The Anglo–Dutch consumer products manufacturer Unilever is building a £24m “super factory” at Port Sunlight, its spiritual home on the Wirral. Bigger than a football pitch, the conglomerate’s Advanced Manufacturing Centre will be attached its current research and development facility. The new building, scheduled for completion... Read More
Despite recent reports indicating that retail rents are finally showing signs of growth, the sector remains deeply polarised with high vacancy rates still a feature of many regional markets. However, a new initiative has been launched this week designed to tackle the problem of declining high streets by encouraging more retail... Read More
A Buckinghamshire council has awarded the contract to manage the construction of a £150m commercial and leisure complex to Mace Real Estate. Wycombe District Council claims its 17-acre Handy Cross Hub development will attract major office occupiers and generate up to 1,300 new jobs. The scheme will also contain a 25,000 sq ft Waitrose... Read More
As UK growth first started to gather momentum following the recession, the manufacturing sector became one of the country’s best performing areas, feeding demand for industrial property. However, recent weakening in global demand has seen both confidence and output within the sector take a nose dive, with many manufacturing firms now... Read More
The North East’s largest independent firm of property consultants has been instructed to undertake the refurbishment of Talipot House at Gateshead’s Team Valley. Naylors Chartered Surveyors will be carrying out the work on behalf of the landlord, a private London investor, who acquired the 17,000 sq ft office building in... Read More
British Land is inviting shoppers to savour flavours from around the globe at four of its shopping parks. The new initiative celebrates the best of British street food and will run every weekend for the rest of the year. Eats from the Street kicked off at Glasgow Fort Shopping Park and is scheduled to visit Fort Kinnaird Shopping Park... Read More
High street retailer John Lewis and British Airways have demonstrated their commitment to a Manchester business park. The airline, which first took space at Didsbury’s Towers Business Park in 2000, has extended its lease on 55,000 sq ft for a further seven years. Its 400-staff operation on the site includes British Airways Executive... Read More
Work has started on a new business campus aimed at attracting world class companies to Scotland’s latest development zone. Enerfield Business Park lies within the Energetica corridor — a 30 mile area extending from Aberdeen and Peterhead and bordered by Aberdeen International Airport — and will eventually provide more than... Read More
Maryland based real estate investment trust Sabra Health Care, has acquired a portfolio of 21 independent living facilities from Holiday Acquisition Holdings. The REIT paid $550 million in cash for the portfolio, which is made up of 2,850 units. It also ensured that the transition of ownership would proceed smoothly by signing a... Read More
Ireland’s National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) has included Facebook’s new Dublin headquarters in one of five property portfolios it is selling off with a combined starting price of €600m (£372m), The organisation has hired property agents CBRE and JLL to handle the sale which is being advertised as five packages but could,... Read More
Vacancy rates for Class A offices in Taiwanese capital Taipei have continued to drop in the last quarter leading to a slight rise in rents, according to Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL). Office vacancy rates decreased to 8 per cent during the three month-period ending in September as demand from companies in the technology, financial and... Read More
The new owner of Manchester’s City Tower has confirmed it is hiring a planning team to look at ways of upgrading the area surrounding the building. Schroders Property Investment Management paid £132m City Tower in the summer. Fronting both Piccadilly Gardens and New York Street, the 49-year-old building contains 615,429sq ft of... Read More
Student-led pro-democracy protests have resulted in negotiations for the sale of several Hong Kong commercial properties being postponed as investors get the jitters, according to property agents. Daniel Wong Hon-Shing, the chief executive at commercial agency Midland IC&I, states that negotiations on five properties have been put... Read More
Following his recent pledge to oppose a further extension of permitted development rights, London Mayor Boris Johnson has joined property groups and planners in calling for continued protection for key business districts. Under the government’s proposals to extend the scheme, which makes it easier to convert office space to housing,... Read More
Regeneration specialist St Modwen has confirmed it is expecting a “strong” rise in pre-tax profits this year buoyed by continued expansion in the commercial property market. The investment and development company, which has built its reputation on the reclamation and remediation of brownfield sites, is currently completing the... Read More
One of the North-East’s biggest enterprise companies has relaunched its first office development outside its “home” county. Arch: The Northumberland Development Company was established by Northumberland County Council as an arms-length venture to attract capital investment, sponsor brownfield regeneration projects and create jobs... Read More
Richard Rogers, the architect of the City of London’s Cheesegrater, is reported to be considering moving his practice into the 735 ft office tower. According to a report in today’s Evening Standard, the architect is involved in discussions with British Land which could lead to Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners taking the 14th floor... Read More
London-based Redefine International has sold ten of its regional assets — including Liverpool’s landmark Prudential Assurance Building— to an un-named buyer. The stock market-listed property investor, voted 2014 UK Real Estate Investment Trust of the Year, said all the properties were part of its non-core portfolio. Redefine... Read More
Concerns voiced by David Cameron about the slow progress of an East Midlands enterprise zone have been allayed — by his own Chancellor. In the spring of 2011, the Alliance Boots site in Beeston, Nottingham, was awarded enterprise zone status by the Government after a visit by the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. The... Read More
The owners of Cumbria’s largest shopping centre are considering proposals for a major extension which, they hope, will elevate spending and tourism income in England’s northernmost county. If the plans go-ahead, The Lanes in Carlisle will be extended eastwards onto a site currently used as a car park for the city’s shopping... Read More
Further increases in the rate of rental growth were recorded across all the main commercial property categories during September. The latest CBRE Monthly Index shows that All Property rental growth for the month stood at 0.3 per cent – the strongest rate recorded since December 2008. The office sector, once again, was the biggest... Read More
The recovery of the global commercial property market has seen huge sums of capital flood into so-called supercities like London, New York and Hong Kong. In these locations values have soared as businesses, developers and investors scramble to make the most of the opportunities available. But away from the headline-grabbing deals in the... Read More
