Offices and shops for rent in Sousse Jawhara

In Sousse Jawhara, trade is first and foremost neighbourhood trade. Grocers, bakeries, pharmacies, cafés, hairdressers, hardware stores and small workshops occupy the ground floors of residential streets, at the foot of houses and family-owned blocks. Most units to rent are therefore shops of 20 to 60 m² with a metal shutter, built by the building's owner to earn an income from them.

This page brings together the commercial units, offices and storage offered for rent in the delegation, posted by private owners and agencies; you contact the advertiser directly. Supply here is more modest than in central Sousse: if nothing fits, the offices and shops to rent across the Sousse governorate also cover the city centre, Sousse Riadh and the business zones.

Which unit for which business

The street shop suits local retail. Above all, watch the footfall: a unit on a busy street in Hedi Chaker or Hached is not worth the same as an identical unit in a residential cul-de-sac in Bou Hassina. Go by at different times, on a weekday morning and in the evening, to judge the real flow of pedestrians and cars.

Health professions and services look for something else. The Farhat Hached hospital and the faculties draw practices, laboratories, pharmacies, bookshops and copy shops, as well as small student restaurants. A first-floor flat fitted out as a practice or an office is a common solution for a doctor, a lawyer or an accountant; check that the building's rules, where they exist, do not forbid it.

Finally, Oued Blibane and the western fringes sometimes offer larger storage units and garages, useful to a craftsman, a neighbourhood wholesaler or a small delivery business.

Commercial lease: what is negotiable

A commercial unit is in principle let with a written commercial lease setting the term, the rent, the review conditions and the permitted activity. Have that activity specified in the contract: a unit let for selling clothes cannot always become a café. The deposit is often two to three months' rent, sometimes more for a sought-after location.

Ask too whether there is key money, a practice still widespread in good locations, and have it put in writing. Check that the unit has its own electricity meter, the available power if you are installing equipment, and access to water for a salon or a small food outlet.

The term deserves thought as well. A neighbourhood business often takes several months to build its clientele; a lease that is too short, or a poorly framed review clause, can force you out just as trade takes off. If possible, negotiate a start-up period at reduced rent when the unit needs fitting out, and have its condition inventoried on entry: frontage, metal shutter, toilets, fuse board. On leaving, that inventory will decide what happens to the deposit. Finally, ask why the previous tenant left: a unit that changes occupant every year sends a signal about its location. Neighbouring traders, often established for a long time, will happily tell you.

Permits and neighbours

Depending on the business, a municipal permit or a declaration to the relevant authorities is needed before opening. Find out before signing, especially for food service, which requires smoke extraction. In these residential streets, neighbours often live right upstairs: noise, smells and customer parking are issues to anticipate. A good understanding with them from opening day is worth more than complaints to the municipality.

If you would rather buy the premises than rent, see the shops and offices for sale in Sousse Jawhara: a few owners sell their commercial ground floor separately from the upper floor.