Offices and shops for rent in La Soukra

La Soukra filled up with residents faster than it filled up with shops. The developments of Chotrana, Ennasim and El Bessatine brought in thousands of households, and every new district wants its pharmacy, its bakery, its mini-market, its dentist's surgery. That is what keeps the premises market turning: commercial ground floors delivered with the developments, shops along the main roads, a few office floors for companies that want to stay close to the airport and the Lac without paying the rents there.

The listings are posted by owners, developers and agencies; you contact them directly to view and negotiate. The supply varies from one month to the next and stays smaller than in Ennasr or Les Berges du Lac. To compare, the offices and shops for rent in the Ariana governorate are grouped on one page.

The through roads: the Raoued road and district entrances

Passing trade plays out on the main roads, starting with the Raoued road, which crosses the delegation and carries the morning and evening traffic. A shop to rent on that road costs more, but it sees the cars of everyone heading home to Raoued and Ennasim. Fast food, mobile phones, car parts and building materials are well represented there. Watch out for parking: a unit with nowhere to stop in front loses much of its appeal.

The entrances to Chotrana and central La Soukra, around the La Marsa road, offer a more local, neighbourhood clientele that comes on foot or parks for a few minutes. The shops there serve the residents first: groceries, hairdressing, dry cleaning, pastries.

Ettaamir and El Bessatine, with fewer shops, still leave room for anyone wanting to open the first mini-market or the first pharmacy on a street. The rent is gentler there, but the customer base takes time to build. For a storage unit or a workshop, look rather on the edge of the delegation, where floor areas are larger and van access easier than in the heart of the developments.

Development ground floors and offices

Many recent developments in Chotrana and Ennasim were delivered with units on the ground floor. They suit medical and allied-health practices, estate agencies, nurseries and kindergartens, which look for a clientele of residents living just upstairs. Check the building's co-ownership rules: some activities, such as catering with smoke extraction, are banned there or poorly tolerated by the managing agent.

For an office, La Soukra appeals to small service companies, accounting firms and businesses linked to the airport or transport, which want quick access to the motorway and the Charguia. What gets let is mostly flats in developments converted into offices, more rarely floors designed for that use. Make sure professional use is allowed in the building and that the owner agrees to it in writing.

Commercial lease, key money and fit-out

Renting a unit is done through a commercial lease, longer than a residential lease and giving the tenant rights over renewal. Have the term, the annual rent review, the deposit and the permitted activity spelled out. In sought-after locations, the outgoing tenant sometimes asks for key money (pas-de-porte) to hand over the place: that sum is negotiable, and it must appear in a written deed.

For a shell unit delivered by a developer, plan for fit-out works: shopfront, metal shutter, electrics up to standard, toilets. Ask for a rent-free period during the works, which is common practice. Before signing, check with the municipality that the planned activity is compatible with the zone and that the sign can be put up.

Renting or buying the unit

For a business set up for the long term, buying the premises can work out cheaper than renting over ten years. The offices and shops for sale in La Soukra give the prices asked in the same districts. And for a shopkeeper who wants to live near the shop, homes to rent in La Soukra round off the search.