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 […]
With the forthcoming UK election only weeks away, one of the topics you are likely to hear a lot more discussion about is devolution in the UK to urban areas. It may not have the headline grabbing ability of immigration or a possible EU referendum, but it will have an important impact on the way […]
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 […]
2015 is out of the starting blocks. For me, it has begun the same way as 2014 ended and by that I mean very busy! Business activity across the company is increasing. This is a positive sign for a service company, meaning that our clients are busier. Growth for UK companies seems to be back […]
Following my recent blog ‘Better by design’, in which I highlight the strategic importance of interior office design solutions for corporates, I thought it would be interesting to illustrate with a close to home example, … JLL’s own new interior fit-out at 30 Warwick Street, London completed earlier this year. JLL appointed Tétris to plan, […]
Alternatives is an unfortunate choice of term to describe property sectors as diverse as student accommodation, healthcare and the private rented sector. It implies that these areas are somehow a bit of a marginal, left-field choice. The reality is quite different, as JLL’s second annual survey of these sectors demonstrates. Of the 52 fund and […]
A firm favourite of mine, The Great Interior Design Challenge is back on the BBC. I enjoy watching the ‘wannabe’ interior designers attempt to satisfy high expectations of both homeowners and judges, whilst working to a tight budget. The end results are, in the main, pleasing and a definite improvement on the original décor and […]
The ‘TMT sector’ (Technology, Media and Telecommunications) has barely been out of the property press in the years since the credit crunch. TMT companies have been picking up the slack in the office occupier market, given the absence of the big ticket deals from financial services and professional occupiers. Depending on which commentator you believe […]
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 […]
The research year in the UK begins with a swathe of property predictions events around the country. This gives a travelling speaker such as myself a chance to analyse and see how our major cities are performing. My first stop was Birmingham. The office market has a relatively high vacancy rate, at least partly a […]
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, […]
With the tune of this song by Ne-Yo stuck in my head, I return for the British Council for Offices (BCO) launch of their “Occupier density study 2013”. The survey, which analyses the sq m per workplace ratio across 381 UK office properties amounting to nearly 2.5 million sq m of space, confirms what many […]
Over the past couple of years, overseas investors have been flocking to the Central London office market, drawn by its transparency, liquidity and scale, as well as the prospects for the capital’s economy. So much, in fact, that 2012 saw the highest volumes since the onset of the financial crisis, with international buyers accounting for […]
Unlike the fresh faced Research team at Jones Lang LaSalle, much of the UK’s office stock is old and worn out. As much as 22% of the commercial building stock in the UK dates from before 1960. As highlighted in our latest report From Obsolescence to Resilience , the current rate of building replacement across […]
As most of us are aware, over the last few years there has been very little new office development in the UK outside of the capital. In fact in 2012 only four schemes in the Big 6 regional office centres started speculatively, and all of these were refurbishments rather than new builds. Average Grade A […]
‘Flexibility’ is the word on occupiers’ lips at the moment and it’s resounding in investors and developers’ ears. And the latter are listening, for the balance of power is definitely with corporates. From an occupier perspective however, ‘flexibility’ is far more than just shorter and better lease terms, it is about having the type of […]
