Intelligence Talks

We explore how Britain could benefit from a rise in international students after Trump's second presidency. We also delve into the latest UCAS application data for 2025, plus key investment and development trends. Anna is joined by Neil Armstrong and Merelina Sykes, joint heads of Knight Frank student property.Produced by Ollie Peart at Rethink Audio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Housing markets around the world have faced strong headwinds since the pandemic boom period. Household finances and purchasing power fell under pressure from surging household bills and higher borrowing costs, and the outlook for interest rates remains murky at best. So, what does the year ahead have in store for house prices in the UK and more broadly in Europe? Host Anna Ward is joined by Knight Frank's head of UK residential research, Tom Bill, head of European residential research, Kate Everett Allen and head of ESG research, Flora Harley. The panel are quizzed on how global housing markets are performing – key hotspots for 2025 and what the data is telling us. They share their views on whether house prices will rise or fall this year in key regions around the world – and their key 2025 predictions for the year ahead. Prospect of Trump Presidency intensifies Labour's mortgage market headache https://www.knightfrank.com/research/article/2025-01-13-prospect-of-trump-presidency-intensifies-labours-mortgage-market-headache 2025 Outlook: European real estate and political shifts https://www.knightfrank.com/research/article/2024-12-19-2025-outlook-european-real-estate-and-political-shifts The ESG Outlook – what's next for 2025? https://www.knightfrank.com/research/article/2025-01-09-the-esg-outlook-whats-next-for-2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a challenging year, what is the outlook for UK commercial real estate in 2025 and has the market turned a corner?Anna is joined by our UK head of commercial research, Will Matthews, London research head Shabab Qadar and associate in retail research Emma Barnstable. We hear from Emma on how attitudes towards the retail sector are the most positive they have been for years, with retail the best performing mainstream property asset class in 2024. Two-thirds of the Top 300 retailers are rated low-risk. Despite this, investment volumes last year fell short of10-year averages. Could 2025 be a more profitable year for investors? Shabab talks about how the London office market is at an inflection point, with investor sentiment stabilising, pointing to renewed activity into 2025, particularly for top-tier office spaces. The investment market is polarised, however, with demand strongest for prime office buildings in the top UK markets. In certain areas of the capital, there is a significant shortage of high-quality office space. Specifically, less than 0.5% of the available office stock in London's City and West End submarkets is classified as grade A.The panel also look at projections for overall investment volumes into UK commercial real estate this year, and discuss why new infrastructure projects present significant opportunities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we delve into the results of our new Knight Frank Alpine Property Report. Anna is joined by our head of European residential research, Kate Everett-Allen, and partner Alex Koch de Gooryend, to examine the key drivers currently of demand for Alpine properties from declining mortgage rates, tax changes and an increase in year-round amenities. The report highlights a 3% increase in property values in Alpine markets over the past year. While this is down from the pandemic peak, growth remains above long-run trend rates. The discussion also delves into geographical trends, with Swiss resorts outperforming French ones, backed by Switzerland's stable economy. Also, find out where our panel would invest if they had the cash. You can read the report here: https://www.knightfrank.com/research/report-library/alpine-property-report-2025-11694.aspxProduced by Rethink Audio Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UK students are struggling to find housing and demand for accommodation is soaring. Supply is failing to keep up, causing rents to rise on average by around 8% this year, according to the latest Knight Frank data.So what's going on? How can universities, developers, and investors collaborate more effectively to tackle the supply crunch? What emerging trends will shape the future of student housing in 2025 and beyond? From the race for high-quality accommodations to the evolving expectations of Gen Z students—this conversation is a must-listen for anyone navigating the student property market. Anna is joined by Neil Armstrong and Merelina Sykes, joint heads of Knight Frank's student property division, along with research associate Katie O'Neill, to unpack these critical questions.For more, see Knight Frank's student accommodation survey 2024: https://content.knightfrank.com/research/1663/documents/en/knight-frank-ucas-student-accommodation-survey-report-2024-11543.pdf And Knight Frank's latest quarterly update on the market: https://www.knightfrank.be/research/uk-student-housing-q3-2024-11625.aspxProduced by Ollie Peart at Rethink Audio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We take a look at the key risks facing UK housing and retail markets