Leading independent property advisory firm, Lismore Real Estate Advisors, today released its review of the Scottish investment market for the final quarter of 2022, along with predictions for 2023. Simon Cusiter, Director of Lismore comments: “The speed and extent of the pricing correction that has taken place in the latter half of 2022 has caught even the most seasoned experts by surprise. However, as with most market shocks, there comes opportunity, and we predict continued demand across various sectors, in particular, prime PBSA and BTR. “In addition, retail warehousing still offers good value, particularly in urban locations, anchored by food/value retailers and with a drive-thru offering. The sharpest outward movement in pricing has been witnessed in offices and distribution, with the latter expected to find its level quickly, particularly around the central belt where we will see further rental growth.” Lismore Investor Research: These views are borne out by the latest investor research undertaken by Lismore, with respondents ranking the top three performing sectors for 2023 to be: Living (42%), Distribution (32%) and Food stores (30%). Growth in the living sector continues to be driven by an undersupply of PBSA, BTR and senior living accommodation in the key cities. High street retail could be the dark horse for 2023, with retailers having success in driving shoppers back through promotional activity and free returns, whilst the business rates revaluation coming into effect in April 2023 offers significant reductions in their total occupational costs. Funds were the biggest backers of food stores in the top three sectors with an expectation of further sale and leaseback transactions by the big four chains and continued buoyancy in the sector. Lismore’s research indicates that a significant majority (65%) of respondents expect to be net buyers in 2023, with only 12% expecting to be sellers. Buying activity is likely to be from quarter two onwards, with the first few months of 2023 expected to see limited new stock on the market. The main buyers over the next 12 months are likely to be property companies (84%) and investment managers (74%). Only 13% of funds expect to be net buyers and with 50% of responses neutral, it appears to be a watching brief from the funds. By the end of 2023, 69% of investors anticipate an improvement in market sentiment. Investment managers are almost unanimous (90%), whilst over 50% of funds and property company respondents expect sentiment to improve. It was also noted that there is potential for a swifter bounce back should the macro-economic environment continue to stabilise during the first quarter of 2023. Simon Cusiter adds: “We have seen increasing appetite from Hong Kong and Singapore, as investors look to move capital into the UK, including Glasgow and Edinburgh. Helped by the stronger dollar, opportunistic capital, particularly from North America and the GCC (cash buyers) are best placed to take advantage of the current market dynamics over the coming months and many of the private equity and sovereign wealth houses are eyeing the Scottish market with interest. “With values adjusting anywhere between 10-30% across different sectors, it feels like the opportunity has arrived quicker than anticipated. Trying to second guess if the correction has fully played out is not easy but those best capitalised and bravest will be first to move and likely to find best value. “Even if pricing moves further, the opportunity to acquire better quality assets in a less competitive buying environment will prove attractive to investors and we anticipate a more liquid market in 2023. “PBSA will be most in demand as the strong demand / supply imbalance continues, with rental growth managing to off-set operational cost increases, hence the investment rationale remains positive and development appraisals for new stock are continuing to make sense. We anticipate more clarity around the current rental freeze legislation which should give investors more confidence to push ahead with a number of new schemes in both Glasgow and Edinburgh.” Tom Hoye, Real Estate Transaction Director of Redevco added: “Markets tend to over-react and in that sense any downturn represents a good buying window. The question is how long that window will be open for and when is the optimum time to get back in, especially in the context of there being a lot of equity available. At the moment a lot of investors are taking stock and we’re definitely in a period of ‘price discovery’, but I expect there to be more activity in the second half of the year.” Finally, despite the recent market volatility and subdued final quarter, total volumes for 2022 ended up at £1.77bn, an increase of 32% on the total for 2021. Investment volumes for quarter four traded at £396m, which is 24% down on quarter four of 2021 and 20% below the five-year average. Bearing in mind the range and severity of the headwinds faced during the year, the final outcome can be described as reasonable! The full Lismore Quarterly Review for Q2-2022 is available to download from: HERE Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

