Freehold Retail, Office & Commercial Property Investments For Sale in the UK
Paramount Investments are London commercial property agents offering freehold retail, office and commercial property investments for sale such as empty shops & retail units, abandoned commercial buildings, unoccupied office blocks and run down or derelict commercial properties in London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, Liverpool, Bristol, Cardiff, Leicester, Hull, Newcastle, Bradford
Search our commercial property investments sales list of investments & development sites for sale such as brownfield commercial land, repossessed business premises or run down shops, offices, warehouses, pubs, hotels & retail units.
Commercial Property Investments: Register with Paramount Investments to receive our commercial property newsletter with the latest news of retail, office and commercial property coming on to the market and lists of abandoned, run down or derelict commercial property for sale at auction.
London Commercial Property News: Commercial development activity rises for second consecutive month
Wed, 16 May 2012 16:56:57 +0100
Commercial property development activity rose by the second month in a row in April, according to recently-released data.
Figures from Savills' building and project consultancy team show that 8.2 per cent more firms questioned felt that development was on the up compared to those who thought it has declined, suggesting there will be more commercial property in London and elsewhere in the UK available in the not too distant future.
The highest rises in commercial property development were seen in London and the south-east with rises of 18.6 per cent.
The report also showed that companies are optimistic about the future, with 19 per cent stating that they expect activity to increase over the next three months.
"Anecdotal evidence provided by survey respondents suggested that general optimism was supported by expectations of new business wins," a report from the company stated.
Recent figures from CBRE highlighted that industrial premises and offices in prime London locations showed encouraging growth of 0.4 per cent over the first quarter of the year.
London Commercial Property News
London Commercial Property News: London hotels in high demand during Olympics
Fri, 11 May 2012 16:09:56 +0100
Even with a number of new hotels opening their doors, people heading to London this summer may struggle to find a room during the Olympic Games.
Figures cited by the Associated Press show that there are 110,000 hotel rooms in the London area, a third of which are being used by Olympic personnel and many of which are already booked.
"It's almost too late now to get into central London," Miles Quest, a spokesman for the British Hospitality Association, told the news provider.
"(Visitors) need to look outside the central area."
It is hoped that the Olympics effect will continue when the Games have left town with Hotels.com president David Roche stating that many hoteliers are looking to the Olympics to rejuvenate interest in the UK as a tourism destination, providing a much-needed boost to hotels, bars and restaurants in London.
One hotel group which is doing just that is InterContinental which recently posted a five per cent increase in profits in the 2012 first quarter.
The group is sponsoring the 2012 London Olympics and chief executive Richard Solomons confirmed that demand for rooms in the capital has been very high.
London Commercial Property News
London commercial Property News: Things to remember when moving office
Wed, 09 May 2012 13:59:51 +0100
When moving your business to new office space in London it is normal to feel a small level of trepidation, but the aptly named HelpMovingOffice.co.uk have issued some handy tips to follow.
One the first things the site says you should do is plan ahead, this could mean drawing up plans between nine and 18 months before your current office lease expires.
They say that you should seek out the professional advice of a property agent as well as solicitors firms and office designers to get all the component stages of the move just right.
Keeping your staff up to date with events is also an important thing as you don’t want an office move leading to problems such as them not being able to commute to the new site and thus leaving your business in the lurch.
There are also several ‘don’ts’ to bear in mind.
These include checking the Exit Clause in your existing office lease to ensure that you abide to the notice period set out.
It is also important not to ignore the possibility of future company expansions. While the office you are moving to may tick all the boxes now, will it suit where your business will be in five or even ten years from now?
HelpMovingOffice.co.uk also points out that you should never move to a new office without first planning a realistic budget. This will allow you to keep track of costs and ensure that you don’t overstretch the firm’s resources.
Lastly, the site says you should not take all your clutter with you. It says that you should have a good clear out and get rid of those historical files which have been gathering dust at the top of a filing cabinet for years.
London commercial Property News
London Commercial Property News: Capital remains key hub in commercial growth
Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:44:23 +0100
The strength of commercial property in London continues to drive the UK market, figures from CBRE show.
The firm's Prime Rent and Yield Monitor found that the nation's capital continued to perform despite severe economic troubles hitting other UK cities.
Industrial premises and offices in prime London locations showed encouraging growth of 0.4 per cent during the first three months of this year.
Nick Parker, senior analyst at CBRE, said: “The message coming from these results is clear; London remains the key hub for UK commercial real estate growth. In all three major sectors, London experienced positive growth in Quarter one, with Central London shops the jewel in the crown of UK property."
He added that there has been significant rental growth in the retail market despite current economic uncertainty, with premises in the West End proving particularly buoyant.
Indeed, some London retail rents have grown by as much as 2.4 per cent this year.