in the aftermath of the Autumn Budget. We focus on the threats and opportunities for both sectors following the biggest rises in taxes at a budget since 1993.Will mortgage rates stay higher for longer as a result? Plus, does the Budget really just spell bad news for the high street or will we see a retail renaissance? Anna is joined by Knight Frank's head of UK housing research Tom Bill and head of UK retail research, Stephen Springham. Stay tuned to find out whether Tom will be fixing his own mortgage for two or five years following the Budget… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You potentially won't be able to let an office in the UK without an EPC A-B by as soon as 2030. So how can London's office landlords prepare effectively for this energy efficiency deadline? Currently, 70% of commercial property floor space is rated EPC C or below across England & Wales. So getting ahead of potential future regulation could mean a first-mover advantage, particularly where there is a demand and supply imbalance.To unpick this complex topic, Anna is joined by Flora Harley, Knight Frank's head of ESG research, and Harriet Hicks, ESG consultant at the property agency, who explain some of the risks and strategies commercial property landlords and investors must consider. They discuss Knight Frank's new report on building obsolescence, which looks at more than 3,000 commercial properties that have undergone retrofitting leading to an improved EPC rating of at least B, and the measures landlords took to get there.They also delve into new research on building obsolescence, highlighting key areas such as regulatory, functional, physical, and financial risks. Practical measures like LED lighting and digital twin modelling for building improvements are discussed, along with market trends, tenant collaboration, and potential future innovations in the sector. Knight Frank's report: Meeting the Commercial Property Retrofit Challenge - Part 1: Defining a Strategy is available here: https://www.knightfrank.com/research/report-library/meeting-the-commercial-property-retrofit-challenge-part-1-11509.aspx Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Co-living is a small but growing trend in UK cities, driven by urbanisation, rising housing costs, and the need for community in an age of digital isolation. Experts from Knight Frank explore the investment landscape, government policies, demographic appeal, and future prospects of co-living compared to traditional student accommodation. The conversation covers topics such as policy evolution, investment trends, and the challenges and opportunities in the sector.Host Anna Ward discusses this and more with guests Chris Benham, Oliver Knight and Katie O'Neill. For more, please see Knight Frank's 2024 Co-living Report here: https://content.knightfrank.com/research/2854/documents/en/co-living-report-2024-11304.pdf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the current state of the London office market and how will the next six months pan out? Knight Frank's Head of London Research Shabab Qadar joins host Anna Ward to discuss market activity and what is coming next for development activity and investment in the capital's office sector. They discuss how a future supply crunch could impact the market, where the new emerging office districts will be, to what extent repurposing will feature in the market and how much stock will shift to other uses. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rachel Reeves used her first speech as chancellor to reverse some Conservative housing policy following a Labour landslide. But aside from bringing back local housing targets, how else will the government get Britain building again? In this episode our expert panel dive into getting the balance right between net-zero goals and extensive housebuilding plans, the need for renewable energy and regulatory certainty, and how the UK and European residential markets compare. Also, if you had £50 million, where should you put that money right now in residential real estate? Host Anna Ward discusses this and more with guests Flora Harley, Stuart Baillie, and Kate Everett-Allen from Knight Frank. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of 'Intelligence Talks,' host Anna Ward discusses the potential implications of Labour and Conservative election pledges on the commercial real estate market with Will Matthews, Shabab Qadar, and Stephen Springham from Knight Frank's research team. They examine current market conditions, and key manifesto proposals on finance, investment, tax, business rates, and planning laws. What will be the impact of these policies on key UK commercial real estate sectors from offices to retail? And how will investment volumes turn out by the end of 2024 compared to last year? All that, plus hear how each expert would invest a hypothetical sum of £50 million in UK commercial real estate. This is the first of two special episodes on the UK election. We will be back next month with part two after the election and you will hear from experts in our UK residential research team. