Jewellery was the strongest performing sector for year-on-year growth in July 2016 with a 7.2% increases in sales, according to Savills research based on data from its managed shopping centres across the UK*. The sporting goods sector was the next best performer, continuing its consistently positive recent performance with a
Huge stock disparities in neighbouring towns Although UK wide there is a shortage of new property stock, you can find big disparities in stock levels in neighbouring property markets According to the latest findings from online estate agents HouseSimple.com, dispite being located a mere 20 miles
12 buildings have been shortlisted for RIBA East Midlands (Royal Institute of British Architects) 2016 Awards; the winners will be announced at an Awards evening at Nottingham Contemporary on Wednesday 27th April. The buildings that have been shortlisted are: Chatsworth Stickyard Outdoor Education Centre, Bakewell by Peak Architects Contour
23 July 2016 – by Amber Rolt Amazon is to sign Europe’s largest logistics prelet for what will be one of the sector’s most revolutionary buildings. The e-tailer has agreed to take 2.2m sq ft at Roxhill and Port of Tilbury’s 70-acre London Distribution Park in Essex, which will trigger
The train station of Stamford located in the area of Lincolnshire is finally in the ending processes of its planned repair works by Network Rail. Operating throughout the country in order to improve the conditions of railway stations and the experiences of passengers, Network Rail has worked tirelessly over the
The excitement in London South West 1 is being permeated everywhere now that London & Oriental have announced the building of a brand new home and work area in the heart of London known as the new Buckingham Green. Situated in the heat of the capital right in the middle
A property development company that specializes in building and constructing homes all over the United Kingdom known as Avant Homes has recently joined forces with energy provider British Gas. This is a very important occasion for both companies as it involves the first partnership between them as part of Avant
Construction Industry Solutions (also known as COINS) were excited to organize a special conference dedicated to showing the different ways in which the building and construction industries in the United Kingdom can work together in order to implement the brand new innovations that expansions in technology enable them to do
The Minister responsible for implementing the “Northern Powerhouse” strategy into this country, Andrew Percy, has claimed that the government is investing as much as it can into the cities of the North and expects to do much more besides. This statement precedes what he will explain to a number of
BigChange the Mobile Workforce Management technology specialist has won contracts to supply some of the UK’s biggest equipment rental businesses with its three-in-one JobWatch system for over 5000 mobile technicians, engineers and drivers. A hire-specific version of the JobWatch system has been implemented by leading players including A Bird, Elliott
Jewellery was the strongest performing sector for year-on-year growth in July 2016 with a 7.2% increases in sales, according to Savills research based on data from its managed shopping centres across the UK*. The sporting goods sector was the next best performer, continuing its consistently positive recent performance with a sales increase of 6.6%. Other growth categories included cafes, travel and value or discount stores. By contrast, homeware sales decreased by -13.9% in July after showing positive growth in the first half of the year. Savills suggests this could be a result of caution among house buyers and sellers in the immediate aftermath of the vote to leave the EU. Womenswear and menswear continued to see sales decline in July (-8.8% and -7.5% respectively), in line with a longer term negative trend. Savills also reports that footfall across its managed shopping centres saw a slight increase in July of +0.4%, compared with national average declines of between -0.4% (according to Footfall) and -2.1% (according to the British Retail Consortium and Springboard). Stephen Toal, head of property management research at Savills, says: “Although it is still too early to pick out specific trends based on the result of the EU referendum, value retail has seen an immediate uptick while homeware appears to have felt the impact of some consumer uncertainty. However, the success of jewellery in July shows that shoppers are still keen to purchase higher value goods. It remains to be seen to what extent these trends continue in the second half of the year; and we will be monitoring them closely with a particular focus on Christmas which will provide a strong barometer for consumer sentiment.” Looking further back than July, the electrical sector was the top performing category in the first half of the year with growth of nearly 20% from January to June 2016 compared with the same period in 2015. Other strong performers over the period included childrenswear (+8.3%), sporting goods (+7.6%) and health and beauty (+5.2%). Conversely, value retailers saw a sharp drop over the period (-9.6%), along with confectionery (-7.6%) and womenswear (-7%) over the first six months of this year. *Information was collated using over 1,200 pieces of turnover from across more than 50 UK shopping centres. Source link
