UK Real Estate Overview - Q2 2021 Contact us - BMO Global Asset Management

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UK Real Estate Overview - Q2 2021 Contact us - BMO Global Asset Management
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UK Real Estate
Overview
Q2 2021

Contact us                             UK Economy

UK, London – Head Office               • The economic recovery is underway as the last restrictions were lifted on 19 July
                                         2021, providing a boost to the economy with GDP growth of 7.3% forecast for 2021
BMO Real Estate Partners
                                         and pre-pandemic levels of activity returning towards the end of the year.
7 Seymour Street
London                                 • Consumer-facing services continued to grow with demand shifting from food stores
W1H 7JW                                  to restaurants and pubs as hospitality restrictions eased. Consumers have saved over
                                         the past year, leaving them in in a strong position to support the recovery by taking
     020 7499 2244
                                         on new credit and spending some of their excess savings.
Research                               • Manufacturing stalled due to supply issues of key components and higher NHS test
                                         and trace activity impacting supply chains, which will take longer to resolve.
Joanna Tano
                                       • Headwinds remain, and the rising number of COVID cases poses a downside risk to
     jtano@bmorep.com
                                         the outlook, and even though the link between hospitalisations and case numbers is
                                         weaker due to the vaccination programme, consumer confidence could be damaged
Business Development                     by rising numbers which may slow the return of leisure spend.
Jamie Kellett                          • The labour market continues to improve, with latest employment figures rising for
                                         the sixth consecutive month in May 2021. The unemployment rate edged down to
     jkellett@bmorep.com
                                         4.8% in the three months to May and job vacancies are back at pre-pandemic levels,
                                         with concerns of labour shortages in some sectors now emerging.

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                                         Key Risks
                                         Our review and outlook is a marketing communication providing an overview
                                         of the recent economic and property market environment. It should not be
                                         considered as advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold investments. Nor
                                         is it investment research and has not been prepared in accordance with legal
                                         requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and
                                         is not subject to any prohibition on dealing ahead of its dissemination. As with all
                                         investments, capital is at risk.
                                         The value of investments and income derived from them can go down as well as
                                         up as a result of market or currency movements and investors may not get back
                                         the original amount invested.
                                         The value of directly held property reflects the opinion of valuers and is reviewed
                                         periodically. These assets can also be illiquid and significant or persistent
                                         redemptions may require the manager to sell properties at a lower market value
                                         adversely affecting the value of your investment.

                                                                                                                    Continued
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• Most government support schemes are in place until the            GDP growth & unemployment rate (%)
  autumn, a couple of months beyond the end of restrictions,         10
  giving the economy time to adjust before support is                 8
  withdrawn.                                                          6
                                                                      4
• Inflation rose to 2.4% in June as sectors previously closed         2
  reopened and have started to raise prices. The expectation          0
  is for these effects to only have a temporary impact on            -2
                                                                     -4
  inflation and it will gradually return towards the Bank of         -6
  England’s 2% medium run inflation target. The expectation          -8
  is for the BoE to look through the temporary increase in          -10
                                                                           2015                 2016 2017                            2018 2019                                  2020               2021                2022 2023 2024 2025
  inflation, keeping short-term interest rates on hold.                                                                                                                                             (f)                 (f)  (f)  (f)  (f)
                                                                          Unemployment Rate (%)                                                                          GDP % change y/y
                                                                    Source: Oxford Economics as at 14-Jul-21

Total returns performance strongest in six years

• The all-property total return improved dramatically in the
  three months to June 2021 posting 3.4%. This is the strongest     Three month all-property total returns to June 2021 (%)
  return performance for six years, since June 2015.                 6

• The 2.3% yield impact, which is the highest quarter-on-            5
  quarter performance since September 2014 is supported by           4
  positive investor sentiment. Meanwhile, rental value growth        3
  at the all-property level, appears to have turned a corner and     2
  is positive at 0.2%, the first time in positive territory since    1
  late 2018.                                                         0
• The industrial sector was the driving force behind the            -1
  quarter’s performance with a total return of 7.5%, the second     -2
  highest quarterly return ever recorded for the sector, with       -3
                                                                            2011                2012 2013                             2014 2015                                  2016               2017                2018 2019 2020 2021
  the last three quarters seeing two of the best quarterly
  performances on record.                                           Source: MSCI UK Quarterly Property Digest as at Jun-21

