Many businesspersons use the retail sector to establish their base and then invade other business sectors. It becomes a blessing in disguise for investors when they try to invest in the retail industry when it is actually expanding. The United Kingdom’s retail industry is all set to expand in size by as much as 15% in the next five years. It is estimated that it will reach a staggering value of 312 billion pounds in the coming years. It employs a mammoth 3 million people, which accounts for overall 11% of the entire UK workforce.

The retail sector accounts for 8% of the total GDP of the United Kingdom. The intensity of the retail sector in UK is such that as of 2007, sales in the UK retail markets accounted for 265 million pounds, which were larger than economies of Portugal and Denmark. The retail sector in the United Kingdom has developed in almost all the allied sectors such as electrical, clothing and footwear, health and beauty, homeware, furniture and floor coverings, DIY and Gardening and e-retail. The main area in which there is tremendous growth in the retail sector is the Northern Ireland.

Out of all the retail sectors such as clothing, footwear and others, the main retail sectors worth investing in are the electrical sector, food, grocery, health and beauty, which are expected to grow faster as compared to other retail sectors in the United Kingdom. Electrical sector is expected to grow by 24.1% and will easily overtake the entire industry’s growth of 15%. The main goods worth investing in will be brown goods as they are expected to grow by 30.1% over 2011 with major developments taking place in the software and gaming fields. The PlayStation 3 will provide the major chunk towards the growth of the sub-sector and will account for a mammoth 73.4% growth in the next five years. There is also tremendous potential in the electronic segment in the next five years.

The food and grocery segment of the retail industry in the UK provides huge opportunities for grocers. It is estimated that grocers’ sales will be up by 26% until the year 2012. The health and beauty market has a potential to grow by 26.9% until 2012 with skincare accounting for the major portion of growth. The health and beauty market holds some optimistic traits even in these times of economic uncertainty. With a growing prospect of 15% and the existence of plenty of well-established sub-sectors, the retail industry of the United Kingdom has loads of potentials, which are yet to be explored.

The United Kingdom is home to plenty of important historical figures and famous personalities. These include notable writers, such as William Shakespeare and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; popular musicians, such as The Beatles and the Spice Girls; and much-loved sports teams, such as football’s Manchester United. There are also numerous places to visit when in the United Kingdom, such as Stonehenge in Wiltshire, the Eden Project, the Canterbury Cathedral, the Giant’s Causeway and Oxford and Cambridge universities.

The commercial real estate industry in the United Kingdom is receiving much buzz in recent years. There are several factors that contribute to the real estate boom in the U.K. The high rate of immigration to the country, specifically from Asia, Africa and other countries of the European Union, has called on numerous individuals and companies to invest in business undertakings in the U.K. Aside from this, the U.K. is also one of the top ten tourist destinations in the world, with Heathrow Airport being the busiest airport worldwide. All these have called the attention of various local and international businesses to invest in commercial real estate in the U.K.

Interest in the commercial property market has increased in recent years. Along with this, rent and the value of these commercial properties have also increased considerably. This makes the market very attractive to local investors, especially in metropolitan areas, such as London, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Various financial institutions are creating funds that will enable different local investors to acquire commercial property in the U.K., further promoting the commercial real estate market in the country.

Local investors are not the only ones getting attracted to the commercial real estate market in the United Kingdom. A lot of foreign investors, specifically from the United States, are spending their hard-earned money in order to purchase a significant amount of commercial property in the United Kingdom. One of the reasons for the large number of foreign investors is the high returns of investments that commercial properties in the U.K. are able to generate. In general, there is a higher return of investment that one can receive from property investments than from government or corporate shares.

Aside from this, there is an intrinsic quality in the commercial real estate industry in the United Kingdom that makes it more appealing to investors. In the United Kingdom, tenants typically pay for the insurance of the said property and for any repairs necessary. The leases to commercial properties in the U.K. are also generally longer compared to other countries in Europe. All these factors make commercial property in the U.K. a relatively low risk, but high paying, investment.