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04 September 2009

Property Week

View all stories from this issue.

  • Traffic People stops in Bath and on London’s King’s Road

    04 September 2009

    Fashion boutique Traffic People has signed up for two stores

  • $4bn project chief predicts Q1 2010 Dubai rebound

    1 September 2009

    DUBAI PEARL: An artist's impression of the $4 billion project in Dubai.Dubai's battered real estate sector will start to emerge from the impact of the global economic crisis in the first quarter of 2010, the boss of the company behind the $4bn Dubai Pearl project said on Monday.

  • $5.4bn Ajman project could be halved amid downturn

    1 September 2009

    Most investors in the AED20 billion ($5.4bn) Awali City project in Ajman have stopped payments for the past eight months, it was revealed on Monday.

  • 11% wiped off Aussie home investment

    4 September 2009

    Residential property investment plunged by nearly 11% during the 2009 financial year, as the global financial crisis caused listed companies to shelve projects and residential developers blamed government red tape for a lack of new homes built.

  • 60% of former Woolworths stores now let

    1 September 2009

    Close to 60% of former Woolworths stores have been let to other retailers according to a report by CB Richard Ellis.

  • A note of confidence

    04 September 2009

    In the first of a new Lloyds Banking Group quarterly property confidence survey, real estate chief Nick Robinson tells James Whitmore the gloom may be lifting

  • A third of Aussies at default risk

    7 September 2009

    A third of Australia -- including battlers' suburbs and some of the wealthiest urban areas -- has entered the danger zone for financial distress, despite signs that economic conditions are improving.

  • Abu Dhabi prices down 15%

    8 September 2009

    Abu Dhabi apartment prices fell as much as 15% since May, according to a report from Landmark Advisory.

  • Acid test

    04 September 2009

    Another new venture was christened this week: the West End start-up being set up by Paul Smith, David Hanrahan, John Olney and Rob Hayes is to be called H2SO

  • AEW buys Wimbledon Bridge House

    9 September 2009

    AEW Europe’s European Property Investors Special Opportunities (EPISO) Fund has bought Wimbledon Bridge House in Wimbledon.

  • Ajman investors face delays in courts

    4 September 2009

    Investors in stalled Ajman property projects could be digging themselves in deeper by pursuing their claims in the courts, lawyers have warned.

  • Albemarle gets green light for Surrey development

    8 September 2009

    Albemarle Egham has won planning consent for a £35m town centre scheme in Egham, Surrey, to be occupied by Waitrose and Travelodge.

  • Andrew Hynard appointed chairman of Jones Lang LaSalle England

    8 September 2009

    Jones Lang LaSalle has appointed Andrew Hynard as chairman of its English business, following John Stephen’s retirement at the end of October 2009.

  • AREF chief executive steps down

    9 September 2009

    Rachel McIsaac is stepping down as chief executive of the Association of Real Estate Funds (AREF) after five years.

  • Arrests in construction fraud probe

    10 September 2009

    Twenty-one people have been arrested as part of a criminal investigation into an estimated £6m tax and benefits fraud in the construction industry.

  • Asda plans west Bradford store

    4 September 2009

    Asda is planning a 38,000 sq ft store at a former MFI unit on Bradbeck Road, off Cemetary Road in west Bradford.

  • Ashtenne Industrial Funds reaches £46m of sales

    1 September 2009

    Ashtenne Industrial Fund, has sold a unit in Kent, bringing its disposals to £46m since January.

  • Auctions prompt housing recovery caution

    10 September 2009

    The recent recovery in the housing market is likely to have been built on unstable foundations, a group of economists claims today, following a drop in demand and prices at property auctions over the summer.

  • Australian Building Approvals Rise 7.7% on Grants

    1 September 2009

    Australian home-building approvals rose in July, adding to signs that government handouts and the lowest borrowing costs in half a century are stoking demand.

  • Australian REITS Retreat Home After $16.4 Billion in Losses

    1 September 2009

    Australian property trusts are unloading failed overseas investments from Munich to Michigan after piling up losses equal to almost a third of their market value in the last 12 months.

  • Average UK house price rises for second successive month

    10 September 2009

    The average UK house price rose for the second successive month in August, boosted by low interest rates and cheap prices.

  • AXA REIM appoints new global investment chief

    9 September 2009

    Dennis Lopez has been appointed global chief investment officer at AXA Real Estate Investment Management (REIM).

  • Banks set to take property company stakes

    4 September 2009

    Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group are planning to take equity stakes worth millions of pounds in joint ventures with property companies on repossessed development projects and buildings in need of refurbishment.

  • Barratt to launch £500m rights issue

    7 September 2009

    Barratt Developments will launch a £500m discounted rights issue alongside its full-year results at the end of this month. It is thought that Barratt wants to make further inroads into its £1.3bn debt pile and buy land for new developments. The company recently reported higher sales and improved pricing.

  • Battersea developer seeks jv partner

    2 September 2009

    Real Estate Opportunities: The Irish investor is looking for a joint-venture partner to help fund the development of the Battersea Power Station site in London. It submitted a planning application last month for 3,700 new homes, 1.5m sq ft of office floorspace and 500,000 sq ft of retail, restaurants and leisure facilities. The value of the land has fallen by 15% in the last six months.

  • Bays of reckoning

    04 September 2009

    A proposed workplace parking levy has roused opposition in Nottingham

  • Berkeley bonus scheme rebuked

    10 September 2009

    Investors in the Berkeley staged a minor mutiny as 27% of shareholders who voted at the annual meeting failed to endorse the remuneration of key executives.

  • Bernstein and Bennett to speak at pioneering virtual event

    3 September 2009

    Sir Howard Bernstein and the City of London’s Peter Bennett have been announced as the first two speakers at Property Week’s Invest UK virtual event.

  • Bestseller brings Pieces brand to the UK

    1 September 2009

    Danish retail chain Bestseller has signed up for its first UK store for its accessories and jewellery arm Pieces.

  • Bishops Place scheme

    04 September 2009

    Hammerson has submitted a revised planning application to the London Borough of Hackney for its Bishops Place scheme

  • Booths signs up at Manchester’s MediaCityUK

    4 September 2009

    Family-run supermarket chain Booths has signed up to open its first store in Greater Manchester at MediaCityUK.

  • Boris concerns over Derwent's City fringe student scheme

    4 September 2009

    Derwent London’s plans for a 21-storey student accommodation block in the City of London fringe do not comply with the London Plan, Boris Johnson has said.

  • Borrowing woes hit the well heeled

    8 September 2009

    The recession and rising joblessness are taking a toll on America's most credit-worthy borrowers, who are now falling behind on mortgage and credit-card payments at a faster pace than people with poor financial histories.

  • Bovis completes £60m equity raising

    3 September 2009

    Bovis Homes has completed its placing of 12.1m shares, raising the company £60m to spend on development land opportunities.

  • Bovis raises cash for land

    4 September 2009

    Bovis Homes has raised £60m via a share placing to take advantage of market conditions and buy land on the cheap.

  • Bovis to raise £60m through share placement

    3 September 2009

    Bovis Homes is hoping to raise £60m from the placing of 12.1m shares.

  • Brent Cross Cricklewood £1bn community infrastructure package agreed

    10 September 2009

    One of the largest ever community and infrastructure funding agreements has been agreed as part of the £4.5bn Brent Cross Cricklewood regeneration scheme.

  • Brookfield turnaround fund attracts extra $1bn

    04 September 2009

    Brookfield Properties and Brookfield Asset Management, which are part of North American asset management group Brookfield, have raised an additional $1bn of equity to invest in underperforming real estate in the UK and Europe, the US and Australasia

  • Brum’s Cube to showcase huge ‘auto car park’

    04 September 2009

    The Birmingham Development Company (BDC) will by the end of the year unveil the UK’s largest automated car park

  • Bryan Robson teams up with GVA Grimley

    11 September 2009

    As World Cup fever grips England, GVA Grimley has teamed up with ex-England and Manchester United football legend Bryan Robson and his sports development company Robson Lloyd Consultancy, to form GVA Robson Lloyd.

