PropList Blog
In a nutshell, tell us about Commercial News Media. Why did you set it up and how do you operate?
Commercial News Media focuses on the UK commercial property market, we publish stories that reflect what’s happening on the ground – be it national, regional or local news – and push those stories via subscription-free e-news, non-paywalled web content and social media. We’ve been around nearly nine years now and last year saw the site achieve more than 50 million hits, which was a first for us.
Talk us through an average day at Commercial News Media?
It’s quite varied really, sometimes it’s sitting at the desk and sorting through stories with the team and deciding which will be our lead stories; other days may involve travelling throughout the UK meeting with clients to discuss campaigns, and editorial opportunities, but always with one eye on social media! We’re active across most of the leading platforms.
What did you consider to be the biggest stories in commercial property in 2018?
It would have to be the “B” word! Valuations, rental growth and general optimism were all impacted by Brexit in 2018 and that cloud has yet to lift.
Were there any sectors within commercial property which surprised you last year?
The shared office market seemed to come in to its own last year with a lot of take up. The uncertainty in the market is benefiting those operators who offer shorter leases and it’ll help plug the gap until the pipeline of stock settles down a bit.
And predictions for this year – whereabouts in the UK do you think will see growth, and which sectors will flourish?
Sadly, retail isn’t one of them, this sector continues to struggle. The industrial market is seeing some spec-build returning on the back of continued e-commerce growth, and we should see some repurposing of larger defunct retail premises in to smaller hubs for operators to service local markets.
We can’t avoid Brexit – do you think there will be an immediate impact on commercial property?
It’s already being felt. Some cities are seeing the availability of office space hampered, as Grade A developments have been a little thin on the ground. The industrial market continues to benefit from the pound’s weakness, making our exports that little bit cheaper, however the sooner we have post Brexit clarity the better!
If you stepped away from the media side, and we gave you an enormous sum of money to invest in commercial property – what would you choose and why?
I think I’d wait to see the Brexit ramifications first, but GDP should be on the rise, and most sectors (other than retail) should provide some fair returns if the covenants are strong.
And if you hadn’t got into commercial property at all, what do you think you’d be doing now?
My background is sales, marketing and publishing, so something in that field, nothing too wacky!
Outside of work, how do you switch off – what’s an average weekend for you?
I like getting outside and breathing in the fresh air! Living at the top of the Somerset Levels means there’s nice countryside on my doorstep. The gym is a pleasant distraction from the desktop, and failing that there’s always a choice of football, rugby, cricket and F1 on the TV.
And as a final nod to PropList, what do you see as the big advantages of using the site?
I like the fact that it’s a clean site. It does what it says on the tin, it’s easy to navigate and has been well received by the industry – which is why it’s grown so much in the last 12 months.
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