South West Business Insider, March 2012

Two features coming up in the March 2012 issue of South West Business Insider. Comment/contacts from anyone with something interesting to say - especially occupiers - welcome by 6th Feb latest, please.

1. Bristol office market review

The Bristol office market is in many ways the Premier League of the South West’s property market. It’s the one people look to for obvious signs of how the market – and by extension – the regional economy – is performing.

In this feature we’ll look at the last year in the Bristol market and look forward to what the next 12 months could hold in store. Who did the biggest deals, which are the hot sectors and areas? Which big requirements failed to land and which are the deals to keep an eye open for in 2012?

Questions: what’s on the market, and what could be soon. Why are some buildings just not attracting much interest - price/location/spec/floorplate - what's going to be the talking points in 2012 - more grimness, or some big deals?

2. Lease renewals

2011, said the optimists, was when the UK would start bouncing back. But the woes of the Eurozone and continuing uncertainty over the UK economy have kept the confidence of business occupiers in check – even those with money to spend are tending to keep their powder dry.

But there are still deals happening and decisions to be made – why? Lease events. Anyone responsible for a business with a lease event approaching, whether it be a break clause or the expiry of the lease itself, needs to be on the ball as to what the options are.

Should you stay? Should you go? What sort of offers have landlords been putting on the table to either tempt new tenants or retain existing clients? This feature will provide business occupiers with the tools to assess their position – what choices are there in new buildings? How about a move to quality refurbished space? What sort of decisions have other businesses been making?

Questions: in Bristol and the big office markets, which big leases have breaks in 2012, or come to an end? Will occupiers manage to screw better deals out of landlords given the grim economic position?

Estates Gazette, West Midlands Focus, 3 March 2012

Redundancies, mergers, takeovers.... the changing face of the West Midlands agency scene.
Comment/contacts from anyone (whether client or surveyor) with informed views most welcome by 27 January 2012, please.

Estates Gazette, Retail supplement, March 2012

I'm interested in cheese: an affordable luxury, it seems to be retailing well despite the recession. Indeed, proper cheese - as opposed to blocks of diary fat sold as "cheese" by supermarkets - has been getting more popular since the dire days of the 1970s when Crackerbarrel was considered a suitable finale for dinner parties. So the growth of independent retailers, wholesalers, and the dairy/processing businesses that support them. Good news in bad days!
Comment/contact from retailers, makers, wholesalers, diaries, their advisors, their property agents and retail landlords/developers most welcome, by 27 January 2012, please.

Estates Gazette, 4 February 2012, London Boroughs

We're thinking big - beeeg - projects in Central London from Stratford in the East to Battersea in the West, and all points north and south. Are they heading for assured success, or will porcine flapping be audible across London's tangled mass of regeneration projects? Will pigs fly?? Folk with strong insider connections very welcome to get in touch. By Wednesday 11 January 2012, please.

South West Business Insider, February 2012

I'm writing two features next week for South West Business Insider, so a chance to get clients involved:

1. Property management. What do occupiers need to know, what do they need to be on the look out for, what are the big issues or worries today, given continued economic woes? Are landlords skimping on maintenance costs? How can rental income be maintained? Can property management be outsourced, or should it be done in-house? Comment, contacts by Tuesday am latest, 10 January 2012, please.

2. Eco building. Will 2012 turn out to be the year green building, and renovation or retrofitting, becomes mainstream - and, more importantly, cheap? Are occupiers feeling the benefits already? Are architects and developers adapting their thought to meet real needs and changing government agendas? What - if anything - happens next?
Comment and contacts by Tuesday am, 10th January 2012, please.

South West Business Insider, December 2011

Three features, comment/contacts by Friday 11th at the latest, please.

1. Small is beautiful
Taking office space isn’t always about the glory HQ building, so this month Insider will look at things from the other end of the telescope and run the rule over the smaller end of the office market. There are plenty of companies out there who want the best possible office space – but not much of it. What are their options and what is the market like for smaller lettings?


2. Dilapidations
As 2011 draws to a close, dilapidations is a hot issue. In the current climate, with lettings more difficult to achieve, occupiers are facing significant claims from landlords at lease expiry who are seeking to minimise the impact of a departure and maximise money paid in damages to repair their property. Seen from the landlords’ perspective, the concerns are real, too: that buildings are returned at lease expiry in compliance with the lease requirements, and that sufficient money is paid for damages to cover the works required. With the two sides potentially at loggerheads, what’s the best way forward? This month Insider will report back from the leasehold front-line.


3. Architects review
The region’s architects play a key role in shaping the region’s towns and cities, developing residential and commercial space to boost the South West’s liveability and economic vitality.This month Insider takes a closer look at the key players across the South West. Who are the big guns in particular parts of the region – and which can claim to have carved out specialist niches? The feature will also look at the growing importance of sustainable design to the practice of the region’s architects.

Estates Gazette - West Midlands enterprise zones, 5 November 2011

Should the West Midlands be dancing with joy? The recently-announced Birmingham and Black Country Enterprise Zones - big opportunity or big confusion? Thoughts, comments and relevant contacts by 10th October.