Search Results for: investment

November 20, 2018

Investment in London commercial offices unlikely to be changed by Brexit

by Sara Bean • Cities, Facilities management, News, Property

London’s commercial office appeal unlikely to change because of Brexit Investment in City of London offices is up by 7.6 percent for the same period last year reaching £9.47 billion as of the end of October 2018 – while the West End market is on track to reach at least £7.4 billion before the year is out. This is up on the £7 billion turnover seen in 2017, according to Savills. Stephen Down, executive director and head of Savills Central London investment team, says: “Demand for central London offices has remained buoyant throughout 2018. While we may not see the year set any new records, annual volumes look set to either surpass or draw very close to those of 2017. (more…)

November 14, 2018

Far too few people cycle to work despite promotion and investment in infrastructure

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

In spite of the government investing £1.2 billion into cycling, new research claims that it is still only a few people who are cycling to work, with many citing nervousness about cycling in traffic as the reason. A survey of more than 7,600 UK adults published by Decathlon in the Decathlon Activity Index 2018, shows that only 7 percent of the nation is commuting to work with a bike. Despite cities including Manchester, Cambridge and London having made improvements to accommodate cycling, more than 1 in 4 (26 percent) still feel it is too dangerous to do so. This was followed by 21 percent who said they are still too scared to cycle the roads to work.

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October 31, 2018

Lack of skills investment means businesses miss out on benefits of automation

by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Workplace

A new report from the Capgemini Research Institute claims that, in the majority of companies (58 percent), automation is not yet meeting executives’ desired goals of increased productivity. The study, Upskilling your workforce for the age of the machine: Why a workforce upskilling strategy is key to unleashing automation’s productivity potential reveals that while automation does increase productivity to an extent, the key to reaching its full potential is by appropriate upskilling of the workforce.

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August 9, 2018

Strong growth in office investment helps bolster European real estate market

by Sara Bean • Cities, Facilities management, News, Property

Total real estate investment in Europe decreased by 8 percent in the second quarter of this year, but there has been strong growth in the offices sector, with volumes totalling €29bn, compared to €24.1bn for the same period last year. Office investment for the first half of the year was also up 11 percent on the same period last year. Furthermore, investment into other areas, including healthcare and student accommodation, remained resilient, with volumes on par with that of last year and 6 percent up on the first half of 2017. Following a more subdued start to the year, the UK posted a strong second quarter. Total investment in Q2 2018 reached €19.9bn, driven by a record quarter for London City office investment. Jonathan Hull, managing director of Investment Properties, EMEA at CBRE commented: “Despite ongoing political uncertainties, the UK remains an attractive destination for European and global capital.”

July 2, 2018

Investment in European corporate real estate takes a downward turn

by Mark Eltringham • News, Property

Investment levels across European corporate real estate markets are currently on course to meet 2017 levels, after finishing last year on a high. Levels of investment in the first three months of 2018 was broadly in line with the long term average following one of the strongest final quarters recorded in the report from real estate consultancy Savills. Commercial investment totalled €46 billion across the survey area, down 8 percent compared to the same period last year but broadly in line with historic trends.

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June 20, 2018

Asian investment in City of London offices now hitting record levels

by Mark Eltringham • News, Property

Asian money is pouring into office investments in the Square Mile at a pace rarely seen before, according to a new analysis by Savills. About £3.4 billion of Asian capital has been invested in London offices already this year, according to a study from the property consultancy. That is 70 per cent of the total volume and a record high for the first six months of a year. In the past three months alone, Asian buyers have snapped up £3.5 billion of buildings in London’s financial district. This is the highest figure for a second quarter since 2007, when the commercial property market was at its peak just before the credit crunch hit, according to Savills.

