North-west ''good place for investment'' - commercial mortgages

10 September 2007

Commercial property in the north-west of England offers the potential for good returns on investment across several sectors, Knight Frank has said.

The firm''s research has shown that popular areas for investment such as Manchester and Liverpool have been joined by towns and cities including Wigan and Preston as areas which are seeing strong returns on investment.

The office sector in particular is performing well in the region, with high-profile investors at home and abroad now looking to the area, according to Knight Frank.

"Commercial property continues to attract money from a variety of sources, and continues to give excellent returns over the medium and long term," commented Knight Frank north-west office head of investment Abid Jaffry, according to the Bolton News.

"These cities are a magnet for investment and rents have grown steadily, particularly in the office market," Mr Jaffry added.

Last week a study from Investment Property Databank reported that returns on local retail properties were frequently superior to those for prime real estate, pointing to an opening in the market for canny landlords with commercial mortgages.