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is London tapped out or are there still great development opportunities in the capital? This week Anna Ward is joined by James Barton and Nick Alderman from Knight Frank's development land team. In this episode, they explore where the new residential development opportunities might be, from Battersea to Hackney Wick. They also discuss who will be building these projects, the return of developers to the land market, as well as the withdrawal of housing associations, as well as the latest findings from Knight Frank's poll of 50 volume and SME housebuilders. And the key challenges to building these developments: land scarcity, outdated council registers, and high build and finance costs. Plus, they look at whether there is a need for some flexibility in affordable housing criteria. Don't miss this informative discussion on the opportunities and challenges shaping London's residential development scene. REPORT: Knight Frank's land index and survey of 50 volume and SME housebuilders Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we look at how local councils in the UK are responding to the housing needs of our senior population. In real estate terms, the seniors housing sector is a small but rapidly growing part of the market – but is a lack of planning and awareness holding it back, and what does the country need to do to scale up delivery?Anna is joined by Irwin Mitchell planning partner Nicola Gooch, who specializes in mixed use regeneration projects and enabling developments, and Andrew Sandison, senior research analyst at Knight Frank, who produces research on the UK seniors housing sector.They discuss why local authorities are under pressure, following the publication of Knight Frank's joint report with Irwin Mitchell which analyses and grades local plans for all local authorities in England based on their approach to housing for seniors. Plus, the pair are quizzed on what new policy ideas could help address the supply shortfall.REPORT: Unlocking Potential for Seniors Housing Development Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Spring Budget at a glance, plus what else could be coming down the tracks from a property perspective before the UK general election…Anna is joined by a trio of experts from our research team including Knight Frank's head of UK residential Tom Bill, head of UK retail Stephen Springham and head of ESG Flora Harley.They share their takes on the March Budget, what is likely to happen next, and what they'd like to see change after the election across housing, retail and net zero. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From student bed shortages to net zero dilemmas in property redevelopment, this episode provides a snapshot of the UK's housing landscape. The living sectors alone can't fix Britain's housing crisis, but momentum is building. The country needs more decent and well managed private-rented housing, as well as more options for students and seniors.Investors have taken note: total volumes into UK BTR, student and senior living hit nearly £10bn last year, below the record £15bn in 2022 – but well above pre-Covid levels.Anna is joined by Lizzie Breckner, Katie O'Neill and Sam Heffron.They discuss how quickly BTR could scale up to deliver more of Britain's housing supply, why students are facing an ‘existential crisis' when it comes to property options, and what would convince older generations to downsize from family-sized homes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our first episode of 2024, we talk about Britain's laboratory shortage, with start-ups actively searching for lab space amid a dearth of supply. Anna Ward is joined by Knight Frank partner and life sciences specialist Jennifer Townsend to discuss the growth of the UK's £90bn health and life sciences sector. In London alone, the city is struggling to provide biotech and life sciences entrepreneurs with the research space they need. Knight Frank data shows that demand for lab space in the capital stands at 793,000 sq ft, while availability is just 179,295 sq ft – less than a quarter of current requirements. UK-wide, life sciences firms raised £3.3bn in venture capital financing last year, ranking as the third-highest amount over the past ten years. On a year-over-year basis, funding to the sector declined 7% compared to 2022. However, life sciences performed better than the broader UK venture capital landscape, which saw investment drop to £16.1 billion in 2023 - a 44% decrease compared with 2022.Anna also speaks to Deirdre O'Reilly, senior research analyst at Knight Frank, to find out more about the rise in film and TV production spend in the UK and how this is fuelling an increase in film studio take up. If production spending reaches £8.7 billion by 2028, Knight Frank has estimated an additional 2.6 million sq ft of additional studio space will be needed. Deirdre also pinpoints two other key industrial sectors to watch in 2024… You can read the 2023 Knight Frank UK Film and Television Studios report here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For our final episode of the year, we look at Knight Frank's predictions for residential and commercial property in 2024... For a UK take, Anna speaks to Tom Bill, head of UK residential research, Shabab Qadar, London research partner and Flora Harley, head of ESG research. Anna is also joined by our global head of research Liam Bailey, head of UK commercial Will Matthews and head of global residential research Kate Everett Allen to discuss global themes. They share their key predictions for 2024, explore to what extent and how quickly real estate markets