Concrete Analysis | Manchester’s growing ties with China bring city to a new generation of potential investors
As finding value in the traditional trophy markets of central London, New York and Sydney gets harder, ‘Northern Powerhouse’ city is a hotspot apart
China’s growing ties with Britain’s second city were put under the spotlight last October during President Xi Jinping’s historic visit to Manchester. From an £800 million stake in Airport City Manchester to Manchester City Football Club’s recent £265 million deal with a Chinese investment group, the tide of investor interest is rising.
Increased links with China are also bringing the city to the attention of a new generation of potential buyers. Direct flights from Hong Kong have run for some time, from June 2016 Hainan Airways will begin a direct service from Beijing, and there are rumours that a Shanghai service will be announced soon.
For Asian-based property investors, this combination of value and potential for capital growth and healthy yields sets Manchester apart as a key hotspot for 2016 and beyond.
Manchester’s attraction is clear. Its economic performance, growing population and position at the centre of the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne’s “Northern Powerhouse” are all key structural factors driving this, but most important of all is the value investors can find in the city.
It is becoming ever more challenging to find similar value in the traditional trophy investment markets of prime central London, New York and Sydney. Less obvious destinations, however, such as outer London and regional cities like Manchester, are undervalued with significant potential for uplift.
For Asian-based property investors, this combination of value and potential for capital growth and healthy yields sets Manchester apart as a key hotspot for 2016 and beyond.
Property prices in Greater Manchester remain 13.6 per cent below their pre-recession peak, and conservative forecasts put price growth to 2019 at 20 per cent. Meanwhile the city’s thriving lettings market has been recognised by HSBC as one of the country’s top 10 buy-to-let hotspots, with average rental yields of just over 6 per cent.
The main fabric of Manchester’s investment case is its booming economy and growing young workforce. Greater Manchester’s gross value added, a measure of the goods and services produced in an area, is now higher than that of the Northeast, West Yorkshire or Merseyside, and is forecast to grow 32 per cent to £75 billion by 2024.