| Welcome to Tenant Watch, a regular newsletter from Income Analytics that summarises news affecting key occupiers of commercial property. Tenant Watch provides real estate brokers, investors and lenders with a summary of recent news articles focusing on financial health and future occupational requirements. | |
| Author: | Jack Baker |
| Contact us: | info@incans.com |
Retail
Saks Global has secured an additional £225.4m of its £1.3bn bankruptcy financing package after approval of its five-year business plan by senior secured bondholders. The funding provides sufficient liquidity to support operations and ongoing restructuring ahead of its reorganisation filing with the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck highlighted progress stabilising the business, improving inventory, and investing in transformation across Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Bergdorf Goodman, targeting double-digit adjusted EBITDA margins and sustainable growth (Retail Gazette, 18 March 2026).
DFS nearly doubled its half-year pre-tax profit to £30m, up from £16m last year, with revenue rising 9% to £548m and gross sales to £735m, despite weaker store footfall caused by wet weather. The retailer’s turnaround is supported by cost control, operational efficiency, AI integration, and exclusive brand partnerships, including a December collection with Amanda Holden. DFS has resumed shareholder returns with a 1p dividend and plans further investment in its Sofology fascia and home decoration category. Analysts forecast pre-tax profit of £46m for 2026, rising to £57m by 2028, though performance remains sensitive to consumer confidence and potential supply chain disruptions (Retail Gazette, 19 March 2026).
Logistics
InPost reported record results for Q4 and full-year 2025, with group revenue of PLN 4.6bn (US$1.2bn), up 32.6% YoY, and 417.6 million parcels handled, up 30% YoY. Growth was led by the UK (+240% revenue, +132.2% parcels), followed by the Eurozone and Poland. The company added 14,200 out-of-home lockers, bringing its total to 94,536 across Europe, including 61,196 automated parcel machines. CEO Rafał Brzoska highlighted strong European expansion, network investments, and initiatives to improve efficiency and profitability while driving e-commerce toward out-of-home delivery (Parcel and Postal Technology International, 19 March 2026).
Boots has signed a long-term logistics partnership with XPO Logistics to integrate its UK and Ireland supply chain, improve visibility, and enhance sustainability. The operation distributes goods from Boots’ Nottingham and Burton-on-Trent service centres to multiple cross-dock centres, supported by 23 XPO staff, 50 trunking drivers, 35 trunking vehicles, 22 shunt drivers, and 10 shunt vehicles operating seven days a week. New track-and-trace and carbon monitoring systems will improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact. Both companies highlighted the partnership’s role in strengthening resilience, digital visibility, and sustainable operations across Boots’ growing online network (Parcel and Postal Technology International, 17 March 2026).
Geodis and GXO Logistics, Inc. have both expanded their European footprints through new logistics leases that highlight continued demand for high-quality, well-located space. Geodis has taken 9,600 sqm (including 200 sqm of office space) at Prologis Park Teresin, a 160,000 sqm logistics hub 40 km west of Warsaw with strong road and rail connectivity, supporting its regional distribution capabilities. Meanwhile, GXO Logistics, Inc. has secured space at Breda DC4, reinforcing its long-standing multi-country partnership and enabling further growth in a supply-constrained market where immediately available capacity is key to maintaining efficient supply chains (EurobuildCEE, 17 March 2026; Prologis, 19 March 2026).
Office
BP has signed a lease with Landsec for 192,000 sq ft at Timber Square in Bankside, London, establishing its new global headquarters in the 15-storey Ink building. The development, completing this month, is now 54% let, with Landsec seeing strong interest in the remaining Print building. The move highlights demand for sustainable, high-quality workspace in central London, combining environmental performance, modern amenities, and attractive workplace design (Property Week, 19 March 2026).
Derwent London has pre-let its 136,300 sq ft Network office development in Fitzrovia to AI firm Databricks on a 15-year lease, with a break in year 10, at £14.1m per year. The deal, agreed shortly before completion, highlights strong demand for well-connected, amenity-rich London offices amid low new supply. Derwent’s central London portfolio was valued at £5.1bn at the end of 2025 (Property Week, 16 March 2026).
People Moves
Puig (Spain) appointed José Manuel Albesa as CEO and Miquel Ángel Serra as CFO as part of a broader leadership transition, with Marc Puig moving to Executive Chairman. The changes reflect succession planning following strong recent performance and signal a new phase of strategic execution (Puig, 20 March 2026).
HSBC Continental Europe appointed Cécile Ratcliffe as CEO, effective June 2026, replacing interim leadership. The move highlights HSBC’s continued focus on strengthening its European operations and long-term regional growth strategy (Global News Wire, 17 March 2026).