Bank of England has held interest rates at 4% amid caution around high inflation levels and the Budget on the 26th of November.

S&P Global UK Composite PMI rose to 52.2 in October. Services were at 52.3, Manufacturing stabilised at 49.7, while Construction fell for the 10th consecutive month to 44.1.

M7 Real Estate Ltd has concluded the sale of a 15-asset £100m retail park portfolio to Columbia Threadneedle Investments, reflecting a net initial yield in the region of 8%.

British Land has acquired Turbary Retail Park in Bournemouth for around £27m, a net initial yield of c.7%.

Brookfield and Student Homes Management have acquired a 997 bed HMO student housing portfolio from Condor Properties Ltd.

Partners Group and Host Student Housing have secured a refinancing deal of more than £100m with Cerberus Capital Management, covering four PBSA assets.

Puma Property Finance has agreed a trio of loans worth a total of £31m to North Bay to fund the development of three care homes.

LDC reports that, in Q3, vacancy rates dipped below 15% for the first time since 2020. Retail warehouses post the lowest vacancy rate at 6.1%, with shopping centres falling 40bps q/q to 16.5%.

Aldi UK is to open 16 stores between 6th November and 12th December 2025.

Octopus Energy is planning a £400m retirement rental fund with an initial focus on the UK and Spain.

Halifax reports that October UK house prices saw their biggest monthly rise since January, up 0.6% vs a -0.3% fall in September. Annual growth increased to 1.9%.

The government has unveiled a £10m fund to expand England’s EV charging network, targeting grid-constrained sites on motorways and major A-roads. The funding will support projects that allow chargers to run off-grid or with minimal grid connection, using renewable energy and battery storage.

Mark Charlton – Real Estate Research Consultant at Waypoint