Huge stock disparities in neighbouring towns Although UK wide there is a shortage of new property stock, you can find big disparities in stock levels in neighbouring property markets According to the latest findings from online estate agents HouseSimple.com, dispite being located a mere 20 miles from each other, Darlington and Durham’s property supply couldn’t be further apart. The data revealed that while Darlington enjoyed an August rise of 30.2% in new properties listed compared to July, Durham saw supply drop by almost a third (31.2%). Similarly, Telford and Hereford are both in the West Midlands, and just over 50 miles apart, but Telford saw the biggest rise (39.7%) in property supply in August of any town analysed by HouseSimple, while Hereford saw the biggest fall (33.3%) of any town. To compile the Index, HouseSimple looks at data on more than 500,000 listed properties, to track the number of new properties marketed every month in more than 100 major towns and cities across the UK and all London boroughs. Across the UK, property supply was down 8.6% in August compared to July, with almost two thirds (63.8%) of the country’s towns and cities experiencing a drop off in new property listings. The following table shows the UK towns and cities that experienced the biggest falls in new property listings in August versus July: Town/City Region % fall in new listings in July vs. June Hereford West Midlands -33.3% Durham North East -31.2% Canterbury South East -29.8% Hemel Hempstead East -27.8% Birmingham West Midlands -23.4% Basildon East -22.5% Exeter South West -22.0% Brighton South East -21.4% Luton South East -20.4% Perth Scotland -20.3% Although the majority of towns and cities saw property supply fall in August – including London, which saw new property listings falls 14.4% – more than a third actually experienced a rise in new listings. The following table shows the 10 UK towns and cities that experienced the biggest rises in new property listings in August versus July: Town/City Region % rise in new listings in July vs. June Telford West Midlands 39.7% Darlington North East 30.2% Winchester South 29.5% Runcorn North West 29.2% Bootle North West 24.5% Chichester South East 23.5% Inverness Scotland 23.4% Rotherham South Yorkshire 21.8% Rugby West Midlands 20.7% King’s Lynn East 20.3% Alex Gosling, CEO of online estate agents HouseSimple.com comments: “Our latest supply index shows that although UK wide there is a shortage of new property stock, you can find big disparities in stock levels in neighbouring property markets. For example, sellers in Durham appear more reluctant to put their properties on the market than they do in Darlington, with Durham seeing new property listings falling by more than 30% while Darlington experienced a 30% hike in new listings. August is traditionally a quieter month for the property market, so we would expect to see stock levels down during July and August when families head off for their summer holidays. But with such low levels of property stock at the moment across the country, we have seen slightly unusual stock behaviour since the EU Referendum. A third of towns and cities we researched saw property supply rise last month when we would normally expect it to fall. September is a buoyant time for the property market, and typically we would expect to see new property listings rising across the country. If that doesn’t happen then alarm bells may start ringing. Hopefully the boost from a cut in interest rates, and more confidence generally in the state of the UK economy post-Brexit, should provide the reassurances that both buyers and sellers need.“ Source link
12 buildings have been shortlisted for RIBA East Midlands (Royal Institute of British Architects) 2016 Awards; the winners will be announced at an Awards evening at Nottingham Contemporary on Wednesday 27th April. The buildings that have been shortlisted are: Chatsworth Stickyard Outdoor Education Centre, Bakewell by Peak Architects Contour House, Derbyshire by Sanei Hopkins Architects Derby Arena by FaulknerBrowns Architects Garden Buildings, Warmington, Northamptonshire by Ashworth Parkes Architects Heart of Campus, Nottingham Trent University by Evans Vettori Architects Leicester Print Workshop by Takero Shimazaki Architects Lincoln Castle Revealed by Arrol & Snell Ltd Nottingham One by Levitate NUAST, Nottingham by Bond Bryan Architects Oundle School Pavilion by Levitate Private house, Northamptonshire by James Gorst Architects The Portland Collection, Welbeck Estate, Worksop by Hugh Broughton Architects RIBA East Midlands Chair, Valeria Passetti welcomed the news: “I’m delighted that 12 projects have been shortlisted for the RIBA East Midlands Awards 2016. The range and diversity of the projects selected really showcases the truly inspiring architecture that this region has to offer.” All shortlisted buildings will be assessed by a regional jury with the winning buildings announced at the RIBA East Midlands Awards evening and reception