China's richest man Wang Jianlin has paid €265m (£213m) for an historic Madrid skyscraper, prompting speculation that a key district of the Spanish capital will now attract badly needed investment. In a stock-exchange announcement the financial group Banco Santander confirmed it had sold the 384ft high Edificio España building to... Read More
Businesses in Ellesmere Port will now have access to millions of pounds of European development cash after campaigners won their fight to gain Assisted Area status for the industrial town. For the past six months, Cheshire and Warrington Enterprise Partnership joined forces with the Ellesmere Port Development Board and Cheshire West... Read More
While London remains the most active area in the UK for business growth, a growing number of entrepreneurs have turned away from the capital in order to pursue ventures elsewhere. This has seen start-up growth boom in regional areas, with the Northern corridor in particular becoming home to a wide range of new businesses and fuelling demand... Read More
Sainsbury’s has become the latest retailer to post a negative report for the past three months, marking the second consecutive quarter of falling sales for the group. During the 12 weeks to the 7th of June, like for like sales excluding fuel fell by 1.1 per cent in stores open for more than a year when compared to the same period in... Read More
Tourists heading north of the border spent more last year, with spending growth outstripping London for the first time. During 2013, the number of visitors to Scotland grew by 9.8 per cent to 2.44 million, with Edinburgh attracting 1.3 million tourists spending one night or more in the city. This made Scotland’s capital the second most... Read More
Last week, a report by property agent CBRE showed that London has become the most popular city in the world for international retailers seeking to expand into new markets, paving the way for these companies to grow in other areas of the UK. Now, it has emerged that yet another US retailer is set to move into the British market, with American... Read More
Hiscox has confirmed it’s state-of-the-art offices to be built at York will be the insurance giant’s biggest base outside London. The £19m flagship development could bring as many as 500 new jobs to the city. The company has also appointed Gateshead-based BAM Construction to build the 50,000sq ft futuristic glass and stone... Read More
Cape Town has opened South Africa’s first high-rise office building for more than two decades. It’s hoped the completion of the 32-floor Portside Tower will now trigger a return of international business investment to the republic. “Investing in a skyscraper of Portside's magnitude is the ultimate symbol of confidence in South... Read More
Newcastle-based property developers Adderstone Group has secured planning permission to build a series of offices in Gateshead as the the second phase of its Saltwell Business Park scheme. Started in 2009, the initial redevelopment of the Joicey Road Open Air School site involved the refurbishment of the dilapidated Grade II listed... Read More
The manufacturing industry has proven to be one of the strongest drivers of growth within the UK economy this year, with many firms choosing to expand their operations in order to capitalise on a boom in domestic and overseas demand. Not only has this boosted the revenues and profits of British manufacturing firms, it has elevated levels of... Read More
Fifty years to the day that it started trading a Warwickshire property firm has signed the lease on its new under-one-roof headquarters. The Wigley Group — which first opened its doors as a plant hire and earth moving company before moving into commercial property — has taken offices at the Cobalt Centre at Coventry’s Middlemarch... Read More
The retail industry remains one of the slowest areas of the British economy to gain full recovery status, yet this does not mean that all retailers within the sector are struggling. Conversely, budget retailers in both the supermarket and fashion categories are seeing profits and revenues rise impressively year on year, allowing many to... Read More
“Advance negotiations” are underway with a company it’s hoped will be the first occupant of a multi-million pound Merseyside office development. The four-storey Tower Wharf will also be the first office scheme planned within the newly designated Wirral Enterprise Zone. Local councillors are already considering detailed plans for... Read More
While in many areas of the country the recovery of the retail market remains slow, it seems there has been a boom in demand in the capital, with recent research from property consultancy Knight Frank revealing several major streets in Central London have “virtually no availability.” The property firm surveyed 18 key London... Read More
Pubs throughout the country will be hoping to cash in this week as the Football World Cup kicks off in Brazil. The potential revenue the tournament offers is clear when it is taken into account that 300,000 supporters are expected to watch England’s opening game in pubs, bars and other licenced premises in London alone. This has led... Read More
With the economic recovery gathering momentum, commercial building projects around the country have been given something of a kick-start as local authorities attempt to strengthen local economies. One such project is the new leisure centre due to be built in Hinckley, with councillors this week having granted final planning approval which... Read More
A West Yorkshire mill complex — listed among the top ten per cent of Britain’s most important historic buildings — is proving equally popular with television viewers as it is with its business tenants. Dalton Mills’ historic Clock Tower has become a thriving business hub since the sprawling 1860s site was acquired by... Read More
London-based International real estate advisor Savills has completed the 100 per cent buy out of one of American’s leading independent commercial real estate service firms. Acquiring New York-headquartered Studley Inc — formerly known as Julien J. Studley — will cost Savills up to $260m (£154m), allowing for a separate shares... Read More
Screwfix this week announced a large scale investment into the growth of its Stoke-on-Trent based distribution centre. Under the plans, which have already gained approval from the local authority, Screwfix’s existing 320,000 sq ft facility will almost double in floor space to 630,000 sq ft. This will allow the firm to expand operations on... Read More
South African retail property specialists, Resilient Property Income Fund, has completed the negotiations to buy Jubilee Mall in Hammanskraal, located north of Pretoria, from NAD Property Income Fund.. According to the company, the acquisition is part of the its strategy of investing in "dominant regional retail properties." The mall... Read More
Since the London Olympic Games and the ensuing furore over the summer of sport that followed, sporting retailers have enjoyed a huge amount of success as British consumers up their spending to grab themselves a piece of the action. This has seen bicycle and car parts retailer Halfords benefit in the form of increased sales and profits, to the... Read More
Ombudsman Services — the Government agency which arbitrates disputes within the communications, energy, property and copyright licensing industries — has signed a 55,000sq ft deal on its new Cheshire headquarters. The body will be moving the four-and-a-half miles from its current Wilderspool Business Park offices on the outskirts... Read More
