CITY DESK 

The London property company Shaftesbury in its interim trading statement has reported "healthy demand" from its tenants in retail, restaurants and residential units in the Covent Garden, Carnaby and Chinatown portfolio.

However this optimism has been qualified with caution in its office space portfolios seeing a 23 per cent rise in vacancies, but will be converting offices to other use were possible. 

It concluded that its portfolio was not immune to the economic slow slowdown but the levels of activity and strong tenant demand gave it renewed confidence.

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