David Thame

South West Business Insider, March 2012

2012-01-27T13:27:00.006Z

Two features coming up in the March 2012 issue of South West Business Insider. Comment/contacts from anyone with something interesting to say - especially occupiers - welcome by 6th Feb latest, please.

1. Bristol office market review

The Bristol office market is in many ways the Premier League of the South West’s property market. It’s the one people look to for obvious signs of how the market – and by extension – the regional economy – is performing.

In this feature we’ll look at the last year in the Bristol market and look forward to what the next 12 months could hold in store. Who did the biggest deals, which are the hot sectors and areas? Which big requirements failed to land and which are the deals to keep an eye open for in 2012?

Questions: what’s on the market, and what could be soon. Why are some buildings just not attracting much interest - price/location/spec/floorplate - what's going to be the talking points in 2012 - more grimness, or some big deals?

2. Lease renewals

2011, said the optimists, was when the UK would start bouncing back. But the woes of the Eurozone and continuing uncertainty over the UK economy have kept the confidence of business occupiers in check – even those with money to spend are tending to keep their powder dry.

But there are still deals happening and decisions to be made – why? Lease events. Anyone responsible for a business with a lease event approaching, whether it be a break clause or the expiry of the lease itself, needs to be on the ball as to what the options are.

Should you stay? Should you go? What sort of offers have landlords been putting on the table to either tempt new tenants or retain existing clients? This feature will provide business occupiers with the tools to assess their position – what choices are there in new buildings? How about a move to quality refurbished space? What sort of decisions have other businesses been making?

Questions: in Bristol and the big office markets, which big leases have breaks in 2012, or come to an end? Will occupiers manage to screw better deals out of landlords given the grim economic position?

Estates Gazette, West Midlands Focus, 3 March 2012

2012-01-18T07:58:00.003Z

Redundancies, mergers, takeovers.... the changing face of the West Midlands agency scene.
Comment/contacts from anyone (whether client or surveyor) with informed views most welcome by 27 January 2012, please.

Estates Gazette, Retail supplement, March 2012

2012-01-18T07:53:00.003Z

I'm interested in cheese: an affordable luxury, it seems to be retailing well despite the recession. Indeed, proper cheese - as opposed to blocks of diary fat sold as "cheese" by supermarkets - has been getting more popular since the dire days of the 1970s when Crackerbarrel was considered a suitable finale for dinner parties. So the growth of independent retailers, wholesalers, and the dairy/processing businesses that support them. Good news in bad days!
Comment/contact from retailers, makers, wholesalers, diaries, their advisors, their property agents and retail landlords/developers most welcome, by 27 January 2012, please.

Estates Gazette, 4 February 2012, London Boroughs

2012-01-05T11:45:00.004Z

We're thinking big - beeeg - projects in Central London from Stratford in the East to Battersea in the West, and all points north and south. Are they heading for assured success, or will porcine flapping be audible across London's tangled mass of regeneration projects? Will pigs fly?? Folk with strong insider connections very welcome to get in touch. By Wednesday 11 January 2012, please.

South West Business Insider, February 2012

2012-01-05T11:45:00.001Z

I'm writing two features next week for South West Business Insider, so a chance to get clients involved:

1. Property management. What do occupiers need to know, what do they need to be on the look out for, what are the big issues or worries today, given continued economic woes? Are landlords skimping on maintenance costs? How can rental income be maintained? Can property management be outsourced, or should it be done in-house? Comment, contacts by Tuesday am latest, 10 January 2012, please.

2. Eco building. Will 2012 turn out to be the year green building, and renovation or retrofitting, becomes mainstream - and, more importantly, cheap? Are occupiers feeling the benefits already? Are architects and developers adapting their thought to meet real needs and changing government agendas? What - if anything - happens next?
Comment and contacts by Tuesday am, 10th January 2012, please.

South West Business Insider, December 2011

2011-11-08T13:10:00.002Z

Three features, comment/contacts by Friday 11th at the latest, please.

1. Small is beautiful
Taking office space isn’t always about the glory HQ building, so this month Insider will look at things from the other end of the telescope and run the rule over the smaller end of the office market. There are plenty of companies out there who want the best possible office space – but not much of it. What are their options and what is the market like for smaller lettings?

2. Dilapidations
As 2011 draws to a close, dilapidations is a hot issue. In the current climate, with lettings more difficult to achieve, occupiers are facing significant claims from landlords at lease expiry who are seeking to minimise the impact of a departure and maximise money paid in damages to repair their property. Seen from the landlords’ perspective, the concerns are real, too: that buildings are returned at lease expiry in compliance with the lease requirements, and that sufficient money is paid for damages to cover the works required. With the two sides potentially at loggerheads, what’s the best way forward? This month Insider will report back from the leasehold front-line.

3. Architects review
The region’s architects play a key role in shaping the region’s towns and cities, developing residential and commercial space to boost the South West’s liveability and economic vitality.This month Insider takes a closer look at the key players across the South West. Who are the big guns in particular parts of the region – and which can claim to have carved out specialist niches? The feature will also look at the growing importance of sustainable design to the practice of the region’s architects.

Estates Gazette - West Midlands enterprise zones, 5 November 2011

2011-09-27T14:24:00.003+01:00

Should the West Midlands be dancing with joy? The recently-announced Birmingham and Black Country Enterprise Zones - big opportunity or big confusion? Thoughts, comments and relevant contacts by 10th October.

Estates Gazette - Retail Supplement - November 2011

2011-09-27T14:12:00.002+01:00

Three features, comments/contacts from those with a real knowledge of these areas most welcome:

Private equity: Are private equity firms buying the property or the business, or buying the business despite the property?

Plus size: With the outsize clothes market predicted to be worth £8bn by 2016, will there be a rush to open shops in the sector? (Emmerdale lovely Lisa Riley opens a new plus-size store in Liverpool, above).

Jewellery: How is the sector holding up in the current economic climate?

Deadline for comments/contacts is Thursday 29th September 2011.