• There are no marked differences between standard industrial
  and distribution, although the latter continues to outperform
  standard industrial. There are also no meaningful regional         Unemployment Rate (%)
  disparities with all areas of the UK showing improvements         Total returns 3 & 12 months to June 2021 (%)
  in Q2 over the previous quarter, with the North East posting       30
  the strongest total return of 9.2%, followed by Yorkshire &        25
  Humberside (8.4%).                                                 20
                                                                     15
• Retail posted a positive 1.7% quarterly total return, the first    10
                                                                      5
  positive performance of the sector for three years, driven by       0
  retail warehouses with a total return of 3.7% for the quarter.     -5
  Shops and shopping centres are still both negative but there      -10
                                                                    -15
  are more meaningful signs of stabilisation.                       -20
                                                                    -25
• Looking forward, the all-property total return moves out of
                                                                                                                                                   Office – City

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     All-Property
                                                                          Standard Retail
                                                                             – South East

                                                                                                                                Retail Warehouse

                                                                                                                                                                   Office – West End
                                                                                                                                                                         & Mid Town

                                                                                                                                                                                       Office – Rest of
                                                                                                                                                                                            South East
                                                                                                                                                                                                          Office – Rest of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       UK
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Industrial – South
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           East
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Industrial – Rest

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Alternatives
                                                                                                              Shopping Centre

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              of UK
                                                                                            Standard Retail
                                                                                               – Rest of UK

  the negative territory of 2020, and looks to remain relatively
  stable over five years to 2025. The high is expected to come
  in 2022 with a 7.8% all-property total return, slowing to 4.5%
  in 2024. There is however a masked divergence between                   3 months                            12 months
  sectors with industrial and supermarkets expected to be the
  best performing over five years to 2025.                          Source: MSCI UK Quarterly Property Digest as at Jun-21

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Continued
BMO Real Estate Partners                                                                                                                                      Page 3

Investment Market

• Second quarter 2021 investment volumes reached £11.7             Investment activity £m
  bn demonstrating the continued resilience of the UK
                                                                   20000
  commercial property market to the pandemic. While this
  is around a fifth under the five-year quarterly average, it is
                                                                   15000
  over double the £4.9 bn recorded during the first national
  lockdown in Q2 2020.
                                                                   10000
• There continues to be a clear preference for certain
  sectors, those that are underpinned by their ability to           5000
  offer long-term, defensive income plays such as industrial,
  supermarkets and residential.                                         0
                                                                               2020 Q1     2020 Q2       2020 Q3   2020 Q4       2021 Q1       2021 Q2 Long-Run
                                                                                                                                                        Average
• Industrial continues to be the most sought after sector              Domestic          Overseas
  with £3.3 bn exchanging hands in Q2, bringing the half
                                                                   Source: Property Data as at Jul-21
  year volume to £6.9 bn – the strongest half year volume on
  record, re-enforcing the seemingly unabating appetite for
  the sector despite the generally tighter pricing, especially
  for core. Some investors are looking to assets with a
  level of risk, be that location or leasing risk or a need for
  improvement/ refurbishment/ future proofing of stock in
  order to drive higher returns.
                                                                   Investment activity by sector (£m)
• Not all retail has been affected evenly by the pandemic
                                                                   80000
  and divergence within the sector continues. Supermarkets
  are most sought after and the defensive nature of retail
                                                                   70000
  parks makes them attractive too, especially those well-let
  and with potential alternative use angles. Of note, while        60000
  investor appetite is limited for shopping centres, some
  recent interest has been driven by repricing rather than the     50000
  repurposing of late.
                                                                   40000
• Cross-border investors, having learnt to navigate the
  pandemic related restrictions accounted for a 57% share          30000
  of second quarter deals, up from the 30% seen in the
  equivalent quarter in 2020 when lockdowns were first             20000
  introduced in earnest and strict travel bans were in place.
                                                                   10000
• Looking forward, the all property yield will compress by
  around 20 – 25 bps this year driven by supermarkets and               0
  the industrial sectors, with mild compression expected                    2012    2013     2014        2015   2016      2017   2018   2019      2020    H1 2021

