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So far Simon has created 86 blog entries.

West End Investment Market Upturn

The West End investment market is showing some signs of recovery with over £1bn of deals under offer, whilst availability is at over £4bn

West End Investment Market Upturn2023-12-10T18:17:45+00:00

London Office Market Overview

Your Content Goes Here Interest rates, quality & sustainability High interest rates are being blamed for a slump in Central London’s office market, in the first 6 months of 2023, with investor spend on buildings dropping by more than 50%.  The total investment volumes were 55% lower than a year earlier, and a 42% fall from the ten year average. Rising borrowing costs add further pressure to a market that is undergoing big change, for a variety of reasons. Hybrid working remains popular, post pandemic, and other factors such as “Best in Class” and sustainability are both having their effect On borrowing costs, Julian Sandbach, head of central London capital markets at  JLL said: “The extent of the slowdown in capital invested in central London commercial real estate in the first half of 2023 is profound. The effects of rising interest rates have had a material impact on pricing and confidence as investors continue [...]

London Office Market Overview2023-12-10T18:20:03+00:00

City of London Offices Sell for Nearly Double Guide Price

Your Content Goes Here The 56,000 sq ft office building at 5-10 Great Tower Street has been bought by real estate group Dominus for a reputed sum close to £25 million, against Cushman Wakefield’s guide price of £15 million. The sale comes as the City of London has indicated it may relax the Square Mile's strict planning requirements, that protect existing offices, to encourage alternative uses for secondary buildings. Dominus launched in 2011 and quickly built a hotels portfolio across the UK. It has more recently expanded into residential, student homes and mixed-use development. It is understood that plans for this building is for redevelopment as a hotel. Has this price achieved been influenced to any extent by the City of London’s recently indicated plans and the content of its “The Future of the Office” 2023 Arup Report? Probably the most significant recommendation in the Arup report is the introduction of a "fast track" [...]

City of London Offices Sell for Nearly Double Guide Price2023-12-10T18:21:17+00:00

Most Prominent Real Estate Leaders to Watch in 2023

Most Prominent Real Estate Leaders to Watch in 2023 Happy Days - it would seem our somewhat low key digital campaign is now reaping benefits as we have recently been informed that we have been shortlisted as Victory Magazine’s "The Most Prominent Real Estate Leaders to Watch in 2023" Whoop! Whoop! Ah, reading the announcing email a little further, the squib dampens.  It’s seems that we have been shortlisted to be given the opportunity to appear in a special edition of the magazine running "The Most Prominent Real Estate Leaders to Watch in 2023" as a feature.  Furthermore there is a nominal sponsorship fee of $1,200 to appear in said proposed edition.  Dollars?  Hold the phone where is this mag? Well we have had a look at Victory Magazine and have concluded this may not be the best way to spend $1,200 worth of marketing (we get two years of ed for that - regardless of exchange rate). [...]

Most Prominent Real Estate Leaders to Watch in 20232023-06-20T12:23:32+00:00

Hmm – seems we were wrong!

Hmm - seems we were wrong! Having given unsolicited email marketing a bash over the last month ed decided to get an alternative point of view to those of us here at HM.  To add a further angle to the debate we gleaned the opinion of AI which started off thus… “In the ever-evolving digital landscape, email marketing remains a cornerstone strategy for businesses looking to engage with their audience, build brand loyalty, and drive conversions.”  Thanks for that chaps - for those interested in exactly what they said you can read it here.

Hmm – seems we were wrong!2023-06-06T12:49:05+00:00

Manchester & Bristol set to eclipse London Commercial Property Investment

Manchester and Bristol have been flagged as the UK’s commercial property hotspots over the next decade as investors seek to achieve better returns than the traditional, most sought after, London markets offer. CBRE has picked Manchester and Bristol as the standout locations for commercial property investment over the next ten years.  This has been based on the analysis of the expected economic drivers, such as income trends and socio-demographic predictions, across UK towns and cities.  Other factors taken into consideration have been supply pipelines, universities and housing affordability. Both Manchester and Bristol rank among the cities with the highest growth potential in various sectors including office, retail, student accommodation, build-to-rent and senior living.  Manchester has thriving retail and tourism industries and boasts one of Europe’s largest student populations. Whilst London has been the UK’s go to destination for investors putting money into new offices, shops and student accommodation, CBRE say investors are now wanting to see “what life outside [...]

Manchester & Bristol set to eclipse London Commercial Property Investment2023-06-06T11:19:23+00:00

Net Effective Rents for Prime London Offices Approach Pre-pandemic Levels

A fall in rent free periods being offered across the London office market have led to net effective rents rising faster than headline rents.  Net effective rents for prime space continued to rise in Q1 2023 and are at around 0.5% of their pre-pandemic levels.  Headline rents, across London’s sub markets, however, have been somewhat static, despite an ongoing lack of supply. Some districts have seen an increase, most notably core City of London (3.4%) and Soho (2.7%), but overall growth in prime central London headline rents sat at a modest 0.4% during this quarter. Over the past 12 months to Q1 2023, prime headline rents across central London increased by an average of 2.6%. Across the four key submarkets, the strongest rental growth was in the City at 3.6%, followed by the West End at 3.4%. Docklands saw growth of 1.85% over the year, while Midtown increased by 0.8%. Looking at the net effective rent based on [...]

Net Effective Rents for Prime London Offices Approach Pre-pandemic Levels2023-05-09T14:45:52+00:00

Wonderful Spam!

Wonderful Spam! Okay - granted you need to be of a certain age to remember the above scene from Monty Python but suffice to say it wasn’t really a promotion for said product Why oh why, therefore, do we keep getting bombarded with it?  And the quality of it so shockingly bad!  The latest to land in the in-box here at HM was from Oli at “digital marketing experts” Add People.  Oli suggests we may want to meet so could we email him back, with a thumbs up, and Frankie will be on the blower to arrange a time., Okay - so here’s what I am thinking.  Being a “digital marketing expert”, Oli, you must think blanket, unsolicited email (Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam) a good idea, or why would you use it yourselves 🤔. That being the case we don’t really need to see you we can just follow in your footsteps.  Right let me fire up my [...]

Wonderful Spam!2023-05-09T10:41:11+00:00

Fore! (well two for now)

Fore! (well two for now) On Friday 7th July Mr Close and I will be hosting a fourball at The Richmond Golf Club’s annual corporate charity day.  This is always a great fun event with an early breakfast, shotgun start, then late n long lunch.  This is an open invitation to regular readers of Overheard in the BWV to come and join us. First come first serve (or drive 🤔). Email Andy or Simon

Fore! (well two for now)2023-04-27T13:53:12+00:00
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