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April 18, 2018

Investment Association asks major employers to address lack of progress on gender diversity

by Mark Eltringham • News, Workplace

The investor lobbying group the Investment Association (IA) and the Hampton-Alexander Review have written to 35 FTSE 350 companies with low female representation at leadership level, calling for change. 14 companies in the FTSE 100 have been singled out in the letter. Companies in the FTSE 100 who have all-male Executive Committees, such as BP and Smurfit Kappa Group, and companies whose combined Executive Committees and Direct Reports have low proportions of women, such as Persimmon and TUI, have been asked to explain their poor gender balance and what steps they are taking to move towards the targets as set out in the Hampton-Alexander Review. The Investment Association and the Hampton-Alexander Review have also written to 11 companies in the FTSE 250 who have all-male Boards, including Sports Direct and Stobart Group, and 10 companies who chose not to report their gender diversity data to the Hampton-Alexander Review last year, including The AA, J D Wetherspoon and Wizz Air.

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March 7, 2018

Europe continues to attract high levels of commercial property investment

by Mark Eltringham • News, Property

Research released by Knight Frank in the European Quarterly, Commercial Property Outlook (Q3 2017) highlighted how 2017 European investment volumes were on course to beat those of 2016. In fact, a total of €47.4 billion was invested in European commercial property in the third quarter (Q3) 2017; a 13 percent increase on the same quarter of 2016. A new report from commercial property firm Savoystewart.co.uk claims to uncover the countries attracting the most interest in investment in Europe. In analysing the figures, Savoystewart.co.uk found several countries experienced a spike in commercial investment in 2017. Most notably in Finland, with a total investment of €5.6 billion, Q1-Q3 – a rise of 121.60 percent on figures from 2016. Hungary (89.90 percent), Romania (73.50 percent), the Czech Republic (43.30 percent) and Netherlands (41.70 percent) followed, with considerable increases measured.

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February 22, 2018

Investment in UK commercial property sector remains strong

by Neil Franklin • News, Property

Investment in UK commercial property rose 66 percent in January compared to the same month last year, according to data from Savills, to £4.2 billion. In its February Market in Minutes report the international real estate advisor says that investor appetite for UK property remains very strong. In 2017, total investment into UK real estate reached £65.4 billion, representing a 26 percent increase on 2016’s annual total. According to Savills, the office and industrial sectors led the way, with overseas investors responsible for nearly half of total volumes, of which Asian investors were the most active, accounting for a fifth of all investment.

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January 19, 2018

Apple announces plans for a new campus as part of huge investment programme

by Mark Eltringham • Company news, Property, Technology

Apple has announced plans to create a new campus for its technical support staff and to hire an additional 20,000 employees over the next five years. The details of the new location will be announced later this year as part of a five year plan which the firm claims will make its direct contribution to the US economy hit more than $350 billion. Apple currently employs 84,000 people in the US, with the majority of in California, including at its much publicised new Apple Park campus building in Cupertino (pictured).

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January 18, 2018

Germany loses favour as corporate real estate investment hotspot

by Mark Eltringham • News, Property

Germany is no longer the most popular global destination for corporate real estate investment, according to BrickVest’s latest commercial property investment barometer. Formerly the most popular location in Q3 2017, Germany has now fallen in favour among investors behind the UK, US and France. Germany saw a drop in popularity from 34 percent to 23 percent in the last quarter, marking its lowest rating since Q2 2016. The UK, however, rose from 27 percent to 29 percent in Q4 2017, managing to sustain its general popularity by consistently ranking above 25 percent.

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December 19, 2017

City of London on track for record levels of office investment

by Neil Franklin • Cities, News, Property

The City of London is defying the doomsday Brexit scenario and on track to reach record levels of office investment in 2017, as Savills anticipates total turnover will hit £12.5 billion – subject to a number of deals currently under offer exchanging or completing before 31st December. This sees total transactions in 2017 doubling the 10-year average (£6.259 billion), in line with the all-time record volume seen in 2014 (£12.6 billion). The real estate advisor suggests the West End market will see £7.155 billion transacted in 2017 bringing total turnover in central London for the year £19.6 billion. Savills says that the weakness of sterling since the EU referendum has boosted the city’s attractions to overseas capital. This has happened in tandem with a return of UK buyers to the London market. Figures from the firm show office take-up in the City and West End are both above the long-term average while more than a third of the city’s developments are pre-let.

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