  • BSA asks City regulator to delay stricter lending rules

    8 September 2009

    The Building Society Association has called on the City watchdog to suspend the imposition of its planned new mortgage lending restrictions. They say that the proposed new curbs are unfair because they will apply to them but not to banks.

  • Builders fear rising prices of 'green' homes

    1 September 2009

    The cost of new-build homes is set to rise by an average of £7,000 from next spring, when government energy efficiency regulations are due to come into force.

  • Building decline slows

    3 September 2009

    Construction activity declined at the slowest rate for 18 months in August, adding to signs that the economy might be nearing a return to growth in the current quarter.

  • Building societies slam new regulations

    7 September 2009

    Britain’s building societies have launched a scathing attack on the City watchdog over new regulations being imposed on them in the wake of the credit crunch.

  • Canada Life pays £28m for Co-op shed

    8 September 2009

    Canada Life has confirmed it has forward funded ProLogis’s 503,577 sq ft distribution shed prelet to Co-operative Group at Newhouse near Glasgow.

  • Canadian banks balance up relocation options in City

    04 September 2009

    Royal Bank of Canada ponders 150,000 sq ft move as Canadian Imperial eyes exit at Hay’s Galleria

  • Canary goes cheap

    04 September 2009

    The depleted Docklands workforce is trading down from their lavish lunchtimes and lifestyles

  • Cap & Reg completes £69.2m equity raising

    7 September 2009

    Co-investing asset manager Capital & Regional has raised £69.2m of new equity as part of a complex restructuring of its business.

  • Capmark may be only first 'commercial property' bank failure

    4 September 2009

    Capmark Financial Group’s possible collapse may signal a new wave of real estate losses for banks -- this one tied to business property -- that could push the year’s tally of failures past 100.

  • Careers doctor: 4th September 2009

    04 September 2009

    Peter Moore offers some answers to your workplace headaches

  • Case news: Corus UK v Cavendish (UK) and Another 07.08.09.

    04 September 2009

    The message: A failure by a party to appreciate it has a claim can lead to it being brought too late.

  • Castleford park stores sold

    04 September 2009

    Three units have been sold at Castleford Retail Park in West Yorkshire

  • Catalyst Capital signs up new German anchor

    3 September 2009

    Catalyst Capital has secured a new anchor tenant at the vita-Center in Chemnitz, Germany.

  • CB Richard Ellis Bi-Monthly Research Report: Ireland

    04 September 2009

    'The summer months are generally very quiet in the Northern Ireland property market and this year has been no exception. The rate of unemployment has continued to increase in recent months and whilst considerably better positioned than the Republic, the Northern Ireland economy continues to deteriorate.'

  • CB Richard Ellis Marketview: EMEA Office Occupier - Q2 2009

    2 September 2009

    'Take-up across Europe in the first half of 2009 was around 40% down on the same period last year and is on course to show a significant year-on-year contraction relative to 2008. Occupiers remain cautious about real estate commitments across most sectors and markets, reflecting a growing need to contain costs. Large-volume requirements are particularly scarce in most markets.'

  • CB Richard Ellis Marketview: Monthly Property Index - September 2009

    04 September 2009

    Performance results across office, retail and industrial property measured through total return figures and change in return.

  • CB Richard Ellis Marketview: Northern Ireland - Q3 2009

    7 September 2009

    'The economy in Northern Ireland has not been immune to the global downturn and is likely to decline by as much as 4% in 2009. The pace of economic decline now appears to be easing however with a modest improvement in performance expected in 2010, although recovery will undoubtedly be slow.'

  • CBRE clarifies Halabi situation

    04 September 2009

    The liquidation of Simon Halabi’s Buckingham Securities Holdings company should not materially impact on the securitised White Tower 2006-3 vehicle, CB Richard Ellis Loan Servicing has said

  • CBRE Investors appoints ex-Helios director

    7 September 2009

    CB Richard Ellis Investors has appointed Rob Trevor as a principal in its Strategic Partners business.

  • Champagne moment as Citi sidesteps default

    04 September 2009

    Songbird’s proposed purchase of an £880m Citi loan at only a 5% discount will be a coup for the embattled bank and one of the biggest refinancing deals in the UK this year.

  • China house prices rise on investment surge

    10 September 2009

    China’s house prices in the nation’s 70 biggest cities rose at the fastest pace in 11 months on record lending and climbing confidence.

  • China Investment Corporation makes first significant inroad into the UK

    04 September 2009

    The world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, China Investment Corporation (CIC), has made its first significant inroad into the UK by investing in AIM-listed vehicle Songbird as part of a bailout of the heavily indebted majority owner of Canary Wharf Group.

  • China leads Songbird Canary bailout

    04 September 2009

    China Investment Corporation and Qatar lead £880m Citi loan buyout

  • China sovereign fund eyes US

    9 September 2009

    China's $300bn sovereign-wealth fund is eyeing big investments in distressed US real estate, according to people familiar with the matter. To finance some of the deals, China may rely on an old trading partner: the US government.

  • Chinese developers on hunt for IPOs

    2 September 2009

    Chinese property developers and their Wall Street backers are rushing to raise billions of dollars in initial public offerings, rescuing real-estate investments that just months ago were considered victims of the economic crisis.

  • Church Commissioners in fashion first with college

    04 September 2009

    Connaught Village owner will award rent-free shop to winning fashion graduate

  • Citi Industrious surrender

    04 September 2009

    Citi has thrown in the towel in its attempt to derail AIM-listed Max Property’s £232m purchase of the industrious portfolio from receiver Ernst & Young

  • City, City fringe + Docklands

    04 September 2009

    City, City fringe + Docklands

  • Colliers CRE recruits Asson for corporate occupier expansion

    1 September 2009

    Colliers CRE has appointed former NB Real Estate director Tim Asson as a director in its corporate solutions department.

  • Colliers picks Paribas rating guru

    04 September 2009

    Colliers CRE has appointed Adam Burke as rating director in its Manchester office

  • Commercial bank mortgage defaults to top 1992 level

    9 September 2009

    The default rate on commercial mortgages held by US banks will rise to 5.4% in 2011, the highest since at least 1992, as banks anticipate more losses amid falling rents, according to Real Estate Econometrics.

  • Commercial property funds launched

    8 September 2009

    Two new commercial property funds have been launched in response to growing evidence that the market has bottomed out.

  • Commercial property recovery 'will take more than five years'

    1 September 2009

    The UK commercial property market will take more than five years to recover the losses endured during the present downturn, new research claims.

  • Commerzbank to return lending guarantees

    10 September 2009

    Commerzbank is to give back €5bn of unused government guarantees for its borrowing in a sign that financial market conditions are returning to normal for Germany’s second-biggest bank.

  • CoStar City Office Market Update: September 2009

    04 September 2009

    'The City office market has continued to attract the larger transactions during the summer; one notable deal is at Bow Bells House, Bread Street where Aberdeen Asset Management has taken 70,000 sq ft on a new 15 year lease. However, this was soon trumped by the completion on the deal at Watermark Place for 547,000 sq ft by Nomura, making this the biggest office deal in the UK in 2009.'

  • CoStar Manchester Office Market Update: September 2009

    04 September 2009

    ’The Manchester Office Market has picked up during the summer months to amass a total of 131,506 sq ft in take up for the quarter so far. However, vacant space remains at 4.2 million sq ft, as new space to the market nears parity with take up.’

