Kent Science Park is now part of a new nationwide network of science and technology parks which have started to operate as a single entity. Under the acronym BEST (The Business Environments for Science and Technology) Network creates cross-network clusters for the UK in some of the highest growth sectors.

2013 has started strongly for the European retail real estate investment market according to research by Jones Lang LaSalle. Activity totalled €5.1bn during the first quarter, up nearly 60% in comparison with Q1 2012.

Malaysian haji pilgrims fund Lembaga Tabung Haji has completed the acquisition of its second major asset in central London, with the circa £205m purchase of 151 Buckingham Palace Road, SW1, CoStar News reports.

Leicester and Leicestershire’s presence at MIPIM this year has generated unprecedented excitement and enthusiasm for economic growth. The strong political support and leadership from the City Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, and the Leader of Leicestershire County Council, Nick Rushton, has not only galvanised the relationship between our City and County but has also given businesses the confidence and reassurance  they need to invest .

Savills market report - Germany Investment 2012 is now available. A concise overview of the German Property market, the report is recommended sector reading.

Modern residential property in Guangdong Province

China may see a small increase in property transactions involving international investors in 2013, fuelled by the economic recovery, experts from LaSalle Investment Management said on Tuesday (26/2/2013).

O’Donnell in Mexico has announced that Integrated Micro-Electronics Mexico (“IMI”) recently extended its operations in Guadalajara by leasing 75,951 sq. ft. as part of a 166,885 sq.ft. multi-tenant building at El Salto Industrial Park located at the Municipality of El Salto, Jalisco. Some of O’Donnell’s distinguished customers in Jalisco include: Honda de Mexico, CEVA Logistics, Mannesmann Automotive, NKP Mexico, Rain Bird, Omnilife, ABC Logistica among others.

LondonMetric Property Plc announces today its first Interim Management Statement following the completion of the merger between London & Stamford Property Plc (“London & Stamford”) and Metric Property Investments plc (“Metric”). The statement covers the period 1 October 2012 to 1 February 2013 and represents substantially the pre-merger trading performances of both companies.

LondonMetric Property Plc (“LondonMetric”), the UK REIT recently created through the merger of London & Stamford Property Plc and Metric Property Investments plc, announces its first acquisition with the purchase of a portfolio of six retail warehouse assets. The total consideration is £92.4 million (net of acquisition costs) reflecting an average net initial yield after purchasers’ costs of 7.8%.

Lower Manhattan Commercial Property Values and Rents Damaged by Hurricane Sandy, Say Local Real Estate Executives

We recommend the Savills Asia Pacific Real Estate Investment Country Guides 2H/2012 which have just been updated with the latest information available. In what is always a very fast-moving legislative environment big differences also exist in market practice, not just between countries, but also between cities.  They have set out some of these key differences in a straightforward but comprehensive document which we think you will find useful.

For a copy please contact Simon Smith at ssmith@savills.com.hk.

Savills is the LEAD sponsor of the upcoming 8th annual Real Estate Investment World China 2013 (REIWC 2013) which is to be held from 15th to 18th April 2012 at The Ritz Carlton Hotel in Shanghai, where there will be an array of world class speakers and panellists discussing a wide range of topical subjects on the China real estate market.

REIWC 2013 will bring together over 200 local and regional property developers, funds, asset managers and investors to assess capital sources, financing vehicles, investment strategies and partnerships across China’s tiered cities and high yield sectors.

Check out the conference programme at the REIW China 2013 website at www.terrapinn.com

CapitaMalls Asia Ltd has been awarded a prime site to build a shopping mall in Wuhan for 660.0 million yuan (about S$128.4 million).

Mainland Chinese investment in commercial real estate around the world will continue to grow this year as Chinese companies are encouraged to invest abroad. Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia are the preferred destinations for mainland property investors, which include big private corporations as well as state-owned enterprises, according to Alastair Hughes, chief executive of Jones Lang LaSalle Asia Pacific.

The key findings of the Savills London City Office Watch report have concluded that:

Newcastle / Gateshead boasts an excellent range of available and emerging commercial property sites.

From city centre, recently-built stunning offices, to quirky, creative and digital clusters on each side of the Tyne, right through to high grade, easy-to-get-to business parks on the fringes of the city; there is a whole host of quality places to base your business.

The Drivers Jonas Deloitte 2012 Crane Survey, which measures and forecasts construction output for the UK’s five major cities, has identified Birmingham as the best performing city. Accounting for 56% of all new construction output, Birmingham is also the only city showing an increase in new construction starts, showing 14 new starts compared with eight during the previous year.

Savills research is as good as it gets when it comes to looking at the commercial property sector. The European commercial team offers an academic overview on prime central business district (CBD) office yields that they head up “A three-tier or two-tier market”.

China Knowledge reports that the  Beijing Urban Construction Investment & Development Co Ltd, a leader in Beijing's construction industry, has announced that its subsidiary won a land bid in Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (BDA), a triple-A rated industrial park, at a consideration of RMB 1.63 billion.

In their latest update on the Polish Investment market Savills report that Poland will remain the largest investment market in the CEE.