Independent UK Commercial Finance Broker HMO Mortgages SME Specialist Invoice Remortgage
Marketing No Comments

Commercial Finance Independent UK Broker

Commercial Finance – Business Interruption Loans and COVID

How COVID-19 Has Impacted Commercial Finance

The COVID-19 pandemic has left a lasting impact on many aspects of life, from restrictions on social lives, to businesses going into administration. Even though the UK economy is now experiencing a period of positive growth, mainly due to the pace of the vaccination programme, the financial impact of the pandemic is still very visible.

Should you be looking for some free and friendly advice, contact our team on 03303 112 646 or send a message online to begin an email conversation should you prefer.

Shortly after the first lockdown restrictions came into place, lenders were quick to tighten their lending criteria, to try and protect themselves from the expected risk of higher unemployment levels and people struggling to pay off mortgages and loans.

Commercial finance was affected in a similar way, with so many businesses being forced to close during lockdown, the commercial finance landscape lurched into unknown territory.

Many businesses were provided with financial support in the form of furloughing, business interruption loans and bounce back loans but others were unable to apply for these. Some lenders offered holiday payments for commercial finance, so there were numerous financial support options in place to try and help struggling businesses survive the pandemic.

Commercial Mortgages UK Adverse Credit and BTL

As an independent UK Commercial Mortgage Broker we carefully examine all the Buy-to-Let mortgage offers from leading whole of market lenders across the UK. You will benefit from low interest rates, lenient eligibility criteria and a simplified procedure. You also have the choice of Second Charge Mortgages, Adverse Credit Mortgages for individuals with crediting challenges, to straightforward Residential Mortgages for your own home.

With the reassurance of attractive Mortgage Protection Insurancee options, we also offer specialist mortgage broker services such as self-employed Contractor Mortgages, Expat Mortgages, home loans and Sharia Mortgages, to commercial Serviced Accommodation Finance from holiday homes to Property Investors, Developers and existing Homeowners.

Business Loan Applications – UK’s Changing Priorities

The priority for the government was to assist existing businesses, rather than helping new businesses to launch, which was highlighted by the financial support options that were made available. Startup loans were still available from some lenders but it was now harder for many would-be entrepreneurs to access loans.

In the UK, many people use startup business loans to buy the equipment and pay for other essentials when they start up a business. With the economic downturn, many lenders have withdrawn products from the market and tighter lending criteria was applied.

However, the Bank of England cut interest rates down to 0.1% which meant that some of the new business loan interest rates have been more attractive for startup business owners, but there is a more comprehensive set of lending criteria to enable lenders to manage risk in the unstable climate.

COVID Government finance support schemes for businesses

To assist existing businesses who had been adversely affected by coronavirus, the government introduced the following schemes to support cashflow during this challenging period:

Interest-Free Business and Commercial Loans

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS)

SME businesses have been able to access business interruption loans for lost revenue and cashflow disruptions. The CBILS was also made available to businesses whose growth requirement could not be supported under standard bank lending criteria. Under the scheme, businesses who had been adversely affected by the pandemic could apply for loans of up to £5million.

The first 12 months of the loan is interest-free and the interest rates after a year for the CBILS scheme were set by the lenders. Some lenders provided the loans with an interest rate as low as 1.4%, while at the higher end of the scale, some lenders were offering the loans with a 8.9% interest rate. Terms were available for up to 10 years.

To encourage more lending, the government also guaranteed loan repayments, with the borrower being fully liable for the debt.

Lenders were able to provide the following finance under the CBILS scheme:

  • Term loans
  • Overdrafts
  • Invoice finance
  • Asset finance

Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) SME and Sole Trader Businesses

The Bounce Back Loan was aimed to support smaller businesses and sole traders, to provide them quick access to financial support. The scheme allowed businesses to borrow between £2,000 and up to 25% of their turnover (to a maximum of £50,000). For the first 12 months, there is no interest to pay and following that first year a rate of 2.5% would be applied.

The maximum loan length for the BBLS was six years and this scheme also came with a guarantee to the lender from the government for the repayment, with the borrower remaining liable for the debt.

Pay As You Grow (PAYG) Business Support

For businesses who took out the BBLS, the option for PAYG was later introduced to provide further support, allowing:

  • An extension of the loan term from six years up to 10 years, remaining at 2.5% interest rate.
  • Reduction of monthly payments by paying interest-only for six months. This could be requested up to three times throughout the term of the loan.
  • A repayment holiday of up to six months, which was only available once during the term.

