A Report undertaken by a global property consultancy has identified Derby city centre as an economic hot spot.
Derby Cityscape commissioned a city centre market activity report that was put together by Knight Frank.
The document was used to support the Derby team's pitch at the Marche International des Professionels d'Imobilier in Cannes earlier this month.
Sharon Stevens-Cash communications manager at Derby Cityscape, said: "We wanted an honest view of Derby's economy to present to potential investors.
"MIPIM provided a great platform for its launch and we have had a lot of requests for copies of the report."
The report demonstrates a huge surge in investment activity during 2006 and 2007.
Around £220m of transactions were completed in 2007.
The purchase of a 25 per cent share in Westfield Derby by ABP Investments and CPP accounted for £150m, giving an initial yield of five per cent.
Other significant investments included BlackRock UK buying Land Securities Wyvern Retail Park for £40m, representing an initial yield of 4.8 per cent. And a yield of 5.1 per cent was achieved by a private investor subsequent to the purchase of the Rolls Royce Centre for £12.1m.
The report says Derby is "well positioned to weather the downturn" and that the city centre "offers good prospects for rental growth, particularly in the office sector."
It reports that Derby's economy, in the past year, has grown at a faster rate than any other English city.
Knight Frank's view, in terms of the supply of office space, is that as Pride Park nears completion, demand will switch to the city centre. It says that schemes in the pipeline, like City Gate House, need to be "phased in appropriately".
Article Courtesy of OLIVER ASTLEY Derby Evening Telegraph