Business News Round Up (10/07/2020)
Office moves down by more than half in Edinburgh, according to CBRE
Latest figures from real estate advisor CBRE has revealed take-up of new office lets in Edinburgh was down 57% year-on-year during lockdown. The firm’s latest figures reveal office take-up in Edinburgh for the second quarter was down 84% on the same period last year as the country remained in lockdown. But it said there are signs in Scotland’s largest three cities that despite the onset of mass home working, reports of the office’s demise have been exaggerated.
https://www.insider.co.uk/news/office-moves-down-more-half-22330294
Liverpool and Manchester named in world’s top ten 2020 list for start-up cities
The Manchester-Liverpool region has ranked in the top ten for start-ups in the 2020 Global Start-up Ecosystem Report by Start-up Genome. The report, which assesses 270 ecosystems from around the world, scored the region strongly on the performance of start-ups, access to early-stage funding, ability to scale up and the talent locally available. It ranked the region fifth among emerging ecosystems in Europe and, overall, the number two UK start-ups ecosystem, second only to London. Underlining the global attractiveness of Manchester-Liverpool, the region ranked higher than Dubai, Lyon and Chengdu.
https://www.business-live.co.uk/technology/liverpool-manchester-named-worlds-top-18571728
BT adds Glasgow and Dundee to list of 30 core UK office sites
Glasgow and Dundee are the latest key locations to be unveiled in the UK as part of BT’s Better Workplace Programme – which it said is the largest workplace “improvement and consolidation” scheme of its type ever undertaken in the UK. The two join the Scottish capital on the list and the programme is due to complete in 2024. BT’s main Glasgow office is set for a multi-million-pound refurbishment after the city was revealed as a key location in the company’s future plans. The Clydeside office will undergo a major change and it is expected that hundreds more colleagues from across BT Group, which includes UK digital network business Openreach, will move into the building over the next few years. Dundee has also been announced as a key location for the company where it currently employs around 1,200 people.BT plans to review its property options in the city, which could involve looking for a new home for its operations and will work with partners, including Dundee City Council, to review opportunities.
https://www.scotsman.com/business/bt-adds-glasgow-and-dundee-list-30-core-uk-office-sites-2909507
Big cities’ high street recovery hampered by ‘working from home’ effect
Smaller town across the North West are showing earlier signs of high street recovery than their big city counterparts, according to a new think tank. Independent think tank Centre for Cities has produced UK-wide data showing how cities and larger towns are recovering from the coronavirus lockdown. Using anonymised mobile phone data, it shows how quickly high streets are returning to their previous levels of activity. The report shows that big cities, which have a high number of office workers, are suffering from the fact that many are still working from home. The latest information shows there are three North West towns in the UK top 10 for high street activity. However, the region’s two biggest centres both feature in the bottom 10 listing, with Manchester and Liverpool jointly sixth off the bottom place, occupied by Edinburgh.