Movers & Shakers hosted another impactful Build to Rent Forum on Thursday, Feb. 27, where eager build to rent professionals gathered to debate a range of topics impacting this ever-growing market. Movers & Shakers Chairman David Jennings opened the day with an inspiring video of Greystar’s 2,000-home Greenford Quay development, showcasing a great example of the high standard of homes the industry has to offer.  Adam Challis, Executive Director, EMEA Living Research & Strategy at JLL, reaffirmed the previously controversial notion that home ownership isn’t all that matters. As an industry, real estate should be focused on product quality and geographical diversity. Challis tapped into the importance of sustainability and thought provokingly asked which company in the market would be the first to achieve zero carbon emissions whilst being able to offer affordable rental prices. Later in the day, Rebecca Taylor of Long Harbour agreed with the sentiment and stated that as well as operating buildings more efficiently, sustainability must also be entrenched in construction and waste management. News from the Frontline The passion and enthusiasm to see more collaboration in the market was apparent, especially when it comes to data sharing. Michela Hancock, Managing Director, Development & Construction, Greystar Europe, shared some interesting demographic data from Greystar’s Salemakers development. Hancock explained how Salemakers is occupied by 50% students, a figure much higher than expected, that the average age of build to rent residents is 29, and that 48% of residents are male. Ian Gibbs, Director of Neighbourhoods, Get Living, delved into behavioural data sharing that 20% of the East Village population transfer internally when relocating because they know the Get Living brand. Gibbs also stated that 50% of people who have lived in a tall, residential tower building, are more likely to rent...

As modern landlords strive to drive footfall and revenues in their shopping centers, they are using sophisticated new tools and techniques. Astute use of data can lead to better-informed decisions – but how is the impact of this new discipline being felt across the property industry? Yardi brought together a panel of thought leaders in the sector in a round table event in central London. Fiona Hamilton, global head of retail for international brands, BNP Paribas Allan Lockhart, property director, NewRiver REIT Charles Maudsley, executive director, head of retail, British Land Sophie Ross, group head of multichannel, Hammerson Ailish Christian-West, head of portfolio, shopping centers, Landsec Claer Barrett, personal finance editor, Financial Times (chair) How widespread is the use of data becoming within physical retail assets? SR: It’s relatively easy to capture data – it’s much harder to add value. I would say that only around 20 percent of the data gathered by landlords is being used effectively. CM: Data is just the starting point. At British Land we collect and analyze more data than ever before about shopping patterns, demographics and spending. We replay that to retailers. Anonymised mobile phone signals can show us a heat map of where shoppers are in the center, and point to linkages between retailers. For example, our brand profiling shows TK Maxx and Pret a Manger are highly correlated. TK Maxx in Hinckley – would an adjoining Pret boost their sales? We can measure conversion rates – the number of people who pass a store versus the number who actually go in. We can say to a retailer, it’s 30 percent in your shop, but it’s 90 percent elsewhere, so let’s find out why. We can show retailers looking to open a store with us how their...

London, United Kingdom will host the annual Yardi Advanced Solutions Conference (YASC) on 15-16 November, 2016. The conference will be held at the Park Plaza Riverbank London hotel, located on the south bank of the River Thames overlooking the Houses of Parliament. This year, YASC will bring together an estimated 250 clients and 80 staff for two days of learning and networking with real estate professionals within the European commercial, residential and investment sectors. The conference focuses on advanced software training, product updates and exploring important industry topics. YASC will offer clients 84 unique classes and panels tailored for executives, product users and technology professionals. Attendees can look forward to a General Session with Yardi leadership on Tuesday, interactive client and expert panels throughout the conference, networking receptions, prize draws and the highly anticipated YASC Gala. New to 2016, the conference has been enhanced for expanded client learning and networking: Connect with the YASC App. Attendees can access conference information, maps, social networking and in-app messaging on the YASC App. Use the YASC App to view your daily schedule, explore YASC social media activity and to complete session evaluations. The YASC App is available for download at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Get social and win! This year, we are hosting Europe’s first YASC social media scavenger hunt. Complete all six tasks to be entered to win prizes during Wednesday’s Closing Remarks. Learn more about the scavenger hunt in your conference brochure. Connect and share your YASC experience on your favourite social network using our event hashtag, #YASC2016. Get hands-on experience from the experts. Reinforce newly acquired skills with hands-on experience in our on-site lab. Our expert account managers and technical staff will be on hand to walk you through advanced techniques and to answer your...

