A new Framework for Institutional Investment into UK Towns and Cities: Tiers, Risks, and Opportunities in Retail and Office Markets
6
May
2026
This research, commissioned by the IPF Research Programme, explores how UK town and city centre retail and office assets might attract renewed investment amid persistent vacancy and reduced domestic capital, particularly as UK defined benefit pension schemes withdraw. Against the backdrop of successive governments' 'Levelling Up' agendas, the new Industrial Strategy, and 10‑year infrastructure plan, it outlines a framework of how institutional investors may assess and differentiate locations, and investigates how domestic and international approaches and risk profiles vary, and what these choices mean for regeneration and the long‑term resilience of town and city centres.
Ahead of the report’s publication, the IPF invited leading participants in the UK institutional real estate market to a round table discussion to explore the future role of institutional investment in these economies. The key themes debated during that discussion are incorporated into the report.
