London Commercial Property Conferences, Events and Meetups for 2015

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There is a wealth of opportunities to learn about London’s property market through conferences and other forums in the capital. These gatherings bring together practitioners, policy and decision makers, investors and others. They are opportunities to network and build relationships, while also making deals with new partners and investors.

The RICS Commercial Property Conference on 27 November 2015 provides market insight through keynotes and panels. The second edition of the conference is also an opportunity to debate macro triggers that impact property market growth. In 2014, speakers included GVA Chief Executive Rob Bould, real estate columnist Peter Bill, Legal & General Property Managing Director Bill Hughes, and Union Investment Real Estate’s Head of Investment Management International Martin Brühl. Other speakers represented leaders in the market, including Deutsche Bank, Segro, DTZ, Grosvenor and more.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) stages a variety of conferences, seminars and workshops in London each year. Established by Royal Charter, RICS accredits some 118,000 professionals around the world. More than 50 RICS conferences and seminars are scheduled in London throughout 2015, including events that delve into dispute resolution, construction regulations, contract negotiation, and more. RICS will also organise the RICS Building Surveying Conference on 23 April 2015, the RICS Property Leaders’ Summit on 5 June 2015, and the RICS Residential Conference on 2 July 2015. To learn more about RICS conferences and other events in 2015, visit www.rics.org/uk/training-events. Continue reading “London Commercial Property Conferences, Events and Meetups for 2015” →

Focus on Business in Lambeth and Southwark

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Are you planning to do business in Lambeth and Southwark? Office space in the two London boroughs are plentiful, with the advantage of being in close proximity to the iconic London Eye, the Southbank cultural area, and within a quick walk of London’s vast bus, rail and tube network.

Major Industries and Employers in Lambeth and Southwark

Two of the biggest employers in Lambeth and Southwark are NHS foundation trust hospitals. Guy’s Hospital at London Bridge, and St Thomas’ Hospital at Waterloo are two of the largest in London, servicing the South East boroughs. The Novotel London Waterloo in Lambeth Road puts a premier hotel establishment in the vicinity, which is attractive to business travellers. Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the Tate Modern, Borough Markets, The London Eye, and surrounding retail and restaurant establishments provide a flourishing local employment market. Easy access to the Palace of Westminster and surrounding offices makes locating in Lambeth and Southwark attractive for businesses.

More famous office space for let in Lambeth and Southwark is The Shard, London’s tallest building, and a design icon. Other buildings include Westminster Business Square, Chester House (within the huge Kennington Business Centre complex), Southbank House, Lincoln House and Union Court (to name a few).

New Developments Planned for Lambeth and Southwark Business Area Continue reading “Focus on Business in Lambeth and Southwark” →

Serviced Office Space to Become More Popular in 2015

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As one of the world’s leading commercial and economic powerhouses, the city of London attracts thousands of entrepreneurs and investors every year. According to a recent report, in the Tech City alone more than 15,000 new businesses were established during 2013, and this has prompted a surge in the demand for adequate office premises in this London neighbourhood. There are many other areas of London that are also experiencing a growing shortage of office floor space, mainly those in the northern city fringe area and in central London, where new developments are severely limited.

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Key Office Space Trends and Statistics for London 2015

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The London commercial property market is expected to show positive results in 2015. During the last year, office property market sector has shown of a number of trends including accelerated rental growth, declining vacancy rates, and stable investment yields are some of the key trends that have characterized the office market across most London areas over 2014.

The key trends expected across the London office space rental market include increased demand, vacancy rates as low as 4.5%, an increase in rental costs across London up by 4.3% overall and the commercial property market as a whole expected to experience double digit growth.


London office rental market 2015 - Key trends infographic

London Office Space 2015: Expected Growth Areas

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Expected London Office Market Growth Areas in 2015

Last year was undoubtedly a positive year for landlords and tenants in the London commercial property market. Towards the end of the year, real estate experts released their forecasts for 2015. The predictions are full of positive and encouraging figures and point at a healthy market where growth is set to dominate. Take a look at some of the most important trends regarding the key growth areas for the commercial property market in London during 2015.

2015 Outlook: What landlords and investors need to know

According to market analysts at Schroders, during 2015 a number of factors will result in a very attractive property market for landlords and investors interested in London properties. A recovering economy, decreasing unemployment rates, and a limited development pipeline are set to drive demand for existing floor space and to push commercial property values even further. For investors, this means that property yields can reach double digit levels, although all the predictions point at the commercial rental market as the best performing over the next 12 months. According to data from the Investment Property Forum Consensus Forecast, total returns could be as high as 15 per cent during 2015. Rising interest rates are not expected to become a possibility until 2016.

London office space market growth areas in 2015 infographic

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Tech & Creative Industries Change Shoreditch’s Commercial Property Market

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Situated in the East End of London, Shoreditch is synonymous with the capital’s high tech sector. This change has had a significant impact on the types, quality, quantity and price of available offices and coworking spaces in Shoreditch.

The district is located within the London Borough of Hackney, just north of the City of London. Once an industrial and working class area, Shoreditch has gentrified significantly with the influx of creative and technology industries and their employees. Today, the district is home to many art galleries, bars and restaurants.

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Who’s Taking London Office Space in 2015?

