MORNING NEWS: Occupiers fill up vacant Debenhams shops

Good morning, and welcome to your Friday round-up of news, analysis and interviews from EG, as well as some real estate-relevant headlines from the papers. Leasing levels for stores vacated by Debenhams have leapt by more than 50% year-on-year in the first quarter, according to new data from EG Radius. JDM Retail Consulting founder and chief executive Jonathan De Mello believes the deals illustrate more favourable trading conditions for the sector, adding: “General market sentiment in the retail property sector is positive.” This week’s big interview is with the top team at Far East Consortium, which is using its work so far in Manchester as a blueprint for expansion elsewhere in the UK, including the capital. Joint managing director Wendy Chiu says the business will be cashing in “a few billion” Hong Kong dollars in the UK over the short term. Bad news for dealmakers – the number of pulled UK real estate transactions rocketed to a record over the start of the year. The team at MSCI Real Estate has pinned the fall on economic uncertainty and out-of-kilter pricing expectations. In listed real estate news this morning, Loungers has posted a record expansion in its restaurant and bar portfolio, while The Gym Group has mandated Savills to advise it on its own hunt for new sites. All the news from EG, plus a selection of headlines from the nationals:Take-up surges as occupiers fill empty Debenhams storesFEC’s bosses on scaling up through regenerationThe Gym Group hires Savills to work out expansion plansLoungers posts record portfolio growthLGIM looks to sell Greenwich Waitrose for £16mHurlington gains consent for £150m Deptford PBSA schemeThe no-brainer of bringing life sciences into the urban realmNew powers introduced to clampdown on planning rule breakersUK leads in URW shopping centre rental growthUK pulled deals count reaches new high in Q1The numbers behind Canary Wharf’s Morgan Stanley dealsGoodford to leave Knight Frank after 37 yearsInterpath taps KPMG for senior real estate debt hiresKKR acquires $1.6bn PBSA portfolio from BlackstoneHousebuilder gets approval for Hampshire garden village schemeDerwent to sell Clerkenwell office to TitanChelsea gem on the block at AcuitusLeeds property consultancy doubles its city centre spaceFoundation Partners and Deer Capital buy care home provider for £100mNative Land secures New York-listed pair for London officesIndustrious in, WeWork out at Finsbury PavementBirmingham set to sell off more assets at Bond Wolfe auctionSelly Oak former Sainsbury’s approved for PBSA conversionWarburtons takes a slice of Symmetry Park BiggleswadeLondon has capacity to provide 30,000 ‘beds and sheds’ homesCo-op hires Lidl’s regional head of property to boost growthBrightbay strengthens senior team with Chancerygate hireEaling set to approve Tide’s 412-bed student schemeOffice valuation fall leads £1.1bn write-down on CWG estateTop five West End agents left scrabbling for deals as competition risesLondon offices hint at wider recovery in latest RICS surveyUK spending watchdog should probe Teesside freeport project, say MPs (£)Sainsbury’s bolstered by return to offices and weekly shops (£)The long, slow death of urban nightlife (£)Where are the most expensive streets in Britain? (£)