Property round-up: AG Project + Building Consultancy; New Care; Greenwood Hargreaves; Apadmi; Regional Property Solutions; Rochdale Riverside

Property consultancy AG Project + Building Consultancy (AG), located in Preston, Manchester, and Sheffield, has celebrated the end of its financial year by hitting a £100m milestone.

It has experienced significant growth in the financial year ending March 2022, which has seen the firm advise on £100m-worth of property projects.

At the beginning of the year, AG increased its Manchester presence by taking additional space at its Canada House office, boosting its headcount, and won places on the frameworks of Fusion 21 and the JV North, which total £680m.

Jonathan Shaw, AG’s managing director, said: “While we’re celebrating achieving this significant milestone in our business’s history, we’re also conscious that we can’t become complacent and take our success for granted.

“Over the years, while we’ve helped corporate clients with their property estate, we’ve now also developed a reputation for being the first choice partner in helping registered providers make the best use of their properties and create better sustainable communities.

“While we still have that drive and ambition to be the best at what we do, our team now plays a significant role in building better futures and is working on significant schemes to see existing communities revitalised or help create new ones.”

::

CGI of the Grappenhall development

Build is now officially under way on a new £11m care facility on the site of the former Springbrook pub, off Knutsford Road in Grappenhall, with practical completion confirmed for March 2023.

Altrincham-based care home operator New Care started remediation works on the site towards the end of last year, focused on demolishing the existing pub building. Over the past few weeks work has gathered pace.

When complete, the privately-funded 70-bed facility will provide a clinical offering including residential, nursing and dementia care. Residents will receive individual person-centred care enhanced with a meaningful programme of daily activities from a permanent and skilled professional team.

Commissioning director at New Care, Dawn Collett, said: “Work in Grappenhall is going really well, the foundations are in and brickwork has commenced meaning that locals will soon start to see the building appear above the hoarding. Over the course of the next 12 months the building will really start to take shape and we look forward to welcoming our first residents to their beautiful new home in March 2023.”

Grappenhall is the latest new care facility in the area for New Care. The operator also has a second care home under construction in Lymm and homes in Wilmslow and Adel due to complete this year.

::

CGI of Greenwood Hargreaves scheme

Greenwood Hargreaves, the manufacturing arm of Liverpool air-conditioning giant Everkool, has acquired new premises which will see the business dramatically increase capacity, and create five jobs.

Construction work on the new 18,000 sq ft premises located on Bankhall Lane in North Liverpool, will take place over the next few months and is expected to be completed by September.

The new site will see Greenwood Hargreaves move from its current base in Bootle. The building will also be home to a new headquarters for Everkool.

Greenwood Hargreaves, managed by founder and chief executive Craig Greenwood, supplies materials to heating, ventilation and air conditioning companies including Everkool and other firms across the region. The new building will enable the company to increase its manufacturing capacity by 300% and allow the organisation to hold a greater level of stock reserves.

The company has experienced year on year growth since the company was acquired by Craig Greenwood in 2017. Mr Greenwood, said: “For several years we have been working at full capacity in our current premises and have finally found the right location which will enable us to embark on the next phase in our growth strategy.

“Currently, raw materials are the most challenging aspect in our business, particularly steel due to the impacts of Brexit and COVID-19. The extra capacity which our new premises create will provide our business with the security to ensure we can adequately weather any potential supply chain issues.”

::

Independent digital product agency Apadmi, based in Salford Quays, has opened a new office in Edinburgh, as the next step in its ongoing expansion.

Apadmi will be partnering with FJR Group to create a technology hub which builds digital products and delivers enriching experiences, for people on the move across mobile, web and digital platforms.

The business said Edinburgh has been ranked fourth in Europe in the latest Global Financial Centres Index, and with Apadmi’s expertise in financial services from creating digital products for the likes of Charles Stanley, Argos FS and Chetwood Financial, it sees it as the ideal place to expand further north in the UK.

Apadmi said it is taking a hub and spoke approach around its Manchester HQ, with remote and office teams able to collaborate to solve complex problems in multiple locations. The new office, located in the heart of Edinburgh, will offer team members a location from which to collaborate with the broader team and a working space which reflects its sense of identity and community.

Apadmi CEO, Garry Partington, said: “This is an exciting next step in achieving Apadmi’s growth ambitions, as we expand nationally and internationally. We are recruiting for our growing team and our new technology hub in Edinburgh is a key part of that.”

The announcement follows February’s announcement of another Apadmi tech hub opening in the Netherlands and further European locations are expected to follow later this year.

::

33 Copson Street

YOLO Funeral Services is opening in the former Co-operative Funeral Care premises at 33 Copson Street, Withington.

It has taken the ground and first floor outlet, providing 1,163 sq ft on a six-year lease at a rent of £16,000 per annum.

Leyton Moores, managing director, YOLO Funeral Services, said: “I started my career here with Co-op funerals and it was shame to see them vacate the building. But, I am delighted to have found a home, back in a community I know, from which we can offer funeral services directly to the public.”

Daniel Lee, director, Regional Property Solutions, which manages and let the property on behalf of the landlord Starcrester Properties, said: “Withington is one of Manchester’s most popular locations and this was certainly reflected in the volume and diversity of enquiries we received for this unit so the letting to a reputable funeral care provider retained the village traders’ eclectic mix.”

::

Rochdale Riverside

In the two years since Rochdale Riverside opened, the centre has it attracted more big name brands to the borough, created 455 permanent jobs for local people, and brought leisure attractions like PuttStars Mini Golf and Reel Cinema into Rochdale’s town centre.

Centre manager, Rachel Byrne, said: “Rochdale Riverside opened in the spring of 2020 and – two years on – the centre has been so well received by Rochdale residents and visitors that we have more to celebrate than ever.

“Despite the challenges of the pandemic, we’ve seen footfall continue to climb and we welcomed almost a million shoppers last year.

“In addition to high street favourites like Next, H&M and M&S, last year saw us joined by Nando’s, New Look and Dunkin’ Donuts. Rochdale Riverside also welcomed Loaded Burgers early in 2022, and it will only get better, with more units expected to open later this year.”