Following Honda’s announcement of job cuts after a drop in European sales there may have been worries of a decline in car manufacturing in the UK. Fortunately, it appears that not all companies choosing to base major manufacturing hubs in Britain have suffered the same drop in sales as the Japanese giant. Business Secretary Vince... Read More
Images of the violence currently rocking Northern Ireland are deterring investment in the commercial property market, Belfast agents warn. One deal, worth £1.5 million, has reportedly fallen through due to the unrest which has led to politicians calling for a return to the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement. Belfast City Hall An... Read More
Washington investment firm Meridian Group recently closed the deal on its first real estate private equity fund with over $160 million in discretionary capital from investors. The money can be leveraged to buy property worth more than $500 million in the metropolitan Washington D.C. area. The 20-year-old Bethesda-based investment... Read More
The chief executives of some of Britain’s leading retailers are set to come under scrutiny after lacklustre Christmas trading. Chief executive of Wm Morrison, Dalton Philips, will be under the spotlight amid fears that the supermarket chain may have to warn on profits after growing evidence suggests that it was the big loser among the... Read More
With the Christmas season well and truly over and office parties behind us for another year, employees will have returned to the suit and tie policies that govern the majority of workplaces. This means the emphasis will, once again, be on smart dress rather than fashion as January progresses. However, many workplaces have a more relaxed... Read More
We have all been in the position, at one point or another, of being so hungry we could eat a horse. Yet it appears that certain UK supermarkets have taken this saying a little too seriously, with horrified customers of stores such as Tesco, Lidl and Aldi being informed this week that their value beef burgers contain traces of horse meat –... Read More
A host of new tenants at Media City has led to revenues almost doubling for the Peel Group, the company that owns the site. Recently released figures show a jump in revenues from £9 million to £17. 1 million following a rapid increase in take-up since the BBC went live at the 36 acre Salford Quays development. Alongside the BBC,... Read More
Manchester city planners have given the go ahead to the UK’s first airport city. The £650 million project will deliver a high quality commercial community that is expected to create over 11,000 jobs over the next ten years. The 65 acre development follows similar projects in Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Copenhagen and will enhance... Read More
Strict capital rules imposed on UK banks will increase costs for commercial developers and have a detrimental effect on the wider market, industry insiders have warned. The regulations, called slotting, have been introduced by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and are designed to formalise the method banks use to determine the... Read More
The redevelopment of a Reading office building is due to begin later this month. The King’s Road property, formally occupied by Royal Sun Alliance, will undergo a multi-million pound conversion into a 10,000 sq. ft. health and fitness centre, which will trade under the name Buzz Gym. In addition the upper floors of the property will... Read More
The Irish commercial property market will be polarised in 2013. According to the latest predictions from CBRE, the Dublin market will be vibrant and active but secondary markets will struggle in comparison. Demand is currently quite high from international investors who are interested in acquiring prime real estate in the Irish market.... Read More
The number of tall buildings completed during 2012 fell for the first time in six years according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. In total sixty six buildings taller than 200 metres were completed globally last year compared with 82 in 2011. The Shard was completed in 2012 The figure was lower than expected as a... Read More
The high street has suffered another set-back following the announcement of HMV and Jessops both entering administration. Blockbuster GB Limited, the DVD and games rental firm, announced yesterday that it too has entered administration due to a change in the way we watch films and increased pressure from internet providers, such as... Read More
Sheffield City Council have announced that they will be making £50 million worth of cuts, with £30 million of those affecting many public buildings throughout the city. Libraries are the worst affected properties, which 14 out of 27 libraries facing closure. However communities can save their local library if their community group is... Read More
Last year was, to put it mildly, rather difficult for retailers on the high street, with popular chains such as GAME, Clinton Cards and JJB Sports all entering administration as a result of reduced consumer spending. Unfortunately, it seems that 2013 may not be any easier for stores desperately struggling to survive as two well-known high... Read More
The government has revealed plans for an independent adjudicator in the pub industry to help struggling landlords. The Department for Business said the aim was to reduce unfair practices, such as high rents and the prices publicans have to pay for beer. Campaigners have complained for years of being exploited by so called pubcos. Pubcos... Read More
The results of a new market research report from Jones Lang LaSalle indicate that global real estate volumes increased in the final quarter of 2012. A total of $141 billion in transactions closed during the three-month period to bring the total preliminary volume for the year to $436 billion. These real estate investment volume numbers... Read More
It seems that 2012 was the year for the UK car manufacturing industry, with increasing numbers of international brands choosing to invest in the skill and expertise of the country’s workforce. Firms such as Jaguar Land Rover and Vauxhall chose to expand existing sites by almost doubling employee numbers, while others such as Japanese... Read More
The Sheffield stadium where Jessica Ennis trains could be closed in an attempt to save money, according to a report seen by the BBC. The document shows Sheffield City Council could save £500,000 a year if the Don Valley Stadium was to shut. The council said a decision had not been made as yet and this was just one of a list of... Read More
The value of farmland in Kent rose by nearly three per cent during 2012 and currently stands at £6,214 per acre. Considered over a longer period, prices in the county have risen by an incredible 11,500 per cent since the 1950s and further increases are expected this year. Farming remains a hugely important industry in the South East... Read More
It is forecast that commercial property market conditions in Taipei are likely remain slow over the next several months. Tighter investment thresholds will continue to restrict life insurance companies, which accounted for over half of the transactions that were closed in 2012. This figure was down 16 per cent compared with 2011... Read More
The estimated total value of outstanding debt secured against commercial property was £285 billion as of the middle of 2012. This figure takes into account loans secured by Ireland's NAMA bank according to De Montfort University's UK Commercial Property Lending Market Report. The report, the largest of its kind, takes a comprehensive... Read More
