BBC Working Lunch & FT's 'Charity Rates Saver' News

Watch BBC's Working Lunch feature on our Land Securities unit & our launch seminar on quarter rent date, 29 Sep 09. 

FT Weekend's Money Section wrote about Healthy Planet, a charity and social enterprise, for the second time in 12 months. 

Charity cuts vacant shop bills

An innovative way of helping landlords to avoid significant bills for empty shop units while improving the look of rundown high streets has been launched by a social enterprise. 

Healthy Planet is offering property companies the chance to reduce the empty property rates liability by using the windows of vacant shops as advertising space for its charity website.  As a charity, Healthy Planet gets an 80 per cent reduction on the rates for commercial premises.  The landlord is able to support a good cause while making shops look more attractive. 

In April, there were 108,000 shops vacant and this is expected to rise to 139,500 by December.

FT Entrepreneur Editor, Jonathan Moules (3 Oct 09)

See the full article here: Financial Times.