Over the course of 2014, some £65bn was invested in direct UK real estate – a 16% increase on the 2013 figure and the highest total on record. Remarkably, this was not driven by London, which actually saw a 3% decrease in volumes to £27.4bn. Rather, it was a year of frantic activity in the […]
The dictionary definition of ‘Agile’ is: to be fast, nimble, responsive and powerful. A great word, with many positive connotations. In recent years it has been co-opted into corporate vocabulary, coming to symbolise the aspirational qualities of ideal workplaces. I think it is a word we will hear used with greater frequency by businesses in […]
Crossrail will become fully operational in late-2019. The east to west cross-London line will increase capacity by around 10% on the Capital’s tube and train network, but new research by JLL Residential forecasts how much house prices and rents are projected to rise over the next six years as well as identifying the locations that […]
Last Thursday, the European Central Bank announced its long-anticipated quantitative easing (QE) programme, involving asset purchases of €60bn a month from March. This was slightly higher than initial expectations and the immediate market impact has been positive. The euro has fallen to an 11 year low, broadly as expected. Stock prices rose in Europe and […]
I’ve got used to booking my train tickets in advance online to get a good discount on the fare. I reach the final payment screen and I’m prompted to pay an extra £2 per journey to allow flexibility on travel times. Each time I decline! Usually, I can keep to my pre-booked times but plans […]
Most adults, young, old or middle aged will have come across The Terminator films at some point. Whilst they do not feature on my A list, I have to admit there is something interesting which elevates them out of the usual run-of-the-mill. Perhaps it is the mixture of action and ideas combined with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s memorable […]
Following a regular quarterly office agency catch up I recently became aware of a local issue in Bristol which could have significant implications for office occupiers. The issue in question, which could shape the Bristol office market in 2014 will be the Residents’ Parking Zone initiative aimed at banning commuter parking around the centre of […]
Moved into new home in October (after many months waiting in a housing chain..). Enjoying doing it up and unleashing my ideas on interior design. There is only one thing that obviously lets it down now in my opinion – the kitchen (which only loosely meets the definition of the word). Obviously for me as […]
Just after the financial crisis hit, I was asked to present to a new corporate client. It became apparent during my preparation that the senior most attendee from the client shared my love of Charlton Athletic Football Club. Keen to make an impression and prove that research presentations can deliver serious insight without sacrificing fun, […]
Those architects of BritPop, Blur, once recorded an album entitled ‘Modern Life is Rubbish’. It is not a sentiment I support. In fact when it comes to modern living and working my glass is most certainly three quarters full. To me technology, so often criticised as taking society to the abyss, has an empowering quality. […]
Do you do most of your work while you are on the move? Or are you an independent worker, a freelancer may be, but still wished you had a bunch of people to work with as opposed to working in isolation? Well if you answered yes, and if current trends are anything to go by, […]
The level of information available today is of a magnitude never encountered before. A recent article in the FT estimates there are currently 5bn connected devices in the world gathering and creating data and this is expected to rise to 20bn by 2020. Our connectedness and easy access to data is a double-edged sword. We […]
Summer solstice has come and gone and finally some signs of summer! One can be an optimist and pin hopes on a decent summer in the days and weeks to come. This could still be a summer of two parts! Speaking of two halves, the EMEA corporate occupier market could yet show some activity after […]
Many of us are far more adroit at managing our personal finances and outgoings than ever before. As our earnings have had to stretch further, so we have educated ourselves to make discerning, cost saving choices, to plan ahead to take advantage of better deals and offers. The carefree pre-financial crisis good old days are […]
When a colleague recently told me of the latest space saving office trend – to provide workers with ‘standing desks’, my first thought was that he had to be joking…! The thought of rows of employees standing at their desks seemed too far-fetched and quite removed from my own experience of the work-place. Surely more […]
This debate has recently become a hot topic after Yahoo’s chief executive officer (CEO) Marissa Mayer announced a ban of employees working from home. Since the global downturn began many companies opted to increase the use of flexible or remote working. There were a range of drivers. First, given the inability to offer increases in […]
