1920s bank building sold to student travel business

The former Midland Bank building in Daybrook, Nottingham has been sold to an expanding student travel company for an undisclosed sum.

Innes England sold the premises on Nottingham Road to Blue Stamp Travel on behalf of US-based businessmen Fernando and Manuel Pires, whose former business Morse Watchmans Inc previously occupied the premises.

The 2,480 sq ft building, built in 1925, is being extensively renovated.

Blue Stamp Travel, led by husband-and-wife team Steve and Vicky Manderson, organises overseas student trips to language schools and summer camps as well as work experience for A-level students abroad.

Blue Stamp’s eight staff are due to move in to the former bank site in September. Four office spaces upstairs will be rented out.

Steve Manderson said: “We wanted to move to a building that would support our future plans for growth. We really liked the look of the premises and got a good feel for the place.

“The building behind the facade goes into a triangle and is double height in places. We’re turning the bank vault, with its original 14-inch-thick concrete and steel door, into a social media studio.

“The tradesmen working on it have really enjoyed it and have been pulling out all the stops to get it ready. We’ll be adding our new signage to complete the external work.

“There’s been quite a lot of interest about it in the area as well – a local historian told us about the bank’s background and found an original job advert for it.”

The deal took Innes England three months to complete.

Ross Whiting, a director at the commercial property agency, said: “We had to work within a particular timeframe, so taking three months from receiving the instruction to getting it on to the market and completing the sale was very quick.

“It’s an iconic building with an impressive frontage, on the corner of Nottingham Road and Mansfield Road. The new owners were able to move in straight away and we’re really pleased to have helped them as they continue to develop the business.”

Atkinson Evans Chartered Certified Accountants, led by director Jason Evans, acted for the vendors alongside Innes England.

Evans said: “Fernando and Manuel had run the business very successfully for several years, building up a network of international franchises, including in Europe and the UK. They owned the building in Nottingham and, since selling the company and taking a step back, they decided to sell the premises too.

“I have worked with them for more than 15 years and they asked me to oversee the sale in Daybrook on their behalf. It was completed very smoothly and quickly, and we wish the new owners the best of luck with their venture.”