on Wednesday 27th April at Nottingham Contemporary, a 2010 RIBA Award-winning building. The Awards will be hosted by BBC East Midlands presenter Marie Ashby, with guest of honour RIBA President, Jane Duncan. Regional Award winners will be considered for a highly-coveted RIBA National Award in recognition of their architectural excellence, the results of which will be announced in June. The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize for the best building of the year will be drawn from the RIBA National Award-winning buildings later in the year. -ends- Notes to editors: 1. For further press information please contact: Lucy Grierson; lucy.grierson@riba.org 2. RIBA East Midlands Awards Shortlist: Chatsworth Stickyard Outdoor Education Centre, Bakewell Peak ArchitectsChatsworth Stickyard involved the conversion and regeneration of a 19th century cart shed and associated outbuildings to provide a series of flexible teaching and presentation spaces as part of an outdoor education centre within the grounds of Chatsworth House, Derbyshire. The project aimed to conserve, protect and convert the buildings, with works combining the use of traditional stone and historic lime mortars with stainless steel used both structurally and decoratively. Contour House, Derbyshire Sanei Hopkins Architects LtdThe brief was to design a replacement house which was open, light and contemporary using high quality traditional materials, which called for stone and natural timber plus exposed natural materials internally. The house follows one of the gently curving meadow contours, in the same way a ‘dry stone wall’ or a ‘stone barn’ follows such contours across the Peak District landscape. The emphasis is on a good family orientated space combining cooking, living and socialising in an informal setting. Derby Arena FaulknerBrowns ArchitectsDerby Arena sets a new standard for local authority sports facilities providing an aspirational and invigorating place to participate in sport. The Arena contains a uniquely raised 250m indoor cycle track allowing unimpeded access below to a central multi-use sports infield which, together with a 1500 spectator grandstand, additionally creates a space for cultural and music events. Extensive café foyer, fitness and multi-function rooms flank one side of the cycle track with the spectator grandstand opposite. The dynamic external form, which tightly shrink wraps the internal accommodation, provides a new truly iconic civic building for Derby. Garden Buildings, Warmington Ashworth Parkes Architects LtdThe project is a collection of new ‘agricultural’ style buildings at the threshold between the formal garden of the main house and meadow beyond in a small Northamptonshire village. The property is located in the centre of the village across from the Grade 1 listed St Mary’s Church. The brief asked for the demolition of an existing garage, a garden store and the remains of an old piggery and in their place: a ‘Studio’ building’ with catering facilities and a bathroom, where the owners might ‘go away’ for the weekend, Heart of Campus, NTU Clifton Evans Vettori ArchitectsThe two buildings replace worn out 1960s teaching blocks on an incoherent site, with new state of the art spaces, thus creating a new ‘front door’ for the University’s Clifton campus. The new 2,000sq.m ‘Pavilion’ provides large and small spaces for collaborative learning and social interaction, whilst the Teaching Block, which provides flexible classrooms and lecture spaces, plays a supporting role in the ensemble of new buildings around the Plaza, complementing the new Pavilion. Leicester Print Workshop Takero Shimazaki ArchitectsThe project comprises the transformation of a 1970s former glass warehouse to create new printmaking studios, library, gallery and education spaces for Leicester Print Workshop in the city’s Cultural Quarter. Leicester City Council gifted the freehold of the original building and funding came primarily from Arts Council England, together with investment from major grant making trusts and various fundraising events and activities by the artists themselves. The project was a focal point of community development and bonding in the area among not only the artists but also the wider public. Lincoln Castle Revealed Arrol & Snell LtdThe Castle site comprises a complex series of features and listed buildings within a scheduled monument with highly sensitive archaeological issues. The project received substantial Heritage Lottery Fund finance and included the restoration of the castle walls with the introduction of a new railing system, designed to have minimal visual impact, while a complete circuit of the wall walks was achieved by introducing a series of stairs and bridges. The 18th and19th Century prison complex was fully repaired and conserved to provide new visitor facilities, and the 1840s Crown Wing cell block was made fully accessible for the first time and fitted out with an interpretation of prison life and also an archaeological display of finds uncovered during the course of the works. A new display and interpretation space was created for Magna Carta and Charter of the Forest – the only place where both documents can be seen together.
