After a slow start to the year, UK commercial real estate transaction volumes have been relatively healthy in 2017. Prospects for 2018 are mixed but overall the UK remains an attractive destination for investors to deploy capital.

While it is difficult to make predictions in an uncertain climate, regardless of the outcome of Brexit, many investors continue to see the UK’s underlying fundamentals as strong in the year ahead.

Our report Look back, face forward considers eleven key market areas and explores the potential challenges and opportunities investors may encounter in the next 12 months.

• The Real Estate sector is starting to recognise the potential PropTech holds – this is supported by the recent KPMG Global Proptech Survey, where 86% of respondents stated they saw digital technology as an opportunity, as opposed to just 4% who saw it as a threat.
• Shoppers continue to enjoy the experience of visiting physical stores, and we anticipate a multichannel future rather than a complete shift to online, demonstrated by the results of KPMG’s 2017 Retail Survey, where 40% of respondents said that they used the store at some point in their path to purchase.
• There was increased momentum in the Private Rented Sector (PRS) and Build to Rent (BTR)in 2017, with over 95,000 build to rent units either completed or planned across the UK and circa 17,000 completed*. The housing crisis continues with demand outweighing supply.