  • CoStar Midtown Office Market Update: September 2009

    04 September 2009

    'New and refurbished space represents 42% of the available space in the Midtown postcodes, 81% of which is over 10,000 sq ft across 45 buildings. Second hand space accounts for 32% of the total space being marketed, 61% of which is over 10,000 sq ft. Take up is slow to pick up in comparison to the City.'

  • CoStar West End Office Market Update: September 2009

    04 September 2009

    'The West End Office market has in recent years failed to meet the demands of occupiers, during the recession building projects have continued with 210,500 sq ft due to come onto the market over the next 12 months, in fact 95% of this is due in 2009.'

  • Costly UAE mortgages must come down

    7 September 2009

    Mortgage finance in the UAE is barely as old as the six-year property boom that it helped sustain. Now it may also play a crucial role in ensuring the return of confidence to an industry that has been battered by almost a year of price declines, investor defaults and stalled projects.

  • Councils face pressure to build homes

    9 September 2009

    Councils are under too much pressure to build new homes rather than improving existing properties, according to the Audit Commission.

  • Country Garden bonds net US$300m

    4 September 2009

    Country Garden Holdings became the first Chinese company to tap the junk-bond market since the outbreak of the financial crisis, raising $300m from a five-year, high-yield bond issue, according to investors and fund managers.

  • Covent Garden launches permanent food market

    1 September 2009

    Capital & Counties, owner of Covent Garden market and the piazza, has secured food market Covent Garden Real Food Market as a weekly event throughout the year from springtime through to Christmas.

  • Crown Estate buys Helical’s £34m Regent Street leasehold

    2 September 2009

    Helical Bar has sold its interest in Rex House on London’s Regent Street to the Crown Estate for £34m.

  • Cushman & Wakefield Marketbeat: Shopping Centre Development Report Europe - September 2009

    04 September 2009

    ’Property investment activity continued to slow across all sectors in Europe in the first six months of 2009. The overall volume of retail investment 0transactions amounted to just €8.3bn for the whole of Europe, a 54% decline on the same period in 2008.’

  • Cushman begins to benefit from cutbacks

    04 September 2009

    But property adviser still reports $76m loss in half-year results

  • Damac chief quits

    8 September 2009

    Peter Riddoch, CEO of Damac Properties, will leave his job at the Dubai-based developer next month.

  • Data cast doubt over recovery

    2 September 2009

    Britain’s economic recovery was cast into doubt by data showing its manufacturing sector stalled unexpectedly in August and that increased lending is having little effect.

  • Department of Energy and Climate Change: Improving Grid Access Consultation Document

    04 September 2009

    'If the UK is to meet its climate change targets and ensure security of supply, large amounts of renewable and other low carbon generation need to be able to connect to our electricity networks. The UK will also need to connect other essential generation needed to replace the existing nuclear and fossil fuel plant that will close within the next decade. Getting the right incentives and environment for investment in generation in the UK is therefore critical.'

  • Deutsche Hypo loan production down 59% in H1

    1 September 2009

    German property financier Deutsche Hypo said it approved some EUR 431 mln in new real estate loans in the first half of 2009, down 59% on the comparable 2008 level as the bank rolled back its lending business abroad, notably in the US and UK. The bank’s overall real estate finance portfolio increased by EUR 542 mln (+6.1%) to EUR 9.4 bn.

  • Deyaar eyes low cost housing scheme for Lebanon

    10 September 2009

    Deyaar Development, the Dubai- based builder that stopped work on a quarter of its projects in the sheikhdom because of the economic crisis, is aiming to build low-cost homes near Beirut with Lebanon’s largest developer.

  • DTZ appoints new chief operating officer for Europe and London MD

    4 September 2009

    DTZ has appointed Steve Watts as chief operating officer for continental Europe.

  • DTZ on track at Brum’s New Street Station

    7 September 2009

    Network Rail and Birmingham City Council have appointed DTZ to advise on the £600m redevelopment of New Street Station.

  • DTZ's Fair Value Estimates: Methodology and Example

    04 September 2009

    'DTZ Research believes that pricing in the London City office market has fallen below fair value, with investors now able to earn very attractive returns over the medium to long term. The finding is the conclusion of recent modelling work used to assess whether market pricing in the past offered investors a return sufficient to compensate them for the cost and risk associated with commercial property investment.'

  • Dubai developer offers flexible terms

    9 September 2009

    Investors in Dubai's first duplex office development has been offered 'flexible payment plans' in an effort to keep the project on track for completion, developers have announced.

  • Dubai developers pushing on with projects

    7 September 2009

    Almost three quarters of property developments in Dubai have made construction progress despite the economic slowdown, according to preliminary data from the industry’s regulator.

  • Dubai regulator introduces ID cards

    9 September 2009

    The Dubai property regulator has started issuing identity cards to brokers as part of its clean-up of the sector.

  • Dubai unconcerned by debt says Sheikh

    9 September 2009

    Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum said he is 'not worried' about the emirate’s ability to repay at least $4.52bn of debt this year.

  • Dutch fund seeks ProLogis Europe changes

    10 September 2009

    US warehouse giant ProLogis is under fire in Europe, where a big investor in one of its funds is demanding corporate-governance changes ahead of a key shareholder vote.

  • EMEA development completions to peak in 2009 says CBRE

    2 September 2009

    Many office development schemes Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) are due to complete this year and completion levels this year are likely to exceed those in 2008, according to CB Richard Ellis.

  • EPRA 09: Asia is in recovery, says investment firm

    3 September 2009

    Fundamental recovery in property stocks is underway in key markets in Asia, investment firm Cohen & Steers said at the EPRA (European Public Real Estate Association) annual conference today.

  • EPRA 2009: EPRA appoints new chairman

    3 September 2009

    EPRA has appointed Guillaime Poitrinal as its chairman.

  • European banks face capital push after tough rules

    8 September 2009

    Regulators have agreed tough rules for banks that would force many institutions in Europe to raise tens of billions of euros in capital in coming months.

  • Eurozone interest rates held

    4 September 2009

    The European Central Bank has voted to keep eurozone interest rates unchanged at a record low of 1% and warned that now was not the time to withdraw support as economies emerge slowly from the recession.

  • Ferrari World on track for 2010 opening

    2 September 2009

    The Ferrari World theme park in Abu Dhabi, billed as the largest indoor theme park in the world, is on track to open next year, the operator says.

  • FHA reserve fall could hit taxpayers

    4 September 2009

    The Federal Housing Administration, hit by increasing mortgage-related losses, is in danger of seeing its reserves fall below the level demanded by Congress, according to government officials, in a development that could raise concerns about whether the agency needs a taxpayer bailout.

  • Fire risk at seven out of 10 blocks

    04 September 2009

    Residents in seven out of 10 housing blocks in south-east England are being put at risk because of obstacles by fire exits, a property maintenance company has warned

  • Foreign buyers dominate London

    8 September 2009

    Foreign funds accounted for a record 70% of total purchases of offices and shops in Central London in the first half of the year, according to figures from DTZ, the property consultancy.

  • Former LandSecs chief to restructure Lloyds loans

    10 September 2009

    Lloyds Banking Group has lined up a former Land Securities operational chief to help the restructuring of its distressed property loan book.

  • Fourth month of inflows

    04 September 2009

    UK retail property funds continued to experience net inflows for the fourth successive month

  • French Eye opens up in Poultry

    04 September 2009

    Suit retailer French Eye opened a 1,053 sq ft store at 38 Poultry in the City of London last week– its sixth in the UK

  • Galliford on Scottish Water list

    9 September 2009

    Galliford Try has said that Morrison Construction, its infrastructure division, has been chosen as one of a 17-strong £2bn framework of suppliers for Scottish Water, the utility.

  • Galliford Try proposes £125.6m rights issue

    10 September 2009

    Housebuilder Galliford Try is planning to raise £125.6m through a rights issue.