London Commercial Property News
London Commercial Property News: Demand leading to capital gains for commercial investors
Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:43:37 +0100
The high demand from companies and a lack of stock is keeping the cost of office space in prime London locations at a high level.
This is according to Kelvin Davidson, property economist at Capital Economics. He believes that currently commercial buildings in the capital are seen as something of a "safe haven" for investment, with record prices and rental yields.
"There is investor demand there and also there is the lack of supply. There hasn't been any new stuff built really for two or three years, so the level of demand is going to put upward pressure on prices given that the existing vacancy rates are a long way below average," he stated.
His comments echo those made by CBRE recently, who said that current gloom in the economic climate has done little to stem the value growth seen in commercial property in London and money coming in from overseas is helping the capital's "economy strong".
London Commercial Property News: Capital market is buzzing
Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:33:57 +0100
The gloomy economic climate in recent years has done little to slow down the growth of commercial property in London, it has been claimed.
Mark Teale, head of UK retail research at CB Richard Ellis (CBRE), believes that the London market is buzzing and shows no likelihood of slowing down any time soon.
He said: “It has got almost one of the lowest rates of availability of shops in a generation in terms of big stores. The end result of that is that we have had very sharp rental growth and premiums are back with a vengeance.
"London is buoyed up essentially by money coming in from overseas shoppers, so London's economy is very strong.”
Mr Teale added that other markets in the UK, however, are much weaker because investment is harder to come by, but big city centre shopping centres and retail parks are fairing well right across the country.
London Commercial Property News
Change of Use News: Villagers get behind application to convert old pub
Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:22:39 +0100
Residents in a village near Preston have come together to support a planning permission application to convert a closed down pub into a swanky new restaurant.
The Farmer's Arms in High Walton closed its doors in 2009, but an application for change of use has already been approved by South Ribble Council. Now villagers are supporting a new application for the building to be extended.
Villagers have written to the council and expressed the backing for the scheme, which was put forward by Callum Muhammad.
According to the Lancashire Evening Post, resident Lorna Jones wrote: “I have viewed the plans and believe the use of this building as a restaurant would be an excellent idea and benefit the area greatly.
“At present, the empty building is of no use and I would welcome a restaurant in its place.”
Under the plans a two-storey extension will also be added to the rear of the premises.
Commercial Property News: Portas response 'key' in wake of high street doom and gloom
Fri, 23 Mar 2012 11:02:07 +0000
Landlords are calling on the government to consider carefully its response to retail 'guru' Mary Portas' review of the high street in the wake of new figures that spell further gloom for retail sales.
Figures published today by the Local Data Company (LDC) show shop vacancies reached a record high of 14.6 per cent in March – the highest number of empty shops in four years.
LDC said the rise in empty outlets was hardly surprising as retailers continue to streamline operations and even go bust. This week Game, which has 600 branches in the UK, signalled its intention to enter administration.
Portas, the retail consultant and TV presenter, was tasked by the government to look at ways of revitalising struggling town centres.
She presented her findings last December and the government is due to officially respond as early as next week.
"It's crucial that the government responds to Mary's review with a menu of recommendations next week that local people, councils and businesses can 'pick and mix' to help start to reverse the damage that many of our high streets have suffered," said Ian Fletcher, director of policy at the British Property Federation.
Commercial Property News: Energy efficiency to play a big part in the value of property
Thu, 22 Mar 2012 14:19:42 +0000
The value and potential rental yields of commercial properties will be largely impacted by energy efficiency in the future, it has been claimed.
Ian Fletcher, director of policy for the British Property Federation (BPF), believes that as well as location and office space, many firms will think seriously about energy costs and the building's carbon footprint when looking to buy or rent.
"I definitely think it has been slow to take off in terms of property values reflecting energy efficiency, but the industry should be in no doubt that the UK has some very challenging energy efficiency targets to meet over the next two or three decades," Mr Fletcher said.
"The way of the world is that property is going to have to improve its energy performance. Therefore it will become an issue that is important to values and the way that people do business."
His comments come shortly after the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) released a report which said that climate change will, by 2030, have added an extra £355 million to collective sum businesses pay for their gas and electricity.
London commercial Property News: London commercial property can help preserve wealth
Thu, 08 Mar 2012 13:33:52 +0000
Many investors looking to purchase a commercial building in London are doing it as a way of preserving their wealth, it has been claimed.
According to Darren Yates, a commercial research partner at Knight Frank, properties for business use in the nation's capital are still bucking the current UK trend and providing a solid return.
This, he believes, is attracting firms and individuals from all over the world, to the London commercial market.
"We have seen strong rental growth from office rents and also retail in the last year or two. Anyone doing a deal now in London is probably doing it for wealth preservation," Mr Yates said.