  or offices, but at the core end, while leisure, hospitality,                                                                                            Alt/Mixed
                                                                      Office                Industrial                 Retail           Leisure
  shopping centres and shops are struggling and further
  outward movement in yields is widely expected.                   Source: Property Data as at Jul-21

                                                                                                                                                         Continued
BMO Real Estate Partners                                                                                                                                         Page 4

Retail

• The retail market turned a corner in the second quarter           Retail total returns by selected segments annual to June
  posting a 1.7% total return, and turning positive for the first   2021 (%)
  time since mid-2018. The annual total return is negative
                                                                    20
  at -2.6% but with signs of stabilisation emerging, and a
  significantly better performance than the -12.7% in the year      10
  to June 2020.                                                      0
• The headline figure masks not only a divergence within            -10
  the sector, but a geographical one as well. Across the UK
                                                                    -20
  retail appears to be improving, albeit from a low base, with
  the Eastern region posting a quarterly total return of 2.9%       -30       Shopping   Central     Dept/     Standard      Retail      Standard All        Supermarkets
  supported by positive income return and capital growth.                     Centres    London      Variety   Retail –      Warehousing Retail     Property
                                                                                         Shops       Stores    Rest of UK                South East
• London is still struggling, and while the City is slowly                Capital Growth           Income Return            Total Return
  improving, although still with a negative quarterly total
  return of -0.7%, the trend in the West End reversed in Q2,        Source: MSCI UK Quarterly Property Digest Jun-21
  after posting a positive first quarter total return.
• Retail warehouses are bouncing back, attractive to occupiers
                                                                    Retail investment activity (£m)
  and investors and was the only retail segment to outperform
  the all-property total return, while supermarkets are the
                                                                    7000
  fourth best performer against all asset segments.
• Investment levels in Q2 were on par with those of Q1 with         6000
  £1.7 billion of retail assets trading. Supermarkets and retail
                                                                    5000
  warehouses are favoured given their ability to offer secure,
  long income. Combined they accounted for 31% of second            4000
  quarter activity at £236 mn and £805 mn respectively.
                                                                    3000
• Repurposing will continue to be a key driver of investor
  demand, especially for shopping centres, but there has
                                                                    2000
  been a rise in opportunistic purchases, although they
  remain limited at the moment. For now, local authorities,         1000
  developers and private investors will be where the bulk of
  capital comes from.                                                     0
                                                                              2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
• The high street universe is likely to shrink with prime-
                                                                          Shopping Centre          Retail Warehouse           Supermarket            Long-term Average
  pitches seeing rising demand as it becomes increasingly                                                                                            from 2010
                                                                          Unit Shop          Other Retail
  difficult for retailers to trade at historic margins from off-
  prime, with a widening pricing gap between the two.               Source: Property Data as at Jul-21

                                                                                                                                                           Continued
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Retail occupier market

• Consumer confidence improved in line with the continued       Consumer spend (£m) and 5 year annualised growth (%)
  vaccine rollout, heightened household savings and pent-
                                                                350000
  up demand, as retail and leisure reopened, supporting                                                                                                                                                                                                     14.0%
  significant improvements in footfall. But, the forced         300000                                                                                                                                                                                      12.0%
  closures of shops during lockdowns put pressure on                                                                                                                                                                                                        10.0%
  revenues and will continue to impact retailer performance     250000
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            8.0%
  even as restrictions are lifted.                              200000                                                                                                                                                                                      6.0%
• Physical footprints come under great scrutiny as pressure                                                                                                                                                                                                 4.0%
                                                                150000
  mounts on margins, with some retailers restructuring their
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2.0%
  supply chains to facilitate structural changes. Those who     100000
  continue to embrace change and new trends, and who                                                                                                                                                                                                        0.0%
                                                                 50000
  have re-worked their real estate networks, will be in a                                                                                                                                                                                                   -2.0%
  stronger position as demand returns to physical retail.            0                                                                                                                                                                                      -4.0%