  • Gazeley’s Blue Planet wins sustainability award

    9 September 2009

    Gazeley and Chetwoods architects have won a Leading European Architects Forum (LEAF) award for sustainability for their G Park Blue Planet shed in Chatterley Valley.

  • Gensler awarded LEED Commercial Interiors silver rating

    04 September 2009

    Architecture and planning firm Gensler has been awarded an LEED Commercial Interiors silver rating for its 25,000 sq ft floor at Aldgate House in the City of London

  • Gladedale in Lloyds debt-for-equity swap

    4 September 2009

    Gladedale Homes will today announce a debt-for-equity swap with Lloyds Banking Group. The deal should end more than two years of financial uncertainty at the housebuilder, which has a £1bn debt pile.

  • Glanmore grabs rescue equity

    04 September 2009

    The Glanmore Property Fund has managed to raise the £95m rescue equity needed to prevent a fire sale of assets

  • Going places: 4 Sept 2009

    04 September 2009

    Brookfield Asset Management has made several appointments to its private equity funds group

  • Goldman property fund targets distressed Europe

    10 September 2009

    The private equity real estate fund group of Goldman Sachs has made its first European debt investment since the beginning of the slump, marking the start of a new push into the distressed property market.

  • GPE and Liberty International sell and re-gear in London’s West End

    2 September 2009

    Great Capital Partnership has sold a building on Oxford Circus in London and re-geared leases along Piccadilly.

  • GPE and Liberty sells in London

    3 September 2009

    Great Capital Partnership, the Central London joint venture formed between Great Portland Estates and Liberty International has sold Spirella House, by Oxford Circus, to Calzedonia, the Italian fashion group, for £22.9m.

  • Great Portland prepares for upswing

    04 September 2009

    Great Portland Estates, one of the West End’s biggest property owners, has said it could be time to ‘dust down’ development plans in preparation for the next property cycle

  • Green Building training proposal

    04 September 2009

    The UK Green Building Council is searching for partners for a training scheme on sustainable development

  • Green energy efforts could go to waste

    04 September 2009

    Industry warns of urgent upgrade needed to access National Grid

  • Green shoots for Ireland

    04 September 2009

    The Irish property market has begun to show signs of improvement

  • Greenest office on Horizon

    04 September 2009

    Westmark’s Horizon House in Bristol has been named ‘greenest’ office in the UK

  • Hairy at the dairy

    04 September 2009

    Every landlord likes to claim their building is the cream of Mayfair

  • Hammerson submits plans for Bishops Place scheme

    2 September 2009

    Hammerson has submitted a revised planning application to the London Borough of Hackney for its Bishops Place regeneration project.

  • Hansteen to go REIT

    8 September 2009

    Hansteen, the AIM-listed industrial property fund run by Ian Watson and Morgan Jones is planning to become a real estate investment trust and to join the London Stock Exchange’s Official List.

  • Hansteen to join the Official List and convert to a REIT

    7 September 2009

    AIM-listed Hansteen is planning to graduate from the junior market to the Official List and then convert to a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT).

  • Helical sells West End leasehold

    3 September 2009

    Helical Bar has sold a leasehold on Rex House in the West End of London to The Crown Estate for £34m. The sale is 8% below the last valuation in March 2009. Helical Bar will use the proceeds to reduce its bank loans and gearing.

  • Henry Boot Developments completes £19m of deals

    10 September 2009

    Henry Boot Developments has sold three recently completed schemes in Merseyside, York and Stoke-on-Trent for £19m.

  • HK home sales drop as launches dry up

    9 September 2009

    About 65 units were sold in the Hong Kong primary residential market during the weekend, about two-thirds fewer than the 200 units sold the previous weekend, because of a lack of big launches.

  • HMRC revokes Halabi tax exemption

    7 September 2009

    Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has revoked Simon Halabi’s exemption from a non-UK residents’ tax scheme, impacting his efforts to repay the £1.15bn of debt secured on his Protractor portfolio.

  • HMRC serves winding up petition on Halabi London properties

    10 September 2009

    Companies owning six of the nine properties in Simon Halabi’s Protractor portfolio of London offices have been served with winding up petitions relating to £4.8m of outstanding tax.

  • Holiday house prices rise

    7 September 2009

    House prices in holiday areas have been boosted by Britons opting to vacation in the UK, according to property search ending nestoria.co.uk, with Thurso, South Hams in Devon and Brockenhurst in the New Forest leading the way.

  • Homes and Communities service for Goldman banker

    04 September 2009

    Goldman Sachs’ James Wardlaw advises agency on private-rented initiative

  • HSBC agrees £65m refinancing with A&J Mucklow Group

    9 September 2009

    HSBC Corporate Banking has agreed a £65m refinancing package with Halesowen-based property company A&J Mucklow Group.

  • I am the freeholder of a block of flats and the tenants have served a notice to acquire the freehold. I’m thinking of building some flats on top of the block and want to do this before I sell.

    04 September 2009

    Is there anything I can do to delay the sale?

  • I entered into an agreement with a letting agent to rent a property, paying a £1,000 deposit to secure the premises.

    04 September 2009

    When the deal fell through, the agent kept the deposit to cover its administration costs. Am I entitled to recover this sum?

  • Imperial College buys BBC West London site

    1 September 2009

    Imperial College London has bought the BBC’s Woodlands site in West London for £28m.

  • Imperial on the BBC

    04 September 2009

    Imperial College London has bought the BBC’s Woodlands site in west London for £28m

  • Indian property companies hike prices 15%

    4 September 2009

    With the gradual return of residential property buyers, especially in key regions like New Delhi National Capital Region and Mumbai, prices in these areas have moved up 10-15%. While some developers have increased prices across their projects, others are doing it on a project-specific basis.

  • ING buys Umbro HQ in Manchester

    2 September 2009

    ING Real Estate Investment Management, acting on behalf of Skandia Property Fund, has bought Umbro’s global headquarters in Manchester.

  • Inglorious bar names

    04 September 2009

    What’s in a name? A lot, in property

  • Invesco seals deals in Edinburgh and Orleans

    8 September 2009

    Invesco Real Estate has bought a building in Edinburgh and funded an extension of a logistics property in Orleans, France, for €75m in total.

  • Investor confidence key to Gulf rebound

    4 September 2009

    Restoring investor confidence is key to seeing the GCC's real estate sector emerge from the current global economic crisis, according to the results of an Arabian Business poll.

  • Investors eye Prestige

    7 September 2009

    HDFC Property Ventures and Temasek are in talks to invest about $130m in the Bangalore-headquartered Prestige Group, as cash-hungry real estate companies continue to tap private equity funds to meet critical funding needs.

  • Irish property market showing improvement says CBRE

    1 September 2009

    The Irish property market has begun to show signs of improvement according to CB Richard Ellis.

  • Japanese REIT to vote on rescue

    9 September 2009

    New City Residence Investment Corp.’s creditors will vote on Lone Star Funds’ revised plan to buy Japan’s first failed property trust at a meeting scheduled to begin this afternoon local time at Tokyo district court.

  • JLL launches Brum leisure and hotels team

    7 September 2009

    Jones Lang LaSalle has launched a new licensed leisure and hotels team in Birmingham.

  • Jones Lang LaSalle appoints directors in EMEA work out team

    9 September 2009

    Jones Lang LaSalle confirmed today it has appointed former DTZ directors Richard Stanley and Jemma McAndrew as directors in its London-based EMEA real estate workout team.

  • Jordan property deals plunge 38%

    8 September 2009

    Property deals in Jordan fell 38% by value to 2.78 billion dinars ($3.92bn) in the first eight months of 2009 compared to the same period a year earlier, official data shows.

  • Keith Dowley and David Turner to leave CB Richard Ellis

    9 September 2009

    CB Richard Ellis has lost two of its top industrial executive directors.

