CoStar helps you...

Avoid debt and generate positive income by making smart investments in commercial property.

CoStar has mapped the UK commercial property market in incredible detail over 35 years, ensuring local authorities are armed with the information they need to perform effective due diligence on commercial investment strategies.

Explore investment opportunities in your area

Finding the right commercial property to invest in starts with understanding the opportunities that are available.

CoStar helps you easily navigate for-sale availability in your area using a range of powerful search filters. You can view results on a map or as a list, with every listing connected to a detailed building record and analytics.

12,700+

FOR SALE LISTINGS IN THE UK*

We also connect you to the UK's largest private sale network, Propex, enabling you to see off-market acquisition opportunities before other investors.

FOR SALE LISTINGS IN COSTAR.

Know a property inside out with detailed building information

CoStar supports your due diligence, helping you understand the quality of a building as a prospective investment: how it performs compared to its peers and how much income it could generate.

We track over 593,000 commercial buildings across the UK, offering you in-depth property records which include high-quality photography and detailed information on:

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Lease terms
Lease comps
Owners and tenants
Availability

Floor plans/stacking plans
Peer buildings
Local amenities and maps
Previous sales and performance history

A DETAILED PROPERTY RECORD IN COSTAR.

See how our library of commercial building information has developed over time:

Know the right time to invest with
powerful analytics

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Get an instant snapshot of how markets are performing

Quickly understand performance trends for commercial property in your area and compare it to other local authorities using CoStar’s 2,900+ market and submarket reports. CoStar reports are powered by our in-depth and accurate building, transaction and market information to give you reliable, up-to-date insight.

Alongside our pre-constructed market and submarket reports, you can also use our custom analytics to get a deeper view on the specific boundaries that make up an authority and compare it to other areas.

UNDERSTAND THE FUTURE OUTLOOK FOR
YOUR AREA

CoStar helps you forecast opportunity and risk in any market, submarket or custom search across all asset categories, with key metrics including demand, vacancy, market rents and much more.

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, we also launched a series of alternative forecasts that cater for different economic scenarios as the market recovers. Using the latest Oxford Economics macroeconomic data, these scenario forecasts support your investment strategy in uncertain market conditions.

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WATCH HIGH-QUALITY ANALYSIS

Get valuable market insight in minutes with our exclusive analytics videos.

Every quarter, CoStar's dedicated analytics team publish market and submarket videos to keep our clients updated on the latest performance trends.

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from a UK office video.

See the latest developments as they happen with CoStar News

With 30 full-time journalists breaking CRE news day-in, day-out globally and a further 90 market analysts contributing expert insights to our news output, CoStar arms you with the information you need to react to market developments quickly.

Access comprehensive coverage of commercial property sectors, markets, deals and dealmakers across the UK with CoStar News articles linking directly to underlying building records for further information on relevant assets.

Our journalists regularly report on developments involving or affecting UK councils.

BREAKING NEWS, STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX

To help you stay up-to-date with the latest commercial property news, we send you alerts directly to your inbox.

Our daily news bulletin attracts 20,000+ daily subscribers.

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Click to the next page to see an example of the news content we deliver for local authorities.

How town centres are meeting the retail challenges of COVID
and online migration

By Marc Brunel-Walker, Bracknell Council

A recent KPMG report came to the unsurprising conclusion that town centres are particularly susceptible to retail job losses if people continue to work from home and shop online. Whilst it is true that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated changes to consumer habits, these shifting shopping trends are nothing new, and town centres across the country have long been preparing to adapt to these challenges.

The perceived vulnerability of the southern England towns named in the report is based on three key factors; the percentage of jobs expected to continue being carried out from home post pandemic, the acceleration of online shopping trends, and whether these locations have the necessary cultural infrastructure to remain attractive destinations to visit. However, this indexed snapshot of

the present picture ignores the significant development pipeline that has been in the works for some time now to revitalise these areas. It is also a report that uses national statistical data without considering the qualitative and physical realities of Bracknell as a successful retail centre.

The pandemic has certainly accelerated the trend towards online shopping, and this will prove to be a strong test for town centres, but the report fails to acknowledge that many of these destinations have long-term masterplans in place to address these trends. To reinforce and strengthen Bracknell’s cultural appeal, the next phase of the town’s redevelopment is due to start this month with £950,000 of funding secured from the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership to pave the way for

the eagerly anticipated Deck development. The Deck will provide a new covered public space which will contain new shops, bars, restaurants, leisure, and entertainment facilities, to deliver a vibrant destination and add to Bracknell’s cultural appeal while also improving the town’s night-time offering.

At the same time, Bracknell Forest Cambium Partnership has identified three sites to develop into vibrant residential communities, all within five minutes’ walk of the town centre and the many things that it has to offer, now and within the masterplan. This residential development pipeline will increase footfall into the town.

One issue the KPMG report highlighted was the percentage of jobs likely to continue to be carried out from home post-pandemic.

While this is likely to impact commuter numbers, it also means that people from the area are more likely to shop locally, and with brands like Fenwick present in Bracknell, the town is well positioned to fulfil the needs of an affluent catchment which would previously have chosen to shop in London or other nearby towns. Bracknell continues to enjoy a successful economic base that supports a diverse range of business types and sizes.

The data also correctly shows that the south of England is seeing a boom in online shopping. This is down to the greater purchasing power of residents here comparatively to the median for the country.

However, while consumers are more likely to carry out more transactions online, this does not

mean that they are more likely to avoid returning to physical retail. So, we are still confident that once normality returns the significant investment that has gone into redeveloping and revitalising the town in recent years will bear fruit.

Our confidence is based on the fact that Bracknell retains an exceptionally low unemployment rate (1.7% lower than the national figure). The area also remains a fertile breeding ground for new businesses and entrepreneurship, and the ongoing redevelopment of key areas of the town such as the popular retail destination. The Lexicon, which serves a loyal local community, and the events planned to encourage the community back to the town centre as soon as it is possible and safe. The town also enjoys excellent transport links and parking facilities which continue to make it

an attractive destination for the affluent Berkshire catchment.

Bracknell is half a decade into the rejuvenation of its town centre, and while a pandemic was unexpected, the issues arising over the past year have also confirmed that we are on the right track for delivering a destination that people want to use and can be proud of, but we cannot rest on our laurels. Town centres need to be flexible and evolve with the changing needs of the people who use them. Although this cannot all be addressed overnight, with masterplans in place, public and private ventures can come together to meet the challenges head on and deliver town centre destinations that are fit-for-purpose for many years to come.

UNDERSTAND THE SUPPLY OUTLOOK IN YOUR AREA

CoStar’s easy-to-use planning map layer helps you get insight into what buildings are currently under construction or at various stages of the planning process in your region.

With intuitive filters, you can easily identify properties you may like to acquire in the future or that could compete with your current portfolio for occupancy.