Health check on the sub-£5m retail investment market

Town centres with big units are facing challenging times but experienced private investors are still looking for retail investment opportunities through auction and private treaty. By Julia Cahill 

Warren Buffett famously told investors to “be fearful when others are greedy and greedy only when others are fearful.” The multibillionaire investor’s advice in his 2004 letter to shareholders was aimed at those who “insist on trying to time their participation in equities”.

But it’s a mantra for some of the most highly experienced private investors in the commercial property market too, Allsop partner George Walker told a Future of Auctions podcast.

Indeed, one such seasoned investor saw the perfect opportunity to satisfy buyers who were certainly hungry, if not greedy, in the 3 November Allsop commercial auction.

From his home in Florida, the vendor created an online bidding frenzy by placing an office building opposite Windsor Castle into the auction. The 4,000 sq ft Grade II listed building offered £100,000 of income per annum, a lease expiry in 2023 and clear residential redevelopment potential.