Other financial support provided to businesses included:

Job Retention Scheme – Paid in the form of grants to pay 80% of the salaries of furloughed employees.

New Restart Grants – A one-off cash grant of up to £18,000 for businesses re-opening from April 2021, including pubs, hotels, restaurants, gyms, salons and clubs.

Business Rates Holidays – Business rates were cancelled for all retail, leisure and hospitality businesses for the tax year 2020-21 and up to June 2021, with a discounted rate for the remainder of the tax year.

Recovery Loan Scheme – This has replaced the BBLS and allows businesses to apply for between £25,000 and £10m. The government has given lenders an 80% guarantee for these loan repayments.

There have also been other schemes for different types of businesses, some made available through local authorities.

Commercial Finance Landscape Has Changed – Conclusion

COVID-19 has completely changed the landscape for commercial finance, particularly as the government has been compelled to step in to help save businesses from closure or building up unmanageable debts.

Lenders have been able to provide loans under the schemes with the security of knowing that the repayments are guaranteed by the government, which has helped them to continue providing finance to businesses when the risk to them is extremely high.

The success of the UK vaccination programme has already had a significant impact on economic recovery in the UK and the combination of this, along with the support that the government has provided will certainly have saved many businesses which otherwise would have gone into administration.

Experts are predicting that over the next few years should hopefully see a shift back towards the type of commercial finance products that were available pre-COVID, albeit with stricter lending criteria until we see a full economic recovery.

Commercial Finance Network is a specialist Commercial Finance Broker offering all types of commercial finance to SMEs along with individual investors. Get in touch today via either our Contact Form or call us on 03303 112 646.

Commercial Business Finance – The Rise of AI In The Banking and Lending Circles

June, 2017 archives: “Artificial intelligence can help people make faster, better, and cheaper decisions. But you have to be willing to collaborate with the machine, and not just treat it as either a servant or an overlord,” says Anand Rao, PwC Innovation Lead, Analytics.

The quote neatly sums up our relationship with AI technology. Although we appreciate its potential, we feel edgy about its power and possibilities. However, despite this, it’s pervading our lives as consumers, whether we like it or not. Every time we receive a marketing email or product recommendation, we can be sure the algorithms have been at work and we are far from the random target.

Despite its image of being cautious and conservative, the banking industry as a whole appears to have had few qualms about adopting the technology – and it seems that, as consumers, we are happy with this. A mammoth survey of around 33,000 consumers by Accenture found that more than 70 percent of us would be willing to receive computer-generated banking advice. “Automated servicing can be the sole source of data from some customers, even when making complex decisions around products,” says the report.

One of the main uses of AI so far has been in customer service. Chatbots are becoming the de facto alternative to banking apps. This use AI to simulate conversion through written or spoken text. Just as Amazon has humanised its digital assistant by calling it Alexa, so has the Nordic banking group Swedbank created ‘Nina’. This chatbot is clearly popular; within three months of being deployed, Nina was averaging around 30,000 conversations per month.

However, this is the sharp end of AI – the human/machine interface mainly used in the consumer-facing world of retail banks. But how does – or will – AI play out in a commercial finance environment?

The business sector is understandably more cautious, prudent perhaps, about adopting new technologies until they have matured. But as millennials take up more senior roles in the commercial banking world, they will be increasingly pushing for the rich functionality they know as consumers to also be integrated into their working environment.

Today, we are seeing signs that adoption rates of AI-based technology are set to take off in business banking too. More and more banks are borrowing retail banking experience to build out their commercial and business strategies. But while the focus of its use in the retail banking world has mainly been for customer service and sales applications, in commercial banking, use cases (initially at least) are likely to be more around streamlining operational processes.

In a sense, AI as it stands today, in this environment is all about automation, about making processes faster and more efficient. And there are a raft of applications here where automation is having a hugely positive impact.

Take the introduction of digital expenses platforms and integrated payments tools, both of which have the potential to significantly improve a business’s approach to how it manages cash flow. By having an immediate oversight, through live reporting of all spending from business cards and invoice payments, as well as balances and credit limits across departments and individuals, businesses can foresee potential problems more quickly and react accordingly. All these services become even more powerful when combined with technologies like machine learning, data analytics and task automation.

