David Cameron recently launched a new public sector business initiative called Start Up Britain. The scheme has been designed to offer assistance and aid to anyone who is thinking of, or are in the process of, starting their own business. When launching the scheme just under a month ago, the Prime Minister made a direct appeal to any... Read More
Whenever we see plans for a new sporting venue, a primary focus of the development, seems to be on the conferencing and events facilities. When plans for new stadia are revealed to the public, we invariably hear the clubs chairman discussing how, such plans are integral to the long term business plan of the club. Rather than discussing... Read More
Have you ever thought of getting rid of the large serviced office space, you are paying a premium for? And, allowing your employees the freedom of working from home, away from the hustle and bustle of your serviced office. Before, you decide to allow any of your employees the luxury of working from home. You must make sure that everyone... Read More
Examine the toolkit of a commercial property owner, and the not-so-secret compartment, labelled ‘sale and leaseback’, is always present. For some, it is a last resort option, its glass case to be smashed open only in case of emergency. For others, it is a handy Swiss army knife of a tool, offering the ability to unlock capital that... Read More
Open-plan offices first became fashionable, in America in the 1890s. After, mechanical engineer, Frederick Winslow Taylor, promoted his 'scientific management' design, for ultra-efficient mass production. Clerical workers were lined up in rows, in large rooms and tasks were divided into repetitive acts, allowing a continuous flow of work... Read More
That’s it, I’ve had enough, I hate my office space. I hate how normal it is, how boring, how everyday. I’ve put on the old, thinking cap and I am going to work out something different to the usual commercial property space, or serviced office. I’m going radical. I’m thinking of something like a tree house. Great views, open... Read More
As the economic climate begins to bite, we find that the price of both commercial property and rented offices, is either stable or dropping. It is particularly noticeable in rented office space, that landlords are offering great deals for those willing to move and sign some form of medium to long term contract. So, if you are currently... Read More
The results are in; both the United Kingdom and London will be booking limousines, dusting off their best dresses, and preparing tearful acceptance speeches. The 2011 edition of How Global is the Business of Retail?, an annual survey by CB Richard Ellis (CBRE), has revealed that for the fourth year in a row the UK retains its... Read More
What effect, if any, will the terrible disaster that has befallen Japan have on the demand for commercial property and serviced offices in Britain and the rest of Europe? Firstly we need to look at the effects on the general economy. It is still too early to say with any certainty, what the full impact of the tsunami, and the growing... Read More
Commitment to environmentalism is vital to ensure progress in the commercial property sector. The previous government’s pledge to reduce CO2 emissions by 2050, remains in force. Environmental acts and directives continue to be passed, affecting current and projected commercial property developments. Carbon footprints, sustainability and... Read More
The government’s Enterprise Zone initiative continues to lay foundations, construct extensions and build paths to economic recovery across the UK. The Royal Docks in East London is the latest area assigned Enterprise Zone status, with providers of serviced offices ideally placed to take advantage. Following lengthy negotiations between... Read More
Latest reports seem to suggest that the US commercial property market is starting to climb. The US economy grew at a 2.8% annual rate in the fourth quarter of 2010, helping boost demand for serviced offices, retail and industrial space.However, some fluctuations will remain as the share of troubled transactions continues to be... Read More
Landmark plc have appointed accounting, tax and treasury expert Tim Kiddy as group financial controller, an appointment that comes at a crucial time for the serviced offices provider. Landmark’s focus is on providing serviced offices in the heart of the City of London. Established in 2000, it has five serviced offices in its portfolio of... Read More
Buy or rent? It’s the age old question. I am talking about renting or buying commercial property or office space for your own use, not as an investment to rent out to others. Both paths have their advantages and disadvantages, the major ones being; you will tie capital up if you purchase your commercial property or office and you are... Read More
Is the double dip recession upon us? Has it passed, or are we still waiting for it? And are we likely to see, a corresponding double-drop in the values of commercial property and rental, on serviced offices and shops? A couple of years ago, governments and their central banks managed to forestall a financial crisis from becoming a fully... Read More
The 2012 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records is probably still just a twinkle in a printer’s eye, but in the field of commercial property, markers are already being laid down for a £1bn+ world record bid. The Citigroup Tower, scraping the sky in Canary Wharf, London, has been placed on the market by entrepreneur Glenn Maud and... Read More
I have just returned from a business trip to South Africa. I was carrying out research into their commercial property and serviced office market and I must say that it was a real eye-opener. I had never been to South Africa before and I must admit, I was expecting a typical ex-colonial country. You know the one, slightly tired buildings and... Read More
The traditional English pub has, I am sure you will agree, seen much better days. With pubs across Britain closing at an alarming rate (now around 25 per week), what is to become of these high quality and often landmark structures? Despite the great sadness in the decline of such an institutional industry, there can be some solace... Read More
Can buying and selling commercial property for profit be done? In the past few years we have all seen how easy it is to make money on residential property; you simply buy a run down property, fix it up and re-sell it. Countless television programmes have spent many hours showing us how it’s done. We have also seen how easy it is to do... Read More
According to the Office for National Statistics, in March 2011 there were over 2 million enterprises in the UK registered for VAT/PAYE. This is a decrease of 2.4%, when compared to the figures for the same period in 2009. However, with the country now said to be in recovery, many businesses may well be looking to expand their premises. As... Read More
As the year has moved into its second quarter, does the precarious, commercial property market have reason to raise its expectations and look to the future in a positive manner? Well, recent reports offer some cause for optimism. Commercial property values have been boosted by the latest report released by CBRE, which has shown a marked... Read More
I met an interesting pair of entrepreneurs last week. They had just purchased a residential house, in Canterbury city centre and were in the process of converting it into a suite of serviced offices. The services that they planned to include were; a dedicated receptionist, administrative support, telecom service, IT infrastructure and... Read More
