All Comment articles
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OnlineEvery downturn ends in recovery – this one will be no different
The danger of writing a piece like this is the temptation to sound wise after the event, or to attempt to predict the future. As the Nobel prize-winning, behavioural economist Daniel Kahneman observed, “we are prone to overestimate how much we understand about the world and to underestimate the role ...
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Online
WFH doesn't work for everyone
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused disruption on a global scale, radically altering our lives and moving us rapidly into a ‘new normal’, which we’re still coming to terms with.
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Insight
Digital must pay its way
Shopkeepers in Britain have been brutalised by circumstance. The last 18 months have seen the feckless Theresa May government, the Brexit saga, the December 2019 general election and then, to top everything off, Covid-19.
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Insight
Interaction is key to creativity
Speculation that the Covid-19 crisis will herald the end of the office makes me think of Mark Twain’s quip that reports of his death had been greatly exaggerated. Just like Twain in 1897, the office has not died in 2020.
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Insight
It’s time for buildings to get smart
Long gone are the days of cubicles and typewriters, smoke-filled offices and the nine-to-five.
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Insight
The BTR sector is primed for success
Institutional property investment in the UK has historically given residential a wide berth.
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Insight
Covid-19: the lessons we can learn from Germany
Many public figures have described the current situation as the War Against The Coronavirus and with a military background, I appreciate and understand the importance of preparing for any eventuality.
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Online
Service charge challenge serves as a warning
The High Court has upheld a decision of a deputy master refusing to grant summary judgment for a landlord in a service charge dispute.
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Online
Empathy between occupiers and landlords essential ahead of June quarter
The government’s recent announcement that it intends to publish a code of practice imminently for commercial landlords and occupiers to adopt when discussing rental payments is certainly to be welcomed.
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Insight
It’s time to redefine our industry
There’s never a dull moment in the property sector, but the past year has had plenty of twists and turns with Brexit, a general election and Covid-19. Last July, I had the honour of being appointed as president of the British Property Federation (BPF) and as I reach the end ...
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Insight
Modular homes are the future
Just over a month before much of the world went into lockdown, at the 50th World Economic Forum in Davos, session after session was devoted to tackling the climate crisis.
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Insight
Why the new property code of conduct will ultimately be toothless
Property owners have been facing a huge uphill struggle during this pandemic and the government has now unintentionally made the situation much worse.
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Insight
Listing ships and a circus
David Atkins is still at the wheel at Hammerson until a replacement chief executive is found. On Monday, Rob Noel entered the map room of the drifting retail giant as incoming chairman. The former Landsec boss is now in charge of plotting the future direction of the listing ship, with ...
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Insight
Cultivating a sense of belonging
In a fast-changing world, we humans instinctively seek familiarity. But when it comes to places, familiar doesn’t need to mean old, repetitive or boring. It should mean ‘relatable’ and ‘made with you in mind’ because, ultimately, if you can relate to your surroundings and other people also using the space, ...
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Insight
Alternative leasing methods key for restaurant operators
While it is an uncertain time for operators to think of acquisitions, landlords still have sites to lease and will face a need to fill more stock than before.
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Insight
What are the options for gym owners after lockdown?
On 23rd March the Government announced that as a result of the Coronavirus Act 2020 “no business will be forced out of their premises if they miss a payment in the next 3 months.”
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Insight
A healthy focus on space
One effect of the current health crisis has been to focus on how we can redesign or rethink the places we live, work and play in to deal with this and future pandemics. That should mean new workstreams.
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Insight
Skipping a cycle could be good in the long term
It’s said that necessity is the mother of invention, and the major changes to our lives in the past few weeks have led to greater adoption of existing inventions to enable us to function (or survive) in as normal a way as possible.
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Insight
Creating the new office normal
Our CBRE EMEA Occupier Survey 2020, published this week, is a timely reminder of why now more than ever, as we look at returning to office-based work, we need to focus on strategic decision-making that combines the ‘people agenda’ with a robust real estate and technology strategy.