We are already seeing growing instances of AI and automation being used to streamline payment processes in banks. Cards can be cancelled or at least suspended quickly and easily and without the need to contact the issuing bank, while invoices can also be automated, to streamline business payments. This means businesses can effectively keep hold of money longer and at the same time pay creditors more quickly. Moving beyond straightforward invoice processing, intelligent payment systems can be deployed to maximise this use of company credit lines automatically.

Looking ahead, we see a string of applications for AI in the payments management field around analysing data with the end objective of spotting anomalies in it. With the short and frequent batches of payments data used within most enterprises today, it is unlikely that even the best-trained administrator would be able to spot transactions that were out of the normal pattern. The latest AI technology could be used here to tease out anomalies and pinpoint unusual patterns or trends in spending that could then be investigated and addressed.

While this area remains in its infancy within the banking and financial services sector, with technology advancing, financial services organisations and the enterprise customers they deal with will in the future will be well placed to make active use of AI that will help clients track not just what they have been spending historically but also to predict what they are likely to spend in the future. AI will ultimately enable businesses to move from reactive historical reporting to proactive anticipation of likely future trends.

Source: Russell Bennett, chief technology officer, Fraedom

UK Commercial Property
Marketing No Comments

UK Commercial Property confident after a tough year

UK Commercial Property reported a year-end net asset value of £1.1bn in its final results on Friday, representing a negative total net asset value return in the year of -0.9%, as valuations came under pressure amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The FTSE 250 real estate investment trust noted that over the longer term, it had delivered a 10-year net asset value total return of 85.6%, compared to the Association of Investment Companies (AIC) peer group’s 32.4%.

It reported EPRA earnings per share of 2.71p for the year ended 31 December, down from 3.50p year-on-year, as earnings were impacted by bad debt provisions and sales made in the year, resulting in reduced income.

The company’s total share price return was negative at -19.7%, swinging from a positive return of 11.3% in 2019, as the share prices of most diversified real estate investment trusts fell due to negative sentiment associated with the coronavirus crisis.

As at year-end on 31 December, the company’s discount to the last published net asset value was 16.7%, which the board said was in line with other diversified REITs.

The company said its net gearing was low at 6.4%, compared to 14.7% a year earlier, which it said remained one of the lowest in its peer group and the wider REIT sector, with the AIC sector average standing at 31%.

Its financial resources stood at £218m at year-end, up from £130m year-on-year, which was further boosted by sales in the first quarter of 2021, resulting in it having £276m to invest into its portfolio and enhance earnings.

To find out more about how we can assist you with your Commercial Finance requirements, please click here to get in touch

In order to comply with the REIT rules, the board announced that shareholders would also receive a further interim dividend for 2020 of 0.531p, which would be paid on 21 May to shareholders on the register as at 7 May.

Looking at its portfolio, UK Commercial Property said it produced a positive total return of 1.1% for the year, down from 1.4% in the prior year but still “significantly outperforming” the -0.9% from the MSCI benchmark, as its portfolio weightings provided a tail wind to relative performance.

Rent collection stood at 83% for the year, compared to the 77% it reported at the half-year and 97% for the whole of 2019, as rent collection rates continued to increase as the year progressed.

It made £74m of acquisitions during 2020, with funding of two student accommodation assets in Exeter and Edinburgh as well as the acquisition of an Asda store in Torquay.

The board said those assets would generate secure income as it built a “modern economy portfolio”.

UK Commercial Propety’s occupancy rate improved to 93.5% from 92.1% over the year, despite the pandemic, as successful letting activity – particularly at XDock 77 in Lutterworth – resulted in higher occupancy levels.

The board said that also compared favourably to the MSCI benchmark occupancy rate of 92.6%.

Its industrial weighting was 58%, compared to the benchmark of 30%, and its retail weighting stood at 17%, compared to the benchmark of 25%.

The board said the company’s portfolio was “well-aligned” to an industrial sector that was forecast to outperform, and underweight to the retail sector as a result of several sales in the year.

“A key focus over the past year has been to work in partnership with our tenants to find mutually acceptable solutions to rent collection and I am pleased that UKCM, with its strong focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters, has managed to do this with our occupiers across the portfolio,” said chairman Ken McCullagh.

“We have maintained dividend payments and we see potential for dividend growth in the short to medium term.

