A look back at Estates Gazette’s front pages over the past year tells the story of 2015: 12 months of booming activity intersected by the UK general election and the Chinese stock market crash
Several long-term trends continued to make front-page news in 2015, including agent consolidation and trophy London acquisitions by international investors. Lambert Smith Hampton’s buying spree was front-page news in February, while DTZ made the last of several headline appearances in May with its purchase of and rebranding to Cushman & Wakefield. Citic, PSP and Vanke were among the international buyers making a splash in London and international investment into the regions also featured prominently, with CPPIB buying in Birmingham and Singapore’s Mapletree snapping up assets in several UK cities. Other trends that have been less prominent in recent years also stood out in 2015. Mega City office prelets were back in fashion and cash washed into student housing portfolios. But more than anything else, development was the story of 2015, with almost half of EG’s front-page news stories hinging on the sale or purchase of development opportunities as investors sought to take on more risk to achieve returns.