  • Kier buys Telereal Trillium’s Kent schools projects

    8 September 2009

    Kier Group has bought Telereal Trillium's investment in Kent's first Building Schools for the Future (BSF) Local Education Partnership (LEP).

  • King Sturge Newmarket mandate

    04 September 2009

    Centenary Asset Management has appointed King Sturge to manage its 130,000 sq ft Guineas Shopping Centre in Newmarket where Marks & Spencer and Argos are tenants

  • Kingfisher catches its Parkridge asset man

    04 September 2009

    DIY retailer recruits Ian Playford to ‘sweat’ assets for shareholders

  • Korea prospects for London trophies

    04 September 2009

    $200bn state fund teams up with Rockspring to start $3bn spree as China invests in Songbird

  • Kowloon leads HK in luxury flats

    2 September 2009

    Kowloon has displaced Hong Kong Island as the housing district with the highest number of top-priced apartment blocks in Hong Kong.

  • L&G completes largest investment sale in Jersey

    2 September 2009

    Legal & General Assurance Society has sold 45-47 Esplanade in St Helier for around £15.5m in the largest investment deal in Jersey this year.

  • L&G sells Jersey offices

    3 September 2009

    The property consultancy said that it had advised on the sale achieved by Legal & General of an office block in Jersey for £15.5m to a Guernsey-based investment company. It was the biggest deal undertaken in Jersey this year.

  • Land Securities confirms letting at major City scheme

    9 September 2009

    Land Securities has let 18,012 sq ft of office space to Cadawalder, Wickersham & Taft at its Dashwood office scheme on Old Broad Street in the City of London.

  • Landlords struggle and buy-to-lets plunge

    3 September 2009

    A growing number of landlords are struggling to remortgage because of fall of more than two thirds in the number of buy-to-let deals on the market.

  • Legal & General Property's Property Market Differentials: August 2009

    04 September 2009

    'The past several months have seen a marked improvement in sentiment amongst many commercial property market participants. Pricing for property derivatives and listed real estate securities, as well as anecdotal evidence, are all indicating that investors have become more optimistic about the future. But is this premature?'

  • Lenders cut rates

    3 September 2009

    Three of the biggest mortgage lenders cut their rates yesterday marking steep falls in the wholesale funding costs. Woolwich, HSBC and Cheltenham & Gloucester all cut rates.

  • Lion’s catwalk

    04 September 2009

    What’s the best way to publicise shiny new escalators at Aberdeen Property Investors’ Lion Yard Shopping Centre in Cambridge?

  • LK Bennett, Karen Millen, Oasis, Warehouse and Coast to open in Cardiff

    4 September 2009

    A raft of womenswear retailers have signed up for Cardiff’s St David’s 2 shopping centre.

  • Loan covenant breach concerns

    04 September 2009

    Almost 90% of investors in non-listed real estate funds are concerned that the funds they are invested in are likely to breach loan covenants

  • Lockhart's NewRiver Retail lists on AIM

    1 September 2009

    NewRiver Retail, David Lockhart’s newly formed investment and asset management company, has successfully raised £25m and listed on AIM today.

  • Low interest rates underpin housing market

    04 September 2009

    House prices have risen for the fourth consecutive month as demand continues to outweigh supply

  • Madoff property up for sale

    2 September 2009

    The US Marshals Service has put Bernie Madoff’s 3,014 sq ft property just east of the Hamptons on the market this week to help to pay back investors who lost out in his epic fraud. They also plan to enlist brokers to find buyers for a Manhattan apartment and a Palm Beach estate once owned by the financier-turned-felon.

  • Mall Fund seeks £150m debt buy back

    9 September 2009

    The Mall Fund is seeking to buy back £150m of its £1.2bn securitised debt which is secured against 21 assets held in the Fund.

  • Market in minutes: City, City fringe + docklands

    04 September 2009

    David Hatcher gives you the lowdown on all the sectors across the region

  • Marks & Spencer to open at Clacton factory outlet

    3 September 2009

    Marks & Spencer has signed up for an outlet store at Rob Whitton’s and Daren Burney’s ROM Capital Group’s Clacton Factory Outlet.

  • Master’s decree

    04 September 2009

    Real estate will be on the curriculum at London Business School for the first time next year. Former student Susan Freeman asks its chairman, Sir John Ritblat, what the industry can learn

  • McInerney takes €156m land bank impairment

    1 September 2009

    Housebuilder McInerney Holdings painted a bleak picture of the state of demand in the UK and Ireland as it took a €156m (£137m) impairment charge on its land bank on Monday.

  • Merseytravel calls on CBRE for surplus space

    4 September 2009

    Merseytravel has appointed CB Richard Ellis to dispose of its existing headquarters in Liverpool ahead of its move to Mann Island.

  • MGPA in biggest Hong Kong sale

    04 September 2009

    MGPA has sold 10 floors of 181 Queen’s Road, Central, in Hong Kong for more than HK$1bn, reflecting a 4% yield, to investor Miguel Chang

  • Miller sees jump in reservations

    10 September 2009

    Miller, the housebuilder, reported a 45% rise in reservations during July and August with trading ahead of expectations. It also said that house prices had steadied, while cancellation rates were running at 15%.

  • Million Dollar Trader star Anton Kreil sets up Facebook-style property website

    1 September 2009

    The former Goldman Sachs trader behind the BBC hit TV programme Million Dollar Traders is set to take on Rightmove with a website that aims to become the Facebook of the property world.

  • Ministry of Justice puts hub hunt on ice

    04 September 2009

    Search for regional base shelved in favour of asset management

  • Mixed fortunes for Songbird shareholders

    04 September 2009

    Share issue will dilute some holdings, but major stakes ‘will dominate’

  • Mixed lettings blessings for Hermes

    04 September 2009

    Hermes Real Estate has let 32,000 sq ft in the City but has had a 50,000 sq ft letting put on hold

  • MORNING AFTER: French Eye store opening party

    4 September 2009

    Down to retailer French Eye's new store opening party on Poultry in the City. Property and fashion types rub shoulders while drinking tea and eating Patisserie Valerie cakes.

  • Motorola says goodbye to MEPC in Basingstoke

    04 September 2009

    Motorola is moving out of MEPC’s Chineham Park in Basingstoke as part of a global cost restructuring

  • MP Rosie Winterton launches UPP student accommodation in Leeds

    8 September 2009

    Minister for Yorkshire and the Humber Rosie Winterton has opened the University Partnerships Programme’s (UPP) Carnegie Village student accommodation scheme at Leeds Metropolitan University’s Headingley Campus.

  • Mr. & Mrs. Hong Kong’ Triple Property Bet, CLSA Says

    3 September 2009

    Hong Kong people have more than tripled the amount of money they’ve invested in property in the past two years as equity markets crashed and interest rates reached historic lows, CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets said.

  • Mucklow hurt by value falls

    10 September 2009

    A&J Mucklow, reported a wider full-year pre-tax loss, hurt by a fall in the value of UK commercial property, but maintained its dividend and said that commercial property has started to look attractive again.

  • Multiplex sells low end Sydney residential sites

    10 September 2009

    Brookfield Multiplex has either sold, or is selling, Sydney residential development sites it had earmarked for projects worth at least A$500m, as it moves to exit lower end apartment developments to focus on masterplanned communities.

  • Mumbai flat fetches record price

    10 September 2009

    In the second highest deal in India for a residential apartment, a sprawling Cuffe Parade flat has been sold for about Rs 93,000 per sq ft.

  • Muse’s Plymouth scheme gets £4.5m HCA boost

    10 September 2009

    Plymouth’s £350m Millbay regeneration has been given a £4.5m infrastructure boost by the Homes and Communities Agency.