“There has also been good progress in selling assets in line with our strategy, further and selectively reducing retail exposure, and investing in assets fit for a diversified modern economy portfolio with an intentionally strong weighting to the industrial and logistics market.”

McCullagh said the last year had resulted in “profound changes” to the way businesses operate, and how individuals live their lives.

“Although there is much speculation over the future of the office sector, for example, as businesses adjust to hybrid working practices, UKCM is in a strong position and the success of the vaccine rollout thus far should provide confidence that businesses can reopen and rebuild.

“The portfolio that has been put in place over the last few years has enabled the company to weather the current difficult situation and emerge in a position of relative strength to create additional value in the future.”

At 0902 BST, shares in UK Commercial Property REIT were down 0.55% at 75.68p.

Source: ShareCast

Discover our Mortgage Broker services.

Marketing No Comments

Scottish commercial property investment volumes pick up during Q3

Investment volumes in Scottish commercial property staged a recovery between July and September 2020, buoyed by the best third quarter for office deals in five years, according to analysis from two separate reports.

Analysis from Knight Frank found that the COVID-19 pandemic saw investment levels drop to record lows in Q2 2020, following the introduction of lockdown restrictions and, subsequently, the attachment of material valuation uncertainty clauses to commercial property assets.

However, as the economy began to re-open a number of significant deals concluded between July and September, totalling around £400 million – just shy of the Q3 five-year average of £405m. Investment in offices during the three months hit £218m, against an average of £116m for the same period in the past half-decade.

The biggest deal of the quarter was Roebuck Asset Management and Hyundai Asset Management’s £133m acquisition of Aegon’s Edinburgh headquarters during July.

In Glasgow, there were several deals including Singapore-based Elite Partners Capital’s purchase of 150 Broomielaw for around £40m, while the Guildhall building on Queen Street changed hands for around £30m.

The third quarter also saw the completion of Scotland’s biggest-ever logistics property deal, with the acquisition of Amazon’s main Scottish fulfilment centre near Dunfermline by Knight Frank Investment Management, on behalf of a Korean investor.

Euan Kelly, capital markets partner at Knight Frank, said: “The deals that concluded in Q3 underline the trends we’ve seen take hold over the course of 2020 – a flight to quality assets in prime locations, let to strong covenants. The sale of the Amazon fulfilment centre in Dunfermline also highlights the growing appetite for industrial and logistics property that has emerged since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is not all doom and gloom – however, the devil is very much in the detail behind the headline figures. If you have a multi-let industrial site, well-placed logistics shed, or a high-quality office building there will likely be a great deal of demand for that type of product. In that respect, property is reflecting what is happening elsewhere in the economy, with the strong getting stronger and vice versa.

“We are still in a continually evolving situation, but there are reasons for cautious optimism. The lifting of material valuation uncertainty clauses will help bring a level of certainty to the commercial property market – some deals cannot be financed when they are attached to an asset valuation – and there is a weight of money looking to be deployed in the right type of investments.

“In a world where there is little in the way of certainty, investors have an insatiable appetite for secure, long-term sources of income – and quality commercial property is in a great position to provide that.”

Meanwhile, a Q3 Scotland snapshot from Colliers International predicted a strong finish to 2020 for commercial property investment.

To find out more about how we can assist you with your Commercial Finance requirements, please click here to get in touch

Volumes in Q3 represented the highest quarterly figure in a year. While this was still almost 20% below the five-year quarterly average of £564m, Colliers said there is hope for a strong end to the year with pent-up demand driving activity.

Oliver Kolodseike, associate director, Research and Forecasting, at Colliers International, said: “It is positive to see that transactional volumes have started to pick up again and we are now expecting a strong end to the year in Scotland as we recover from the ‘COVID quarter’. An annual investment total of £1.5 billion across all sectors would be a positive result given the nationwide lockdown earlier in the year.”

Colliers’ analysis found that the office and alternative sectors accounted for three quarters of all activity by value, while investment volumes in the industrial sector were 40% above its five-year quarterly average. Unsurprisingly, given the ongoing impact of the pandemic, activity in the retail segment was limited.

