Severe weather is continuing to cause chaos across the UK, disrupting transport and leaving many without power. With the freezing temperatures forecast to drag on until the bank holiday weekend, we could enter British Summertime with large areas of the country blanketed in snow. Given the well documented problems facing the high... Read More
London tube bosses are to embark on a major overhaul of stations to compete with the commercial success of shopping at railway stations and airports. New convenience stores, coffee shops and virtual supermarkets at tube stations will be part of a retail revolution designed to take advantage of the 24 million daily Underground... Read More
Demand for Grade A Yorkshire industrial property increased dramatically during 2012. Take-up in the county rose to 2.3m sq ft, almost double the previous year’s figure, according to data from Lambert Smith Hampton. Demand could lead to speculative development Despite these positive indicators, total take-up in the area fell to 7.4... Read More
Companies looking to relocate or expand their office space in Birmingham are being forced to act quickly, as the amount of top grade office space has hit a five year low in the Midlands city. A survey by property specialists Colliers International has revealed that four consecutive years of attrition have left prospective tenants with... Read More
Market insiders say the Greek commercial property market is ready to bottom out by next year and will start to post higher numbers in 2014, if not sooner. Rental rate renegotiations and a general reduction in prices is expected to continue until the third quarter of this year, but will open up some good opportunities for investors. The... Read More
Hotel operator Malmaison has been purchased by an American venture capital firm for a rumoured £180 million which is expected to go a long way in paying off debts accrued by parent company MWB Group Holdings. KSL Capital Partners, from Colorado, is now expected to invest further in the Malmaison and included Hotel du Vin chains, with... Read More
Supermarket giant Sainsbury's has announced it will be creating 400 apprenticeship places over the coming year in a year-long scheme designed to train and develop managers of the future. The scheme, titled ‘You Can Be a Team Leader, Advanced Apprenticeship Level 3’, is now in place across Sainsbury's supermarkets and will support... Read More
Despite being a prime London location, Soho has struggled to attract high levels of investment or global company settlement in the past decade. With a slightly bad reputation and a wealth of sex shops and strip clubs populating the area, it seems that many companies chose to do business in more reputable districts and therefore agents... Read More
Since the turn of the year there have been signs of improvement in the UK commercial property market. This has led to a number of analysts forecasting that 2013 will be the year the market begins to enter the recovery phase. The poor performance of the high street worries some market analysts However in the wake of major retailers like... Read More
For several years now, much of the world has been preoccupied with the question of how to reduce the carbon footprint we leave on the planet. The electric car, for many, is the ultimate in eco-friendly transport and as such is becoming ever more popular in the UK. Sheffield Best Western Plus Mosborough Hall Hotel believes that the time is... Read More
The British weather-in particular heavy snow has continued to catch UK businesses unexpectedly in 2012, according to new research released by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). Bad weather conditions are revealed as the top cause of disruption to UK businesses over the last 12 months, with over 77 per cent of organisations... Read More
While the next few years are expected to be tough for those working in the retail industry, recent figures have shown a turning point in the post-recession doom and gloom. Camden High Street Thanks to initiatives such as pre-Christmas sales and offering shoppers more for their money, total sales growth as reported by the BRC-KPMG... Read More
Glasgow is showcasing the city’s retail heritage in an exhibition that is open to the public and free to enter. A busy Buchannan Street in Glasgow The exhibition, which is now open, started on 18th March and will run until 3rd June. The event is run by Glasgow City Heritage Trust and is available thanks to the research of four... Read More
The newest shopping and leisure development in the UK has welcomed the first wave of consumers after opening earlier this week. Trinity Leeds will be the only major retail development introduced to the UK this year and, as such, caused something of a stir in the surrounding area. By the time Keith Wakefield, leader of Leeds City... Read More
Beer drinkers are raising a glass today after the chancellor bowed to pressure by calling time on the beer duty escalator in yesterday’s budget. This means that the cost of a pint of beer will no longer automatically rise by 2 per cent above inflation every year. 5,800 pubs have closed since the beer duty escalator was introduced in... Read More
Green Street Advisors is predicting that commercial property prices in the United States will increase over the next six months. The California-based research firm is ‘80 per cent certain’ that prices will hit near peak-levels last seen in 2007. A report published by the group goes on to say mortgage backed securities are likely to... Read More
As the state of the global economy continues to improve outside the embattled Eurozone, retailers are beginning to leave behind austerity plans and once more examine options for international growth. Swedish fashion retailer H&M has already announced plans to expand their growing empire, with the chain’s sights firmly set on the USA as... Read More
The European commercial property market is at its most appealing level in 10 years, according to DTZ. According to its Fair Value Index, which provides information about the relative attractiveness of current pricing of European property markets by giving them a score out of 100 every quarter, the most recent figures indicate that the... Read More
Department store chains looked to be one of the rare retail success stories during the recession, with British giant John Lewis managing to post record sales figures over the Christmas period. However, it looks like the bubble may have burst for certain brands within the sector as Debenhams posted a shock profit warning after a 10 per cent... Read More
But Manchester is leading the way says property firm boss Despite signs of improvement, the provincial commercial property market has a lot of catching up to do warns the CEO of Leeds based firm Town Centre Securities (TCS). Edward Ziff, whose late father founded the investment and development company over 50 years ago, says conditions are... Read More
The commercial property market in New Zealand fell in the last three months of 2012, with total returns falling by 0.6 per cent. According to figures released by the Property Council/IPD NZ All Property Index, the total average (capital plus income) annual return across industrial, retail and office sectors was 8.8 per cent in the fourth... Read More
Cuts to legal aid is forcing the closure of nearly a third of Shelter's housing advice centres and pushing the Red Cross to abandon its support for family reunions, the organisations claim. The final decision to close down nine Shelter offices across England this month, with the loss of 80 to 100 jobs is blamed on the removal of funding for... Read More
