Birmingham tops investment league

JLL research has shown that Birmingham came top of the list for international property investment in the UK outside London in the first half of 2010. The Birmingham Post quotes Richard Goodhall from JLL as saying that the findings came as “something of a surprise”.

Investment across the regions rose to £714m in H1 2010 from £438m in H1 2009, with Birmingham ahead of Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds and Manchester. Key deals in Birmingham included the purchase of Rutland House by Aviva Investors for £27m from Seven Capital, and the £29m acquisition of 2 St Philip’s Place by the investment arm of SEB Asset Management.

The largest Birmingham deal by far in H1 2009 was the Brindleyplace transaction, when Moorfield and Hines combined to acquire five prime office buildings in the complex for £195m.

PS this week Giles Barrie has written in Property Week that the property industry still resembles a stag party. He says that few women “understand the variety, challenges and characters that abound in the world of real estate” – so send NovaLoca your best examples at info@novaloca.com and we might just be able to provide those young jobseekers with some entertaining reasons to join the property industry…