There was a renewed interest in Scotland from Asia-Pac investors, accounting for over half of all investment volumes. This included the quarter’s largest deal which saw South Korean Hyundai Asset Management purchase 1-3 Lochside Crescent in Edinburgh for £133.25m. The 247,500 sq ft asset is currently let to insurance group Aegon. This is Hyundai Asset Management’s second Edinburgh purchase in less than 18 months, having already bought Gyle Square in April 2019 for £55m in one of Scotland’s other largest office deals that year.

Looking in more detail at investment in the office sector, performance was relatively strong in Q3 after no notable deals were recorded in the previous three months. A total of £186m was invested during Q3, only slightly weaker than the £196m transacted a year ago and marginally below the five-year quarterly average of £193m. In one of Scotland’s other largest office deals this year, Singaporean Elite Partners Capital bought 150 Broomielaw, the 97,000 sq ft building completely let to Scottish Enterprise, for £40m.

Industrial investment activity picked up during Q3, with volumes reaching £80m, 40% above the five-year quarterly average of £56m. The figure was boosted significantly by the sale of Amazon’s 1,023,000 sq ft logistics centre to Korean-based KB Securities for £66.8m, representing the second-largest industrial deal ever recorded in Scotland. In Glasgow, Stenprop acquired two separate units in Glasgow for a combined £10.7m. St Andrews Industrial Estate, covering 73,200 sq ft, sold for £5.5m, while Excelsior Industrial Estate, occupying 61,000 sq ft, went for £5.2m.

Patrick Ford, director, National Capital Markets, Colliers International in Glasgow, said: “It was good to see this relatively strong investment performance in the industrial sector in Scotland’s two biggest cities in Q3. Overseas investors, particularly those located in Asia, remain very interested in the Scottish industrial sector and large deals continue to be done, despite global economic uncertainty on the back of COVID.”

In Glasgow, the move to bring more residential properties back to the city centre continued. The third quarter’s largest deal saw Legal & General UK BTR forward funding an £81.5m mixed-use regeneration scheme in Candleriggs Square which will include 364 build-to-rent units.

Patrick Ford added: “There is a push towards a more mixed-use environment in city centres, particularly in Glasgow and this is reflected in the scale of investment in the city in Q3. This trend will be accelerated by the impact of COVID which is likely to see people work from home, at least part of the week, for the long term. This will change the nature of the office environment and the make-up of city centres.”

Oliver Kolodseike concluded: “In line with the wider global economy, Scotland’s GDP will take a substantial hit this year. The pace and magnitude of the economic recovery will depend on the lockdown exit strategy, the oil price trajectory and Brexit deal negotiations.”

By Euan Kelly

Source: Scottish Construction Now

Discover our Mortgage Broker services.

Marketing No Comments

There’s still plenty of potential for investors in commercial property

Jitters over the outlook for the commercial property sector are overdone, says Max King. Investors should consider this Europe-focused real-estate investment trust.

Amid the sweeping prophecies that life will never be the same post-pandemic, it is refreshing to hear a more cautious view. “I am a slight sceptic of the widespread assumption of ‘a new normal’,” says Mat Oakley, head of pan-European commercial property research at Savills. “We see such forecasts in every crisis; change will happen more slowly.”

“Commercial property is a simple asset class,” he says. “In an expansion, we need more space. Currently, we are in a thumping great recession, but I expect a not-quite V-shaped recovery in which GDP recovers quickly but unemployment doesn’t return to 2019 levels for five years.”

To find out more about how we can assist you with your Commercial Finance requirements, please click here to get in touch

Property investment, now past the nadir, was 43% below the five-year average in the first half of 2020. But it was 51% down in 2008 and “the recovery will be better this time”. In the office market, vacancy rates are rising, there is downward pressure on rents and development starts are being delayed, but “we are not at the end of the cycle: the medium-term fundamentals remain good”. Less development will reduce vacancy rates and the pressure on rents.

What about the shift to working from home? Oakley points out that home-working is suitable for some tasks (reading documents, focused work and video or phone calls), but “a lot of things work better in an office so offices won’t disappear”. Offices are better suited to team management, meetings and the informal chats or chance encounters that can spark fruitful new ideas and strategies for the company, a key factor in services and creative businesses. Surveys show a marked swing in favour of working from home, but from one day a week or less to two or three days a week – not to full-time.

Retail parks have been more defensive than shopping centres, with weekly footfall down 20% rather than 60%. Retail parks are well suited to “click and collect” services and returns, while they also offer social distancing. In the industrial market, the take-up of logistics space in the first half was the highest for 15 years, but this type of property “is not as safe as it seems”. When vacancy rates rise above 12%, as they did in 2009, rents fall.