Early Warning .... Estates Gazette Bristol, Bath, Swindon

2011-07-26T08:53:00.002+01:00

Those with strong interests in Bristol and Swindon, please make contact - and email will do. For forthcoming EG feature.

Na Na Nama.....

2011-07-26T08:48:00.002+01:00

Thoughts from anyone well-connected with thoughts on the Irish National Asset Management Agency - what it's doing and where it goes next - most welcome. But please be quick - by a.m. Thursday 28th July 2011, please.

South West Business Insider, September 2011

2011-07-26T08:47:00.000+01:00

Time's running out, but a final call for anyone interested in the office property market in the South West of England - what's hot and what's not and how on earth does Finzel's Reach in Bristol find any tenants? Comment/contact by a.m. Thursday (28th July).

Estates Gazette, Retail Supplement, 10 September 2011

2011-07-26T08:43:00.002+01:00

Let's think Mary Portas, let's think shopping centres in the middle of towns and how they fit. Comments/contacts from people in the know with opinions that aren't the usual illdigested tripe welcome by 8 August 2011, please.

Estates Gazette, Manchester, 10 September 2011

2011-07-26T08:41:00.002+01:00

Manchester's commercial property agency scene is due for some big shake-ups - mergers, new start ups, it's all change change change. Comment/contacts from those in the thick of the upheaval welcome by 8 August 2011, please.

Estates Gazette, Shropshire & Staffordshire 16 July 2011

2011-06-08T11:42:00.000+01:00

Thoughts on retail in Shropshire and Staffordshire, and on the big looming developments. Comments/contacts by 20 June, please. The hideous beast on the left is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Vile. I mean who would want to live with such a thing? Give me a cat anyday.

South West Business Insider, July 2011 issue

2011-06-07T10:08:00.002+01:00

Two features this month.

1. Plannning

The Localism and Decentralisation Bill is set to transform the way in
which devleopers engage with communities. Listening, rather than
talking, will now be an important part of the process when seeking to
secure planning permission.

What will the bill mean to planning? Will it be, as some fear, a Nimbys'
charter to block proposals? Or will it usher in planning process that's
better than the current centralised model?

The month Insider talks to the experts and stakeholders about the bill
and what it means.

2. Freehold opportunities

Most businesses lease the premises they occupy. In many case it provides
the flexibility a company needs to fit the needs of the business to the
space it requires.

But sometimes a freehold will make more sense. This month Insider
explores the arguments for buying the freehold of a building, and the
practicalities, too.

Comments/contacts for either/both by 13th June 2011, please.

Estates Gazette, Leisure Supplement July 2011

2011-06-07T10:04:00.002+01:00

It's all about tortillas.... or is it? Mexican wave – Mexican chains have become the latest popular phenomenon, following the likes of Japanese and the short-lived Soup revolution. But, how can we spot the next ‘big thing’, and are we running out of concepts? What do these chains want - their property requirements? What demographic do they need? Have they a hope in richly-flavoured hell of surviving?
Comment/contacts by 27 June 2011, latest please.

Estates Gazette, Merseyside

2011-05-10T07:35:00.002+01:00

The big names running Merseyside these days. Comment/contact by 23 May 2011 please.

Estates Gazette, Industrial Focus 18 June 2011

2011-05-10T07:31:00.003+01:00

Occupiers have been landbanking - buying up cheap industrial properties just in case.
But now with stock drying up, and prices on the rise, this widow of opportunity is fast closing. So, what will happen? Will existing stock come back on to the market?
Comment/contacts by 23 May 2011, please.

South West Business Insider, Relocation & Leases. June 2011

2011-05-10T07:30:00.002+01:00

The ups and downs, gains and losses, of relocating your business: where to go, how much to pay, what lease to sign. Comment/contact by 16th May 2011, please.

EstatesGazette, Devon Somerset & Cornwall, June 2011

2011-05-10T07:27:00.002+01:00

How the various bits of this large region fit together - for the purposes of property, regeneration, LEP, etc. Cornish developers in Devon, Devonian occupiers in Cornwall, etc. etc.
Comment/contact by 18th May 2011, please.

Manchester Evening News, Offices feature 26 May 2011

2011-05-10T07:25:00.002+01:00

In-town versus out-of-town offices in Greater Manchester - the costs and benefits of each, what is available, what is being refurbished and what (handful) of projects are getting built.
Comment/contacts from landlords, occupiers, agents, investors, all welcome. By Monday 16th May, please.

MIPIM, Cannes, March 2011

2011-01-21T11:28:00.002Z

A preview feature on MIPIM for Estates Gazette - published that week (2nd week of March). Who is doing what, why are they going, what will they talk about. Comment/contacts by 11 February 2011, latest.

Estates Gazette, Retail supplement, March 2011

2011-01-17T09:27:00.002Z

Think chocolates and shopping centres.

Chocolates - it's not just Thorntons these days. Exclusive stores mingle with mass market fascias and a new wave of choccie themed drinks venues.

Shopping centres - old, tired malls full of trashy downmarket crap vs. the sparkly new offers. Are we seeing the emergence of a premier league of shopping centres - and what happens to the old rubbish venues that are left behind?

Comment/contacts by 1st February 2011, please.

Estates Gazette, Central London - 5 March 2011

2011-01-17T09:25:00.002Z

It's costly renting an office in central London - so why bother? We talk to those who do - and those who don't. Comment/contacts by 31st January 2011, please.

South West Business Insider - Green building, March 2011 issue

2011-01-17T09:22:00.003Z

Going green can cost a lot, especially if you build from scratch - is it neccesary? Wouldnt it just be easier to recycle an old building - much greener than new build - and learn how to control your central heating? We look at offices and factories in the South West. Comment/contact today - 18 January 2011.

Estates Gazette, West Midlands 5 March 2011

2011-01-17T09:18:00.003Z

Regeneration: more change to keep the regenocrats amused. I'm hunting down some of the consequences - AWM assets, for instance, or bids to the new Regional Growth Fund. Will the new local enterprise partnerships take some interesting decisions? Can TIF take off in Birmingham? Thoughts on any of these issues asap, certainly by 20th January.