  • Mustbesold.com scores with distressed sales

    04 September 2009

    The perceived recovery in the housing market helped Mustbesold.com achieve an 85% success rate at its sale on Wednesday

  • National Football Museum considers Manchester move

    8 September 2009

    The National Football Museum is considering a move to Manchester’s Urbis exhibition centre.

  • Network Rail full steam ahead on Milton Keynes HQ

    4 September 2009

    Network Rail has unveiled the first images of its new national centre in Milton Keynes.

  • New cash flowing to Oz REITs

    4 September 2009

    Nearly 60% -- more than $5bn -- of the capital raised by Australian listed property trusts in the last three months came from new offshore and local investors.

  • New chapter in Canary Wharf’s long saga

    04 September 2009

    Songbird’s loan resolution with Citi does not only secure it a more sound future but should also positively impact on the performance of Canary Wharf Group

  • New Zealand's house prices rise for fourth month

    7 September 2009

    New Zealand house prices rose for a fourth month in August, signaling the property market is recovering and may help the economy emerge from a recession.

  • NewRiver flows into AIM

    04 September 2009

    NewRiver Retail, David Lockhart’s newly formed investment and asset management company, has raised £25m and listed on AIM this week

  • Nomura completes Watermark Place deal

    1 September 2009

    Nomura has completed a deal to occupy the whole of Watermark Place office building in the City of London in one of the biggest ever speculative lettings.

  • Nomura rent-free 'a sign of the times'

    3 September 2009

    Nomura’s rent-free deal of almost six years on its new City of London headquarters this week highlighted how far the market has fallen as developers stretch their terms to secure high quality, long-term tenants for their properties.

  • Nomura’s Watermark letting opens City occupier floodgates

    04 September 2009

    Three occupiers set to follow Japanese bank into City in 1.1m sq ft of deals

  • Northern Ireland's property market improving says CBRE

    7 September 2009

    Northern Ireland's property market has begun to improve after a challenging first six months of the year according to CB Richard Ellis.

  • Oaktree may merge Japan REIT and target Oz

    2 September 2009

    Oaktree Capital Management, a private-equity fund with about $61bn of assets, is seeking to merge its Japan property trust and buy buildings in Australia as a credit shortage makes distressed investments attractive.

  • Oaktree ready to renew talks after Lone Star fails

    10 September 2009

    Oaktree Capital Management said it is ready to renew discussions with New City Residence Investment Corp. creditors who rejected a plan from Lone Star Funds to take control of Japan’s first failed property trust.

  • Office Development Awards 2009 shortlist announced

    4 September 2009

    Property’s heavyweights including British Land, Land Securities and Ballymore will be vying for victory after making the shortlist for the Office Development Awards 2009.

  • Office market woes easing says NB Real Estate

    9 September 2009

    The risk of companies flooding the office market with excess space may be easing, according to NB Real Estate.

  • Oman in India investment

    9 September 2009

    A sovereign fund of the Sultanate of Oman is investing roughly $125m, in Mangalore-based realty developer Mohtisham’s 300-acre integrated township, sources privy to the development said. The deal is probably the largest fund action in Indian tier-II real estate.

  • Osborne pledges caution on City reform

    10 September 2009

    George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, has promised to move cautiously in dismantling the Financial Services Authority, to ease City concern that the Conservatives would cause disruption by scrapping it.

  • Output offers recession fillip

    9 September 2009

    New figures on industrial production have fuelled belief that Britain may have already emerged from the worst recession in postwar history.

  • Over 5,000 retailers and wholesalers under threat

    2 September 2009

    More than 5,000 retailers and wholesalers could go bust next year, according to research from BDO Stoy Hayward.

  • Oz home loans slip

    9 September 2009

    Demand for housing loans fell for the first time in 10 months during July as the appetite for property by first-home buyers and investors waned.

  • Parking

    04 September 2009

    Parking

  • Parking shot

    04 September 2009

    Landlords that use the sites of stalled schemes as temporary car parks may face action from local authorities

  • Parking watchdog calls for urgent sector reform

    04 September 2009

    British Parking Association concerned over ‘out of control’ wheel clampers and temporary car parks

  • Parsvnath to Sell $100 Million of Shares, Reduce Debt

    3 September 2009

    Parsvnath Developers Ltd. plans to sell as much as $100 million of shares and a stake in an Indian real estate project as it seeks to trim its debt to a third by March, Chairman Pradeep Jain said in an interview.

  • Patriciu's Black Sea bids for Deutsche Land

    9 September 2009

    Romanian entrepreneur Dinu Patriciu is poised for his third property company takeover, as he continues to take advantage of the turmoil among small, London-listed companies to build a pan-European empire.

  • Pearl chief sees Q1 2010 Dubai rebound

    2 September 2009

    Dubai's battered real estate sector will start to emerge from the impact of the global economic crisis in the first quarter of 2010, the boss of the company behind the $4bn Dubai Pearl project has said.

  • PEPR bags two major letting in Prague

    9 September 2009

    ProLogis European Properties (PEPR) has let 248,556 sq ft to two tenants in Prague, Czech Republic.

  • PEPR looks to reform its legal structure

    3 September 2009

    ProLogis European Properties (PEPR) is planning to change its legal structure in order to allow it the option of raising new equity at a discount to its net asset value per unit.

  • Pirc slams Berkeley bonus scheme

    3 September 2009

    Investors in Berkeley Group should reject the appointment of founder Tony Pidgley as executive chairman and throw out the boardroom pay package because of 'wide-ranging corporate governance concerns', according to Pirc, the investment consultancy.

  • Playing the pipeline

    04 September 2009

    City occupiers are realising they could be left homeless unless they move fast

  • Pocket gets consent for LandSecs-backed London scheme

    9 September 2009

    Westminster City Council has given a resolution to grant planning consent for Pocket and Land Securities' pioneering affordable housing scheme in London’s Westminster.

  • Police investigate fraud claim by ex-employee at developer

    3 September 2009

    City of London force probes irregularities in accounts provided to bank by former company secretary.

  • Police investigate fraud claim by ex-employee at developer

    04 September 2009

    City of London force probes irregularities in accounts provided to bank by former company secretary

  • Post office closures threaten US market pain

    8 September 2009

    The possible closing of more than 400 post offices across the US in an effort to cut costs could further dent the struggling commercial property market as rising retail vacancies continue to weigh on prices.

  • Pound stores grow by 60%

    3 September 2009

    The number of discount retailers has increased by 60% during the last two years according to new research by the Local Data Company backed by the British Property Federation (BPF).

  • Poundland cash in on recession

    04 September 2009

    Discount retailer Poundland is to open four stores, one in Surrey and three in Scotland

  • Poundworld signs in Wrexham

    9 September 2009

    LaSalle Investment Management has agreed a 10 year lease with Poundworld for a 5,300 sq ft store at Eagles Meadow shopping centre in Wrexham. The rent was undisclosed.

  • Pret A Manger eyes US expansion

    8 September 2009

    Pret A Manger is stepping up its expansion plans in the US, even as the toughest recession in a generation has eroded its like-forlike sales by about 10%.

  • Private investors look Stateside

    04 September 2009

    Private investors are beginning to look Stateside for higher yields

  • ProLogis lets 382,000 sq ft shed to Marks & Spencer

    9 September 2009

    ProLogis has let a 382,000 sq ft shed to Marks & Spencer at ProLogis Park Stoke in Stoke-on-Trent.

  • Property and construction sectors see 17 insolvencies a day

    8 September 2009

    Seventeen property and construction businesses are going bust every day, according to new figures from accountancy firm Wilkins Kennedy.

  • Property returns back to positive for first time since 2007

    4 September 2009

    Commercial property returns returned to positive territory for the first time in two years in July, according to BDO Stoy Hayward’s Commercial Real Estate Review.

