Entrepreneur acquires industrial estate in latest expansion move

A Liverpool-based entrepreneur has acquired a Merseyside industrial estate, from family ownership, for an undisclosed sum.

Kevin Murphy is the owner of Liverpool-based self-storage firm Rent-a-Space.

Ashley Business Centre, on Warrington Road in Prescot, comprises five fully let commercial units and had been owned by the Ashley family having been the previous home of heating engineers Ashley & McDonough.

The site had been marketed by SK Real Estate.

Mr Murphy said: “Very rarely does the opportunity arise to purchase a commercial asset of this size and location and I was delighted to have agreed a swift transaction with the previous owners.

“The prominence of the location, its proximity to transport links and the opportunity to add further value to the asset makes it a really exciting proposition.”

The estate will sit under the Rent-a-Space brand and, like previous ventures, will offer a mix of commercial space and self-storage.

Chris Hennessey, of SK Real Estate, said: “The site generated considerable interest from a wide range of industrial investors, many of whom were from outside Merseyside. I’m sure the purchase will be a quality addition to the growing Rent-a-Space portfolio.”

The acquisition comes quick on the heels of the local businessman also acquiring a speculative 0.7 acre plot of land on the corner of Maghull Square and Liverpool Road North from Grainrent Ltd, for an undisclosed sum.

The site had been marketed by Mason Owen.