Estates Gazette - Kent, 5 March 2011

2011-01-17T09:15:00.004Z

I'm thinking shopping centres for the EG Kent feature, published 5th March 2011.
Deadline for comment/contacts is 19th January.

Estates Gazette - South West London, 8 January 2011

2010-11-25T09:35:00.001Z

Major regeneration proposals in the Lambeth/Wandsworth areas.
Deadline for comment/contacts is 7th December.

Style Guide - back my popular demand

2010-10-12T11:04:00.005+01:00

A trip down nostalgia lane for some of you: the famous style guide, reposted from 2008 but back by popular demand. If you quote or use this casually, please acknowledge where it came from. If you plan to reprint or use in any other way then we'll need to talk first...

Some thoughts on expressions and approaches to avoid: there are excellent style guides available. See http://www.economist.com/research/styleguide/ and, very comprehensive, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/tools_and_services/specials/style_guide/

You might want to add to - and develop - this list of do’s and don’ts, sharing good practise and stamping firmly on silliness and ugliness. It can be fun (of a kind….)

* Heads up. “Bruntwood is joined by Fiona Frankly, who will head up the property management team…” Heads will do perfectly well - if she can’t just run or lead - because the up achieves nothing. It is one of a bewildering list off redundant accessory words which now seem popular - for instance, TV chefs don’t just fry things, they fry them off, cut backs appear where cuts are happening, and too many people meet up rather than simply meet. Avoid all such redundancies.

* Very. Nothing is ever very. It’s very wrong.

* Going forwards. As opposed to going backwards? Another redundant and lazy expression.

* Major, important, leading, key, strategic, prime. All to be avoided. Rather than larding a press release with words to the effect that something is major, important, key, strategic, or whatever, remember that it is much more impressive to explain in plain sensible English why it matters.

* Unique. It almost certainly isn’t.

* Locate, location, relocate, relocation. Especially when twinned with “strategic” these words are horrors. Move is a nice simple unflashy alternative. Simple words are always best.

* Please don’t bother with “branding” in the body of the text. So not Fortyspringgardens (one word) simply because someone somewhere has dreamed that up as branding - nor AMEC (instead of Amec) or adidas (instead of Adidas) or bmi british midland for BMI British Midland. It’s not the job of any publication to violate the language to help someone’s marketing strategy.

* Track record. Unless you are describing an athlete or a greyhound, avoid. If a sentence threatens to include “track record” it is probably worth cutting that sentence out because it's almost certainly a load of space-filling time-wasting guff.

* Don't play around with quantities. In other words if your client has completed 24 projects say "24 projects" not "nearly 25 projects" or "more than 20 projects". The phrase "more than" is only (only) applicable if the amount "more than" is very small compared with the original number, for instance: more than £1m is acceptable if the price paid is actually £1,001,000. But if the price was £1.1m then say so.

* Announced, revealed, confirmed. All nasty words. Nothing is confirmed unless we have been entertaining some well-known doubts about it - it is not a synonym for announce. Nothing is revealed unless it was previously hidden and it is not a word anyone should use about themselves - we have expressions in English for people who reveal too much too quickly about themselves, and they are generally not polite. Announce is something government ministers are always telling us they are doing, in the present tense, e.g. “today I am announcing” or “I can announce…”. Meant to sound dramatic and official (like reveal, and confirm) but in fact just a piece of showmanship. Best to forget all three words. Instead, just say what you have to say and be done with it.

* On and at. A site is AT Piccadilly (an area) or AT London Road (a street). It isn’t on them - flags are on buildings, but places are at addresses.

*On and to. “Fiona Frankly will now sit on the board at Bruntwood Ltd”. If she is particularly decorative, and the board can take her weight, then maybe - better would be “Fiona Frankly has been appointed to the board at Bruntwood Ltd”

* Congratulations. Oh please, please spare me quotes like this: Norman Halfwit, director at Idiot Developments, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Sh!t Marketing as our fourth tenant.” Suzy Blonde, director at Sh!t, said: “We’re so happy to bring our expanding business to an Idiot Developments scheme.” Not only is Sh!t a silly brand name I won’t use - but the quotes add nothing. The day the developer says: “This is a tawdry little scheme and we’re very surprised to see some one daft enough to pay our exorbitant rent” and the tenant says “Our overdraft is staggering and I have these terrible headaches all the time, so we thought what the hell,” is the day I start to use quotes like these….. If it’s just a little story then a little unpretentious (brief) press release will do nicely, thanks. Don’t fabricate daft self-congratulatory quotes.

* Company designations. The suffixes “Plc” "LLP" and "Ltd" should be used if they are helpful, not if they are not. For instance, if it refers to a dividend, annual report, merger or shareholder meeting. If it’s just a bit of random fastidiousness it should be struck out. These are news stories, not legal documents.

* Adjectives. Best avoided unless incontestably true, especially since they are almost always either exhausted old warhorses (prime, prestigious, buoyant) that will never, ever, find their way into copy I’m writing - or simply misleading and wrong. I’m afraid an office block in Bury or an industrial unit in Stockport is never - will never be - prestigious. And anyone who can’t think of a better way to describe a busy market than to call it “buoyant” should be invited to check the dictionary meaning or, better still, a thesaurus.

* Adverbs. See adjectives.

* Exciting. It isn’t.

* Joint sole agents. A sole agent is alone, a joint agent has company. A contradiction in terms well worth avoiding.

* Picture captions. Captions like the following are absolutely not acceptable - pictures get junked, and art editors have hysterics, if the are used: "Four members of the Idiot Developments team" or "Sally Blonde (centre) and the winning team" or "The new recruits at Sh!t Marketing". What's wrong with all of these is a failure to comply with this simple rule: YOU MUST IDENTIY EVERYONE IN A PICTURE, BY NAME, LEFT TO RIGHT.

* Says and said. In features people say things, in news stories things were said. Features present tense, news past tense.

