Brace of new bookings as firms sign in at the Grand Hotel
Birmingham’s refurbished Grand Hotel has secured two new tenants to its office suites and retail units.
Hiscox Insurance has taken one of the few remaining office suites in Imperial & Whitehall at The Grand, while specialist running store, Up & Running has taken one of the last remaining retail units along the Colmore Row frontage.
Hiscox has agreed a five-year lease on suite 1.05 (2,228 sq ft) at a rent of £28 per sq ft with the landlord Hortons’ Estate.
Hiscox is relocating from 39 Bennett’s Hill, where it employs 20 people and has been based since 2000, when the Birmingham office was launched.
Hiscox is the seventh company to move to the offices at The Grand since they were given a £1.5m makeover as part of the multi-million pound redevelopment of the hotel. Other occupiers include CNA Hardy, Listers Medical Group, Maber Architects, MediaCom, Node and Paragon.
Steve Tommy, from Hortons’ Estate said: “Since the launch, take up of the offices has been swift and we have now let all the larger suites, with just several smaller suites remaining.
“The brisk letting activity is testament to the quality of the office accommodation, which has been sympathetically restored to retain some of the original period features, while offering the high spec finishes expected of modern offices.”
Johnson Fellows and Lambert Smith Hampton are instructed as letting agents on Imperial & Whitehall.
Previously located on Temple Street, Up & Running has signed a 10-year lease on unit 4 (1,507 sq ft) at an annual rent of £50,000.
Established in 1992, Up & Running has 28 stores nationwide.
The new store at The Grand will feature a state-of-the-art gait analysis system and running machine, and will stock all the latest footwear, clothing and accessories from brands including Asics, Brooks, Garmin, Mizuno, New Balance, Skins, and Under Armour.
“We have been overwhelmed by the level of interest in the retail units at The Grand and we’re pleased to have another quality name such as Up & Running adding to the tenant mix,” added Mr Tommy.
“We are under offer on the last remaining unit, so we hope to have the retail element of The Grand fully let very soon.”
Dennis Macfarlane, managing director of Up & Running, said: “We’re really excited to be opening a new store at The Grand. The relocation from Temple Street and the exceptional makeover of the building will give customers a modern, unparalleled shopping experience.”
The letting to Up & Running follows the recent letting to clothing retailer The Liquor Store, which is relocating to The Grand from Great Western Arcade.
Other tenants include Gusto, The Alchemist, Cycle Republic, John Shepherd, Crockett & Jones, and 200 Degrees Coffee.
