Crown Estate mulls industrial investment as return to Treasury hits £2.7bn in the last decade

Retailers could soon be shipping goods from warehouses owned by the Queen as the Crown Estate considers expanding its investment in industrial property to capitalise on booming demand from online sellers. The company said it had not ruled out adding more warehousing to its portfolio as it seeks to cushion itself from the impact of turmoil on the high street. Chief executive Alison Nimmo said The Crown Estate, which manages property and land owned by the Queen, had benefited from its prime shopping destinations last year but that it had not been immune from store closures. According to the Times, entrepreneurs and start-up companies may soon be planning their futures while sitting in offices owned by the Crown Estate after the property company confirmed it was launching a co-working operation. The body, which manages the Queen’s property, said that it would launch its first directly managed co-working platform, with 350 desks in a 22,000 sq ft building in Regent Street, central London, to provide a “fuller range of services to occupiers who are taking leases for shorter periods”. Click here for the full Telegraph article (£) Click here for the full FT article (£) Click here for the full Times article (£)