                                                                                                                                                             footwear
                                                                                                              Recreation
                                                                                                                           Restaurants

                                                                                                                                                            Clothing &

                                                                                                                                                                                                     Education
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Communication goods

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Health goods
                                                                                                                                              Food
                                                                                                                              & hotels
                                                                             Utilities

                                                                                            Other goods &
                                                                                                   services
                                                                                               Transport &
                                                                                         vehicle purchases

                                                                                                                                                                         Household furnishings
                                                                                                                                                                                 & equipment
                                                                                                                                                                                     Alcohol &
                                                                                                                                                                                       tobacco

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            and services
• Vacancy rates have inevitably risen, but ongoing
  governmental support packages such as extension of the
  eviction moratorium to March 2022 will help to protect
  struggling operators and limit significant jumps as CVAs
  slow.
                                                                   2019                   2022                  5 yr CAGR 2020-2025 (rha)
• The offline to online commerce shift will continue,
  highlighting the importance of an omni-channel approach.      Source: Oxford Economics as at 07-Jul-21

  In June online sales reached 26% of total UK retail sales,
  and while dipping from the 36% peak in January 2021, the
  long-term trend is for rising online spend. However, growth
                                                                Channel Growth 2020-2025
  in click & collect are forecast to outpace online over the
                                                                                   166%
  next five years according to Global Data.                       170
                                                                  150
• Retail parks are proving popular, with vacancy sub 6%, and      130
  will continue to outperform given the flexibility of format
                                                                                                                                                                         goods &
                                                                                                                                                                         services

                                                                  110
                                                                                                                                                                         Other

  and outdoor setting with the convenience of parking. In       % 90
                                                                                                  71%
                                                                                                              62%
  some instances they also offer underlying alternative use        70
                                                                                                                                     49%                 43%
                                                                   50 37%
  angles.                                                                                  25%
                                                                                                        37%                32%                29%
                                                                   30                                                                                                    12%            10%
                                                                                                                                                                   8%              7%                            6%
                                                                                                                                                                                                       4%
• Rents remain under pressure, but the pace of decline is          10
  beginning to ease and there are now signs of stabilisation      -10                                                                                                                                                          -7% -9%
  in some stronger locations where, albeit at much reduced
                                                                                                                                                Health & Beauty

                                                                                                                                                                                                           Food & Grocery
                                                                                                         Clothing &
                                                                            Furniture

                                                                                            Homeware

                                                                                                          Footwear

                                                                                                                            DIY & Gardening

                                                                                                                                                                                     Entertainment

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Books
                                                                                                                                                                     Electricals

  rental levels. Turnover rents are also becoming more
  commonplace.

                                                                   Online                  Click & Collect

                                                                Source: Global Data as at Jun-21

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Continued
BMO Real Estate Partners                                                                                                                            Page 6

Offices

• There was much better news coming out of the office sector          Offices total returns by selected segments annual to June
  which delivered a 1.4% return in the three months to June,          2021 (%)
  building on the 0.5% total return from the first quarter. For
                                                                       8
  the year, UK offices delivered a 1.0% total return, which will
                                                                       6
  gradually lead to improving returns over the next five years         4
  as rental activity picks-up, albeit modestly, coupled with           2
  some value appreciation.                                             0
                                                                      -2
• As the office sector works through the structural change that       -4
  was accelerated by the health crisis, investor confidence will      -6
  be boosted by the phased, albeit slow, return to working            -8     West End South      Outer All Office Inner       Rest of   City       All
  practices as businesses start venturing back to the office.                          East     London            London        UK              Property
  The all-office total return for this year is expected to be
  in the region of 2.5%. The Rest of the UK will outperform                Capital Growth     Income Return    Total Return
  (3.0%), compared to the 2.8% increase in total returns for          Source: MSCI UK Quarterly Property Digest Jun-21
  the South East, compared to London at 2.5%.
• The office sector saw a turn around in appetite in Q2. After
  a slow start to the year trading volumes reached £4.4 bn in
  the second quarter, bringing the half year total to £7.4 bn         Office investment activity (£m)
  with both London and key cities outside the capital seeing a
                                                                      14000
  pick-up.
                                                                      12000
• Boosted by some large transactions, volumes in London
  reached £2.1 bn in Q2 with a spread of buyers ranging from          10000
  overseas investors from North America (35%) and European
  (25%), to domestic purchasers (25%) indicating that                      8000