The best real-estate bets on the continent

Marcus Phayre-Mudge, manager of TR Property Investment Trust (LSE: TRY), is not ready to buy into the UK yet. Only 28% of his portfolio is invested in listed British shares; another 7% in directly held properties and 64% in continental shares. Of the latter, 45% is in Germany and Austria and nearly all the rest in France, Benelux and Scandinavia. He is cautious about Britain because since December 2015 European property shares have returned 45% in sterling, but British ones -20%.

Within the UK, favoured areas are “beds, meds and sheds”: student accommodation, healthcare property and self-storage, companies that are UK-listed but have their assets in Europe and two specialist real estate investment trusts (Reits), Supermarket Income and Secure Income. Student accommodation and Secure Income, owning hotels and leisure attractions, have been poor performers. Progress on the directly held properties may open the way to asset disposals.

Though the share price is down 32% since February, its European focus means that performance is far ahead of the UK property sector over three and five years. The shares yield over 4%, trade on an attractive 13% discount to net asset value and, with a market value over £1bn, are highly liquid. Phayre-Mudge is positive: demand from tenants, “excluding non-food retail, should prove stable while a lack of supply, due to the absence of a development cycle in 2008-2014 and the current development cycle being deferred, means that there is no surplus of new space to undermine rents… Real estate, particularly where income is long and strong, will be an attractive investment”.

By Max King

Source: Money Week

Scottish commercial property
Marketing No Comments

Commercial property market shows signs of life

UK commercial investment activity rose 42 percent in June compared to May, up from £755m to £1.3bn, taking total volumes for H1 2020 to £15.6bn, according to the latest market update from Savills. With the all-sector prime commercial property yield remaining stable at 5.21 percent in June, Savills says that together this may signal some stability is now returning to the UK investment market.

According to the real estate advisor, another notable change is that there are signs that yields may harden on prime West End offices, industrial multi-let and distribution assets. This reflects a very typical turning point for the commercial property market, says Savills, with investor interest returning first to those sectors that are perceived as core.

To find out more about how we can assist you with your Mortgage requirements, please click here to get in touch

James Gulliford, joint head of UK investment at Savills, comments: “There’s some evidence that we may have passed the nadir of this cycle in terms of investment volumes in May. This of course does not change the overall story of Q2 2020 being the weakest quarter on record for UK investment activity, and we estimate that volumes in the first half of 2020 were 43 percent below the five year average, but the hope is now that a corner has been turned.”

Mat Oakley, head of UK and European commercial research at Savills, adds: “The shape of the UK economic recovery is increasingly looking ‘tick-shaped’, starting with strong quarter-on-quarter growth in Q3 2020, though with 2021 not showing a recovery of the magnitude of the fall seen in 2020. While a revival in GDP growth is imminent, unemployment is not expected to return to 2019 levels at any point in the next five years. Although this isn’t essential, as many businesses were reporting recruitment difficulties due to such a tight labour market, high levels of unemployment will drag on consumer sentiment, boost precautionary saving and diminish retail spending.”

By Neil Franklin

Source: Workplace Insight

Marketing No Comments

UK Finance: Finance sector committed to supporting commercial landlords

UK Finance has confirmed that the banking and finance industry will continue to support commercial landlord customers with the June/July rent quarter rapidly approaching.

The trade body said that lenders recognise that commercial landlords and their tenants may have concerns about their ability to make their payments and that support was available including the providing of capital payment holidays and amending current facilities.

Stephen Jones, chief executive of UK Finance, said: “Commercial finance providers are working hard to support business customers through these difficult times and lenders recognise that the current situation poses particular challenges for commercial landlords and their tenants.

“A wide range of flexible support is available, including amendments to facilities and capital payment holidays to help landlords and their tenants manage through the disruption.

“As part of the support being provided ahead of the June quarter day all the main commercial lenders are proactively contacting their major commercial landlord borrowers to identify concerns they have and provide support where appropriate.”

Those commercial landlords who are concerned about making loan repayments or require financial assistance during this time and who have not yet been in contact with their lenders should do so through the usual channels.

