Healthy-eating fast-food chain Leon is aiming to open more than three new outlets next year, its co-founder Henry Dimbleby tells Property Week’s Christmas podcast.

Dimbleby, who is a government adviser on school dinners, as well as being an entrepreneur, already operates out of 13 stores, mainly in London.

He told Property Week podcast presenter James Max that he would spend much of next spring “burning shoe leather” in London to find the right sites for expansion.

Dimbleby (pictured, left) also revealed several specific London locations that the company would be particularly interested in, and outlined plans to appoint a lead adviser for the search.

He said the company’s relationship with landlords was changing because of the economic climate, adding: “As your brand gets more popular, you get pursued a lot. You have to be really careful about making decisions on locations.

Also in this Christmas special, find out why Conservative blogger Iain Dale thinks it has been a winning year for Ed Miliband as leader of the Labour Party, as part of Dale’s 2012 political round-up.

Plus, get former Property Week executive editor James Whitmore’s “deals of the year” in a rollocking ride through 2012 in property.

Ben Page, chief executive of leading global market research company Ipsos Mori, discusses the economy, the main concerns of Brits, and future growth in the UK.

During the wide-ranging interview with podcast presenter James Max, Page also talks about the changing face of retail and the future of the high street. He believes that while shopping centres will always be popular, there will still be a place for high streets because they offer a feeling of authenticity that large shopping centres and retail parks cannot offer.

“Serial entrepreneur” and co-founder of the Inception Group, Charlie Gilkes, also joined James Max to discuss the company’s upcoming projects. The high-end bar, restaurant and nightclub operator is planning on opening two new venues in the new year, a bar near Berkeley Square and a nightclub in Kingly Court, each with a different, “quirky” style to suit their diverse themes.

Former Etonian Gilkes also explains the rationale behind the names of a couple of their venues, Bunga Bunga and Maggie’s, both inspired by world-famous political characters.

Looking back over 2012, both guests discuss the effect of the Jubilee celebrations and the Olympics on the UK and its reputation across the world.

One of the UK’s leading Conservative commentators, Iain Dale, has called on the government to halve the number of civil servants it employs and increase infrastructure spending in a look ahead to next Wednesday’s Autumn Statement.

The leading blogger, also the owner of Biteback Publishing and a presenter on LBC Radio, said in a Property Week podcast interview that there was “little evidence” of the downsizing of government and that civil servants were being allowed by senior politicians to lead the agenda.

Dale also aired his views on the London airport crisis, urging the government to begin a programme of large-scale investment in major infrastructure projects in order to boost economic growth.

The owner of Sheffield United Football Club, Kevin McCabe, opened up about his life owning one the country’s unluckiest football teams, when he joined Property Week’s podcast as special guest for the November edition.

Speaking to podcast presenter James Max, McCabe criticised the football world for its “immoral” handling of the Carlos Tevez affair, which he said got his club relegated from the Premiership five years ago.

Meyer Bergman is eyeing up the UK, German and Polish market for retail portfolio opportunities, according to chief executive Markus Meijer, who was speaking on today’s monthly Property Week podcast.

In a Property Week International special edition of the podcast, Meijer joined former Apprentice star James Max at Property Week studios, confiding that his retail-focused investment company is currently favouring the UK, Germany, Scandanavia and Poland as top retail investment destinations in Europe.

As part of a wide-ranging interview, Meijer said that the Turkish market was likely to mirror the success of Poland because it has a similarly large population and a growing economy, shielding it from the woes surrounding the Eurozone crisis.

Meijer said: “We’ve been very happy with our investments in Poland.

There has been strong retail growth because it has a large population, larger than the other Central and Eastern European markets and a large internal economy.

“We like Turkey for the same reasons as Poland. It has a large internal economy that is less exposed to external shocks, and a young population.

“It’s definitely on the map for the large retail brands. You need to choose your partners very wisely, particularly if there is a development element to the investment. In a market like Turkey we would probably do more of a portfolio transaction because it is further away from home.”

Alex Michelin and Andrew Dunn, the founders of high-end London residential developer Finchatton, have spoken out against comparisons drawn in the media between them and the Candy brothers, in a wide-ranging interview for today’s Property Week Podcast, available below.

The energetic pair, who set up Finchatton in 2000, said they were “disgruntled” when frequently described as following in the footsteps of Nick and Christian Candy, the One Hyde Park developers. “The Candy brothers have done it exceptionally well in what, but their style is slightly different to ours,” said Alex Michelin.

Speaking to former Apprentice candidate and podcast presenter James Max, the pair also opened up about the secrets to their success, saying their “anal” attention to detail was at a level that would be “frustrating to most people”.

Michelin said: “We really do sweat blood and tears over everything we do.” The pair also spoke out against government tax burdens, such as stamp duty rises, and the impact these would have on investment in central London.

Richard Max talks about new planning legislation and how the system could be improved. He stresses how important it is for developers to plan ahead in order to save themselves costly problems towards the end of the project.

He gives us the ins and outs of his recent involvement in Tottenham Hotspur’s football stadium planning application, and discusses the complexity of planning for major projects such as the Olympic Park.

Finally, they talk about the community infrastructure levy and how developers and investors should prepare for it.

BNP Paribas Real Estate International Investment Director Andrew Cruickshank joined LBC’s James Max in the Property Week podcast studio in the run up to the Olympics.

Cruickshank talks about who is investing in London, how the city is perceived abroad, and why there is a lack of international spending in the regions. He also discusses how the Olympics will affect London, comparing the 2012 Games to those held in smaller cities such as Barcelona, Athens or Munich.

They also talk about equity versus debt, who are the major debt lenders in the market at the moment, and which are the stand-out deals of 2012.

City A.M. Editor Allister Heath joined LBC’s James Max at Property Week to talk about the recent banking scandal and London’s future as a major financial hub

Heath speaks about the negative effects the Libor banking scandal could have on the reputation of London.

He also discusses the need for the government to reform property development regulations to enable growth in the property industry.

Finally, he mentions the importance of social media for business, his opinion of the economy and the Olympics.

Mike Sales, managing director of global property at Henderson Global Investors joined LBC’s James Max in the Property Week podcast studio this month to discuss funds, Europe and why he likes secondary retail.

Sales talked about how he thinks a good investment opportunity is the best properties in secondary retail locations, combining a discounted price with strong demand.

He also talked about Henderson’s strategy, his views on the economy and his choice of Saturday night TV.