MORNING NEWS: Law firm picks new Birmingham base

Good morning. Here’s your daily round-up of the latest news and views from EG and a collection of industry-relevant headlines from the nationals, all perfectly curated to set you up for the day ahead. Law firm Trowers & Hamlins has sealed a deal to take a new Birmingham office. The firm, which has been based at 10 Colemore Row, has signed a 10-year lease at Union Investment’s One Snowhill. The deal will see the firm take almost 16,500 sq ft in the 263,000 sq ft building. Also lining up a new home is mobile gaming company Dream Games, which is close to agreeing a deal to lease most of Ingka Investments’ 1 Great Portland Street, W1. The company is finalising a lease for around 40,000 sq ft, the majority of the 46,000 sq ft building, after announcing last year that it was looking to establish its first overseas office in London alongside its existing base in Istanbul. A new ranking of 60 flexible office brands across the UK has revealed the leading names in the growing sector. WeWork, Regus and Workspace landed in the top three spots in the research from flex consultancy Spaces to Places. The London Flex Brand Index Report analysed size and number of locations alongside five other metrics: first-half data on amenity per location; Google Business Profile average ratings per location; how likely a website is to appear on search engine results pages; how often brand names were searched for online; and the size of a company’s social media following. There’s also news on Blackstone’s massive data centre investment; the closure of the NPPF consultation; and the withdrawal of the Coal Drops yard pavilion planning application. All of the news from EG, plus a selection of headlines from the nationals:Law firm signs for new Birmingham officeMobile gaming company eyes West End office dealMorrisons agrees £370m ground rent dealSEGRO hungry for growth as strong trading continuesLife Science REIT eyes options over ‘significant headwinds’Revealed: the top flexible office brandsBlackstone confirms £10bn AI data centre investmentIndustry calls for clarity on EPC rulesEDITOR’S COMMENT: What will ISG’s collapse mean for development viability?New York investor launches £500m UK senior living planCo-op plans new store drive as profits riseCOMMENT: We need to drop the ‘us and them’ mindset to keep investment on track1m sq ft Scottish shopping centre put up for saleNewcastle’s Bank House filling up as Cundall ‘comes home’Northampton picks development partner for Greyfriars makeoverWarnings and opportunities as Revo maps next decade of retail and leisureAvison Young appoints new lease advisory MDConstructing Rainbows hires director to grow EDI servicesNPPF consultation ends with call to support housing of all tenuresManchester’s Broadheath Networkcentre up for saleHotel operator gets go-ahead for MIX Manchester developmentWestfield clocks up more luxury retail lettingsFlex is best, according to survey of business leadersNew tenant lands at Wakefield industrial estatePlans in for £130m Milton Keynes office-to-resi conversionPlaces for London picks partner for electric vehicle charging hubs roll-outCoal Drops Yard pavilion plans withdrawnNorthern Group bags flagship Siemens buildingChick-fil-A selects cities for UK debutBoE’s Greene calls for ‘cautious’ approach to rate cuts (£)Worst of real estate downturn has passed, DWS Group’s Kelly says (£)OECD upgrades UK’s growth forecast (£)Retailers ‘face turbulent few months’ as consumer optimism falls (£)Why eight Tokyo minutes from office to metro is too long (£)Top shareholder urges Rightmove to start ‘serious’ takeover talks with Murdoch (£)US company eliminated from race to build Britain’s first mini-nuclear plant (£)