A story involving the Daily Telegraph newspaper, haulage company the Stobart Group and a £140m commercial property deal has been doing the rounds, raising a number of questions and eyebrows and receiving few answers. Four years ago, Stobart Group chairman Rodney Baker-Bates negotiated a £140m commercial property portfolio sale to Andrew... Read More
I am sure that we have all thought of working from home as opposed to in a serviced office or commercial property of some sort but what if we don’t have an extra room to turn into a serviced office? Well, then we could look at using the bedroom as a multipurpose room, for both sleeping and working. We can do this in a number of ways... Read More
The news arrived on Tuesday, that Iceland (the country not the supermarket chain) has once again brought Europe to a standstill. Okay, perhaps that is a little over dramatic, but the fresh ash cloud is sure to have a knock on effect on the UK’s commercial property market. The volcanic ash cloud is said to have disbursed from UK airspace,... Read More
The Olympic games in London, will it help or hinder our property woes? Will the prices of commerecial property and serviced offices leap ahead like a long jumper or drop like a shot put. Well, it’s difficult to find agreement over this. There are so many different sides to the games and so many different parts of London will be... Read More
Remember when Dubai was the hottest commercial property market in the world. Commercial property, apartments, serviced offices – whatever you invested in, your money seemed to double or even triple every few months. Well, the property crash has put a stop to all of that. There are now hundreds of unsold units and acres and acres of... Read More
In the serviced offices were I work we have a custom of dress down Friday. We’re not talking shorts and vest here, merely casual and comfortable. But last month, just for a change, someone suggested a ‘No technology Friday.’ We would all come into the serviced office and for one day only, attempt to function with an office similar to... Read More
Just think about it, you need an office in a hurry, in either, another town, or another country. You need said office fast and you need to get rid of it when you’re finished with it. In short, you need a disposable office. Well, that is exactly what a serviced office can be for you. You can gain immediate access. With most serviced... Read More
One hundred years ago, when the map of the world was painted pink, the British Empire was at its zenith and the City of London was the hub of global commerce. According to records placed online for the first time recently you could buy a huge commercial property in the centre of the capital for £14,000. The publication of the first... Read More
I was complaining to my boss about the poor lighting conditions in my serviced office and he recommended I buy a desk lamp. So I picked up a lovely Victorian style lamp on auction and this got me thinking about the Victorians. The Industrial Revolution began towards the end of the Victorian era. Life was altered greatly for many people,... Read More
We spend a lot of our time thinking on how best to run our businesses. Should we rent, or buy our serviced office space, or work from home. But maybe we simply shouldn’t bother. The reason that I’m saying that is because I have just had a set to with my bank. I solidly maintain that, contrary to what they are telling both the public... Read More
I often harp on about cutting down on office space in my serviced office. Smaller desks, built in filing cabinets, hot desk systems…a constant attempt to create an almost space-shuttle type environment in which to work – because, space is money. Now, I am the first to admit that it is possible to go overboard with this concept and it... Read More
Centric Property Group is investing heavily in commercial property in the North West. Towards the back end of 2010, Centric declared it was to open a new business park, housing serviced office space, in Roachdale, Greater Manchester. It was today announced that the Manchester based company have acquired land at Estuary Commerce Park in the... Read More
It has recently been reported in international business newspaper, the Financial Times, that the UK’s banks are racing to shed themselves of commercial property debts. The Financial Times declared, ‘the process of reducing the huge book of commercial property loans is under way’. In total there is over £224bn owed to UK banks in... Read More
The symbiotic relationship between serviced offices and technology has been analysed recently, with a focus on the future and what it means for the providers of serviced offices and their occupiers. At the British Council for Offices (BCO) conference in Geneva, the ‘clickizen’ generation, those used to accessing things with a click of... Read More
A new stream of commercial property is trickling onto the market. If you want to go and have a look, be prepared for one or more of the following: being told ‘stay behind the yellow line’, have someone affix a laminated card to your lapel, or have ‘shhh’ hissed at you from behind an old oak bookcase. The economic climate of council... Read More
All international real estate is a risky investment, whether we are talking commercial property or setting up serviced offices, but the more bizarre real estate investment choice must be buying acreage on the moon. In 1980 Lunar Embassy marketed astral acreage, meaning you could buy land on the moon for an affordable $37 per acre. Lunar... Read More
I have recently moved into a suite of serviced offices. I used to work from home but didn’t find it practical (too many distractions). Well, what I hadn’t figured on was the two desks opposite mine are both manned by ‘Super Geeks’. You know the type classic computer nerds, but when all is said and done, very funny guys. Here is... Read More
I am a firm believer in the old adage, ‘a penny saved is a penny earned.’ I have bargained on the rental of my serviced office, to make it as low as possible. I watch my expenses carefully and generally do well. But, most of my business is done online or over the phone so I have now come up with the ultimate money saving idea. I... Read More
Did you know that Shanghai has a population of almost 14 million people? That’s almost twice that of London. That’s a lot of people, especially when you consider that they are pretty much the same size. According to one survey, serviced office rents rose faster in Shanghai than anywhere else in Asia last year. The rise in... Read More
Think about it, Commercial property plays a central part of our day to day lives. The office space you work in, the shop you shop at and the movie house and restaurants you visit are all examples of commercial property. It's this area that is a significantly important part of our country's economy and we all add to this economy in a... Read More
Even if you work from a serviced office, as opposed to your own commercial property, you can usually install your own furniture. I must admit that I like my own chair and desk, especially the one I’ve been using for the last ten years. But if I was looking for a new one and had a budget to blow then it is amazing as to how much you can... Read More
Enterprise Inns, one of Britain’s largest ‘pubcos’ and owner of a commercial property empire of some 6,500 properties, has announced six-monthly pre-tax profits of £74m, down from last year’s £86m. The drop in profits is attributed to its ongoing programme of reducing commercial property holdings, together with an unusually harsh... Read More