will recover, and look at the potential impact of upcoming political elections around the world. They also discuss the pressing need to retrofit and refurbish real estate, with 58% of investors actively looking to acquire poor EPC-performing assets to improve, upgrade and reposition, according to Knight Frank's latest ESG Property Investor Survey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With global residential rents surging at three and a half times their pre-pandemic rate, Liam Bailey speaks to New York property guru Jonathan Miller to assess where rental markets are headed in that city as we move towards 2024.https://content.knightfrank.com/research/357/documents/en/prime-global-rental-index-q3-2023-10751.pdf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anna speaks to Knight Frank rural surveyor Steph Small and Irwin Mitchell partner Sam Knight to find out more about the nutrient mitigation market, which the government just announced fresh funding for.Natural England has established its own nutrient mitigation scheme; however, this is currently only available to developers in the Tees catchment in the North East of England and there is a limited number of credits available.For those developers unable to access this scheme, the only other option is the embryonic private market or relying on their own mitigation methods from wetlands to sustainable urban drainage.The government is aiming to both expand the Natural England programme and speed up the development of private sector schemes.Steph and Sam explain why mitigation options are not straightforward and highlight that the greatest shift will be when water companies upgrade wastewater treatment works to reduce harmful nutrient pollution.But this is still some way off, with the government proposing the upgrades are completed by 2030. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our latest Ski Property Report, a third of respondents to our sentiment survey said the long-term resilience of a ski resort is very important to them and influences their decision on where to buy. In this episode of Intelligence Talks, we look at the impact of climate change on Alpine property markets. Anna speaks to Kate Everett-Allen, head of global residential research at Knight Frank, and international residential partner Alex Koch de Gooreynd.They discuss how ski resorts are innovating to respond to snow shortages as well as driving more tourism through a broader range of year-round activities. In addition, they share which resorts are likely to be the most resilient in the long-term, drawing on key findings in the report which includes analysis of ski areas over 2,000 metres with north-facing slopes across key French and Swiss resorts. You can read the full report here: www.knightfrank.com/skireport Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rishi Sunak may have weakened a number of green commitments, but the property sector is pressing on with key net zero priorities. From residential to commercial buildings, Britain's built environment currently accounts for a quarter of the country's carbon footprint. Developers are exploring ways to build more energy efficient homes that can withstand the most extreme climates. Meanwhile, property investors are more concerned than ever about ESG due diligence, with a growing focus on how buildings are performing now rather than just understanding their future potential. Anna speaks to Barratt's technical and innovation director, Oliver Novakovic, who is testing new technology at the Energy House 2.0 in Manchester on preparing homes for climate change. She also talks to Knight Frank's head of ESG research, Flora Harley, who has just carried out a survey of 45 pan-European investors on their approach to net zero. https://content.knightfrank.com/research/2740/documents/en/sustainability-series-esg-property-investor-survey-q3-2023-10532.pdf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The build-to-rent market has made serious inroads into Britain's property sector, with the number of completed units more than tripling to over 82,000 units in the last five years. While the scale of this remains small relative to overall housing delivery, all signs point to a strong growth trajectory ahead. But how do the completed schemes measure up so far? To find out, Knight Frank has launched a new Resident Experience Index alongside UK property developer Moda which, for the first time, provides some insight into how resident experience drives investment value across the sector. It tracks key metrics from the sustainability of a scheme to the number of amenities on site, affordability, accessibility and health and wellbeing. Anna speaks to Lizzie Breckner, associate in Knight Frank's residential investment research team, and Emma Shone, corporate PR manager at Moda, who were both involved in the launch of the new index. They discuss the standout results from the study, the most important factors driving resident experience and what future build-to-rent homes will look like. You can download Knight Frank's Build to Rent resident experience report here: https://www.knightfrank.com/research/report-library/build-to-rent-resident-experience-index-2023-10495.aspx Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Britain is facing a looming supply crunch for new homes. In this episode, we explore how housebuilders and developers across the ‘living sectors', including student, seniors, build to rent, and single-family housing, are responding to the current economic uncertainty and high cost of debt. Anna speaks to Knight Frank partner and head of development partnerships Charlie Dugdale, and associate in our living investment research team, Katie O'Neill. They also discuss how the current economic slowdown is impacting the ‘absorption rate' - the number of homes that can be sold into the market in a particular period - how master developers are seeking a greater diversity in the type of housing being built, including build to rent and more social and affordable options, the rise of housing partnerships between housebuilders and living operators, and inefficiencies in the planning system. