Christmas is my favourite time of the year, a time for indulgence: mulled wine, pigs in blankets, cosy pubs with open fires, and, most importantly, moments spent with friends and family. But Christmas also brings an annual chore: the unavoidable task of Christmas shopping.

I am terrible at Christmas shopping, catastrophically awful, in fact. Before moving to London, I used a simple cheat: I popped to the local Tesco on Christmas Eve and bought everyone in my close family a litre of gin. If my parents got lucky, I might even grab a bottle of wine from their own wine rack, gift-wrap it, and hand it to them lovingly.

Times have changed. I no longer have youth or poverty as excuses, I now work in the big city. Recycled bottles of wine and 40% spirits no longer impress anyone; expectations are higher. I refused to visit Oxford or Regent Street in December, and Westfield remained off-limits. It was time to get creative.

Then, a Christmas miracle happened. My colleague, a loyal comrade in the fight against Christmas shopping, leaned over and said two magical words: “Amazon Prime.” Silence followed. Then he added even more magical words: “Free trial.” I was sold.

In the following weeks, I ordered gifts of Gold (Pandora bracelet), Frankincense (J’Adore Dior perfume), and Myrrh (slippers for Nan…), and the courier hand-delivered them to my desk within 24 hours. The game had changed. Online Christmas shopping had turned the annual chore into a breeze. Rejoice!

Retail attitudes are changing rapidly. Figures show that retailers with strong online shopping operations perform admirably. High street stalwart NEXT increased its online sales by 13.6% in the eight weeks leading up to 24th December 2017. Online fashion retailer BooHoo doubled its revenues to £228m in the four months ending December 2018.

The rise in online shopping puts pressure on the high street. Many retailers close shops to consolidate their portfolios—M&S recently announced several store closures. The A3 restaurant sector faces similar challenges: consumers enjoy more choice, which forces casualties on the high street. Byron Burger recently closed around 20 sites and considered a CVA agreement for remaining locations to stay afloat.

While retail struggles, the industrial sector thrives. Prime rents are soaring, yields are sharpening, and capital values are reaching new heights. Well-located, high-spec warehouse space drives online retail, so much so that in 2016, Amazon accounted for 25% of all industrial lettings in the UK. Developers now commonly secure pre-lets on prime industrial space, and “super-sheds” of up to 1 million sq. ft. remain in high demand nationwide.

At Kinney Green, we specialize in central London office and retail sectors, as well as industrial property across the South East. If you need commercial property advice, our professionals can help—contact details appear in the ‘About Us’ tab above.