23 July 2016 – by Amber Rolt Amazon is to sign Europe’s largest logistics prelet for what will be one of the sector’s most revolutionary buildings. The e-tailer has agreed to take 2.2m sq ft at Roxhill and Port of Tilbury’s 70-acre London Distribution Park in Essex, which will trigger the UK’s biggest industrial investment deal. It will be the first four-storey distribution centre in the UK. The development will be forward funded by Legal & General through its annuity fund, which buys long-leased property. The fund manager will pay £150m, reflecting a 5.25% yield. Amazon is signing a 20-year lease at a rent of close to £3.60 per sq ft. Legal & General’s investment underlines its commitment to UK logistics and the confidence of institutional investors in a new generation of high-tech assets. Work started on site this week after planning was granted on 6 July. The shed will be the largest and tallest warehouse in the UK at more than 70ft, with four floors, each of just under 600,000 sq ft. It will also feature a mezzanine on the first floor. All the content from this weekís magazine, including this article, is available in the new app. Unlike SEGRO’s two-storey warehouse X2 at Hatton Cross, Heathrow – the only other multi-storey in the UK – the ground floor will act as the main processing area for deliveries, and lorries will not drive up to the upper storage floors. Instead, there will be 61 loading doors for incoming and outgoing goods. The scheme also comprises a 100,000 sq ft office block and car park for 94 delivery trucks and 1,900 cars. The warehouse will contain Amazon’s most cutting-edge technology and will be operated by its Kiva robots – the robotic business that it bought in 2012 in a $775m (£531m) deal. Kivas are square, orange machines which run on wheels. They are about 16 inches tall, move at 5mph and can carry parcels weighing up to 700lbs – the weight of a small car. Although they have only been operating in Amazon warehouses in the US for two years, the Kiva robots have already cut Amazon’s expenses by about 20%, according to Deutsche Bank – roughly $22m (£16m) for each fulfilment centre. Amazon has been the most aggressive occupier in the UK logistics market this year as it continues to expand its Amazon Prime premium delivery service. After this deal, Amazon will have accounted for 24% of all deals of more than 100,000 sq ft so far this year, according to Savills. Knight Frank is acting for Roxhill; CBRE is advising Legal & General and Amazon. All parties declined to comment. Source link
The train station of Stamford located in the area of Lincolnshire is finally in the ending processes of its planned repair works by Network Rail. Operating throughout the country in order to improve the conditions of railway stations and the experiences of passengers, Network Rail has worked tirelessly over the year to improve the way that transportation works in this country, but they would not be able to do this without the efforts of a hard-working and committed workforce of individuals and hired contractors in the building and construction industries of this nation. For Stamford station, Network Rail collaborated with East Midlands Trains as well as the well-respected Railway Heritage Trust. Much of the work itself involved the improvement of the station’s roof structure, which was done so through the implementation of Collyweston stone, a material that the structure has been used in stations around Lincolnshire for centuries. The work also involved creating a canopy area as well as improving the surface conditions of the platform areas of the station, amounting to a total staggering cost of more than £1 million. It is clear that the project however was worth the money that it cost and the personality and uniqueness of the structure will soon be able to be admired by users of East Midlands Trains and commuters in the local Lincolnshire area. Network Rail were also financially backed in this ambitious enterprise by the Railway Heritage Trust, which contributed £150,000 in grant funding: this revenue was used to implement the station’s beautiful new canopy that is set to be the talk of Stamford and the Lincolnshire train-crazy population. Andrew Conroy of East Midlands Trains is hopeful that users of Stamford station will be pleased with the changes that have taken place. Similarly, Andy Savage of the Railway Heritage Trust is delighted that the Trust was able to make such a valuable contribution to the project.