  confidence is improving despite the slow start to the year.              6000
• With Brexit headwinds easing and the eye of the pandemic
                                                                           4000
  hopefully in the past, buyers are sensing a mismatch in
  pricing between London and other European capital cities                 2000
  reflected in a 25 bps compression in Q2 to 3.25% in the City
  and 3.75% in the West End – the first inward movement                       0
                                                                                  2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
  since 2016.
                                                                             Central London     Rest of UK        Long-term Average from 2010
• Across the key regional, prime yields have been relatively
  stable with a clear focus on core assets offering long              Source: Property Data as at Jul-21
  income. Assets with an element of leasing risk will be of
  interest, but to a smaller pool of capital. Institutional capital
  has been somewhat muted, with overseas investors and UK
  property companies the most active.

                                                                                                                                               Continued
BMO Real Estate Partners                                                                                                                             Page 7

Office occupier market

• Uncertainty remains around how much office space will                              notable for their activity whilst professional and financial
  be needed in the future, but the conclusion that offices                           services were more muted.
  are here to stay has been reached, with a focus on quality,
                                                                      • Central areas drew much of the demand and will continue to
  collaboration space and location all important and driving
                                                                        do so, which leaves a question mark around the longevity of
  corporate decision making.
                                                                        some, in particular, older out-of-town stock.
• While overall take-up figures are lower, there has been
                                                                      • The regional markets are beginning to see the benefit of the
  a notable flight-to-quality emerge with occupier demand
                                                                        commitment of the public sector with the Treasury moving
  focused on buildings which promote wellness and better
                                                                        jobs to Darlington and the Home Office to Stoke-on-Trent,
  support modern, collaborative layouts. This comes at the
                                                                        while the GPA is in late-phase negotiations in Birmingham.
  detriment of older stock, causing rental growth on prime
  offices to outpace the rest of the market.
• Flexibility is key and smaller floorplates are seeing more
  activity, where given lingering uncertainty occupier,
  decision making can be more agile. Larger acquisitions
  tend to be deferred and take-up here tends to be driven by          Key UK office markets – development pipeline
  lease events.
                                                                                     14                                                               16
• Availability in Central London is still rising (to 26 mn
                                                        0.15 sq.ft
                                                                                     12                                                               14
  in Q2) but the pace is slowing with vacancy now at 9.3%,
  and with a constrained pipeline, of which just over 50%                            10
                                                                                                                                                      12
  of space either pre-let or under offer, will help to limit                                                                                          10
                                                                     million sq ft

                                                        0.12                          8
  significant rises.
                                                                                                                                                       8 %
• Take-up rose for the second consecutive quarter with 1.6                            6
                                                                                                                                                       6
  mn sq.ft let in Q2. Leasing activity will gain momentum
                                                                                      4
  with 2.7 mn sq.ft of space under offer – the highest
                                                    0.09since                                                                                          4
  the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, with London’s                              2                                                                2
  City and West End accounting for circa 80% of under offers
                                                                                      0                                                                0
  in the capital.
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                                                         0.06
• Key regional cities saw Q2 2021 leasing activity reach
                                                                                     Pre-lets   Speculative    20 yr average    Vacancy Rate (rha)
  1.56 million sq.ft, 26% down on the ten-year average.
  Healthcare, public sector, TMT and creative sectors are             Source: Colliers

                                                                                                                                            Continued
BMO Real Estate Partners                                                                                                                                                                                         Page 8

