Take up of logistics space in the West Midlands is at almost twice the five-year average but uncertainty created by Brexit, Covid and a global shipping crisis are increasingly forcing occupiers to ask for short term leases thus presenting difficult decisions for landlords, according to Darby Keye director Chris Keye. Darby Keye is a niche industrial specialist which has nevertheless risen to second in the Radius On Demand Industrial Rankings for the West Midlands region after transacting 605,174 sq ft of space so far this year. Only JLL has disposed of more space in the West Midlands, where geography makes it a competitive marketplace for the logistics sector. Keye says pent up demand, exacerbated by a shortage of available space, means that landlords are frequently able to hang out for long term leases, but some units are being taken for as little as three months as occupiers look for short term solutions to ride out the current supply chain chaos. He believes the industry needs to work more closely with occupiers to deliver space best suited for their future needs.

EG Property Podcasts

Voice of the Region: West Midlands – Politics of logistics

This week, Bricks & Mortar host Sarah Jackman is joined by Hollis’s head of ESG Consulting, Katherine Beisler, for a catch-up on its new junior board. Established earlier this year with the intention of nurturing talent and increasing diversity of thought within the organisation, Beisler reflects on her own experience of being elected to the 12-strong board. It’s an opportunity that has helped her to foster greater contacts within the organisation and hear a range of different perspectives, as well as broadening her understanding of what’s going on within the business. Tune in to hear the full discussion.

Bricks & Mortar: Hollis’s Katherine Beisler on the benefits of its new junior board

“You can’t avoid it. It is here to stay.” John Davies, head of sustainability at Derwent London, knows that the ESG agenda is now inescapable for real estate companies large and small.  In this 30-minute podcast, recorded as part of EG’s upcoming ESG special, deputy editor Tim Burke is joined by Davies, DWF senior partner Melanie Williams, Stride Treglown sustainability director John Wright, and Evora co-founder Ed Gabbitas to discuss the challenges in embedding an ESG strategy into a property business — and their advice for businesses making their first moves in this area. For more ESG news, analysis and commentary from EG, head to https://www.egi.co.uk/sustainability/

Rollercoaster rides and roadmaps: Real estate’s ESG journey

Jess Harrold, Emily Wright, Pui-Guan Man and Tim Burke make their triumphant return to EG's recording studio for a full-spirited reunion in the first ever in-person episode of EG Like Sunday Morning. Pui and Tim round up the major news stories of the week, Emily airs her views on the return to the office, and the whole team share their lockdown indulgences and life-changing experiences from the pandemic.  

EG Like Sunday Morning: Back in the studio!

In this second of two EG Property Podcasts looking at the power of difference, EG editor Samantha McClary asks whether real estate has really moved from tolerating difference to embracing and celebrating them. Joining her in this 40 minute discussion are Sasha Covington, chief operating officer in JLL's UK valuation advisory business, Michael Toft, head of care homes at Octopus Real Estate and Canary Wharf Group's managing director of people and culture Jane Hollinshead. Listen in as the trio discuss how much further real estate needs to move and what actions it has to take if difference really is to be celebrated.

How to move from embracing to celebrating difference

On the latest episode of On the Case, Jess Harrold is joined by Nick Trompeter QC, of Selborne Chambers, to discuss the decision in London Trocadero (2015) LLP v Picturehouse Cinemas Ltd and others [2021] EWHC 2591 (Ch); [2021] PLSCS 165 – a significant unpaid rent claim arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic. Trompeter, who acted for the successful landlord, addresses the defences to the claim raised by the cinema chain tenant, and how the High Court dealt with each of them. In addition, he looks at the implications of this judgment together with earlier unpaid rent rulings, considers whether any real grounds of defence are left open to tenants, and offers his thoughts on whether his type of claim may be pursued by more landlords.

On the Case: The blockbuster Covid rent arrears decision in Trocadero

For the latest Future of Real Estate podcast, Damian Wild joins an investor tour of Birmingham to learn how the city is pitching inward investment opportunities. The council is the 20th biggest land owner in the country and, with the Commonwealth Games and HS2 on the horizon, believes it is on the cusp of a golden decade. He asks leader Ian Ward and interim chief executive Deborah Cadman why they believe their investment story stacks up.

Future of Real Estate: Can Birmingham win gold?

As London returns to its pre-pandemic bustle, under the surface lies a changed city. The experience of the past 18 months, and the increasing importance of sustainability and work-life balance, has led to a fundamental rethinking of the office and workspaces more generally. Or has it? In this episode of the EG Property Podcast, EG editor Samantha McClary is in discussion with Matt Flood, head of occupier markets at LandSec, Mark Shepherd, a partner at DWF and James Shannon, chief product and technology officer at Essensys to uncover more about what the role of the office really is, what is it that is most important to occupiers and how can technology and collaboration ensure that London remains a resilient city. Listen in to find out.

The role of the office in post-pandemic London

In this first of two linked EG Property Podcasts, host  EG editor Samantha McClary talks to Real Estate Balance managing director Sue Brown, head of HR at Savills Noel McGonigle and Pierre-Etienne Accarier-Francoz, an associate in the development team at Oxford Properties about changing attitudes to difference in the real estate sector. This 30 minute listen covers everything from how working environments are changing to reflect the needs of a more diverse workforce to whether the industry has moved from tolerating difference to embracing.  

