The Year Ahead

Killian O'Higgins

Managing Director DTZ Sherry FitzGerald

The impact of more people at work is the great dynamic driving the market. As we enter 2000, the hotspots continue to be development land, offices in Dublin and, outside the capital, retail. In the investment market, institutional investors, once more, are overtaking private investors. Retail remains strong, with good demand for retail

warehousing. Major food retailers are still digesting the impact of restrictions on large stores. Meanwhile, industrial users continue a preference for purchase.

The standardisation of Capital Gains Tax at 20 per cent for all development land will encourage sales - and the extra spending power will be spent on retail and services.

There is very significant demand for offices from Irish companies while demand from the IDA-assisted sector is still strong. The regional policy is spreading demand to major provincial centres yet there is significant demand for offices in Dublin where there is pent-up demand for 150,000 sq m.