* Always use English, not Latin. This may sound obvious - but the house style of all but the silliest publications insists you use English words, rather than the Latin alternatives, if you can. So it's never "per sq ft" (per is Latin), which should be replaced with "a sq ft", and likewise it's never "etc" but use instead "and so on." I.e. and e.g are replaced with "for instance" or "for example".

* Don’t use full stops if you can avoid them. For instance sq ft and not sq. ft. or, worse still, sq.ft. (without a space). Similarly, it’s Mr, Mrs, Dr etc.

* Never use superscript or subscript. So its 10 sq ft and not 10 ft2.

* Use capitals with care. It is never Director of Marketing, only director of marketing. A development is not a Development. The tax partner is not the Tax Partner. Nobody signs Contracts, only contracts.

Estates Gazette, forthcoming features

2010-09-29T08:49:00.002+01:00

If you have interests in these areas, please feel free to get in touch and I might be able to tell you more about the synopsis:

West Midlands retail - by 12 October, please
Aberdeen's office market - also by 12 October, please
Office investment/property development in South Wales: public sector involvement - by 18 October, please

South West Business Insider, November 2010

2010-09-29T08:47:00.004+01:00

Two features, with a deadline for contacts/comment of 4th October.

Anything relevant in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and the Bristol/Bath connurbations most welcome.

Business parks

In recent years so much emphasis has been put by planners on city-centre mixed use development, but out-of-town business parks are still an important part of the commercial property mix.

For some businesses an out of town location makes perfect sense, with the likelihood of better road links and more space for your money.

Insider looks at the leading schemes that are coming to market, speaks to occupiers on business parks about their decision-making, and also looks into the future to see what the prospects hold.

Think: for business parks to work don’t they have to be more than the drab 1980s biz park offer of a boring box of an office with lots of parking? Don’t they need to be genuine social hubs? There must be examples of business parks being overhauled by developers/owners to make them attract to today’s tenants. What are the minimum requirements for today’s tenants to consider a business park? How much cheaper are they they in-town office? What advantages can they bring:?

Sustainable development

Everyone knows that sustainable property development is an investment in the future. But is in one that, in the current climate, people are prepared to make?

This month Insider will look at the equation from all sides. Does truly sustainable development stack up right now for developers – and for occupiers? With reputational, environmental and economic factors to weigh up, making the right choice, for now and the long term, is far from easy.

Whether/on what terms does sustainable development still work for developers, particularly given the lack of public sector driven incentive or cash. And on what terms sustainable development works for occupiers. How does that sound? The obvious place where sustainability still applies in retail centres, which are now being built to high environmental standards, aren’t they? But what about offices?

Estates Gazette City & Docklands

2010-09-21T08:47:00.000+01:00

Writing this week. Two features - one of the office investment scene in the City & Docklands, another on the office market - particularly on occupier demand.

Comment/contacts asap - definitely by Thursday am, please.

Estates Gazette Basingstoke

2010-09-21T08:46:00.000+01:00

Comment/contact useful by 27th September, please. Anything Basingstoke-ish is welcome.

Estates Gazette, Retail Focus, 13 November 2011

2010-09-21T08:44:00.005+01:00

Work begins now on three features:

* Over 50s retail - what happened to all the sensible smart apparel fascias now that everyone dresses like a teenage? Specialist retailers?

* Effect of the forthcoming VAT increase

* Another - and its a secret

These are UK-WIDE features - so anything from anywhere is potentially useful.

Comment/contacts by Friday 24th September, please.

Estates Gazette - Centre Retailing 30th October 2010

2010-08-26T08:20:00.002+01:00

A look at historic centres where there is only so much developers can do – for example, Bath, Oxford, Chester, York, Durham.
Comment/contacts by 15th September, please

Estates Gazette, Bucks, Berks, Oxford - published 2 October

2010-08-26T08:18:00.003+01:00

Development - who is really going to do what?
Comment/contacts by 6th September, please.

South West Business Insider, October 2010 edition

2010-08-26T08:16:00.002+01:00

Two features:
a) property investment in the south west - big and booming or small and shrivelled? Who is buying what, from whom, paying how much - and will they still be doing it next year?
b) the best, the newest, the highest-spec office space in the south west - what is already built, what is coming, and who is going to occupy it?
comments/contacts by 6th September, please

Estates Gazette, East Midlands - published 9th October 2010

2010-08-26T08:15:00.001+01:00

A feature on the region's big retail schemes. Nottingham, Leicester, Derby, you know the form.
Comment/contacts by 13th September latest, please.

EG Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Norfolk 18 September 2010

2010-08-03T13:20:00.003+01:00

I'm interested in Ipswich - whats happening, whats not - and the region's residential sector - again, what is in the pipeline.
Comments/contacts by 23 August latest, please.

27th October 2010....

2010-08-03T09:10:00.004+01:00

Those perverse folk determined to see me in the flesh - rather than email or telephone encounters - can come and hear me release a few years of frustration at an event in Hereford on 27th October. It is organised by the splendid Hereford Civic Society.

I'm talking on "The Regeneration Game" with the sub-title "how urban and rural regeneraiton works and whether it makes economic sense."

So if you'd like your prejudices challenged (or your heretical views confirmed) please feel free to come along and heckle, or applaud, as the spirit moves you.

Having delivered myself of some hot air I will lapse into another 20 years of silence....

The venue is the Kindle Centre, Hereford, start time is 7.30, and all are welcome. Admission is free.

Link for the event: http://www.google.com/calendar/event?eid=b2phbzhtcWQ4ZTU1anJ0cmI1YXJuOWt2NzAgMXQwcTdjOG90bDRlb3ZocDBzNmQxNWZvNzhAZw&ctz=Europe/London

Hereford Civic Society can be found at http://www.herefordcivicsociety.org.uk/

Estates Gazette, South West Focus, September 2010

2010-08-03T09:09:00.002+01:00

A feature on the role of the public sector: cuts will mean what for the region's property - will anyone miss the quangos that get cut?
Deadline for comment/contacts is 10 August, please.

