One of the genuinely useful things about UKREiiF is that it puts the regional investment conversation in the same room as the capital. Not as a regional showcase bolted onto the side of a London-centric programme, but as a substantive part of the main event. Reading through the sessions this year, that is as true as it has ever been. There are serious discussions about investment appetite beyond the traditional core markets, about where yields are competitive, and where the occupier fundamentals support a long-term hold.
That conversation is worth having, and for anyone involved in regional property disposal, auction is increasingly part of that honest conversation.
The regional premium that is not being priced in
The markets I work across have a stronger story to tell than they sometimes get credit for in the mainstream investment conversation. Good assets in the right locations with realistic pricing are transacting. The occupier demand supporting those assets is, in many cases, more resilient than the investment sentiment data would suggest. And the yield premium available against comparable assets in more widely followed markets is, for investors who take the time to understand the local dynamics, a genuine opportunity rather than a reflection of underlying risk.
What gets in the way is not usually the asset itself. It is a visibility problem. Reaching the right buyers and presenting the investment case clearly enough that regional does not register as a compromise. These are the practical challenges that determine whether regional assets find their value or sit longer than they should.
Auction addresses that visibility problem directly. A well-run regional auction process reaches a buyer pool that private treaty rarely assembles as efficiently. It creates competitive tension around assets that might otherwise struggle to generate multiple offers through conventional disposal routes. And it produces a binding outcome at exchange rather than a subject-to-contract position that can drift.
What UKREiiF does well
The format of UKREiiF creates conditions for regional investment conversations that are genuinely difficult to replicate elsewhere. The concentration of decision-makers across three days in Leeds means that relationships which might take months to develop through individual meetings can be established or advanced in a single afternoon.
For regional markets, that matters. The buyers most likely to engage seriously with a well-priced regional asset are often the same buyers attending the investment sessions at UKREiiF. Meeting them in the context of a programme that is explicitly taking regional markets seriously changes the nature of the conversation.
It is easier to make the case for a regional opportunity when the backdrop is a conference that has already established the credibility of those markets as worthy of institutional attention.
Where do auctions fit in the current market?
The investment market in 2026 is selective. The assets attracting competitive processes are those where the fundamentals are clearly evidenced, and the pricing is realistic from the outset. For regional assets that meet those criteria, an auction is often the most effective way to surface that competition and ensure the vendor realises full market value rather than settling for the first offer a private treaty process produces.
For assets where the private treaty process has stalled, where the bid-ask gap has proved difficult to close through negotiation, or where the vendor needs certainty of outcome within a defined timeframe, an auction provides a reset. It reframes the conversation from one about whether a deal can be agreed to one about what the market will pay on a specific date. That transparency tends to unlock buyer pools that selective private treaty processes do not always reach.
Discuss auctions with me at UKREiiF
Regional markets and auction strategy are conversations that benefit from a direct exchange of views. If you are attending UKREiiF and want to discuss disposal options, regional investment, or how auction fits into your current strategy, I would be glad to meet in Leeds.
Contact [email protected] to arrange a meeting, or join us at our fringe event at the Black Cat Club for some free food and drinks, and a more open conversation about regional investment and disposal. Complete the form below or email [email protected] to register your interest.
Get in touch with the BTG Eddisons team
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