Industrial

• The all-industrial total return over the quarter was 7.5%,       Industrial total returns by selected segments annual to
  building on the performance seen in Q1 of 5.1%, and is the       June 2021 (%)
  only sector to outperform the all-property quarterly return
                                                                   30
  of 3.4%. The annual total return was a staggering 22.6% and
  while both distribution warehousing and standard industrial      25
  performed well, distribution leads the way with unrelenting      20
  demand for the sector.                                           15
• Over the year to June 2021 London was the strongest              10
  performer, posting a return of 25.5%, while over the quarter      5
  the North West was the best performing region (9.2%).
                                                                    0
• Quarter two saw £3.3 bn transact, bringing the H1 2021

                                                                         Property

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Yorks + Humber
                                                                                               Scotland

                                                                                                                                                                   Eastern
                                                                                       Wales

                                                                                                            South West

                                                                                                                                         North East

                                                                                                                                                      South East

                                                                                                                                                                                             North West

                                                                                                                                                                                                                           London
                                                                              All

                                                                                                                         West Midlands

                                                                                                                                                                             East Midlands
  investment volume to £6.9 bn, with activity supported by
  strong occupier market dynamics. The all-industrial total
  return for 2021 will be in the region of 15% driven on by
                                                                        Capital Growth                    Income Return                          Total Return
  the ongoing strength of rental growth and firming of yields,
  before slowing to a more sustainable rate 2022.                  Source: MSCI UK Quarterly Property Digest Jun-21

• Investors are eager to increase their allocation to industrial
  with returns forecast to outpace those of other sectors.
  With this, a broadening of the investor base is anticipated,
                                                                   Industrial investment activity (£m)
  including new capital sources, attracted by the favourable
  structural tailwinds such as the growth in online retail and     6000
  robust occupier market.
                                                                   5000
• Traditional office and retail investors are increasingly
  diversifying their portfolios, diverting capital to the wider
                                                                   4000
  industrial sector. International capital is as active as
  domestic, accounting for just over half of H1 2021 spend.
  Unsurprisingly foreign investors are more active in 2021 than    3000

  2020 when lockdown was more restrictive. Buyers from the
  US are in acquisition mode, but there has been a notable         2000
  rise in activity from Middle Eastern investors.
                                                                   1000
• As investors look to deploy capital and build scale quickly
  portfolios have become more important accounting for a
                                                                        0
  third of the H1 2021 volume. Strong competition and the                   2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
  weight of money targeting the sector has seen prime yields
  compress to around 4.00%, a 25bps shift from 12 months                Distribution              Multi Let                         Other Industrial                                   Long-term Average
  previously. Competition for secondary assets has led to               Warehouse                                                                                                      from 2010

  yields narrowing over the last year and are now circa 4.50%.     Source: Property Data as at Jul-21

                                                                                                                                                                                                      Continued
BMO Real Estate Partners                                                                                                                              Page 9

       Industrial occupier market

       • H1 2021 saw a record breaking 30.8 million sq.ft of take-up     UK key industrial regions – development pipeline
         (50,000 sq.ft+), double that of H1 2020 with retailers and
         distribution firms dominating leasing activity as they boost                    20                                                                   12
0.12     their online and home delivery capabilities.
                                                                                                                                                              10
       • Activity will continue as the remainder of 2021 unfolds                         15

0.10
         driven by the continued realignment and structural changes                                                                                           8

                                                                         million sq ft
         in supply chains as online platforms play an even bigger role
         in the retail market going forward.                                             10                                                                   6    %
0.08
       • Robust demand continues to erode availability, which                                                                                                 4
         is already low, especially high quality space. There is                          5
         approximately 43 million sq.ft of available space, much                                                                                              2
0.06
         of which under offer or does not meet current occupier
         requirements in terms of locations or specification                              0                                                                   0