McLaren Construction’s Midlands and North arm is reflecting on a year of record turnover and growth, with ambitions plans set for 2023 and beyond. Alongside achieving £142m turnover for the financial year ending July 2022, the company has achieved 75 percent repeat business, winning multiple awards for its developments and expanding its team and portfolio into new sectors. Projected turnover for the present financial year is £258m, an increase of 80 percent on 2022, and the Midlands and North division has already secured projects exceeding £100m into 2024. McLaren’s strategy in 2022 was to focus on nurturing key client relationships, supporting valued customers through the delivery of quality developments, whilst enhancing social value through its sustainability and charitable efforts. Notable projects delivered this year include the West Midlands Ambulance Service site – home of the UK’s first electric ambulance fleet, as well as the Cadent Ansty development – which won commercial development of the year at the Insider West Midlands Property Awards. The Midlands and North team also received the prestigious UKREiiF Contractor of the Year award this spring. Working towards the company’s sustainability targets to reach net zero Scope 1 and 2 by 2025, and Scope 3 by 2045, the team have worked to ensure projects in the region are meeting government green targets through the reduction of embodied carbon in construction. With many construction firm’s removing diesel generators from sites in a bid to hit net zero targets, the West Midlands Ambulance Service site was the first McLaren Construction site of its kind to use hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), an industry-leading sustainable fuel alternative. The build of a logistics development in Sherburn, Leeds for the Firethorn Trust, was also the first net zero carbon industrial and logistics project for the Midlands and North region. Giving back to the communities in which its developments are based, the division has also concentrated its charitable efforts on a wide range of causes this year, including theorganisation of raffles for the Ukraine Appeal and the Lighthouse Construction Charity, regular donations to the St Helen’s Food Bank and assistance with hosting a Christmas party with the Children’s Adventure Farm Trust (CAFT), to create magical memories for terminally ill and disadvantaged children in Cheshire. McLaren Construction as a whole, finished its financial year on 31 July 2022 with a turnover for the previous 12 months of £726.2m, exceeding pre-pandemic levels with an increase of £184.1m on the previous year. Turnover for the year ending July 2023 is currently forecast at over £850m, with 80 percent business already secured. Reflecting on a year of exceptional growth for the Midlands and North division, Gary Cramp, managing director, said: “We are extremely proud of our success in the last year, and this is all down to the amazing work of our team and our consistent approach to planning. “The challenges following Covid have presented themselves during a busy construction market in 2022, and the industry has been presented with inflationary pressure on materials and labour resource to carry out projects. “Despite these pressures, our solid preparation has allowed us to secure early procurement to mitigate risks to the business and we are excited by the value and rich variety of projects we have in the pipeline next year, and into 2024. “While there are lots of positives to look forward to in 2023, we are prepared for the emergence of a tougher market, but our focus will remain on key relationships and supporting our valued customers, whilst investing centrally to enhance our social value, diversity and sustainability offering.” Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Hanson UK will acquire the Mick George Group, a market-leading construction and demolition waste (CDW) recycler in East Anglia and East Midlands, subject to relevant competition authority approval. The Mick George Group, which has an annual revenue of around £220 million, specialises in bulk excavation and earthmoving services, demolition, environmentally sensitive waste removal and waste management services, as well as aggregates and concrete supply. The company operates four recycling facilities, eight waste transfer stations, 11 aggregates quarries and 10 ready-mixed concrete plants. The acquisition will significantly strengthen Hanson’s circular materials offering while complementing its existing aggregates and ready-mixed concrete businesses. It adds a considerable recycling platform to Hanson’s portfolio, supporting the development of innovative technologies for processing waste and upgrading it for use in the construction cycle as a valuable material. Hanson UK CEO Simon Willis said: “The acquisition of the Mick George Group is a strong fit for us and another significant step towards our target to offer circular alternatives for half of our concrete products by 2030. “Promoting circularity and consequently recycling, reusing, and thereby reducing the use of primary raw materials, is crucial to achieving net zero. “I warmly welcome the 1,000 Mick George employees to Hanson and look forward to further developing the business together.” The acquisition is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2023. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

