Wales offers good value to investors

Strong end to investment market in 2015

15 March 2016

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The Welsh commercial property investment market saw a strong end to 2015, as a number of large investment transactions completed in the final quarter and investment sales volumes for 2015 as a whole exceeded those in 2014. A growing trend seen by Cooke & Arkwright’s investment agency team, through their work on sales and acquisitions, was UK investors increasingly targeting opportunities in Wales in search of value for money.

Investment Director Nick Lawley said “We have seen a change in sentiment amongst investors over the last six months as more of them are seeking active management investment opportunities which offer the potential to increase value through asset management and rental growth.  Going forward, income return is also expected to form a bigger part of return on investment, and therefore properties that offer a relatively high initial yield are also proving ever more attractive.  As properties in London and the south east look increasingly fully priced, we are speaking to investors who think that Wales now offers good value.”

Cardiff Waterside is a significant property holding for Aviva Investors at almost 500,000 sq ft. Our experiences show the benefit of working with a regional specialist where occupational markets can be unlocked with a good team with excellent local contacts. Ben Bolton and his team have done this for us for many years and been fundamental to our success and a very low void rate in Cardiff.

Matthew Leach, Arriva Capital Waterside