The comments follow the release of research from DTZ, which found that around £189 billion is likely to be spent on commercial real estate across the globe this yet.
That's a fall of six per cent but represents a relatively strong market.
UK Property Portal News: Empty homes move a good thing, but might not work in all regions
Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:11:00 +0000
The government’s new initiative for dealing with large amount of unoccupied houses in the UK at present has been hailed as a positive move for the housing sector.
Communities minister Andrew Stunell announced last week that regions suffering from a blight of empty homes could benefit from a £100 million boost to bring these properties back into use and provide stable homes for families.
David Ireland, chief executive of independent campaign group Empty Homes, said this is a major step in the right direction, but he warned that it will not be the easiest thing in the world to implement successfully.
“Trying to encourage empty homes to be brought back into use for affordable housing is not going to work across the board,” he said.
"Where you have got a large concentration of empty properties, it is not going to particularly work if you just take one or two of those and get them back into use if they are surrounded by 50 others that are empty. Nobody is going to want to live there and the problem isn't fixed.”
However, he pointed out that the funding could really kick-start unfinished building plots which were abandoned by constructors during the credit crunch.
RICS News: Rural commercial property values soar to record levels
Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:42:39 +0000
Demand for commercial property is rural areas is surging and prices have reached record levels for the third period in a row.
According to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) the average price of rural commercial land and dwellings (including farms) rose by an average of £6,514 per acre in the second half of 2011.
The body said that a significant imbalance between current demand and a lack of stock was driving the increase in value and it shows no signs of slowing down this year.
"It would seem that this trend is set to continue over the next twelve months. However, the outlook is slightly more mixed for farmland which is more geared towards the residential sector, reflecting the broader national housing picture," said RICS spokesperson Sue Steer.
Respondents said that they expect demand for residential property in green belt areas to also remain strong, but said it is unlikely to rival the valuation increases seen in the commercial sector.
Government urged to help developers convert commercial properties to residential
Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:20:48 +0000
The government should look to put schemes in place to help developers convert unoccupied commercial premises into much needed housing in certain parts of the country.
This is according to the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), which believes quick thinking developers should be given the support needed to transform the UK’s town and city centres from rows of empty shops to classy residential developments.
Peter Bolton King, chief executive of the NAEA said: "Commercial property owners are facing high business rates for buildings that no-one occupies. Therefore, in the right circumstances, converting these buildings for residential use could have an aesthetic and economic benefit.
“However, such renovations are not simple undertakings. We advise that a thorough evaluation of the work involved is carried out beforehand to avoid additional cost burdens.”
He added that city centre housing developments often provide better than standard yields because close proximity to amenities adds extra value to any project.
The NAEA, however, published a list of dos and don’ts for people considering moving into the central developments market.
Top of the list was weighing up if the cost of converting an existing commercial plot was effective when compared to building a new property from scratch on a separate site.
It also suggests that all legislation around “change of use” is thoroughly checked as building extensions or changing the front of shop may be subject to additional planning permission requirements.
Lastly, be prepared to wait. Some local authorities have a rule which states that commercial property must have been on the market for between six and twelve months. This is to show that there is no market for it to remain in commercial use before permission to convert is granted.
You are unlikely to see many change of use applications in prime central London though as Jones Lang LaSalle has forecast a buoyant year for the sector in that part of the capital.
Licensed Property News: 2012 could be a good year to buy a pub
Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:13:47 +0000
This year looks like being a good time to invest in the pub trade.
Despite stories of doom and gloom, a survey conducted by business advisory firm Zolfo Cooper shows that the number of people visiting public houses is on the up.
On average Brits visit the pub 4.6 times a month. This is up from 4.3 per cent per month since last summer and significantly higher than in 2010.
However, the research shows that the average person is spending a little less on each visit, not that it really matters to landlords when they are calling in more often.
Similarly, UK restaurants and night clubs are reporting that while spending has slightly decreased the number of visits has risen.
Paul Hemming, partner of corporate advisory services at Zolfo Cooper, said: “Consumers now recognise that they still afford to go out regularly and enjoy themselves, provided they spend a bit less on each night out.”
Pete Brown of the Publican’s Morning Advertiser recently pointed out that 2011 was actually a very good year for the licensed trade despite stories to the contrary.
London Commercial Property News: Second half of the year will be a strong period
Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:44:08 +0000
The second half of this year will be a strong period for commercial property in the heart of London.
Andrew Burrell, head of forecasting at Jones Lang LaSalle feels that concerns about the crisis in the eurozone are currently forcing companies to hold with expansion plans in London but that will change after the summer.
"Our general view is that things will pick up in the second half of the year. At the moment, things are weak because people are debating, people are not prepared to do things that they would in a more confident market," he stated.
He added that regardless of the current climate many firms are expanding and need to move to new premises so transactions will continue regardless.
