"Cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, and Salford are syphoning an awful lot of organisations and businesses away from their traditional London bases due to having more affordable markets"
Sirius analysed current stock availability across all sectors of commercial property - office, retail, leisure, and industrial - and across all regions of England to see where the current commercial hotspots are found.
The snapshot of all current commercial market conditions reveals that there are roughly 9,000 units for sale across in England. The highest proportion is found in the North West (16.6%), followed by the South West (15.7%) and West Midlands (11%).
But where are you going to find the best opportunities to climb the commercial ladder for each specific sector?
For office space, the current hotspots are, without surprise, England’s two largest cities. London is home to the most available offices (21.1%), followed by the West Midlands and Birmingham (12.7%).
When it comes to retail space, the North West (17.4%) leads the way with London (13.4%) ranking second.
In the leisure and hospitality sector, the South West (22.4%) has the most stock, but once again the North West (18.5%) isn’t far behind.
As for industrial and warehouse space, the North West (15.4%) is again the nation’s hotspot, followed by the East Midlands (14.2%) in second place.
Kimberley Gates, Head of Corporate Partnerships at Sirius Property Finance, commented: “Despite the problems facing much of England’s commercial sector, there remain plenty of opportunities in the current market.
"Depending on what type of investment you want to make will influence where you need to look, but the North West looks like a really good investment location with every base, from shopfronts to warehouses, covered.
"Why is the North West so hot right now? It’s because cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, and Salford are syphoning an awful lot of organisations and businesses away from their traditional London bases due to having more affordable markets.
"As a result, there is an increasing sense that the capital city no longer has exclusive rights to the beating heart of British media and industry and this is helping drive the commercial market in other regions of the nation.”
