cPad H1 2026: sale momentum continues

The latest Acuitus Commercial Property Auction Data (cPad) report shows that turnover for the first six months of 2026 was £444.2m
generated from the sale of 794 lots – the highest H1 total on record.

Key findings include:

• The second quarter of 2026 generated total sales of £205m through the sale of 398 lots. This was 55% above the long-run average for Q2 sales and has only been bettered by the £206.3m achieved in Q2 2024.
• Q2 yield movements were more muted than the shifts seen in sales volume. The cPad All-Property Average spot yield eased marginally from 8.65% in Q1 to 8.63% .
• Sales rates eased back during Q2 falling to 76.7% from 81.6% in Q1 and moving below both the post-pandemic average of 83.8% and the long-run average of 80.9%.

Acuitus Chairman, Richard Auterac, comments: “The wider economic backdrop remains a headwind for the auction market and is likely to stay that way for the rest of the year.

“Against that backdrop, we expect the income-led buying rationale that has characterised H1 2026 to persist into the second half.

“Yields across the wider commercial property market are sitting close to 10-year highs in most sectors, and cPad’s current all-property spot yield of 8.63% sits comfortably above the cost of most fixed-rate finance available today.

“We expect buyers to stay focused on realistically priced, income-producing lots rather than chasing volume.”

The full report can be viewed here