  • Prudential has put Intesa HQ up for sale

    04 September 2009

    Prudential has put up for sale the 68,400 sq ft Intesa Sanpolo UK headquarters at 90 Queen Street, EC4, with a guide price of £41.5m, reflecting a net initial yield of 9%

  • Prupim and ProLogis win Pyestock giant shed battle

    2 September 2009

    Prupim and ProLogis have won their long-running battle against protestors to develop a giant distribution facility at Hartland Park in Pyestock, Farnborough.

  • PW PODCAST: Online house-buying visits surge in August.

    8 September 2009

    House-buying website Rightmove experienced its busiest ever day in August, a sign that strong levels of consumer demand have returned to the sector.

  • PW PODCAST: That's Life's Adrian Mills, Rightmove's Miles Shipside and BNP Paribas Real Estate's Paul Griffiths.

    3 September 2009

    This month one of the most watched television celebrities in UK broadcasting history came into the Property Week podcast studio.

  • PW TV: Paris recovery catches up with London

    4 September 2009

    Paris has caught up with London in terms of locations where investors can find ‘fair value’ according to DTZ’s head of research.

  • PwC expects pubs and real estate shake-ups

    7 September 2009

    Property groups, pubs and other leisure companies could experience a further wave of restructurings in the next year, according to the head of PwC, which includes the UK’s largest insolvency practice.

  • Qatari Diar launches Tajikistan real estate project

    1 September 2009

    State-owned investment firm Qatari Diar has launched a luxury real estate project in Tajikistan worth at least $150m, the Qatari News Agency said on Saturday.

  • Rakeen takes over La Hoya Bay

    4 September 2009

    Rakeen has taken control of one of the largest property developments in Ras al Khaimah from insolvent owner Khoie Properties, bringing relief to hundreds of investors in the project.

  • Real Estate Opportunities seeks partner for £4bn Battersea Power Station redevelopment

    1 September 2009

    The owner of Battersea Power Station is searching for a partner to help with the £4bn redevelopment of the South London site because the company does not believe it can fund the project alone.

  • Real IS buys Unilever’s Dutch HQ

    04 September 2009

    German fund manager Real IS has bought the Unilever headquarters in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, for €86m from BPF Bouwinvest and pension fund Progress

  • Red tape threat to retail parks

    10 September 2009

    The future of the out of town retail park — that most reviled and loved of shopping destinations — is hanging in the balance.

  • Redrow reports 'worst trading results in company's history'

    10 September 2009

    Redrow’s has reported its ‘worst set of trading results in the company's history'.

  • Regent Developments launches Nottingham office scheme

    8 September 2009

    Regent Developments has begun plans to develop an office scheme at a key location on Junction 25 of the M1 motorway near Nottingham.

  • Rex handed to Crown

    04 September 2009

    Helical Bar has sold its short leasehold interest in Rex House on London’s Regent Street to the Crown Estate for £34m

  • RICS accreditation should be mooted if it benefits market and public

    04 September 2009

    Sir, The matter of whether those who specialise in a particular sector of the property industry should have an accreditation or certificate should be related to how the RICS is professionally structured and to market conditions (Property Week, 26.06.09)

  • RICS to ‘value sustainability' in commercial property valuation

    9 September 2009

    The RICS is issiung an information paper next week which it said will be an 'important step towards embedding sustainability as a core consideration in the valuation process'.

  • Roux awakening for RICS diners

    04 September 2009

    Readers salivating at the prospect of Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Jnr’s restaurant at the RICS’s Great George Street headquarters are going to have to wait a little longer

  • Rucker to step up at Quintain

    10 September 2009

    William Rucker, chief executive of Lazard London, will take over as chairman of the Quintain Estates from John Plender on 1 October.

  • SA housing market showing signs of improvement

    7 September 2009

    There are clear signs that the housing market is over the hump and starting to stabilise though economic growth indicators remained very weak despite some improvement.

  • Safestore upbeat

    2 September 2009

    Demand for domestic and commercial self storage has continued to creep ahead over the summer months, according to Safestore.

  • Sales and rent data show caution

    8 September 2009

    The British Retail Consortium survey for August showed that strong demand for discretionary consumer goods seen earlier in the summer flagged during the month, with a range of products from footwear to furniture showing a decline from June and July levels. Only food sales surged.

  • Sam Zell back with $625m fund

    1 September 2009

    Sam Zell, the veteran US property investor, has raised $625m to buy distressed securities.

  • Savills Commercial Development Activity Update: September 2009

    10 September 2009

    'August data pointed to a rebound in commercial development, as highlighted by the first month-on-month rise in activity since October 2007.'

  • Savills' Manchester Office Survey - Summer 2009

    04 September 2009

    ’Manchester office market proves resilient compared to other office locations. Investor interest has returned for prime office stock.’

  • Savills' Office Occupier Survey: Summer 2009

    04 September 2009

    'The recession has meant occupier focus has returned to the property fundamentals - cost, quality and location.'

  • Savills shuffles Asia Pacific management

    4 September 2009

    Savills has promoted Raymond Lee as chief executive office for Hong Kong and Macao.

  • Schroder poaches from DEGI

    1 September 2009

    Schroder Property has expanded its German operations by creating a new ‘head of property sales’ role.

  • Sell China Bank, Property Stocks, Morgan Stanley Says

    1 September 2009

    Investors should sell China’s banks and developers traded in Hong Kong as they are “sensitive” to government policy changes, and add holdings of the nation’s telecommunications stocks, Morgan Stanley’s Jerry Lou said.

  • Services sector recovery gathers pace

    4 September 2009

    The services sector grew at its fastest pace in almost two years in August, leaving the UK economy on track to return to growth in the third quarter.

  • Seven Dials heads for high street with £50m fund

    04 September 2009

    Private investor fund manager launches vehicle to target shops let to ‘household names’

  • Shanghai hit by serviced flats oversupply

    2 September 2009

    Luxury serviced apartment operators in Shanghai are suffering from rising vacancies and falling rents as a result of an abundance of new supply that has come to the market at a time when multinational corporations have frozen expansion.

  • Shrewsbury shopping centre put on market by special servicer

    4 September 2009

    A shopping centre managed by Protego has been put on the market by the special servicer of the debt secured on the asset.

  • Siemens starts in Dusseldorf

    04 September 2009

    Hochtief has begun construction of Siemens’ 122,710 sq ft office scheme at Dusseldorf Airport City this week

  • Silvertown slowdown

    04 September 2009

    The London Development Agency is revising its plans for the Royal Docks

  • Sino Land down on drop in revaluation gains

    10 September 2009

    Sino Land, the sixth-largest developer in Hong Kong, yesterday said net profit dropped 52% to HK$3.73bn for the financial year to June because of a decline in revaluation gains on investment properties.

  • Siskind appointed as sole head of Goldman Sachs’s real estate investing arm

    9 September 2009

    Ed Siskind is taking over sole control of Goldman Sachs’s global real estate principal investment business.

  • Software + technology: don’t ‘let and forget’ your property

    04 September 2009

    Integrating assets into business planning can reap financial rewards

  • Songbird salvation is best news of 2009

    04 September 2009

    ‘Songbird shot’ and ‘Canary crashes’ would have been the worst possible headlines for the property industry – so last week’s rescue rights issue at Songbird is fabulous news for a sector that is still a nervous wreck

  • Speymill Macau reports minor valuation drop

    8 September 2009

    Speymill Macau has reported a portfolio decline of just $1m in its first results since the company’s board was ousted at an extraordinary general meeting on 1 July this year.

  • Squatters target Mayfair gems

    9 September 2009

    An artists’ collective that has taken to squatting in some of London’s finest residences has moved into two Mayfair properties valued at a combined £50m.

  • St Louis gets retail boost

    9 September 2009

    A private U.S. investment group has signed a contract to buy Macy's $35m landmark building in St Louis that has played a storied role in the city's retail history.

