Commercial property blog

By Christine Eade

Before I visit a UK region or a foreign country, nothing annoys me more than a telephone call from a press officer or letting agent who, having read Property Week’s forthcoming features list, asks: ‘You know you have this feature coming up about Swindon/Cardiff/Stoke-on-Trent: are you actually going there?’

‘Of course,’ I answer brightly, stifling the urge to ask: ‘Is everything I write so flat that it reads like something plagiarised from the internet or the local newspapers?’

There is never any substitute for being there.

I won’t accept retail agents’ reassurance that a shopping centre is trading fabulously, until I have visited it myself to make sure that it is not a case of shuttered units, three charity shops and a kiosk selling dried flowers.

In Moscow, there is definitely no substitute for being there.

No one is certain what is going on.

You ask about a building site where work has stopped, and a knowledgeable office agent will say that maybe the contractors really are waiting for the cladding to arrive, or equally the developer may have run out of money. Continue reading »

By Iain O'Neil

The latest ‘episode’ of the Property Week Podcast is available to download now – it’s our second attempt and i think it’s really good.

We’ve got a great line up of guests – DTZ’s John Forrester, Nick Leslau and the ‘bloke off the telly’ – George Clarke.

George is a real rising star in TV circles. He was poached by Channel Four to host ‘The Home Show’ and is now working on a new series called ‘Restoration Man’.

He told me Channel Four had no idea what they wanted him to do when they snapped him up from Channel Five – they just knew they had to have him.

Strange thing is he comes across as a really nice bloke on the TV – but , if anything, he is even nicer in person.

Really down to earth, a good laugh and completely without entourage or flunkies. A big thanks to George for taking part and to our other guests.

John Forrester who happily invited us into DTZ’s swanky new City offices, Nick Leslau – another really down to earth, friendly bloke and a pat on the back for our own James Whitmore and Mark Shepherd – Mark is an old hand at broadcasting having once interviewed a footballer live on radio and asked him ‘What was that mystery illness you were suffering from?’

Anyway, all in all i’m really proud of our latest effort. You can listen to it here http://podcast.propertyweek.com

By Iain O'Neil

This is a true story – i swear.

The below comes from Gorkana PR. Check it out. Just when the rest of the magazine publishing world is looking to consolidate and cut back, Jamie Oliver has come up with a concept for a magazine about a subject which EVERYONE is interested in right, himself.

I HEAR THEY’VE EVEN GOT AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE JAMIE IN THE FIRST ISSUE!!!and the second, and the third, fouth, fifth – you get the idea.

Jamie Magazine

Jamie Magazine, the new bi-monthly magazine from Jamie Oliver launches today. Funded by Jamie himself, with an editorial team of four, the publication will have an initial print run of 140,000. Featuring over 100 recipes, as well as celebrity interviews, and a column by Jamie’s wife Jools, the magazine promises to offer a broad range of content. At the helm as Editor will be Andy Harris – former Editorial Director of renowned Australian food publication Gourmet Traveller. Contact details will be alerted in due course

Awesome!

I wonder if he needs a web editor?