Editor's choice: top real estate headlines

A selection of the leading property headlines from around Europe at a glance:

Grant Thornton seeks to freeze Maud’s Propinvest property empire - COSTAR FINANCE BLOG
Insolvency specialist Grant Thornton has applied to a court for a freezing order over UK property investor Glenn Maud's Propinvest Group and all its subsidiaries. The order is being sought on behalf of creditors DNB Bank AS and Bank of Scotland, which CoStar reported, want to take control of Maud's property empire. The Royal Court of Guernsey has imposed an interim order, banning Propinvest from disposing of any properties until the full application is decided on. Propinvest, in a statement, said it was 'shocked and disappointed' by Grant Thornton's application, which will be vigorously contested.

Outside the big box - FINANCIAL TIMES
As shopping habits fall prey to cyclical and structural shifts, grocers are shelving the out-of-town model in favour of smaller central stores - though this approach brings its own problems. French hypermarket chain Carrefour, which pioneered the model in the 1960s and 1970s, is jettisoning its attempt to reinvent itself with 'destination shops' that people want to spend time in. New chief executive Georges Plassat will shortly set out a fresh plan for arresting the decline in the company's European hypermarket sales.

In the UK, Tesco, Britain's biggest retailer, plans to cut the rate at which it opens big stores after rapid expansion over the past few years. The hypermarkets of Germany's Metro, one of the world's largest retail groups by sales, have also underperformed.

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