Although how and when (and if…) Brexit takes place, London is still hot for corporate real estate investors, according to Insight.
“Around £16.2 billion was invested in central London’s commercial offices in 2018 compared with £14.3 billion in Manhattan, £12.1 billion in Paris and £8.4 billion in Hong Kong, according to the analysis report from international real estate firm Knight Frank.”
‘Although 2019 presents ongoing challenges, international investors remain undeterred. Our Global Capital Tracker identifies £40 billion still targeting London this year, with some seeing the political turbulence and currency weakness as an opportunity, combined with the strong occupational market fundamentals,’ said Nick Braybrook, head of central London capital markets at Knight Frank. ‘Whilst demand from Greater China has reduced, they were still very active in 2018. The reduction is also partly countered by increases in demand from Singapore and Japan, and interestingly the tracker shows an increase in domestic demand this year. Domestic demand is often the first to react to improvements in occupier market trends,’ he added.
According to William Beardmore-Gray, head of central London at Knight Frank, it is the most attractive city in the world for long term investment as it has proved its ability to adapt to meet the demands of the modern global economy.