JPES Partners has launched a property technology platform to provide investors with the economic performance of UK locations.

The communications consultancy firm said the Evaluate Locate platform tracks every location in the UK across more than 50 economic dimensions. This includes metrics such as a breakdown of a location’s businesses community, unemployment rates and average earnings as well as population growth and residential property values. It then generates the Economic Vitality Index, an index rating for each selected location.

JPES Partners head of property, Duncan Lamb, said: “Property is essentially an investment in a local economy, and we can now measure this ‘location factor’ in way that is comparable, consistent and benchmarked.

“The model was originally built to bring more precision to the location sections of investment reports and a wider economic perspective to portfolio reporting. However, the impact of the pandemic is accelerating a revolution in the way investors and developers now need to assess locations.

JPES Partners associate director, Adam Kirby, said: “The model is powered by postcode locations and is consequently completely scalable. So it can analyse everything from a single postcode district through to a whole town, city, region or a bespoke area.

“It enables you to track local economic performance in locations already of interest – or even ask for suggestions of new locations.”

For asset managers, the platform brings science to the process of location analysis and reporting, Kirby said.

”This approach can be particularly relevant when reporting to overseas investors who do not have first-hand knowledge of the UK.”

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