It Has Been a Strong Start to The Year With The Agency World Keeping Busy

By Julianah Ashama
CoStar Research

13 May 2022 | 13:12

The recent CoStar Awards for the first quarter of 2022 recognised star performers in a market rebounding as the economy reopens after the shutdowns enforced by the pandemic.

The investment figures for 2022 have made for good reading in many areas, particularly when compared with how things were a year ago. Investment volumes into UK commercial property in March reached £4.5 billion, taking the first quarter total to £13 billion, 10% above the volume in the first quarter of 2021, according to Colliers.

Once again cross-border capital was a big driver, with Colliers reporting such deals accounted for almost 60% of all activity during the quarter. US and Asia-Pacific investors were particularly acquisitive as the easing of travel restrictions meant they could get to the UK market for site visits and meetings, not that US buyers had really gone away.

The London office market was notably hot, lifted by a number of headline-grabbing buys. Savills reports there was £3.3 billion transacted in the City, a year-on-year increase of 540% and 27% higher than the previous record in the first quarter of 2007, while £1.91 billion of property sold in the West End, a 60% increase on the 5-year average and up 267% on the first quarter of 2021.

Not surprisingly there have been strong showings in CoStar’s Investment Agency league tables, from the national players and from niche operators.

National Sales and Acquisitions

Eastdil hit the the top spot for sales in the first quarter of 2022, boosted by its involvement in the sale of The Scalpel in the City of London, on behalf of W.R. Berkley Corporation,  for £718 million.

Savills ranked second with significant transactions including representing M&G on the sale of the ‘Bow &  Arrow’ portfolio of seven industrial assets to M7 and Oxford Properties for £202.5 million. Boutique purpose built student homes adviser Harris Associates came a close third after advising Fusion Students and Cain International on a £1.5 billion joint venture that will see the  duo develop 9,000 student beds in major cities.

Not included is Google’s purchase of its office space at Central Saint Giles which is recorded as an owner occupier transaction. Cushman & Wakefield’s role advising the vendor, alongside its role advising on the sale of The Scalpel, among a string of other transactions, would have taken it into second spot.