According to a recent study by investment firm IP Global, Islington is the best performing region of the capital with annualised returns of 11.5 per cent.
London Commercial Property News: Commercial landlords need to offer monthly payments
Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:08:55 +0000
Commercial landlords who let their premises to retailers should allow their tenants to move to a month-by-month payment system.
This is according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), who believe that scrapping the tried and tested quarterly payments system would help businesses manage their finances better, particularly in the months following on from Christmas.
Sarah Cordey, spokeswoman for the BRC, explained: “A large number of landlords still operate on a quarterly basis when it comes to collecting rent up-front for business premises.
“The quarterly rent payment date fell just after Christmas, so again, where companies had not had a Christmas that made up for 2011, they would also in some cases have been faced for a bill for three months in advance, which obviously poses cash flow challenges to any business.”
She added that in her opinion a quarterly rental agreement is an “anachronism” in this day and age due to the speed in which direct bank payments can be made and called for landlords to be more flexible with retailers who are feeling the pinch.
Despite the current economic climate, figures from the Office for National Statistics show that retail sales rose by 2.6 per cent year-on-year in December.
However, several high street chains, such as Peacocks and La Senza, have recently been forced into administration.
London Commercial Property News: Former Beatles HQ sold for 31.85 million
Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:03:22 +0000
An iconic commercial building, which was once the headquarters of The Beatles, has been sold to a private investor for a cool £31.85 million.
The property at 3 Saville Row in London’s swanky Mayfair district was where the famous foursome played their last ever set together when they famously jammed on the roof in January 1969.
Newly incorporated company, GHSR LLP, purchased the building from Kier Property at a yield of 3.76 per cent.
The deal is conditional on a lease being granted to a tenant paying a rent of £1.2 million each year.
The building was home to Apple Records, which The Beatles set up in 1968. The label was responsible for the Fab Four’s release of ‘Hey Jude’ as well as releases from Mary Hopkin and Badfinger.
In June this year the property was worth £13.7 million but considerable renovation work has seen its value soar.
Figures published by the Investment Property Databank (IPD) in September shown that the demand for commercial property in London has continued to grow in 2011 despite a subdued economic climate.
Licensed Property News: Hotel trade is flourishing
Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:31:51 +0000
The hotel industry has continued to grow in 2011 despite us being in the midst of a gloomy economic climate.
Mark Blick, managing director of brokerage consultancy Soric International, said that the UK remains a strong place for hotels to operate in and many individuals and firms are still reaping the rewards of moving into the hospitality sector.
"The recession has not prevented the UK hotel industry from expanding as 106 hotels were opened in 2011, containing 11,800 rooms and an additional 170 hotels [with] 21,500 rooms are expected to open in 2012,” he stated.
Mr Blick added that investment from overseas has played a major factor in keeping the industry buoyant and for those in London, next summer’s Olympic Games is set to the hotel business into overdrive.
Indeed, hotels, bars and restaurants in London have been tipped to play a leading role in driving the UK economy out of recession by Oxford Economics and the British Hospitality Association (BHA).
London Rental Property News: Rental market will remain strong in 2012
Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:24:33 +0000
The private rental market will remain strong well into 2012 according to the Residential Landlords Association (RLA).
Alan Ward, chairman at the RLA said that demand for property from would-be tenants is not set to fall next year because the number of properties available for rent continues to be well short of demand.
However, he noted that market conditions will vary greatly between districts with London typically having the highest demand as well as yield.
"There isn't any indication of tenant demand slowing as long as the supply side is falling well short. It does tend to sustain the rental levels, but it depends where you are," Mr Ward said.
"We have got this metropolitan split with the central London market compared to the rest of the country."
Private landlords Grainger predicted last month that the number of people renting properties could exceed the number of home owners by 2026.
London Rental Property News
London Commercial Property News: Three factors to take into consideration when buying a hotel
Tue, 29 Nov 2011 13:53:25 +0000
They may sound obvious but when looking to buy a hotel, there are three things you should take into account.
Thomas Wuhrer, owner of international hotelier firm HOTELINVEST, said that anyone looking to make an investment in the market needs to assess the location, the likelihood of a solid return and security of the property.
He also suggested that you look for hotels that are close to blue chip companies as they are likely to attract a wealth of business visitors and will hold their value well.
“Hotels are mostly built in top locations, for example the city centre - where the increase of real estate reaches an average three per cent per year,” Mr Wuhrer stated.
Hotels, bars and restaurants in London were last month tipped as three of the key areas that will help Britain out of the recession.
A study by the Oxford Economics in conjunction with the British Hospitality Association (BHA) said that the hospitality trade will continue to grow despite a tough economic climate, creating thousands of jobs.
London Commercial Property News
|