The excitement in London South West 1 is being permeated everywhere now that London & Oriental have announced the building of a brand new home and work area in the heart of London known as the new Buckingham Green. Situated in the heat of the capital right in the middle of Victoria and St James, it is clear that Buckingham Green will be a vital new location for booming businesses wanting to situate themselves at the vital hub of the middle of one of the richest cities in the world. With the intention of being finished by next year in 2018, the building will cover 240,000 square feet of space and will divide itself to be a space for accommodation as well as one for vital office and business interaction. Valued at the very apex of graded accommodation (Grade A!) the building will include 55,389 square feet of space for its lucky new residents and will also devote 11,334 square feet of its space towards expensive retail outlet transactions. With a brand new square area that walkers on foot in the area will be able to use, the building has been designed by a company known as Fletcher Priest Architects who turned to designs by the celebrated architect Mies van der Rohe. With a combination of space that will be rented to booming businesses as well as a number of private landlords with the funds to buy the land space, the new Buckingham Green will be the symbol of capitalist fat cat gains and is set to be a landmark of the way business has changed in the City of London. With its adherence to existing industrial and private wealthy areas already established in the capital that include such areas as Chelsea as well as Marylebone, it is hoped that the new area by London & Oriental will be a consistent addition to the area. Mark Cannell of London & Oriental is very pleased that plans have been forward and that the site will be able to welcome its new residents and retail outlets open for business by the time of 2018.
A property development company that specializes in building and constructing homes all over the United Kingdom known as Avant Homes has recently joined forces with energy provider British Gas. This is a very important occasion for both companies as it involves the first partnership between them as part of Avant Homes’ implementation of an all-inclusive proposition in the way of wireless thermostats known as Hive Active Heating. This special type of thermostat enables the home user to benefit from being able to regulate the heat in their homes wherever they are located so long as they have access to the internet. This means that large amounts of wasted energy can be saved by residents lucky enough to be in homes built and constructed by Avant Homes, who have made this ambitious move in the hope that their customer satisfaction rates will soar to even greater heights than ever before. Operating all over the different expanses of the country in areas that include Scotland and the areas of Yorkshire and the Midlands, this new technological device is being built into Avant locations all over the place throughout the course of the year. Indeed, this is an excellently innovative from Avant Homes who continue to lead the way with flying colors as a major player in the home building industry. As the company’s CEO Colin Lewis explains, the company is always looking at ways in which it can grow and expand to improving the lives of its lucky future residents and part of this means a consistent involvement and exploration of the various forms of technology that are becoming more and more available on the market. In collaborating with British Gas to improve the lives of potential property residents, Avant Homes indicates itself as a prime example of what businesses in the construction sector can do to invest into the future.
Construction Industry Solutions (also known as COINS) were excited to organize a special conference dedicated to showing the different ways in which the building and construction industries in the United Kingdom can work together in order to implement the brand new innovations that expansions in technology enable them to do in this day and age. Over 240 fully qualified professionals operating in the sector were involved in the conference and it is clear from photographic evidence that the event was a success. With such a broad range of topics that included the new technological opportunities available to mankind as well as how growth can be sustained in the industrial sector today, there was something to amaze everyone at the event which also included talks from leading members and affiliates of companies such as Microsoft and Tesla. It is clear that the jewel in the crown however was COINS’ dedication to promoting growth and the endless variety of possibilities that are available to prospering businesses and enterprises within the building and construction industry. Being the first event of its kind to have been organized by COINS, there was overall relief that the event went so well as it did and it is clear that the company will be holding similar events of that kind again in the future, so that the promotion of growth and investment in industries all over the United Kingdom can continue to be showcased and celebrated before the very people that will help to instigate change in the way the industry operates. Robert Brown the CEO of COINS was there to express his delight that the event was such a successful one and it is clear that the gala dinner and awards ceremony to young entrepreneurs in the business was the key highlight of the Conference & Exhibition event. It is hoped that more enterprises in the construction industry will have been inspired from their attendance to prosper and grow for the years ahead.
