2016 has been a strong year for investment deals as a result of increased demand for property investments offering attractive income return for private investors, particularly overseas investors.
The Grade B office market in Cardiff has also been particularly active, and around 50% of deals have been in smaller towns outside of Cardiff, Swansea and Newport, demonstrating a further rise in demand from tenants for out of city locations.
In addition to the strong performance in the deal market throughout south Wales, our management team has increased the number of assets under management on behalf of investors, and our lease advisory team has seen growth in instructions in response to strong demand for office space in Cardiff.
As a result of this growth, a number of strategic promotions were made earlier this year which saw five key staff promoted to director, associate director and associate levels within the firm.
Andrew Gardner, Managing Director, said: “We are delighted to have won the Estates Gazette’s Most Active Agent in south Wales. Our agency teams have worked hard throughout the year to deliver deals for our clients.
“2016 has been a phenomenal year for the city centre lettings market, despite the Brexit vote. To the end of Q3 office space lettings in Cardiff were up 61% on the same time last year. With the increase in demand for Grade A and Grade B space in Cardiff, yet limited supply, significant further opportunities exist for investors and developers.
“The revaluation of business rates in April 2017 will be a key focus for us and we will be working with clients to identify their requirements and simplify the process of appealing rates bills to ensure they save money where possible.
“In 2017, we hope to see progress being made with the Newport M4 relief road and electrification of train line to Cardiff to ensure the delivery of the infrastructure improvements that are so vital to occupier and investment demand in south Wales.”