By Ryan Fowler

Source: Mortgage Introducer

UK house prices Property prices housing market
Marketing No Comments

This is a re-set moment for creating value in retail property

Take a moment to look at the havoc wrought in the past few weeks: Debenhams, Carluccio’s, Laura Ashley, Cath Kidston and more have all entered administration or are about to; £7.7bn has been lost in market capitalisation from the top four UK retail REITs; 66% of March’s rent was unpaid; 500,000-plus non-essential stores were banned from trading; and footfall was down 90%-plus.

The tide has gone out and left everyone exposed. The question is: can retail survive the coming months?

The evidence so far is that many companies will not. Of those that have gone under to date, a number had underlying issues, but in the coming weeks we will likely see failures of businesses that were trading well pre-lockdown.

And do not think it is a case of weathering this storm before returning to normal: in the same way that lockdown has created a ‘new normal’, so the post-Covid-19 situation will be a step change again, for ours is now a world in fast-forward.

The lockdown has accelerated many of the nascent consumer trends that were already under way; we have jumped forward five years in the space of two weeks. Now the genie is out the bottle, we will not be able to go back. Every aspect of our lives has changed and, with necessity being the mother of invention, we have seen huge upheaval matched by inspiring innovation, often driven by the smaller, more nimble operators.

That combination of consumer acceleration and economic fallout is now forcing retail property to face many of the challenges that had been repeatedly kicked down the road.

Some of these, like business rates, are political. The majority, however, are self-inflicted. Among these, the most glaring of all is how we value the store. A lease structure grounded in 1950s behaviours was already anachronistic, but now it is no longer fit for purpose.

The impact of Covid-19 has been to tighten the focus of consumers: into the local area, into what they put in their baskets and their mouths and which brands they allow into their lives.

Brands that can create that connection and immediate relevance will be the ones that survive and indeed thrive. The store remains the greatest portal to do this, and valuing it accurately should be the top of both occupiers’ and owners’ to-do lists, albeit from very different perspectives.

So how do you bring together two traditionally opposing points of views? Start by equally sharing risk and reward – the heated arguments between owner and occupier can only be resolved if both sides co-operate. This means agreeing objective, measurable terms of engagement and structuring a lease that reflects this with a larger proportion reflective of sales performance.

Two-way communication

The owner must deliver both high-quality and high-quantity footfall and prove to the occupier that it is doing so. Evidence of who the shopper is, where they come from and how they are behaving should be fully shared.

In return, the occupier must be open on customer engagement by sharing sales data – not just turnover through the till but also returns, click & collect and online sales within the catchment.

In today’s data-rich world, the insight is available, and where it is not there are third-party alternatives. CACI works with both owners and occupiers, as well as high-frequency datasets, to provide that objective, neutral space where confidential data can be shared without commercial confidences being breached. Having an objective third party applying a pre-agreed methodology allows all concerned to reach a position where the store is accurately valued and future uncertainty and risk reflected.

The new normal will be a world in fast-forward. Those that move with the consumer, co-operate, innovate and engage with one another will survive.

Those that fight the tide are destined to fail.

By Alex McCulloch

Source: Property Week

Marketing No Comments

Commercial property rents predicted to slow with lease terms expanding

Latest research by various property consultants and experts indicate that rent levels are set to slow this year and lease terms on new deals will move out.

In the UK, the introduction of measures to restrict movement to try to slow the spread of coronavirus will cause significant disruption to activity in the short term and 2020 UK GDP forecasts have been slashed to -1.4% from +1% only a month ago. There is huge uncertainty around the duration and impact of current measures and a further worsening of the outbreak and financial stress could see GDP fall by 2.5% this year.

Research by Colliers International points to investors developers and landlords expecting that there will be little rental growth whilst lease term incentives will be moving out.

Gerald Eve notes: ‘Like all commercial property sectors, there is an expectation that industrial and logistics tenant defaults will increase through 2020 as cashflows are impacted, but this will also depend heavily on government intervention and the nature of industrial occupier activities.

“While all occupiers will experience short term impact, the scale and duration will vary greatly across industries.

“Many tenants are struggling with cost pressures and are already requesting monthly payment plans or rent payment holidays, and these are being looked at on a case-by-case basis to assess genuine need. Industrial and logistics occupiers have not benefitted from the recently announced relaxation of business rates liabilities and other tax credits, with the 12-month business rates suspension currently only for retail and leisure sectors.”