  • Stand your ground rents

    04 September 2009

    Sir, Rodney Luddington should not get too excited about his properties where no ground rents have been paid since 1987 (Property Week, 31.07.09)

  • Start-up fund manager plans launch of first PAIF fund

    4 September 2009

    A start-up property fund management firm is planning to launch the first ever property authorised investment fund (PAIF).

  • Student halls come of age in Aberdeen’s Bournemouth buy

    04 September 2009

    Aberdeen Property investors buys £20m south coast block for mainstream property fund

  • Sun Hung Kai to sell China land

    7 September 2009

    Sun Hung Kai Properties will sell land in China’s suburbs and smaller urban areas to focus on the centers of major cities, Oriental Daily reported, citing unidentified people.

  • Surviving real estate brokers feel benefit

    8 September 2009

    With many brokers in Dubai's struggling real estate market forced to close, resulting in an upturn in sales for the ones that remain, propertyfinder.ae has said.

  • Tenda pushes on as Brazil recovers

    4 September 2009

    Construtora Tenda SA, the best performing homebuilding stock this year, plans to boost its sales force and speed up construction work as demand recovers in Brazil, Chief Financial Officer Paulo Mazzali said.

  • Tesco has its Worksop cut out

    04 September 2009

    Tesco has prelet a 70,000 sq ft store at Henry Boot Developments’ scheme in Worksop, Nottinghamshire

  • Tesco presses on with California expansion

    8 September 2009

    Tesco is continuing to invest in the future growth of its US Fresh & Easy stores, in spite of saying earlier this year that it had put the second stage of its US expansion in northern California on hold.

  • TFL secures £1bn Crossrail loan

    8 September 2009

    Transport for London (TFL) has secured a £1bn loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to finance the Crossrail project.

  • TfL secures £1bn Crossrail loan

    8 September 2009

    The London mayor's transport organisation has taken a significant step towards financing its share of the £15.9bn London Crossrail scheme after it agreed a £1bn loan.

  • The benefits black hole

    04 September 2009

    The government’s plan to empower social tenants by giving housing benefit directly to them has led to an exodus of out-of-pocket private landlords

  • The big insurance switch-off

    04 September 2009

    Property owners face huge security deposits and higher rates as more and more energy contracts are refused credit insurance

  • Three cheers for three cups

    04 September 2009

    Sir, Regarding your article on the Three Cups Hotel in Lyme Regis (regional, 17.07.09), we do not, as Chesterton Humberts’ Nigel Jones suggests, ‘cast Palmers Brewery of Bridport [the owner] as the bad guys’

  • Tiffany & Co announces Singapore opening

    3 September 2009

    Tiffany & Co, the jewellers, has today announced the spring 2010 opening of a store in Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands Shoppes.

  • Titanic Quarter second phase gets go ahead

    4 September 2009

    Part of the second phase of the Titanic Quarter in Belfast has got the go ahead.

  • Top end housing hitting peaks

    2 September 2009

    Some million-pound plus house sales are achieving record prices that are level with those last seen at the peak of the market in some streets in London, Knight Frank said. Properties were selling for sums 15% higher than in December 2008, it said.

  • Top film producer buys London office

    04 September 2009

    Judy Craymer and Littlestar Services, the company behind the smash hit film Mamma Mia, has bought the 7,024 sq ft 32/33 St James’s Place in London’s West End for £6m for its own occupation

  • Tories’ parochial power play will backfire

    04 September 2009

    The politics of property

  • Tree-mendous effort

    04 September 2009

    Despite its name, the north London suburb of Wood Green is not known for its trees or eco-credentials

  • Trial stalled as witness fails to appear

    9 September 2009

    The trial of the former chairman, Deyaar and its former CEO, has been postponed again after a key witness failed to show up at a hearing on Tuesday.

  • Triangle to attract independent retailers

    2 September 2009

    Manchester’s Triangle shopping centre, owned by Aviva Investors, has unveiled a leasing package to attract independent retailers.

  • Trinity ponders legal move over A$1m fee

    2 September 2009

    Troubled property group Trinity is investigating whether it can take legal action over a secret $1 million success fee paid to Queensland lobbyist Ross Daley.

  • Trump's golf scheme extended

    2 September 2009

    Donald Trump has been granted outline planning approval to include five areas of land not mentioned in the original scheme for his £1bn golf development on the Aberdeenshire coast.

  • U.K. Mortgage Bond Yield Spreads Tighten to Lowest in One Year

    1 September 2009

    Signs the U.K.’s real-estate market is emerging from the worst economic slump in decades are driving yield spreads on mortgage bonds tighter, according to data compiled by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

  • UAE property shows recovery signs

    7 September 2009

    Property in the UAE showed further signs of recovery on Monday after transaction volumes in June and July reached levels of the third quarter last year, a new report published on Monday found.

  • UK slides down economic league

    9 September 2009

    The impact of recession, the near collapse of the financial system and the parlous state of the public finances have pushed the UK down the international league table for competitiveness, according to a new authoritative survey.

  • Union Investment completes largest single German investment deal this year

    3 September 2009

    Union Investment Real Estate has bought the Mercado shopping centre in Hamburg for €164m in the largest single deal in Germany this year.

  • US faces interest-only housing trap

    9 September 2009

    Millions of buyers during the boom leveraged their way into a house they could not otherwise afford by taking out a loan that required them to make only interest payments at first, putting off payments on the principal for several years.

  • US foreclosure hit 300,000 for sixth month

    10 September 2009

    Foreclosure filings in the US exceeded 300,000 for the sixth straight month as job losses left many homeowners unable to keep up mortgage payments.

  • Walls & Futures launches London residential property fund

    2 September 2009

    Walls & Futures, the London-based property investment company, has launched a £20m central and south west London residential fund.

  • Way sought out of land bank impasse

    4 September 2009

    Lloyds Bank is now one of the UK’s biggest landowners, thanks largely to equity stakes in numerous builders and property companies taken out by HBOS in the boom years.

  • Wealthy 'opting for Chapter 11'

    9 September 2009

    Wealthy individuals’ Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings jumped 73% in the second quarter from a year earlier, according to the research firm National Bankruptcy Research Center.

  • Western Corridor at risk of ‘dot.com type bust’, says JLL

    9 September 2009

    The Thames Valley office market could witness a repeat of the effects of the 2000 dot.com bust, according to a report by Jones Lang LaSalle.

  • Why we in government are getting tough on property

    04 September 2009

    The Carter review has turned public sector into demanding customer

  • Wilkinson and Currys take former Woolworths stores

    2 September 2009

    ING Real Estate Investment Management has let two former Woolworths stores to Wilkinson and Currys.

  • Wilkinson cash in on recession

    04 September 2009

    Wilkinson is continuing its expansion, taking several Woolworths stores

  • William Rucker to become chairman of Quintain

    9 September 2009

    One of the UK’s leading investment bankers is to become chairman of Quintain.

  • Yields polarise as prime recovery continues

    04 September 2009

    Cushman & Wakefield reports further ‘yield compression’ but secondary property continues to suffer

  • You’ve got to be bidding

    04 September 2009

    A residential property shortage has given rise to a boom in auction sales

  • Zell Returns to Grave Dancing With $625 Million Distressed Fund

    1 September 2009

    Sam Zell, undaunted by his failure to keep Chicago-based publisher Tribune Co. out of bankruptcy, put together a $625 million fund to buy distressed securities backed by assets including commercial real estate.

  • Zell sets up $625m distressed fund

    2 September 2009

    Sam Zell has put together a $625m fund to buy distressed securities backed by assets including commercial real estate.

  • Zell’s $625m opportunity fund

    04 September 2009

    Sam Zell, the veteran US property investor, has raised $625m to buy distressed real estate securities

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