EStates Gazette, Manchester published September 2010

2010-08-03T09:07:00.003+01:00

Two features:

Development

Public sector

Deadline for comment/contacts for both is 13th August.

Estates Gazette, Retail Focus, 11 September 2010

2010-07-16T13:33:00.003+01:00

Two features - the return of debt securitisation at Tesco. What does this mean?

and the UK lingerie sector - big pants or big possibilities?

Comment/contacts by 5 August latest, please.

Estates Gazette, Scotland Focus

2010-07-16T13:31:00.004+01:00

Two features: how will public spending cuts change what's planned in Scotland - big regeneration projects for the chop, Scottish Enterprise in turmoil? We ask the important questions...

Second feature on Scottish banks and commercial property. What with BoS and RBS, Scottish banks were up to their eyebrows in property debt - so is Scotland heading for (or already in) an Irish-style lending crisis? Will we see disposals by banks - if so what property will they sell and when? A Scottish NAMA?

Comment/contacts by 26 July, please.

South West Business Insider, August 2010

2010-07-16T13:29:00.002+01:00

The pros, cons, methods and pitfalls of refurbishing your office/factory/warehouse. Better than buying brand new space - or a can of worms best left unopened? Comment/contact from occupiers, landlords, designers about or from the South West - which means Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Dorset, Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and the big unitary authorities and cities in amongst (Exeter, Bristol, Bath, Plymouth etc).

Second feature on the office property market in the same area.

Deadline for comment/contacts Monday 26 July.

Estates Gazette, Leisure Focus, 21 August 2010

2010-07-07T09:44:00.001+01:00

I'm interested in marinas - big with boom-time money-makers, and the housing developers who want to sell to them, so are they all washed up today? Marinas - inland or coastal - anywhere in the UK are potentially of interest if they are (a) thriving (b) closing (c) confused. Comment/contacts by 27 July, please.

Estates Gazette, Cheshire & North Wales, published 19 June 2010

2010-05-20T12:47:00.002+01:00

Macclesfield retail regeneration - the latest fun and games. Comment/contacts by 24th May, please.

Estates Gazette, Merseyside, published 26 June 2010

2010-05-20T12:45:00.001+01:00

What next for Wirral Waters? Comments/contacts by 31 May, please.

Estates Gazette, Green Focus published 26 June 2010

2010-05-20T12:43:00.002+01:00

Two features for which comments and contacts are needed by 2nd June, please:

1. The new government's green policies and credentials - as they effect property, among other things.

2. Car parks: can a car park ever been green - or are they anti-green wickednesses?

Comment welcome from anywhere in the UK.

South West Business Insider, May 2010

2010-04-29T10:05:00.001+01:00

Relocation feature: should we stay or should we go? Issues businesses in the South West should consider when deciding whether (or not) to move premises. Contacts/comments by 5th May lateast, please.

Estates Gazette - Offices supplement, 22 May 2010

2010-04-29T10:04:00.001+01:00

Supermarkets get into office development.... who, where and with what consequences. Comment/contacts by Friday 30th April latest, please.

Health Focus, Manchester Evening News 13th May

2010-04-29T10:02:00.001+01:00

Focus on Healthcare in the business pages of the Manchester Evening News - to be published 13th May 2010 but the deadline for comment/contacts is 4th May.

* Health and the law..... from a proposed 0 per cent limit on blood-alcohol for drivers, to clarifications on the law of assisted suicide, the law is stepping into the world of health more often than ever. We talk to Manchester's experts.

* Health body, healthy mind.... health issues in the workplace, particularly stress and long-term illnesses like depression, can prove difficult both for sufferers and their employers. We look at the issues and talk to the experts.

* Latest developments in private health insurance.

* Development of new primary care and hospital facilities in Greater Manchester - what has been done so far, and what is still to be built.

* Nuring homes - an opportunity to combine business and care? We talk to local nursing home owners and operators, and their advisors.

Annual Law Review, Manchester Evening News 20th May 2010

2010-04-29T10:01:00.001+01:00

Once again - is this the fifteenth year - it's time for the M.E.N. annual law review. Published 20th May but deadline for comment/contacts is 10th May.

ANNUAL LAW REVIEW

* Making the law pay: which firms made money when the sun was shining, who continued to make money when the recessionary rain was pouring? Unique analysis of the performance of Manchester's multi-million pound legal services sector over the last 12 months

* Profile of a major figure in the city's legal world

* Manchester's Got (Legal) Talent.... we go talent spotting among Manchester's young lawyers.

* Words cost lives.... with libel law in the spot light after the Simon Singh case and a series of high profile actions, we look at government plans to re-think the libel law, talk to the city's libel specialists, and ask whether a day in court is ever a good idea except for the lawyers?

* Spring growth.... we look at expanding areas of the law. What will be the next big areas for legal business?

* Banking litigation... complaints about credit card charges are but the tip of the banking litigation iceberg. We look at this large area of legal practise, its pitfalls and its prospects.

* Administration.... how Manchester's legal business has coped with the spate of administrations and insolvencies caused by the recession.

* Happy families .... we look at Manchester's thriving family law sector.

* Down on the shop floor.... how employment law is adapting.

Manchester Evening News, Employment law 8th April 2010

2010-03-25T09:23:00.000Z

THE social networking phenomenon is sweeping the workplace but it seems that employers are putting themselves at risk of abuse from employees in terms of the amount of time spent on such sites or from posting inappropriate comments about the company or colleagues on sites such as Facebook or Twitter.

Indeed, a recent survey found that four out of five employers in the north west did not have a social networking policy at work. The M.E.N employment law review will look at how employers can protect themselves by implementing a policy as well as looking at the issue of using social networking sites as a tool for vetting job applicants.

As news recently broke about alleged bullying at No 10, the review will also look at bullying in the workplace and what steps employers need to take to prevent it happening.

Finally, the review will look at 'toilet breaks' in the workplace as union leaders call on firms to give proper lavatory breaks to their staff after revealing that some workers are not suppose to go to the toilet during their shifts.