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While global real estate markets are feeling the pinch from higher interest rates, the branded residences market is enjoying something of an upswing. Liam Bailey is joined by The Four Season's James Price to unpack the data on a sector set to grow by 12% per year globally each year up to 2026. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Where does it make sense to refurbish offices to higher environmental standards and to what extent will obsolete offices see a change of use to residential? Across London, approximately 140m sq ft of office space has an EPC rating below grade C, a recent Knight Frank study showed, a figure which represents 51% of total office floorspace. Under current government proposals, commercial properties must have an EPC rating of C or higher by 1 April 2027. In this podcast, Anna Ward is joined by two Knight Frank experts focused on this very issue – our head of London research Shabab Qadar, and our head of planning, Stuart Baillie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liam Bailey talks to Knight Frank's rural experts Isabel Swift and Andrew Shirley to understand a burgeoning new property asset class. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liam is joined by Knight Frank's head of debt advisory - Lisa Attenborough - to assess the fallout for developers and investors fromrolling banking turmoil. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Knight Frank research team take apart Wednesday's budget, discuss the SVB collapse, and consider outlook for the UK base rate – with some bold predictions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The wealthy are moving, and competition to attract them (and their tax revenue) is rising. Liam Bailey speaks to leading mobility expert Kristin Surak. Kristin's research on golden passports, international migration, nationalism, and politics has been translated into a half-dozen languages, and her latest book, The Golden Passport: Global Mobility for Millionaires, will be published by Harvard University Press in 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liam speaks to Janine Cole from GPE and Will Matthews to uncover the economic and green challenges and opportunities from retrofitting office buildings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you thought you would be working at home five days a week - Lee Elliot has some bad news for you. Lee explains to your host Liam Bailey why the office market has never been more active, more innovative and more creative. It's time to dust off the business casual and fight for your hot desk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The team assess what the latest UK government report on net zero means for property, and discuss whether ESG is fit for purpose or whether a simpler approach might help meet industry objectives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our 2022 season ends with a Christmas special with the Knight Frank research team bringing you a review of the key risks and opportunities for property investors during the year ahead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, Liam Bailey and Kate Everett-Allen take the pulse of the world's luxury housing markets and set out the new 2023 Knight Frank Global Residential Forecast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Knight Frank research team unpick the Chancellor's statement and consider the implications for the housing market - including a bold forecast for the UK base rate! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Liam Bailey is joined by William Matthews, head of commercial property research at Knight Frank and Simon Marx, research head at Lothbury Investment Management, to unpack the outlook for commercial property investors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liam Bailey talks to Andrew Shirley and Jess Waddington about the resilience of the UK's farmland market. The average price of agricultural land recently reached a near historic high of £8,300 per acre, according to the Knight Frank Farmland Index. Andrew and Jess explain why, despite widening economic gloom, confusion over post-Brexit environmental schemes and the impact of rising fuel and fertilizer prices, £10,000 per acre is within reach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The UK has been rocked by financial market turmoil in the last week – Liam Bailey, global head of research is joined by Flora Harley of Knight Frank Research and Andrew Wishart of Capital Economics to discuss the implications for the housing market. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After two years of boom conditions is the cost of living crisis leading to a reset of pricing and activity in global housing markets? Liam Bailey talks to Kate Everett-Allen and Tom Bill to discuss the outlook for this critical market sector. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Anna Ward is joined by Oliver Novakovic, technical and innovation director at UK housebuilder, Barratt Developments, and Andrew Shirley, editor of our Wealth Report magazine and head of rural research. Oliver is working on Barratt's zero-carbon concept home, the Z House in Salford, Manchester. He explains how the current inflationary environment is impacting the project, discusses what Barratt has learned from trialling 50 new technologies within the home, and indicates a likely timeline for the UK housebuilder to scale up the technology across new homes nationwide.You can read more about the Z House in our interview with Oliver in The Wealth Report.We also talk about the current challenges facing British farms following surges in grain prices, fuel and energy costs. Andrew suggests farmers need to look to the past and follow less energy-intensive practices and that indoor farming can help supply certain higher value foods like salad products and fruits locally, rather than flying them in.This is an area we explore in depth in this interview with Benjamin Swan, founder of Sustenir, a Singapore-based pioneer of urban, vertical farming in the Wealth Report. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, the Queen's Speech covered 38 pieces of new legislation, up from 30 last year, with Boris Johnson seeking to reboot his premiership. In this podcast, we focus on a couple of the bills most relevant for the property sector - energy security and levelling up and regeneration. Anna quizzes Knight Frank's heads of planning and energy – Stuart Baillie and David Goatman – about the likely impact on housing development. They discuss the impact of shelving comprehensive planning reform and giving local residents more say over development, and assess government plans to toughen up net zero rules, with housebuilders mandated to reduce carbon emissions in new homes by 30% from next month (June 15). So how will this impact the delivery of new homes? Baillie suggests ‘street votes' on local design codes could “further stifle rather than stimulate development”, while Goatman says that developers are “understandably asking a lot of questions” about how to meet new net zero targets at a time of build cost increases and lengthy planning delays for much needed green infrastructure projects. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last year, someone spent a little under a half-million dollars to be Snoop Dogg's next-door neighbour. In the metaverse or Snoopverse, of course. Snoop first started building his own virtual world in September last year on the Sandbox platform, one of the world's biggest metaverse firms. In this episode, our second Wealth Report special, we hear from the man behind the launch of the Sandbox, Yat Siu. The Hong Kong based entrepreneur and angel investor is CEO of block chain and gaming firm Animoca Brands. Animoca, valued at $5bn, has pivoted dramatically in recent years towards blockchain, NFTs and the metaverse - buying up The Sandbox in 2018. Anna is also joined by Knight Frank partner and Wealth Report deputy editor Flora Harley who interviewed Yat for the magazine. They discuss investor appetite for buying up virtual real estate, how dealmaking works in the Sandbox and how the virtual will influence physical real estate trading – plus, what's it really like being Snoop Dogg's neighbour? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Anna is joined by Knight Frank Finance managing partner Simon Gammon and head of UK Residential Research Tom Bill. They discuss the latest outlook for UK house prices and the impact of rising inflation and slowing economic growth. Simon gives his take on interest rate hikes, how fast and how much higher they will rise, and the impact this will have on the mortgage market and house borrowing costs. Tom delves into Knight Frank's UK house price forecasts and gives his long-term view on the outlook for prices around the country. https://marketing.knightfrank.co.uk/p/2P3K-7X3/intelligence-lab-subscribe See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week we take a look at Britain's wine boom and how it is impacting the land market. British sparkling wine in particular has been portrayed as one of the wine world's big success stories. While it currently only represents a fraction of global sales, sales are growing. Overall, there are now over 700 vineyards in England and Wales. Anna speaks to Richard Balfour-Lynn, formerly CEO of MWB Group Holdings, the owner of Malmaison and Hotel du Vin. Richard is co-founder of Balfour Winery – on the Hush Heath Estate in Kent, one of England's biggest wine producers which makes over 400,000 bottles of still and sparkling wines each year. We also hear from Knight Frank head of viticulture Ed Mansel Lewis. Ed's role sees him support vineyard managers and wine producers grow their business. https://marketing.knightfrank.co.uk/p/2P3K-7X3/intelligence-lab-subscribe See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The rising cost of living was the main theme for Rishi Sunak's