The latest CBRE UK Monthly Index has revealed that commercial real estate performance was optimistic in May, with a rise of 0.1 per cent.
This will be the first time that there has been a rise in capital values across all sectors since 2011, considering that values in the UK have seen a fall of 0.3 per cent since the start of 2013.
Offices have continued to remain a safe bet for investors, with values growing by 0.2 per cent in May and returns now standing at 0.7 per cent. Much of this has been fuelled by the offices in central London, especially in the West End.
In this area in particular, values rose by 0.8 per cent in the month, whilst returns had risen from 0.5 per cent to a mammoth 1 per cent. The news was less positive outside of the capital city, with low investor activity causing value growth to decline by 0.7 per cent. In total, returns for investments across the UK stood at 0.6 per cent by the end of May.
Aleksandra Starczynska, analyst at CBRE research, said: "Encouragingly, for the first time since November 2011, we witnessed positive change in capital value across all sectors in May. This meant that total returns at the all UK property level, while still subdued, are at their highest since summer 2011."
The retail sector also saw growth in its values, but only by 0.1 per cent over the month, whilst total returns stuck at 0.6 per cent. Within the sector, it was shopping centres that performed the best.
A clearer picture on the sector will be revealed once the official second quarterly figures are released later this year.