The Minister responsible for implementing the “Northern Powerhouse” strategy into this country, Andrew Percy, has claimed that the government is investing as much as it can into the cities of the North and expects to do much more besides. This statement precedes what he will explain to a number of leading businessmen and investors in the country at the next Northern Powerhouse Conference, which is planned to be held over two days in Manchester Central from the 21st-22nd of this month of February. With the intention of drawing the attention of over 3,000 representatives of different countries looking to invest and promote the growth and prosperity of the area, this suggests a great deal of confidence in Andrew Percy that the event will be a successful one and will ensure that the future of the “Northern Powerhouse” is in safe hands. Indeed, in a statement that he made a few days ago, Andrew Percy said that with an area valued at £316 billion (and this was back in 2015, imagine he seems to say what it will be now!) the North is very much set and ready to experience an even greater amount of investment and growth into its economy than it has ever experienced before. Andrew Percy is confident that with the government’s support and with the help of such international corporations looking to invest into the area such as Nissan as well as Lufthansa the dreams of a “Northern Powerhouse” are certain to be achieved. Despite the worries of Britain’s exit from the European Union and the maneuvers of a Tory government that is spreading social inequality in the country that is harkening back to the dark days of social desperation that were rife during the Margaret Thatcher reign, Andrew Percy remains evermore confident that the plans to erect a “Northern Powerhouse” are still well and truly capable of being achieved. I have the feeling I’m not in Kansas anymore.
BigChange the Mobile Workforce Management technology specialist has won contracts to supply some of the UK’s biggest equipment rental businesses with its three-in-one JobWatch system for over 5000 mobile technicians, engineers and drivers. A hire-specific version of the JobWatch system has been implemented by leading players including A Bird, Elliott Group, HSS Hire, Nixon Hire, John Deere, Morrison Utilities, Komatsu, Haulotte, Garic, A1 Group, Procomm Site Services, Hawk Group and Fourjays. The turnkey solution from BigChange has introduced a paperless revolution, equipping mobile workers with a Samsung Android tablet that manages receipt of job instruction, electronic proof of collection and delivery, site servicing, timesheets, electronic start-of-day vehicle walkaround checks, driver behaviour scoring promoting safe eco-driving, tachograph interface and Health and Safety procedures. The system is also a rich vehicle tracking system providing real-time location updates. The system is integrated with leading Hire Management systems including MCSrm and InspHire meaning that planned services, repairs, deliveries and collections are automatically pushed through to JobWatch. On logging on to the app at the start of each day, drivers and technicians are guided to start their timesheet, conduct a walkaround check that meets DVSA requirements (recording, photographing and alerting any vehicle defects) and have instant access to their jobs for the day. In the back-office, the system is enabling planners to respond faster to customer needs, intelligently allocating work orders based on real-time engineer availability, skills, live location and parts stock levels. This is significantly increasing productivity, minimising customer wait time and driving first time fix and ensures this can be achieved at the most competitive cost. The JobWatch system is saving Hire operators across Modular Buildings, Portaloos, Construction & Forestry, Plant & Equipment, Lifts, Platforms and Power Generators hundreds of thousands of pieces of paper annually and has significantly improved back-office administration. Engineers and drivers receive their work orders instantly on the JobWatch mobile app with paper job-cards and service repair worksheets replaced by equipment-specific electronic workflows that guide technicians at every step including risk assessments and method statements. Engineers no longer need to return paperwork to the back-office, saving a huge volume of previously manual back-office processing. The workflow also effectively manages damages and chargeable items; photos captured at the point of delivery or collection are automatically relayed to the back office, allowing them to instantly raise an invoice for chargeable work. Photos are time, date and location watermarked, providing robust proof of condition. Graham Wood, Group Logistics Manager at Nixon Hire commented: “With the support of JobWatch, every one of our fitters has boosted their productivity by around 20 percent. This allows us to further absorb company growth and efficiently deploy the current resources we have before we look at recruiting additional resources. We get to where we need to be, when we need to be there, and we do what we say we are going to. This is also improving our customer service levels – evidenced by an increase in On Time Arrivals by more than 10 percent and a rise in First Attempt Job Completions by more than 5 percent.” The JobWatch system is also providing a detailed work and maintenance history for all rental assets, giving management visibility of productivity and utilisation across their operation as well as a real-world view of how long jobs are taking. This ensures they are able to more intelligently schedule and deploy resources to meet actual requirements. A detailed picture of costs are reported down to the resource level, taking into account travel time, fuel, parts and resource costs. For portable loos, the technology is even automating waste transfer notes. BigChange users benefit from 24/7 on-demand RoadCrew customer service for all back office users and drivers including remote support and management of all tablets.