The EU’s pioneering role in climate protection matters is not without its disadvantages, with its energy supply hugely dependent on gas. The Ukraine War has resulted in sharply rising gas and electricity prices and while a way out of the crisis is currently being discussed on the political stage, things remain unclear for the industry. A wave of insolvencies currently looms, triggered by rising costs. What industrial operations can expect and how second-hand machines can help. The EU’s plan of action was actually set: climate neutrality was to be reached in the Member States by 2050. Greenhouse gases were to be reduced, “green jobs” generated and a portion contributed to slowing down the rise of global surface temperatures. One of the key aspects is the switch to renewable energy sources: instead of from coal and gas, energy needs to be obtained from solar energy, wind and hydropower. But the energy transformation in Europe is a long way off from how it could be. Citizens are protesting against wind turbines, restructuring work is being decelerated through lengthy approval processes, and there is a shortage of professional workers and construction materials for actual implementation. An abrupt halt to the energy transformation At the start of 2022, the climate targets were hit with another obstacle. The war in Ukraine starts in February, bringing with it a whole slew of consequences. Supply chains collapsed, raw materials were scarce and prices shot up. The supply gap, still unable to be closed using sustainable energies, is now becoming glaringly obvious thanks to the stoppage in supplies of gas from Russia. Gas has had to be imported from alternative regions, resulting in a huge price increase. And as the electricity price is linked to that of gas, rising costs have been seen here too. But the production facilities of many businesses depend on electricity, gas, coal and oil and the energy transformation, actually intended to act as a safeguard, is now proving to be the problem. Businesses on the back burner Calls for a way out of the crisis are loud and clear. Governments are attempting to provide relief through price curbs, cost dampening, direct payments to the population and term extensions for energy producers from the fields of nuclear power or coal. After all, high energy costs are putting many companies at risk and the insolvency wave already anticipated due to the coronavirus pandemic now threatens to become a reality. Whether for drying processes, annealing and burning kilns or other production processes – many companies are dependent on gas and would have to raise their prices substantially to be able to manage the added costs. But price increases scare potential customers away. As a result, many companies are no longer able to compete. According to a VDMA survey, 90% of companies are having problems with their energy supply and over half expect the situation to get worse. Businesses are currently trying to save gas and electricity without having to make too many concessions in production – but potential for savings is limited. With premium and modern second-hand machines, industrial auction house Surplex offers an affordable solution in the crisis. (© Surplex) Second-hand machines as an alternative in the crisis A stagflation caused by supply chain interruptions and high energy costs means that many companies are facing the acute risk of insolvency. In addition, Europe is unattractive as an industrial location, as energy-intensive businesses in particular have little incentive to base their production facilities here. Many companies are confronted with rising pressure to restructure their operations. Production lines need to be adapted and made more effective and energy-efficient with new machines. But as with producing businesses, machine manufacturers are also being affected by the current crisis, with prices and waiting times for new machines skyrocketing. For many companies, buying a new machine as a modernisation solution is therefore not an option. In times of crisis more than anything, it is worth taking a look at the second-hand machine market. Many businesses currently want to free up their budget by selling machines they no longer need. The offer on auction platforms such as Surplex.com is on the rise and even modern, well-kept machines from various industrial branches such as metal, wood or construction can be bought for an affordable price. From settlement to dispatch and payment, buyers there are supported by experienced experts at every stage of their machine purchase, meaning they can find the best offer for their business. Despite the difficult situation in machine manufacturing, companies are therefore still able to take a further step to combat the energy crisis and start the new year off in a strong position.

With Draft List for 2023 Revaluation Due out next week , Ratings experts at Colliers say this issue can no longer be brushed under the carpet “If the Government is serious about kickstarting the economy, it can no longer afford to brush business rates under the carpet.”  says John Webber, Head of Business Rates at Colliers, “ And the new Chancellor must address this question in the Budget on Thursday- particularly with the new 2023 Revaluation list being announced next week”*. The current system which provides £26 billion (net) for local authority funding is not fit for purpose and with a new Revaluation in April 2023 fast approaching, decisions need to be taken now if businesses are to be encouraged to expand and invest rather than close or downsize their bricks and mortar estate.  Colliers believes the Chancellor should address the following points on business rates in his forthcoming Budget: 89% of Colliers’ snapshot survey of retail clients and contacts ( taken in April this year) said yes to a new tax- provided it took the pressure off business rates in the High Street. John Webber added, “Jeremy Hunt has long admitted that the business rates system is in need of reform and now is his chance to do something about it. The current system is over-complicated, opaque and basically too high. We need a well-managed and transparent business rates system, and we need it now. The government obviously has a multi-billion pound deficit to fill in its Budget- but continuing to strangle businesses and destroy the high street certainly won’t be the solution to the problem.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals