagship occupier negotiations.
His track record includes leasing across some of Brisbane’s most prominent retail destinations, including Brisbane Arcade and Queen Street Mall, as well as introducing previously unrepresented brands to the Brisbane market. He has worked extensively with high-end retailers, established restaurateurs and entertainment operators, helping bring new concepts and operators to the city.
Liam brings experience across retail leasing, commercial sales, property management and facilities coordination, with a strong understanding of how leasing strategy, fit-out requirements and retail operations contribute to overall asset performance.
His recent track record includes transactions involving Miso Hungry, Third Wave BBQ, Taco Joint, Hungry Jack’s and The Great Greek Mediterranean, iwith several representing flagship and first-to-market locations across Brisbane and Fortitude Valley.
Cushman & Wakefield Head of Retail, Australia & New Zealand Luke Etherington said the appointments reflected the firm’s ambition to continue building its retail platform in Queensland and respond to increasing client demand for specialist retail leasing advice.
“Queensland is a major growth market for our retail business and bringing Guy and Liam into the team significantly strengthens our capability on the ground,” Mr Etherington said.
“Both bring strong relationships, deep local market knowledge and complementary experience across landlord and occupier advisory. Importantly, they understand that successful retail leasing is about much more than filling space - it is about getting the right tenancy mix right, understanding customer demand and creating sustainable long-term value for an asset.
“Their appointments form part of our broader investment in retail across Australia and give our Queensland clients access to greater local expertise, backed by the reach, relationships and capabilities of Cushman & Wakefield’s national and global platform.”
Mr Stafford said joining Cushman & Wakefield provided an opportunity to build a strong retail leasing offering alongside Liam while drawing on the firm’s broader property capabilities.
“Liam and I have worked closely together and share a similar approach to retail leasing, but equally we bring different experience, perspectives and strengths to the table. That combination works particularly well when negotiating with tenants and ultimately delivers a stronger outcome for our clients.
“We see a real opportunity to build a highly focused retail leasing platform in Queensland, combining our complementary strengths and strong local market knowledge with the reach and resources of a global business.
“Retail is increasingly strategic. Landlords are thinking much more carefully about tenancy mix, customer experience and how individual occupiers contribute to the performance of an entire precinct. We want to work with clients from the beginning of that process rather than simply at the point of transaction.”
The appointments further expand Cushman & Wakefield’s retail capability in Queensland at a time of continued investment and population growth across the state, as both new and established retail precincts competing for quality operators and evolve their tenancy mixes in response to changing consumer demand.
Mr Stafford and Mr Ghietti will be based in Cushman & Wakefield’s Brisbane office.