Comments/contacts by 30th March, please.

Estates Gazette, North East May 2010

2010-03-25T09:22:00.004Z

Thornaby Centre, Stockton-on-Tees - and Stockton-ish issues generally. Comment/contacts by 29th March, please.

South West Business Insider, May 2010

2010-03-25T09:22:00.001Z

Serviced offices in the south-west - prices going up as supply goes down? Still a wise choice for credit-crunched busineses? We investigate. Comment/contacts by 6th April, please.

Estates Gazette East Midlands May 2010

2010-03-25T09:20:00.001Z

I'm interested in plans for Northamptonshire. Comments/contacts by 7th April, please.

Estates Gazette Retail, 1st May 2010

2010-03-02T12:14:00.001Z

Three features:

Landlords fight back – Retailers, who quit leases because of the recession, are now returning to towns they had left, but to different premises. But what are the implications for the market and in particular landlords?

DIY – An examination of the changes in the market.

Finance – This recession, retailers have faced failed IPOs, sell-offs and financial changes, but what do the ups and downs of the Stock Exchange mean for the sales floor?

Comment/contacts for all three by 1st April, latest, please.

SWBI: Industrial property

2010-02-26T08:59:00.001Z

Feature for South West Business Insider, April 2010 issue.
What warehouses and factories are being built, let, sold or planned in the South West.
Comment/contacts by 8th March latest, please.

SWBI: Eco Buildings

2010-02-26T08:58:00.001Z

Feature for South West Business Insider, April 2010 issue.
Eco offices - green bling for show-off companies, or a real contribution to the environment? The costs and benefits of occupying them. What is being built, planned and occupied in the South West.
Comment/contacts by 8th March latest, please.

Estates Gazette: Manchester feature, 6 March

2010-02-16T17:11:00.002Z

The commercial property investment scene in the city - particularly, where is the money coming from, and where are the agents doing the work.... are they in Manchester?
Comments/contacts asap please, and certainly no later than 22 February.

Estates Gazette: South Wales

2010-02-16T17:10:00.001Z

For the forthcoming South Wales feature: thoughts on media occupiers in Cardiff, the growing BBC presence, what lessons can be learned from Manchester's experience (especially with the BBC).
Comments/contacts by 22 February, please.

EG Rating

2010-02-16T17:06:00.003Z

Two features for the rating special report appearing in Estates Gazette on 27 March
Comment/contacts by 26 February, please.
1. Temporary occupations. How to lesson the impact of increased business rates bills
2. Business rates in Scotland. How the SNP government is dealing with a potential shortfall in revenue. How will landlords be damaged?

South West Business Insider - Bristol feature March 2010

2010-01-20T14:01:00.001Z

Feature on the Bristol commercial property scene - offices, mostly - looking at new deals, occupiers circling the market, who is sniffing what.... Comment/contacts by 8th February, latest please. This is to appear in the March 2010 edition.

Manchester Evening News - Industrial property feature February 11th 2010

2010-01-18T10:38:00.004Z

Comments/contacts by 3rd February, please:

* Rents. Will they go up or down in 2010?
* Trafford park: how the world's oldest industrial estate is coping in the 21st century
* East Manchester: from Oldham through to Tameside to Stockport, the latest from the fastest-growing industrial property scene in the North West
* workshops: small spaces for small business, we look at what's on offer and what new units are being built
* Distribution: big warehouse have been securing big deals. We look at the most recent massive signings and ask where the next big logistics transactions will come from
* Cheshire: Crewe and Middlewich have become important focii for factory and warehouse occupiers. We analyse the county's property market
* Case studies of the latest deals and developments

Comments/contacts by 3rd February, please:

North West Business Insider - rating and revaluation

2010-01-14T13:29:00.001Z

The impact of the April 1st rating revaluation and how property occupiers can (or should) re-act. Comment and contacts please by Monday 18th January 2010.

Estates Gazette, London feature, March 2010

2010-01-14T13:28:00.004Z

I'm interested in what overseas investors, particularly soveriegn wealth funds, are up to - and how new niche agencies are fairing. Comments/contacts by 1st February 2010, please.

Estates Gazette, MIPIM feature March 2010

2010-01-14T13:26:00.001Z

Two stories: one a preview of the big talking points - and big events - of this year's MIPIM convention in Cannes; the second a look at UK property folk choosing to live and work abroad - are they fleeing the recession, are there more opportunities overseas, what is it like? Comments and contacts by 27th January 2010, latest.

Estates Gazette, Retail Supplement, March 2010

2009-12-08T15:42:00.003Z

Three features:
1. What would a change of government this May mean for the retail sector?
2. A look at how the children's retail sector is coping with recession.
3. Regional chains - still plenty left, are they moving more aggressively into shopping centres, who are they thriving - or merely surviving?
Comment/contacts by 16 December latest, please.

Development Pipeline in the South West

2009-12-08T15:40:00.002Z

South West Business Insider, January 2010
What's going to get built, what might get built, what won't get built among the South West's planned shops, offices and factories. We'll also look at progress on the big regeneration schemes in the region. Comment/contacts by 16th December, please.

Estates Gazette - Asia feature, 14 November 2009

2009-10-06T11:08:00.000+01:00

Co-incides with MIPIM Asia. Two features:
Preview: what’s going on at the show, what to expect, where to go, what to do
Asian investment hot spots and not spots: Where to invest in Asia, and where not to invest, what returns to expect what to buy and what to steer clear of. Who’s buying and who’s noticeably absent from the market.
A tight timetable, I'm afraid: comments and contacts by 19 October 2009, please.

South West Business Insider, November 2009

2009-10-01T13:52:00.000+01:00

Business parks: traditional wisdom says everyone wants to be in town, feeling the buzz, during a boom - but is happy to go out-of-town where its quieter and much much cheaper, during a bust. Signs are that's whats happening in the South West, where business park lettings are rolling in this autumn. Who, what, when and where. Comment/contact by 12 October, please.

