For a number of years now, Liverpool FC owners have been promising fans that a stadium expansion will allow a greater number than ever before to attend home games and cheer on their favourite team. However, thanks to financial difficulties and the longest recession in living memory, the commencement of the project has been continuously put... Read More
Dublin planners are expected to fast track a National Asset Management Agency-backed scheme to transform a derelict dockland mill into a multi-million pound high-tech office complex. The €150m (£118m) redevelopment of the capital's historic Boland’s Mill — one of the largest commercial schemes in Dublin since the crash — is being... Read More
Despite the reluctance of private developers to gamble on speculative builds, activity is returning to Northampton a leading commercial agent has claimed. "Many developers have come out of hibernation and are now heavily promoting sites which are already fully serviced, ready for new development, albeit on a design-and-build basis,"... Read More
Wolverhampton’s Mander Centre has been successfully acquired by private equity real estate fund manager Benson Elliot, with the new owner already putting into motion plans for a multi-million pound refurbishment. The 620,000 sq ft shopping centre already houses more than 100 retailers with big names such as New Look, H Samuel and... Read More
German discount chain Aldi has confirmed it is reviving plans for a half-a-million square foot distribution depot in Kent. If approved the new facility would create at least 400 jobs. The Isle of Sheppey site, near Neats Court, was named by the retailer last December as heading a short list of areas being considered for its South East... Read More
Car manufacturing companies have played a significant part in the UK’s recovery, with firms such as Jaguar Land Rover and Vauxhall investing heavily in their facilities. Now, luxury brand Bentley has announced it will invest further in its Crewe headquarters, constructing a new research and development centre set to create around 300... Read More
A mystery buyer has snapped up a near-derelict 23-storey Birmingham commercial block that has stood empty for more than a decade. Described as a "challenging" sale by David Oprey, a partner at accountants Chantrey Vellacott acting as receiver, he said a confidentiality clause in the contract prohibited him from naming the new owner of... Read More
Manufacturers are being forced to go head-to-head with distribution and haulage businesses as the shortage of North West industrial property deepens. The drought in readily available space has been highlighted by defence and missile systems maker, MBDA, commissioning a 100,000 sq ft unit at Bolton's Logistics North. When complete the... Read More
Concerns have been raised over claims that staff employed in one of Britain's biggest banks are being be asked to redecorate dilapidated branches — in their own time. The head office suggestion that staff help out with "painting, tidying up and general do it yourself" was revealed in a leaked internal memo posted on the Royal Bank of... Read More
The fourth-richest man in China, plans to raise up to $6 billion with the initial public offering (IPO) of shares in Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties Co. Ltd. Wang Jianlin has a net worth of $13.2 billion and has increased his holdings from 21 Wanda Plaza mixed use developments to 100 over the last four years. Wang got help from... Read More
With Christmas fast approaching businesses around the country are seeking office party venues, giving the pub and restaurant sectors a welcome boost to their end of the year takings. At Greene King, executives are hoping that the festive season will allow annual sales to rise further following an exceptionally strong first half which saw... Read More
Less than two years after it acquired a Buckinghamshire retail park as part of the "Saturn Portfolio" sell-off, out-of-town shopping and distribution investor LondonMetric Properties (LMP) has flipped the site in a £21.8m sale. Within hours it had invested an undisclosed sum in the purchase of a 37-acre Bedford Borough Council-owned... Read More
With a raft of new tenants coming on board, the opening of the Shangri-La Hotel, and The View from The Shard welcoming its millionth visitor, 2014 has been an exciting year for Western Europe’s tallest building. February was the month when activity at The Shard accelerated with the confirmation of five new lease agreements – Mathys... Read More
Although conditions on the high street remain tough, a number of retailers are managing to post strong results as consumers begin to warily spend once more. One such brand is the Edinburgh Woollen Mill, which has announced it will open at least 100 new stores in the next two years amidst an encouraging rise in annual profits. The... Read More
As widely anticipated the Chancellor used his Autumn Statement to confirm a review of business rates administration, following repeated calls from business and property groups to take action. The British Property Federation (BPF) recently published a report, Better Rates for Better Business, in which it sets out a number of proposals... Read More
Property group Urban & Civic has this week confirmed its purchase of two key sites in Manchester from investment bank Morgan Stanley, upon which it intends to construct hundreds of apartments and hotel rooms. The deal, worth £22.45 million, has seen Urban & Civic take ownership of both the Origin site near Manchester’s gay... Read More
Tesco continues to struggle against the tide of waning consumer interest, with offers from discounters such as Aldi and Lidl and upmarket brand Waitrose at present proving far more popular than their pledges to cut prices. Unfortunately, it seems that the news from the country’s largest supermarket group is continuing to go from bad to... Read More
Scottish landlords should no longer automatically expect to recover the cost of repairing damage to their buildings, one of the country's leading property law experts has warned. For years it has been commonly accepted that lease agreements inevitably give owners the right to demand the cost of repairs from departing tenants, whether... Read More
It appears that this year’s statement will see the prayers of small businesses answered as the Chancellor intends to deliver a package of funding plans designed to aid SMEs. George Osborne is expected to announce the extension of a number of policies which have already been implemented by this Parliament, along with introducing new... Read More
Although work has just begun this week on a new leisure destination in Bournemouth, developer Licet Holdings has confirmed that a high percentage of restaurant units have been pre-let due to the immense demand for space. The £50 million leisure destination, which has been financed by Legal & General Property’s Leisure Fund,... Read More
Blue chip asset managers Rockspring Property has paid £21m for one of Britain's leading technology and innovation hubs. Clearbell Capital — the new name for the private real estate group Mountgrange — has sold Cambridge Research Park to Rockspring Property Investment Managers in a deal which encompasses 78,000 sq ft of existing... Read More
The future of a retail park development on the outskirts of Exeter has this week been thrown into jeopardy after planning officers recommended the local council deny planning permission. Although developers the Consolidated Property Group have already gained outline planning permission for large swathes of the Moor Exchange retail park... Read More
