Scotland has been on a high this summer after Andy Murray smashed his way to victory and won Wimbledon. But that is not the only thing that Scotland has to smile about as the glorious sunshine, which even reached The Highlands, boosted high street sales across the country. In July sales were up by 4 per cent, when compared to the same... Read More
Spain's commercial property sector showed signs of improved confidence in the first six months of 2013, according to Knight Frank's Spain Commercial Property Market Review. There was a sharp increase in the take-up in Madrid office space in H1, and increased numbers of investors have been seeking opportunities in the Spanish market. Two... Read More
Employment has been one of the largest topics in the UK this week, with controversies surrounding zero hours contracts, the position of working mothers and longer hours in the office for the nation’s workers hitting the headlines on a virtually daily basis. Fortunately, amidst all the negativity, one piece of positive news has... Read More
Although the economy has drastically improved since the start of 2013, many SMEs across all industries are still finding it difficult to achieve the results seen before the recession hit in 2008. As a result, the owners of these smaller firms are putting in longer and longer hours at the office in a bid to increase profit margins... Read More
The Bangkok Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has released a report saying that banks reporting tighter overall credit standards for commercial real estate loans outnumber ones reporting the opposite. The banks are continuing to indicate signs of increased restrictions to lending to this sector in the face of tighter regulatory scrutiny on the... Read More
The beautiful weather which kicked off this summer season came as a huge relief to retailers, for whom the washout summer of 2012 remained a very real, unpleasant memory. Coinciding with an upturn in Britain’s economic forecasts, the sunshine saw consumers rushing to the beach in order to top up their tans – with many choosing to stock up... Read More
This week it was announced that inflation has once again fallen, going from 3.3 per cent in June to 3.1 per cent in July according to the ONS. As is to be expected, consumers reacted extremely positively to the news, as this will allow households across the country access to more disposable income than has been seen for some... Read More
Retailer Marks & Spencer has had something of a turbulent time of late, with critics claiming that its clothing line has failed to attract the attention of target audiences. However, as the autumn/winter collection has so far received positive reviews, it appears that things may be on the up for one of the UK’s most established... Read More
Cheaper hotel rooms could be offered by online booking agencies after an on-going investigation by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) into agreements between online travel agents and hotels. The OFT looked at allegations that Booking.com and Expedia had an agreement with Intercontinental Hotels not to undercut its rates. Intercontinental... Read More
With many university degrees now costing upwards of £6,000 every year, more and more young people are choosing to forego further education in an attempt to seek gainful employment. However, for those who wish to attend university but simply cannot afford to do so, the rising cost can indeed be a bitter pill to swallow. Fortunately, it... Read More
The Global Commercial Property Survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) showed a significant increase in investor confidence in the UAE commercial property market. The country came in second in the RICS Investment Sentiment Index. These Indices track how investor sentiments change over a quarterly period in different... Read More
Investor confidence in the Australian commercial property market plunged in Q2 as the economy softened. The NAB Commercial Property Index dipped to minus 16, the third lowest level since the bank started keeping track in March 2010. This level represents the weakest level since December 2012. Offices were the hardest hit, with the index... Read More
The recent controversy over zero-hours contracts employed by firms such as Sports Direct has opened the floor to a flood of employment-related issues. Subjects such as the role of working mothers in the workplace and underemployment have been the subject of much discussion in the past month, with British workers claiming that the unemployment... Read More
Last week, Movehut revealed that future plans for the high street are causing controversy between local authorities and the government. Under new legislation, empty shop units on the high street could be turned into affordable housing without the requisite planning permission, which many councils believe is a “further erosion of their... Read More
The former Wickes boss leading the latest study of the high street has dismissed one of the key recommendations of the Portas Review. Bill Grimsey argues that Mary Portas’ proposal to switch the business rates multiplier from the retail price index (RPI) to the consumer prices index (CPI) would “make barely any... Read More
With an influx of modern technology and the resulting alteration of consumer behaviour, retailers are having to become increasingly inventive in order to attract customers to their stores. However, for those without the funds necessary to install delivery services or “contactless” payment points, this challenge can often seem... Read More
The worldwide obesity crisis, and ensuing media attention, have forced consumers to consider the health implications of their diet in a way never before seen. As a result, natural, locally grown produce has become highly desirable for those looking to keep fit and eat well – a fact supermarket chain Waitrose hopes to capitalise... Read More
The French firm, which owns the Ibis, Sofitel, Mercure and Novotel chains, appears to have finally relented to the growing demand from consumers. Guests at 59 Ibis hotels, 76 Mercure hotels and 31 Novotel hotels will be able to connect online in all public areas and bedrooms. Despite the growing availability of free Wi-Fi at cafes,... Read More
The flood of development and redevelopment projects in London continues, with demand from international businesses for high quality office space now reaching record heights. This week, it has been revealed that British Land will take control of the redevelopment of one of London’s prime locations, with another mixed use complex now in the... Read More
With the controversy over zero hours contracts hitting the headlines on a daily basis, a number of other employment issues have been brought to the fore now that the recession is over and job security is a little more assured. One of the key issues this week has been raised by working mothers, who claim that they are often discriminated... Read More
Westminster Council has written to Communities Secretary Eric Pickles to register its opposition to the proposal to relax parking restrictions on double yellow lines which, it says, would lead to gridlock in the West End. The government proposal is intended to help high street traders by allowing motorists a 15 minute grace period to... Read More
Auctioneers are seeing more lots fetching higher prices as auction fever returns to London. A total of 156 property auctions were held throughout the United Kingdom in June and over 72 per cent of lots were sold, for a total price of almost £239 million. This level of activity has not been seen since the market hit its peak in... Read More