Estates Gazette, South Wales feature, 14 November 2009

2009-09-30T14:29:00.000+01:00

Synopsis out soon: contacts/comment by 16 October 2009, please.

Estates Gazette, North West Supplement, 21 November 2009

2009-09-30T14:28:00.001+01:00

Two features:

Preston - obvious story there.

Sheds - big ones.

Comment/contacts by 21 October 2009, please.

Manchester Evening News, October 2009 features

2009-09-22T15:16:00.000+01:00

Annual Commercial Property Review, published 22 October 2009
comments/contacts by 15 October latest, please

* The big deals - and the deals that got away: we review the ups and downs of a difficult year for commercial property.

* Crisis, what crisis? Not every sector of the property market has been suffering - we look at the survivors and the thrivers.

* Industrial property: with deals due to conclude soon, the industrial property market could enjoy a good 2010. We look ahead and spot the winners.

* South Manchester. Is the famine over for the troubled south Manchester office market?

* Shops to rent. How high street stores are being re-let after 18m of high profile retail closures.

* Make it new. We look at office, retail and industrial developments begun in the boom, but now looking for tenants in the recession. How are they faring?

* Made it through the rain. Profile of a property person who survived 2009, despite the problems.

* Looking ahead. Pundits predict the next 12 months.

Advance warning

2009-09-18T14:07:00.001+01:00

Manchester Evening News annual commercial property view, published 22nd October - synopsis to follow. Deadline for comment/contacts will be 12 October.

Estates Gazette Inverness feature

2009-09-18T14:05:00.000+01:00

Yes, we're heading radically north: Inverness, its shops and its delights. Comment/contacts for this EG feature to me by 12 October latest, please.

Estates Gazette retail supplement, 14 November 2009

2009-08-27T16:09:00.000+01:00

After the freeze - Now the chill hand of Icelandic investment has been lifted from some - but not all - of the fascias the Icelandic investors once controlled, what changes has it meant, and what will they mean for the high street?

VAT With VAT going back up at the end of the year, how will this affect what little improvement there has been in some sectors of the retail world?

Comments/contacts by 28th September, please.

Manchester Evening News - PFI/PPP feature 24th September 2009

2009-08-27T16:02:00.000+01:00

As predicted, a PFI/PPP feature will run in the Manchester Evening News on 24th September. I'm interest in any aspect of PPP and PFI - particularly:

* how well these forms of public procurement will survive a public spending squeeze - is PFI/PPP going to be winners?

* has LIFT done the heaving lifting? We look at ppp/pfi projects in the health sector.

* how much has been learned in the PFI/PPP projects at the North West's schools?

* Latest trends in PFI/PPP - which sectors are receiving attention? what new contract models are finding favour?

* case studies of the latest PFI/PPP projects and previews of those to come

Comment/contacts to me by 14th September, please.

Estates Gazette, Ireland Focus September 2009

2009-08-11T14:38:00.001+01:00

Estates Gazette Ireland Focus, published 26 September 2009
Deadline for comment/contact 24 August 2009
Two features: 1. National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) - Analysis of the implications for the market
2. Developers – Who is best placed to ride out the storm?

Estates Gazette: Manchester update feature

2009-08-11T14:36:00.000+01:00

Estates Gazette, Manchester update published 12 September 2009
Retail and Leisure in the city centre: why is some of it working (despite obvious problems), why some of it isn't, and why some much-trailed schemes seem to have ground to a halt (despite pre-lets).
Comment/contacts welcome by 17th August 2009.

Manchester Evening News September 2009 features

2009-08-11T14:35:00.001+01:00

South Manchester, published 24th September 2009
Deadline for comment/contacts 17 September

* Back in business? Companies are once again turning to south Manchester for modern, good value office space. We look at the new arrivals - and the requirements in prospect.

* Media, telecoms and technology. Once the mainstay of south Manchester, the dotcom crash cut the media, telecoms and technology sector down to size. Today they are still one of the area's biggest businesses - and growing once again. We explore this market.

* Industrial. Can Wythenshawe and the other south Manchester industrial locations take advantage of recession?

* Office property deals and developments in South Manchester analysed.

* Cheshire Set. How are the Cheshire towns - Wilmslow, Knutsford, Macclesfield - capitalising on their appeal to office occupiers?

* Business parks. We look at the deals - and the deal-makers - who are setting the business parks to work.

Sheds Review, published 10th September 2009
Deadline for comment/contacts 3rd September

* Motorway madness. Are the big motorway-junction related deals now satisfied - or are their more monster requirements still out there? We look at the changing face of the north west distribution sector.

* Lancashire hot spot. Deals and developments along the important Lancashire section of the M6 motorway corridor.

* Southern success. Do challengers from the south of Manchester - particularly Crewe and Stoke - present real competition for warehouse and factory locations in Greater Manchester? We investigate.

* Case studies of major deals and developments around the region.

* Are manufacturers back in the market for improved business space? We find out.

Manchester Evening News - PFI-PPP

2009-07-15T10:24:00.000+01:00

Thinking now about forthcoming features on PFI and other public-sector procurement projects for September feature in the Manchester Evening News. Contacts, comment and background most welcome - next few weeks would be handy whilst we're planning.

South West Business Insider

2009-07-15T10:23:00.000+01:00

Feature on the office property market in the South West for the September edition of SWBI - can't ignore Bristol but I'd very much like to broaden it out beyond the city to look at the rest of the region. Comment, contacts and background information all much appreciated by Monday 29th July latest, please.

Estates Gazette - Shropshire, 18 July 2009

2009-06-04T14:00:00.000+01:00

A feature on Shropshire for EG's Shropshire/Staffordshire feature, published 18 July. Deadline for comemnt/contacts is 15 June. Thoughts on - projects in - plans for - Telford, especially welcome.

