Colliers International has announced that it is absorbing Manekin LLC's property management and brokerage group. After the move is complete, Collier's will be the largest manager of commercial real estate in the Baltimore area. The merger was a stock transaction only. No cash changed hands between the two companies. The 40 Manekin... Read More
The first quarter of 2013 has taken a heavy toll on the retail industry, with several high profile names forced into administration. However, things are beginning to look up, with both Jessops and HMV rescued from administration by buyers in the past couple of weeks. Now traditional British manufacturing firm Axminster has received a... Read More
A commercial property development in the heart of the City has unearthed an entire Roman street that is being dubbed the Pompeii of the North. Archaeologists working on the site of Lord Foster’s new Bloomberg headquarters on Queen Victoria Street say the find, which includes thousands of artefacts, is something they have been dreaming of... Read More
Pets at Home, the UK’s largest supplier of pet products has paid a reported £40 million for 94 veterinary clinics owned by Vets4Pets. Pets at Home which has 345 stores, already offers veterinary treatments which is run by Companion Care. They currently offer services in 116 stores including: grooming and health checks. With the... Read More
Is having four IKEA’s within an hour’s journey too much? Today IKEA announced plans to build a multimillion pound new store in Sheffield, but does Sheffield really needs its own IKEA? Although Sheffield is one of the largest cities in the UK not to have an IKEA store, it does have three all around an hour’s journey away. Manchester,... Read More
Blackpool Central Hotel, part of Barnsley-based property company the Brook Group, is opening a brand new hotel in the seaside resort after agreeing to a franchise contract with Accor. Accor is regarded by many as the world’s leading hotel operator and market leader in Europe. Under the franchise agreement, Blackpool Central Hotels... Read More
For the first time the true cost of business rates on empty commercial properties has been revealed. A report released this week by the Taxpayers’ Alliance shows that, nationally, the figure for 2011-2012 was a massive £1.1 billion – a rise of 19 per cent on 2009-2010. This burden on landlords began in 2007 when exemption for... Read More
The UK’s most successful pizza company has once more posted strong quarterly sales, cementing its dominant position in the fast food industry. Promotional activity and improvements to services played a huge role in Domino’s rise to the top – an element that still works in drawing increasing numbers of customers to the... Read More
Upmarket supermarket Waitrose is set to sell wonky carrots and knobbly potatoes grown in local schools under a new nationwide scheme supported by gardener Alan Titchmarsh. The supermarket's new ‘grow and sell’ campaign aims to encourage 7 to 11 year-olds across the UK by helping them grow and sell their own food. Every Waitrose... Read More
Since the economy took a turn for the worse, charities across the UK have struggled to make ends meet and continue to support the most vulnerable members of our society. Falling disposable incomes have caused many who donated on a regular basis to withdraw their financial support out of necessity, and similarly clothing contributions have... Read More
Restructuring specialist Hilco has sealed a deal to rescue DVD and music retailer HMV. Hilco, which already owns HMV Canada, said it had acquired 132 HMV shops and all nine branches of the Fopp chain in a deal that could protect 2,500 jobs. HMV, the UK's last remaining national music retailer, collapsed in January after months of... Read More
Nearly 4,000 people attended a recent recruitment day held at Whiteley Shopping Centre. The event was held to fill the 1,000 positions available at the £84 million South Coast retail development which opens on May 23. Whiteley, which lies between Portsmouth and Southampton, comprises 56 units set in a natural environment featuring... Read More
Approximately $3.5 billion in commercial property priced at $5 million and above was sold in the first quarter of the year in Australia, according to figures released by CBRE. A-REITs are returning to the market, in a sign that the market is off to a healthy start in 2013. Perth central business district across Swan River This figure... Read More
Liverpool’s Clayton Square Shopping Centre has been sold to InfraRed Capital Partners by Land Securities. The 170,000 sq ft centre comprises 34 separate shop units, with existing tenants including popular high street names such as Boots, the Body Shop and Vision Express. Liverpool One faces competition now Infrared have acquired Clayton... Read More
Almost a quarter of Britain's major businesses now recruit staff on zero-hours contracts that keep workers on standby and deny them actual work or income. According to government estimates, 23 per cent of businesses with more than 100 staff have taken on the flexible contract terms for at least some staff following a rise in the number of... Read More
PRS for Music who are responsible for collecting and distributing royalties for music artists, have recorded a record year in 2012 despite some events been cancelled due to the Olympic Games. A total of £641.8 million was collected in royalties in 2012, an increase of 1.7 per cent from the previous year. But live music took the worst hit of... Read More
The mammoth Trinity Leeds shopping complex may have hit the headlines recently with its modern take on high street shopping, yet the focus in the northern city has now very much moved onto a more traditional retail experience. Leeds Kirkgate Market has been a central part of the city’s retail industry since 1857, surviving two world wars... Read More
Will the rest of the UK follow 5p carrier bag tax? Northern Ireland has introduced a new levy, which comes into force today, which will charge shoppers at least five pence if they wish to have their shopping in a carrier bag. The new law will allow retailers to charge what they like for a carrier bag, but many will stick to the minimum five... Read More
The economic downturn had a huge effect upon the UK, with consumers and businesses alike forced to reconsider their futures thanks to a lack of funds. As a result, a number of development projects ground to a halt across the UK, with the retail and leisure industries particularly struggling to overcome this obstacle. Fortunately,... Read More
Over the past 10 years, retail property rents in Hong Kong have increased several times in locations like Causeway Bay and other prime shopping districts. These areas are home to luxury stores that attract numerous tourists from mainland China. These visitors spend freely and small businesses are being squeezed out as landlords and... Read More
Phase one of television company ITV’s move to the new MediaCityUK facilities in Salford Quays is now officially complete, with several of the channel’s most popular shows already being broadcast from the location. During the past six months, over 500 staff have permanently relocated from the ITV building in London to the new 62,000... Read More
The body responsible for the £1 billion redevelopment of Dundee’s waterfront has been urged to ensure the project lives up to the design standards set by the outpost of the V&A Museum which will form its centrepiece. The regeneration project spans 240 hectares of land stretching 8km along the River Tay. Alongside the V&A... Read More