The power of difference

Sometimes the first step towards progress is being totally, even brutally, realistic. And when it comes to an issue as complex and politically sensitive as delivering affordable housing in a city like London, a healthy dose of realism can work wonders - especially for those who are committed to finding solutions to this thorny, and increasingly pressing, problem.   Realism is what will ensure laurels are not rested upon. It is what will drive those who want to make a change to differentiate between what Government says and what Government does. Realism, for all its grounding in the sensible and pragmatic, is what could drive the creativity we desperately need.   “Those organisations out there that truly want to deliver affordable housing are just going to have to find creative solutions to do that,” said Square Roots managing director Barbara Richardson on an EG podcast focussed on how the industry can deliver more quality, reliable and affordable accommodation in the capital and how it can better service the frontline workers on whose service the city depends. “In the next three to five years I really don’t think the political system is going to help very much,” she added. “While I would like to think they are behind us, speaking about something and putting it into practice are two very different things.”   Tune in to hear more from Richardson, The Lowe Group's Tim Lowe and Dolphin Living chief executive Olivia Harris on how creative solutions from the industry will be the driving force behind instigating real, long-term change when it comes to delivering affordable housing solutions for London's keyworkers.   

As Government fails to put words into action around affordable housing for London‘s keyworkers, can real estate step up and plug the gap?

In this episode of the EG Property Podcast, EG editor Samantha McClary is talking all about London’s continuing attractiveness as an investment hotspot with Rasheed Hassan, head of global cross border investment at Savills, Katherine Ekers, a partner in the commercial real estate team at Forsters and James Edwards, managing director of Evans Randall Investors. Over the next 30 minute conversation Hassan, Ekers and Edwards share their insights on how investor interest may have changed as we start to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic, how ESG are three letters on everyone’s lips and just how confident London can feel for its future prospects. All that and much more as we ask, how do investors see post-pandemic London?

How do investors see post-pandemic London?

In this episode of the EG Property Podcast we turn our attention to the increasingly fascinating world of life sciences. The UK life science sector was thrown into the spotlight during the coronavirus pandemic as experts in Oxford, Cambridge and London lead the way on vaccines. But there is more to life science than vaccines. And there is certainly more to life sciences in the UK than just the golden triangle. EG editor Samantha McClary is joined on this episode by a trio of experts – Emma Goodford a partner at Knight Frank and head of national offices with an increasing focus on the life science sector, Stuart Grant, Co-Founder of CoreLife Investors, adviser to Brookfield’s Real Estate Group,  and CEO of Harwell Campus with some 25 years of real estate experience to draw on and Richard O’Boyle, executive director of We are Pioneer, with some 17 years of investment track record. Over the next 30 minutes they discuss the power of the web that life sciences can bring to the UK. About how success is not just about the Golden Triangle and clusters but about an interconnected collaboration of innovative businesses that can together turn the country into a centre of excellence. It is a fascinating listen with a bounty of insights to take away. Listen in and enjoy.

Unlocking the power of the web of life sciences

On World Mental Health Day, deputy editor Tim Burke and offices reporter Alex Daniel join host Jess Harrold for another weekly round-up, including an extensive look at the results of EG's latest Wellbeing Survey. Tim digs into the detail of the survey results, not least the effects that the pandemic and home-working have had on the real estate industry's collective mental health - and the further impact anticipated from a return to the office. Speaking of which, Alex has major news that underlines the rising appetite for office investment in the city - and shares a particularly smart example that may be heading onto the market. But can these two titans of property knowledge be separated in the quiz of the week? And can Jess shamelessly shoehorn in a plug for the EG Striders Steptober fundraising efforts for LandAid? The answer to that last question is absolutely yes: http://join.landaid.org/fundraisers/EGStriders    

EG Like Sunday Morning: Wellbeing in real estate

Ahead of this week’s World Mental Health Day, EG has published the findings of its third annual survey of wellbeing and mental health in the real estate industry. As companies explore whether a return to some degree of post-Covid-19 normality is now possible, we wanted to know about real estate professionals' wellbeing during the pandemic.  In this 35-minute podcast, EG deputy editor Tim Burke is joined by Juliet Smithson, head of operations at LionHeart; Louise Ashley, human resources business partner at Savills; and Clara Dawson, HSE and wellbeing business partner at The Crown Estate.  Our guests discuss the findings of this year’s survey and the wellbeing lessons real estate should take from the pandemic. For more wellbeing and mental health coverage from EG, head to our dedicated hub. 

‘We can’t stop the conversation’: Wellbeing and real estate after Covid

Retail is bouncing back with a bang in Wiltshire with vacancy rates plummeting and a slew of independent operators offering a bright glimpse of the future, according to Myddelton & Major partner in commercial Dean Speer. Myddelton & Major, which operates mainly across south and mid-Wiltshire as well as neighbouring Hampshire and Dorset, comfortably tops the Wiltshire Radius On Demand Rankings in deals numbers, and sits a close second for transacted space in the county. Its core market is Salisbury, which last year became the UK’s first full fibre city, and Speer is optimistic about the future. Speer says retail void rates in Salisbury, which had to overcome the effects of the Novichok poisonings before covid arrived, have fallen from 12% - 8% as independents – including a fishmonger – take space across the city and occupiers line up for vacant BHS and Debenhams units. Industrial is also a strong performer with occupiers ranging from specialist art companies to suppliers of Japanese garden products.

Voice of the Region: Wiltshire – Retail reawakens

The latest news, views and debates from the commercial property industry. A mix of regular short interviews and the weekly news round-up, covering the whole of the commercial property industry.

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EG Property Podcasts

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