Spring Statement. In this podcast, we explore how increasing energy and household bills are impacting sentiment, both for shoppers on the high street and buyers of new homes. What will be the key challenges over the next few weeks and months, and what metrics will retailers and house builders be watching closely? On the retail side, has the cost-of-living crunch hit sales yet and how are retailers responding to the increasingly challenging economic environment? And how is build cost inflation impacting residential development, and how are increased cost pressures affecting first time buyers? https://marketing.knightfrank.co.uk/p/2P3K-7X3/intelligence-lab-subscribe See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week Anna is joined by Knight Frank's global head of occupier research Lee Elliott and head of research for Asia Pacific, Christine Li. They take a look at the latest twist in the back-to-work debate – with Google having recently ordered its workers back on a hybrid basis from April – three days a week in the office and two at home. So, how will companies fare in adopting hybrid work styles around the world? And what are the big trends employers are adopting to lure workers back to their desks? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In a bonus episode for our flagship magazine the Wealth Report which is out this week, we explore the rise of new smart cities and the metaverse. Anna is joined by Wealth Report deputy editor Flora Harley and our guest speaker is Dr Sarah Moser. Sarah is an associate geography professor at McGill University in Montreal Canada, specialising in new cities and urban mega-developments. The Wealth Report explores which cities high-net-worths currently want to live, work and play in. In this episode, we look at the rise of new smart cities built from scratch and virtual ones in the metaverse. Is it worth investing in them? We look at which new cities are closest to reaching completion, Big Tech's view of smart cities and the metaverse and why Google's Sidewalk Lab city project in Toronto went wrong. To read more about mega cities and Sarah's research, have a read of our Cities of the Future article on p.80 of the Wealth Report, and you can read about the cities topping our annual City Wealth Index on p70. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week Anna is joined by Knight Frank's head of retail research Stephen Springham and retail analyst Emma Barnstable. They set the scene first on the current state of the UK retail sector two years on from the start of the pandemic and then look at how a consumer squeeze is impacting the market – rising prices are everywhere, the cost of margarine has shot up by over 30% in the past year, while fashion retailer Next is forecasting price hikes of nearly 4% in the first half of this year. Emma and Stephen discuss how bad the pandemic was for the retail sector and how prepared it is to face up to the cost of living crisis. They also dissect the latest January sales data and give their outlook on Britain's empty shop numbers, with the retail vacancy rates having jumped to around 15% during the pandemic. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Supply chain troubles are feeding into sharp build cost hikes for the construction sector in the UK. In this podcast, we look at how long these problems are likely to last, how Britain stacks up compared to the rest of the G7 economies and the impact on its housing delivery rates. Anna speaks to Knight Frank head of residential development land Justin Gaze and Jennifer McKeown, head of the global economics service at Capital Economics. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We've seen a sharp rise in inflation and the Bank of England is expected to hike interest rates in early February. What does this mean for UK house prices? We hear from Knight Frank head of UK residential research Tom Bill and Toscafund chief economist Savvas Savouri. The pair last came on the podcast six months ago, ahead of the sharp increases in gas prices which have contributed to record inflation rates. But Savvas suggests that while inflation is likely to breach 6%, these rates won't persist and predicts that inflation will ease off to around 2.5% by the summer of 2023. Against this backdrop, Tom anticipates UK house price growth to slow somewhat, ending the year in single digit growth territory after 2021's unusually strong performance. However, he adds that Prime Central London could outperform the overall UK rate of growth as overseas buyers return to the market. Finally, they discuss the tech disruptors entering the mortgage market, with Savvas suggesting the likes of online bank Monzo, digital mortgage broker Habito and London-based fintech Perenna, could have a major impact. To the extent that mortgage rates could even fall as disruptors buy up market share, leading to more competitive rates. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

News last week that farmers in England will be given taxpayers' cash to rewild their land has triggered a widespread debate. In this podcast, we explore the UK government's plans for large-scale nature recovery projects and what they could mean for land ownership. Anna is joined by Knight Frank's rural research head Andrew Shirley and head of agri-consultancy Tom Heathcote. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.