Over the past 127 years, Knight Frank has evolved into a global leader in real estate consultancy. Recognising the complex interplay between residential and commercial sectors, Knight Frank’s application of LDC data extends beyond the retail and leisure landscape to inform insights across the office, senior living, and residential (BTR) sectors. The data is strategically utilised by a diversity of teams including Analytics, Research, Agency, and Capital Markets, showcasing the versatility and depth of insights offered by LDC.
Crossrail's impact on the London Office Market
The integration of LDC data into Knight Frank’s commercial research has offered valuable insights into the impact of Crossrail on the London office market. Their most recent report in collaboration with the London Property Alliance leveraged LDC data to examine the transformative effects of the Elizabeth line.
The LDC data played a crucial role in the analysis, providing granular detail on the type and distribution of new establishments emerging around the Elizabeth line stations – demonstrating the synergy between new retail & leisure openings with the development of vibrant business districts.
Understanding Amenity Provision
Amenity provision and commutability are pivotal characteristics of best-in-class buildings. The Analytics team at Knight Frank has developed a model that evaluates locations based on amenity supply within a defined walking time, ranging from Built to Rent (BTR) schemes to prime central London office buildings.
LDC data serves as the primary tool in their recent London report, aiding in understanding the various classifications within retail and F&B categories. This, in turn, enables Knight Frank to allocate weightings to these categories, revealing the requirements of the target area's demographic. This in-depth scoring system focuses on London’s office submarkets, helping build a comprehensive picture of amenity proximity to offices, exposing areas of current strength and future opportunity.
Town Centre Health Checks and Audits
Knight Frank places a high emphasis on a detailed analysis of town centres, especially when evaluating a location's retail potential. By utilising LDC data, their Retail Research team is able to conduct an in-depth assessment of factors like retail composition, vacancy rates, and newly arrived retail & leisure operators. This approach aids a comprehensive understanding of the area, and enables effective benchmarking against similar locations.
Additionally, a key part of Knight Frank's strategic approach involves identifying retail ‘gaps’ in target locations. Access to historical data is crucial for this: allowing them to determine if certain retailers previously operated in specific areas, prompting investigation of why the operator vacated. This insight is instrumental in guiding discussions with leasing agents, ensuring that they match their clients with the most suitable retail opportunities.
“It’s great to see the Knight Frank teams being so proactive in bringing LDC’s data to the forefront of their research and location analysis. Our granular, robust and real-time market insight is key in supporting their strategic work, from longer-term trend analysis and amenity models, to specific commercial research topics. It’s been a pleasure to work with Knight Frank, adding value to their unique research activities as the retail and leisure market continues to evolve at pace.”
Katie Girdwood, Senior Business Development Manager, LDC
“The Retail and Leisure dataset adds to our existing Research offering across both residential and commercial. Using the accurate location data and UPRN matches, we can confidently assess properties based on the amenity profile within the vicinity. The LDC data feeds into our existing models and elevates the outputs due to the detailed categorisation of retail and leisure locations, allowing us to score one amenity’s presence higher than another depending on perceived desirability”
Cameron McDonald - Associate, Geospatial Projects Lead
‘LDC's contribution has been pivotal in offering an in-depth view of the vibrancy of UK town centres. The detailed resolution of their data empowers us to make effective comparisons across retail locations of various sizes and in diverse geographical areas. Their extensive archive of historical data enriches our understanding of the evolutionary trajectory of these locations, playing a key role in guiding us towards sustainable development strategies”
Emma Barnstable – Associate, Commercial Research
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