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Principal occupier industries for office space for 2015

Being one of the world’s economic powerhouses, the British capital attracts a wide range of talented individuals, wealthy investors, and real estate agents from all over the world. The city’s thriving economy and great expansion rates have had an indirect effect on the commercial property market, which has just experienced one of its most promising years since the onset of the recession. According to real estate experts, what in 2014 were promising trends will become strong and continued levels of growth during 2015. In fact, the commercial property market in London is set to experience the highest levels of rental growth since 2007.

In particular, the real estate office market is expected to be one of the best performing sectors this year. This is mainly due to the fact that an important number of jobs are being created in certain industry sectors that are traditionally office-based. This report provides an overview of the principal occupier industries for office space in London.

Sectors to watch out for in 2015

The financial and banking industries have been slowly recovering from the effects of the recession, but according to market analysts, other industry sectors are set to surpass the office take-up rates of these traditionally important industries. The creative sector is among the key industries that have profiled themselves as some of the main occupiers in London. For the past five years, this sector has been booming across London, and especially in areas like the northern city fringe (Shoreditch, Old Street, Clerkenwell, etc.). Continue reading “Who’s Taking London Office Space in 2015?” →

Top London Tech Conferences for 2015

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As the UK’s technology hub, London is the home of leading businesses and innovators in the sector. It is no wonder that the capital hosts some of the top technology conferences in the world. The following are just some of the best technology conferences that will be held in London during 2015.

Big Data Week
Celebrating its fourth year in 2015, Big Data Week is the world’s largest global big data festival. Big Data Week runs from 20 to 26 April in more than 40 cities around the world, including London. Events focus on the social, political and technological impacts of data. It connects cities with events, networking opportunities, demonstrations, discussions and debates, meet-ups and more. The annual festival brings together technology experts from various industries, including media and entertainment, health and science, finance, retail, public and government, and other sectors.

London Technology Week
London Technology Week features major international conferences, investor meetings, pitching competitions, workshops, hackathons, and much more. The week-long festival is London’s premier technology gathering. In 2014, 203 events brought together more than 40,000 people from over 40 countries. Events cover a range of themes, including gaming, IT, wearable technology, music, education, big data, science, finance and other topics. Organised by UBM, London Technology Week 2015 will run from 15 to 21 June and focuses on six themes: talent and education, innovation and growth, investment and funding, coming to London and going global, diversity, and social impact.

Interop London
The flagship event of London Technology Week, Interop London connects the IT community and helps drive innovation. The conference provides a forum to share global trends and vendor solutions in a range of areas, including IT infrastructure, cloud computing, security, mobility, software and business intelligence. Interop London’s programme includes a variety of demonstrations, case studies, world-class education sessions including workshops and training sessions, and vendor clinics. The conference also hosts hundreds of vendors. It will run from 16 to 18 June at the ExCeL London. Continue reading “Top London Tech Conferences for 2015” →

Focus on Business in Camden

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When it comes to London boroughs that are known for their artistic value, Camden reigns supreme. Around 10,000 members of the Camden population are employed within the Creative and Cultural Industries (CCIs), which is one of the dominant industries in the borough. While it’s well known for its CCIs, Camden continues the tradition of small and large markets. Over 25,000 businesses and 240,000 jobs exist within Camden, which means it’s the second best borough in London in terms of existing businesses and employment prospects.

Industries that Dominate Camden’s Business Activities

While Camden is well known for its CCI activities, the most dominant businesses are service firms. This includes solicitors and other legal practices, accountants, and bookkeepers. Service firms account for around 37% of Camden’s employment and it’s thought that this is due to its close proximity to the city centre and excellent transport links. The majority of these businesses are concentrated in the south of the borough, which is part of London’s central business activity zone.

CCIs account for around 37,000 jobs in Camden, which includes advertising, marketing, and publishing. While these industries have seen a decline throughout the UK and London during the recession, it’s expected that they’ll experience growth in Camden in the near future.

Camden’s Biggest Employers

University College London (UCL) is the largest employer in Camden, and is one of the largest employers in Central London. With over 10,000 staff and a litany of students, it make a significant contribution to the local economy, features one of the UK’s best medical schools, and is known for its academic excellence worldwide. Continue reading “Focus on Business in Camden” →

London’s Commercial Property Market 2014: The Year in Review

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As 2014 draws to an end, we can safely say that the London commercial property market has laid out the foundations for continued growth. Take a look at the latest developments that have taken place in the commercial property market across the UK’s capital city. But first, let’s get started with a synopsis of the year so far.

London’s commercial property market: the year in review


Overall, this year has been marked by steady growth and increasing optimism among both investors and occupiers. According to research carried out by M&G Real Estate, this upward trend can be attributed to two main factors. Firstly, the labour market has become stronger over the past 12 months. In November 2014, the unemployment rate reached a five-year low of 7.1 per cent. This fact has had a positive effect on the property market, especially in the retail sub-sector.

Secondly, there is the widespread belief that economic risks have decreased substantially in many Eurozone countries. As a result, commercial property rents have stabilised, and in some areas of London commercial rental values have even begun to grow. From an occupier perspective, changes in risk perception have also meant that firms in the financial, banking, insurance, and ICT sectors are now ready to extend their leases or to move on to larger premises.

Towards the end of 2013, market analysts predicted that rental growth values across all commercial sub-sectors would average 2.1 per cent. The predicted growth rates have been largely surpassed in the office property market, especially in areas like Midtown, where office rents have increased by nearly 6 per cent. In addition, the London office market has also seen the revival of the so-called fringe locations, where the demand for refurbished office floorspace has been steadily increasing. Continue reading “London’s Commercial Property Market 2014: The Year in Review” →