We are pleased to share with you our new regional investment review and outlook publication, covering trends across the English regions, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Although 2019 was a year of economic and political uncertainty, commercial property investment held up reasonably well, as the outcome of the General Election in mid-December led to a surge in investment activity in the final weeks of last year.
Eight of the 12 regions recorded capital inflows above their respective ten-year averages. Scotland attracted more than £2bn for the sixth year running in 2019, the East Midlands had their third-best year ever, whilst investment volumes in the East of England reached a record high.
Cross border investors have returned to the market in the final weeks of 2019 and Blackstone’s recent record-breaking purchase of the IQ student portfolio is further proof for growing investor appetite for the alternative sector.
With business and investor confidence improving and the Prime Minister continuing to make positive noises about infrastructure investment and regional economic rebalancing, the future for commercial property over the next 12-18 months looks positive.