LONDON – Industrial property has emerged as one of the strongest performing asset classes this year, apparently brushing off the threat of Brexit as consumers shop – or rather, click – until they drop. The rise of e-commerce means tenant demand is robust, with record rents being achieved in tightly-constrained urban areas where logistics space is competing with residential. However, occupiers are having to invest heavily in technology. In a continuing series of think tanks, Yardi brought together a panel of experts to discuss these issues in the European real estate market. Panelists: Claer Barrett, Financial Times – Chair Alan Holland, Business Unit Director, Greater London – Segro Richard Croft, Chief Executive – M7 Real Estate Mark Bowden, Partner – Caisson Investment Management Michael Williams, Investment Manager – M&G Real Estate Kevin Mofid, Research Director – Savills CB: The good news is that we’re seeing healthy yields and rental growth on industrial space, particularly in the Greater London area – but is this mainly because so much of it has vanished in the past decade? AH: The pressure on land for industrial and urban logistics is immense, particularly in areas of population concentration where developers like Segro are competing with house builders. According to the GLA, around 700 ha of industrial land has been lost in Greater London as places like Nine Elms, Old Oak Common and the Olympic Park ha ve become residential areas. That’s the equivalent of seven times the size of Regent’s Park – it’s gone and it won’t be replaced. KM: Since 2009, Savills research shows the supply of existing warehousing stock has decreased by 70 per cent. But at the same time, take-up has risen from a long-running average of 18m sq ft per year to 22m sq ft in the...

The fifth in Yardi’s series of thought leadership Think Tanks, held in association with Property Week, brought together retail centre owners and managers to discuss their experience and opinions on how to remain successful in a competitive retail environment. London’s retail scene is arguably the best in the world, with billions of pounds spent annually in the capital’s designer stores, boutiques and big-brand outlets. But as fashions in real estate strategy change, today’s retail landlords and property managers must move with the times to keep on attracting consumers. In a series of real estate think tanks, Yardi brought together a panel of retail experts to discuss the burning issues. Jace Tyrrell, deputy chief executive, New West End Company Jordan Jeffery, head of retail management, JLL Robin Dobson, director of retail development, Hammerson Clare Harris, head of group marketing & communications, Shaftesbury Chair: Claer Barrett, Financial Times CB: Let’s start by talking about online retail – have retailers and landlords passed ‘peak disruption’? RD: If you look back 10 years, the property industry was scared; now, I think we’ve come through the eclipse. The opportunity to create the best physical stores is complimentary to the drive to online. ICSC research showed that 90% of transactions still happen in a physical location – customers may have seen the product in a store, then ordered it at home or on a screen, or they might have ordered it at home and gone into the store to collect it. John Lewis recently reported that 50% of its in-store sales are coming from ‘click and collect’. As landlords, we create the platform for others to create the theatre. JJ: Everyone has had to adapt to online changes. Today’s consumers are much more informed and do a lot more research...

LONDON – The burgeoning demand for rental property – particularly in London – means developers of build-to-rent schemes have a captive market, but everything else from valuation to finance and planning seems to be stacked against the sector significantly expanding. What do the pioneers of this form of development have to tell us about the state
of the UK housing market and housing policy, and how are they overcoming the odds to deliver profitable schemes? Panel participants: Claer Barrett, Financial Times – Chair Dominic Martin, Operations & Strategy –Westrock Neil Young, Chief Executive – Get Living London Ryan Prince, Chief Executive and Co-Founder– Realstar Living James Scott, Chief Operating Officer –The Collective CB: There has been a lot of noise about ‘build to rent’ as a policy, but correspondingly little development in the private rented sector (PRS). Why is it so challenging financially? RP: It is uneconomic for PRS developers to compete with housebuilders. By our estimates, they can pay 30% more for a site. Then there is the time it takes persuading the planners. When you actually do the math, taking planning, construction, leasing risk and time into account, returns can actually be pretty poor. Most new PRS schemes are either government-procured PRS, where land is marketed on the basis that it will be PRS instead of homes for sale, or part of large-scale regeneration projects. If you remove those specific circumstances, you have no real meaningful, scalable policy framework to have a PRS industry in the UK. I think it gets disproportionate headlines relative to its size. DM: We still do not have clarity for PRS in the planning process. The London mayor’s supplementary planning document is starting to go in our direction, but it is still only guidance. Local authorities can do...

Yardi will host a series of think-tanks that unite industry professionals in discussion on the hottest issues facing real estate in the UK. This week: what are the prospects for property as an asset class? A new plan may draw investors from the capital to previously overlooked northern towns. During the global recession, emerging markets remained steady as developed markets faltered. Since the recovery, the major markets–US, Europe and Japan—have recaptured the attention of investors.  But will London’s assets continue to lead England or are regional markets promising prospects? It could behoove investors to look beyond London’s city limits for growth opportunities.  The capital’s highly competitive real estate market offers few new opportunities; the bulk of existing investors are vying for coveted space in the city’s 70-80 successful high street locations. It would be a shame for investors that do not make it into those locations to take their resources outside of the country. The solution: transform London’s regional markets into more attractive prospects. The Local Growth Fund has allocated £12bn to merge Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, and Liverpool into the “northern powerhouse.” Supporters do not plan to siphon London’s businesses or big investors. Instead, the emphasis will be placed on nourishing successful local businesses and attracting new resources.  Hopes ride on the dawn of new investors, those beat out of opportunities in London, for example, and those who are new to the arena, such as Chinese investors who have received more flexible access to foreign markets in recent years. As a rising business center, the northern powerhouse properties can be developed to fit modern tenants’ demands: Occupiers of the new business center will be greeted with competitive rents, convenient mixed-use facilities with eco-friendly features, and pedestrian friendly access. The northern powerhouse can be quite appealing in...