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                                                                                              2011
0.04   • The lack of availability is becoming an increasing challenge
         for occupiers, especially those looking for big box units in                    Pre-lets   Speculative   20 yr average         Vacancy Rate (rha)
         excess of 350,000 sq.ft. Others are finding that existing        Source: Property Market Analysis, Q2 2021 release
         standing stock does not meet their requirements and
         compromises need to be made either in terms of location or
         specification or delay expansion/relocation plans until more
         stock completes or secure space via pre-let or build-to-suit.
                                                                         H1 2021 take-up by occupier type (%) (units over 50,000 sq.ft)
       • The construction pipeline holds approximately nine million
         sq.ft of speculative space, and underpinned by robust
         demand, will be absorbed with ease and not expected to
         negatively impact the vacancy rate which currently sub
         4.4%.
       • The market dynamics of low supply and strong demand is
         seeing more development, but the shortages of construction
         materials and extended delivery times is pushing up costs
         which is delaying some schemes as profit margins are
         squeezed.
       • The total amount of space under construction, scheduled to
         complete this year has dropped over the past few months
         as expected completion dates are pushed forward into 2022,                      Distribution                             37%
         construction starts postponed or schemes are put on hold.                       Manufacturing                            19%
                                                                                         Retailing                                39%
                                                                                         Other                                     5%
                                                                          Source: Knight Frank as at H1 2021

                                                                                                                                                    Continued
BMO Real Estate Partners                                                                                                                               Page 10

Alternatives

• Alternatives delivered a quarterly total return of 1.8% to         Alternatives total returns by selected segments annual to June
  June, underperforming the market where the all-property            2021 (%)
  quarterly total return was 3.4%, but outperforming retail          10
  and offices. Over the year a significant improvement in
                                                                      8
  performance has been seen as lockdowns are lifted and
                                                                      6
  previously closed sectors, in particular leisure and hospitality
  reopened – the total return in the year to June was 2.6%.           4
                                                                      2
• There is a distinct polarisation in the subsectors constituting
                                                                      0
  Alternatives, with healthcare the strongest subsector on the
  quarter and the year with the strength of leasing driving          -2
  on performance. Leisure meanwhile delivered a negative             -4        All Property      Leisure          Residential     Healthcare      Hotel
  total return of -1.2% over 12 months to June 2021, but has
  recorded two consecutive quarters of positive total returns,            One year        Three years          Five years
  which to June 2021 was 1.9%.                                       Source: MSCI UK Quarterly Property Digest Jun-21
• Residential is also seeing gains with an improved quarterly
  performance of 1.9% and is a top performer over the
                                                                     Alternatives investment activity (£m)
  forecast period to 2025 as it continues to produce steady
  and high returns averaging 4.6% between 2021-2025.                 10,000

• Hotels showed a marked improvement, with traditional
  leisure markets expected to bounce back sooner than
  traditional business locations as confidence returns, boosted       8,000
  by rising levels of domestic travel. The recovery may be too
  late for some hotels given the length of forced closures and                                                                                                   Entertainmen
  the lack of cash reserves will see some quality distressed          6,000
  assets come to market but limited in number and so bidding                                                                                                     Food & Grocer
  could be competitive
                                                                      4,000
• £2.7 bn worth of alternative assets traded in Q2, bringing                                                                                                             Book
  the half year total to £6.4 bn. Activity was boosted by
  residential, student housing and hotel deals concluding,
                                                                      2,000
  which combined accounted for 80% of Q2 deals under the
  alternative umbrella.
• Select areas of Alternatives able to offer resilient long-               0
  term cash flows, supported by underlying robust demand                       2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
  fundamentals, are seeing non specialist investors taking                Residential           Student               Other Alternative        Hotel
  a more active interest. More JVs and M&A activity is also
                                                                          Other Leisure                 Long-Term Average from 2010
  expected as players look at all routes to access stock and
  take advantage of the growth in the sector.                        Source: Property Data as at Jul-21

                                                                                                                                                   Continued
BMO Real Estate Partners                                                                                                                                             Page 11

Along with BMO Real Estate Partners in-house Research, a variety of sources have been used in the production of this
document including CBRE, Knight Frank, Savills, Avison Young, PMA, MSCI and Oxford Economics.

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