Slough, just 15 minutes away from London Paddington by train and 22 miles west of London, is a thriving business address already home to some of the world’s well-known global corporation headquarters, and continues to attract many businesses, capital investments and talents into this business district.

It is located in the Royal County of Berkshire, which is recognised by Queen Elizabeth II due to the presence of Windsor Castle. The county is also known for its M4 tech corridor and the high concentration of digital businesses in the region.

FDI’s European Cities and Regions of the Future 22/23 report has recently named Slough as the No.1 location for connectivity and no. 3 for business friendliness. The town is home to the Europe’s largest business estate in a single ownership, Slough Trading Estate, where more than 600 businesses and 20,000 workforces are under employment, creating jobs that has the highest average weekly salary after London.

Some of the world’s biggest brands are headquartered in Slough Trading Estate, with a strong presence of telecommunications industry which includes Telefonica O2, HTC, Orange, Mars, McAfee, Yitu, Oppo Mobile and ZTE. Other non-telecoms industry includes LEGO, Reckitt Benckiser, MARS, DHL, Ferrari and many more.

Slough is conveniently placed just 1 train stop away from Windsor, meaning you are close to Queen Elizabeth II’s official residence Windsor Castle, Royal Windsor Shopping and Eton College, a world-renowned education institution, famous for educating some of the world’s top leaders, royalties, which includes Prince William and some 19 UK Prime Ministers.

It is also within easy reach of many universities, such as the Royal Holloway University (with a proposal to open a new facility in Slough), University of Reading, Imperial College (St Mary’s hospital) and City of Westminster College (Paddington).

Central Slough is currently undergoing transformation, with foreign direct investments developing new infrastructure and spaces, taking advantage of its unique position with all the right factors to enhance its position as an important business address.

Working alongside Slough council, top companies such as British Land, Aberdeen Assets, Ashby Capital, Morgan Sindall, Berkeley and more, is collectively investing into Slough town centre to create a brand-new destination, where new commercial, retail, leisure, educational and residential spaces will uplift the area significantly.

A new Moxy hotel by Marriot has recently open its doors, providing convenience for international business travellers whose global offices are located in Slough. Further development approval has been granted for 2 more office buildings and amenity space close to Slough station, and the Queensmere shopping centre redevelopment plans submitted for planning approval.

The new Crossrail station is due to open this Q3 2022, which will further enhance Slough as an important business and commuter town. The Slough Crossrail station is completed and once the line opens, residents will be able to travel direct to Bond Street and Liverpool Street stations without having to change lines.

At current it takes only 15 minutes’ drive to Heathrow Airport. With this new Crossrail service, it will only be 4 stops away to Heathrow Terminal 2 & 3, and the new proposed Western Rail link will shorten travel times to Heathrow further to approximately 7 minutes.

Investors should be excited with the opportunity to invest in a development with low entry price and take advantage of the capital growth on the transformation that Slough will bring. At current, Slough average property value sits at approximately £371,000 (at July 2021) bringing this figure 45% cheaper than London and 44% cheaper than Windsor.

With inflation set to increase further across the globe, UK’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 6.2% in the 12 months to February 2022, up from 5.5% to January. What we are seeing now is also a surge of investors getting into the property market to hedge against inflation and wealth preservation. There are also many first-time property buyers opting to purchase an affordably priced home where they can mitigate from the slowly but surely increasing cost of living, where rents are tied to.

What we have seen throughout the pandemic is that there is constant demand for good and new built residential properties, where the work from home culture is here to stay and some UK firms are experimenting 4 days work week where one can stay further away as they travel less into the City, which means lesser rent and more savings for renters.

Investors who are looking for low entry price point from under £300,000 with high rental yields can explore the Horlicks Quarter development by one of UK’s AAA developer Berkeley.

It is a landmark location with a vision to transform the old Horlicks Factory (Grade II heritage listed building) into a vibrant mixed-use residential destination that will compliment Slough’s business address, providing high quality homes for expatriates and young professionals alike.

Horlicks Quarter, named after the Horlicks Factory that occupies this 12-acre of land, will provide new residential (both apartments and houses), amenities, public landscaped spaces and residents’ facilities, with the aim of preserving and restoring the iconic chimney, clocktower and memorial gardens.

Investors now have the opportunity to invest in the first release of 67 units within the iconic Horlicks Factory itself, the restoration of the unique industrial design architectural and will definitely bring diversity into one’s investment portfolio. For those who prefers to have the Horlicks Factory views can consider Aquifer House, the latest building which has direct views towards the beautiful Aquifer Gardens, the original chimney and Clocktower.

The restoration of Horlicks Factory will see the Art Deco features on the main entrance and ceilings to be preserved. The internal of the factory will also be opened up to create a full height atrium, complete with new 21st century designed glass roof at the top, this will allow direct sunlight into the internal gardens, enabling unique dual aspect apartments to be created. Exposed steels within the atrium will be retained, a new glass elevator will allow residents to enjoy the views, up towards the rooftop gardens.

Residents’ facilities include a 12-hour daytime concierge, gym, co-working space, cinema and games room for residents’ enjoyment. The Clocktower Place will feature a central communal garden offering a wide-open landscaped space, with water feature that flows through the development, with proposed plans to include a nursery, café & commercial units in the future.

Horlicks Factory interiors will have the industrial theme design throughout the apartment, which is inspired by the industrial element of the factory. With contemporary, luxurious finishes and sleek fittings, the kitchen will be completed with stone worktops, bold black cabinets and full brick-effect splashback tiles along with all built-in electrical appliances. The bathrooms will also bear strong and bold black lines with vanity unit fitted and enclosed flush cistern.

The developer has recently just completed Darjeeling House that we have featured previously in January 2021 which we are handing over now, this April 2022 we will be showcasing the second release in phase 1, with 1-, 2- & 3-bedrooms apartments available from only £288,000, 2 beds from £355,000, with rental yields of up to 5.4%.

Cornerstone Xstate and Benham & Reeves will be showcasing this landmark development on the 23rd & 24th April 2022 at the Four Seasons Hotel KL, Level 6A, Ballroom 1.

An investor package will be available for all investors who purchase a property over the weekend launch.

Register now at www.benhams.com/london/horlicks-quarter to attend the launch or book an appointment with us to understand more about the development, contact Melvin (PEA 2346) at 012 228 6478 or Michelle (PEA 2347) at 013 388 6813.

Cornerstone Xstate Sdn Bhd  1289663-A  |  A-5-10 & A-5-11 Block A, Ativo Plaza, No.1 Jalan PJU 9/1, Damansara Avenue, Bandar Sri Damansara, 52200 KL. T  03 6261 7238. Benham & Reeves  |  A-1-10 Plaza Damas 3, Block A Jalan Sri Hartamas 1, Sri Hartamas, 50480 KL. T  03 6211 6478. Approval number: LPEPH / FE / 012 / 2022 (KL).