Property consultants and experts are lobbying for business rates cut across the board not just for retail and leisure.

However, once things return to ‘normal’ it is expected that rent levels and lease terms will bounce back.

Source: Logistics Manager

commercial property
Marketing No Comments

Demand for care homes to help fuel commercial property sector in 2020

High levels of demand across sectors including care homes, restaurants and pharmacies are set to drive activity in the Scottish commercial property market in Scotland this year, according to a new report.

The business outlook report from property adviser Christie & Co also predicted Edinburgh and Glasgow will continue to be the “focal points of growth in Scotland”.

Christie’s regional director, Brian Sheldon, said activity across many sectors slowed down towards the end of 2019 as political uncertainty led to a tailing-off of transactions. But he said there were now signs of a growing appetite for well-established and profitable businesses across the country.

The report said the Scottish care market has proved resilient despite ongoing staffing and funding challenges and vendors were taking advantage of the best sale prices seen by Christie in more than 12 years. The report predicts demand will be seen from a wide range of investors looking to grow and consolidate, including private equity buyers and real estate investment trusts.

Impending policy reform of early years care by the Scottish Government that will increase the number of funded childcare hours offered to all three and four-year-olds from August 2020 will also support demand in the nursery sector.

Premium assets

“In 2020 we may see a select number of premium quality assets coming to the Scottish market on a confidential basis, which will attract significant interest,” the report said.

Although 2019 started in a reasonably positive fashion for the hotels sector, Christie said a heightened sense of caution set in as ongoing Brexit negotiations weighed on confidence.

But the firm said it had multiple deals in the pipeline for 2020 and was already seeing a sense of “renewed positivity” in the market as funders in the sector become more comfortable with the political landscape.

Although 2019 was a difficult year for the pubs & restaurants sector in Scotland, Christie said restaurants with the right trading fundamentals are expected to thrive alongside the booming takeaway market.

“Scottish consumers spent £1 billion pounds on takeaway last year and the market is tipped to continue its growth trajectory via platforms such as Just Eat and Deliveroo,” it pointed out.

The report also said a surge in activity in the pharmacy sector was seen in 2019 and this year is expected to see a steady flow of businesses coming to market on the back of strong prices being achieved.

By Perry Gourley

Source: Scotsman

Marketing No Comments

Scottish commercial property market ‘shows resilience and growth’ in 2019

Scottish Property Federation (SPF) analysis of 2019 commercial property sales figures has revealed that the total value of sales grew in Scotland for the third consecutive year.

At £3.37 billion, the value of commercial property sales in 2019 hit its highest annual total since 2015. The total value of sales increased by £136m (4%) compared to the total for 2018.

The SPF’s analysis also shows that the number of commercial property transactions was the highest in the decade, standing at 4,667.

The number of commercial property transactions has increased every year since 2012, with 139 (3%) more sales taking place in 2019 than in the previous year.

Cities

Edinburgh continued to dominate the Scottish commercial property market. The capital recorded £1.01bn in commercial property sales during 2019, some £379m (60%) more than in 2018, and accounted for 30% of the Scottish commercial property market by value.

Glasgow also saw an increase in the total value of its commercial property sales. Scotland’s largest city saw total sales of £753m, some £229m (44%) higher than in 2018, and captured a 22% share of the Scottish commercial property market.

High Value Sales

Of the 4,667 commercial property transactions in Scotland during 2019, only 97 (2%) sold for over £5m. However, with a combined value of £1.75bn, these transactions accounted for more than half of the Scottish market by value. In total, 15 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities saw sales at this section of the market in 2019.

David Melhuish, director of the Scottish Property Federation, said: “We’re pleased to see the Scottish commercial property sales market continue to grow in what has been an uncertain time for the economy and businesses. We expect to see this resilience turn into stronger confidence in the commercial property markets during the course of 2020.

“Our analysis shows the strength of both Edinburgh and Glasgow, which between them accounted for more than half of the Scottish market in 2019 in value terms.

“Edinburgh has seen a particularly strong year with several high value transactions occurring in 2019, including the sale of Standard Life Aberdeen’s headquarters and M&G Real Estate’s acquisition of Exchange Plaza.

“Glasgow saw a number of high-value retail transactions by overseas investors, including assets at the Great Western Retail Park and the Sauchiehall Building in the city centre.”

Source: Scottish Construction Now