North West Business Insider

2009-06-02T15:37:00.001+01:00

Commercial property – Landmark buildings in the North West
Published in the July edition.
Iconic is a much-overused word, but there are a certain amount of landmark buildings in use as commercial spaces, and in this feature we’ll run the rule over some grand old places brought back to life by refurbishment. How much of a premium can be placed on being in a building praised in Pevsner? How do the running costs compare with more modern space and at what point do the negatives outweigh the positives? We're thinking office blocks, warehouses, etc.
Comment/contacts by Monday 8th June, latest, please.

Estates Gazette: Thames Valley

2009-05-27T12:02:00.000+01:00

Berkshire/Buckinghamshire/Oxfordshire: a lot of office space is coming onto the market as companies merge, or shed workers. The Thames Valley isn't used to this kind of thing - are occupiers picking up bargains? Are landlords in despair? Feature will focus on occupiers, I hope.
Comment/contacts by 8th June latest, please.

Estates Gazette: Leisure supplement

2009-05-27T12:01:00.001+01:00

Hotels and stadia/stadiums - how well do they work together? Who is developer what and why?
Published in Estates Gazette's forthcoming leisure supplement.
Comment/contacts by 8th June 2009, please.

Forthcoming features... Manchester Evening News

2009-05-18T15:59:00.000+01:00

Manchester Evening News
DISTRIBUTION FEATURE
published 4th June, deadline for comment/contacts 28 May

* Has the logistics business weathered the worst of the economic storm - or is there more to come - and what will be the consequences for the North West's warehouses?

* Motorway Days - a look at warehouse development prospects along the region's motorway corridors.

* Big or Small. What sizes and styles of warehouse will be needed in the North West in the coming 36 to 48 months? Is anyone building them?

* Secondhand isn't second best. We look at the market for second-hand warehouses and distribution facilities.

* Case studies of major deals and developments.

Manchester Evening News
OFFICES REVIEW
published 25th June, deadline for comment/contacts 17 June

* Whitehall of the North. Can Manchester become the biggest public sector office location outside London?

* Is the city centre heading for over supply of office space - and will rents fall as a result?

* Are Manchester's big office landlords adapting well to a tough credit-crunched market?

* Bargains to be had. Are there bargains to be had for office occupiers with the nose to hunt them out?

* Refurbishment. Will refurbished offices become the main source of new office space in the next three years?

* We look at the industries and business groups who are continuing - despite recessionary gloom - to sign up for new office space in the city centre and the out-of-town business parks.

* Case studies of major deals and developments.

Forthcoming.....

2009-05-12T14:52:00.000+01:00

South West Business Insider
Still looking for comment/contacts on commercial developers in the South West - who is thriving, who just surviving? Why are some doing so much better than others? Your thoughts by first thing Thursday morning, 14th May.

Forthcoming feature....

2009-05-12T14:49:00.000+01:00

Farmers Weekly
The prospects for county council-owned farms - and their tenants. County councils own large agricultural estates, originally intended (like council housing) to help people with limited capital. Many councils are now selling or running down their agricultural estates - others are more positive. Like to talk to tenants, new owners, councils, rural practise surveyors.... contacts/comment welcome by 8 June, latest.

Forthcoming features...

2009-05-12T14:47:00.000+01:00

Estates Gazette
Merseyside feature, published late June 2009
Contacts/comment on retailing in Merseyside most welcome by 26th May, please.
The fortunes of shopping centres - old, new and projected -are of particular interest.

And if you have a free moment....

2009-04-29T15:21:00.001+01:00

....do take a look at www.dailymash.co.uk - news as it ought to be written.....

Forthcoming in South West Business Insider

2009-04-29T15:19:00.000+01:00

Two features for SWBI's June edition.

1. Should I stay or should I go..... when a lease is about to end, is now a good time to move - or to extract a good deal from your landlord and stay put? Comment with a South West feel and/or contacts by 5 May, please.

2. Developers. Who is still making money in the South West - who is going under.... and what's the difference between 'em. Comment/Contacts by 12 May, please.

See www.newsco.com for details of SWBI and its catchment.

Forthcoming projects, May 2009

2009-04-29T15:18:00.001+01:00

Estates Gazette - Cheshire & N Wales feature - published June 09
Interested in retail and leisure schemes - proposed, planned and postponed - in Cheshire.
Comment/contacts by 12 May, please.

Forthcoming features, Manchester Evening News

2009-03-31T17:33:00.000+01:00

Please note the changed dates for comment/submissions.

STOCKPORT REVIEW, deadline 7th April for comment/contacts

* What next for Stockport town centre now that Lend Lease has pulled out? An update on the Future Stockport project.

* Can Stockport's business parks win defectors from Manchester - and new occupiers from around the region?

* The latest on the town centre office market.

* Is Stockport making the most of its motorway links to attract industrial occupiers and warehouse operators? We profile deals and developments.

* Case studies of the latest deals & developments.

TRAFFORD PARK, 20th April deadline for comment/contacts

* Will the new hotel at the Trafford Centre mean a big boost to business? We look at the successful centre's prospects.

* Despite the gloom industrial lettings continue in Trafford Park - we ask who, where and why.

* We profile Trafford Park's most active developers and most successful landlords.

* Case studies of recent deals.

Urgent call for copy

2009-03-19T15:30:00.000Z

Manchester Evening News, commercial property deals review - published Tuesday 24th March - being written today and tomorrow

Thoughts on the likely ups and downs of the commercial property market in Greater Manchester in the next six months very welcome. Try to find a new angle, if you can....

Forthcoming work, Estates Gazette

2009-03-17T14:10:00.000Z

London, City and Docklands Focus, 2nd May 2009
Agents and surveyors: who is making money in the recession, and who is suffering badly.
Comment/contacts by 3rd April, please.

2009-03-10T13:52:00.001Z

Estates Gazette, Green supplement, 21 March 2009

Asset management: How important is it for asset managers to be clued up on sustainability?

Completing this feature today - 10th March 2009 - so hurry.....

2009-03-10T13:50:00.000Z

Estates Gazette, Lancashire & Cumbria 18th April 2008

Deadline for comment/contacts: 25th March 2008

Thoughts on Preston tithebarn most welcome.

Also on tourism in Lancashire & Cumbria.