Property round-up: Sharp Project strikes gold with new lettings; Brewin Dolphin moves in Cumbria; and more
THE Sharp Project has signed deals with tenants for space at the third and final stage of the 200,000 sq ft complex.
The building, a former warehouse for Sharp Electronics which has subsequently undergone a £16.5m conversion into a digital media hub for owner Manchester City Council, has signed up two tenants for the 30,000 sq ft ‘Gold’ phase of the building.
Sports software company Playface and broadcasting crew & equipment specialist Fac365 have both taken space in the Gold area, which has 28 office units of between 500-1,300 sq ft. There is also a large communal space which will soon incorporate a new cafe.
Mark Chadwick, director of Playface said: “The Sharp Project is the ideal location for us. It’s close to the city centre but also right at the heart of the Eastlands development area and world leading sports facilities.
Mike Hayes, managing director of fac365 said: “We chose the Sharp Project for the vibrant atmosphere and sense of community spirit it will bring.”
Sue Woodward, director for the Sharp Project said: “This part of the building adds to the range of working environments we can offer new tenants and existing ones who want to expand into a larger space. It’s great that we also have companies who started off in shipping containers, and now want to move into bigger units as they grow.”
The Sharp Project site is run by New East Manchester on behalf of Manchester City Council.
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INVESTMENT manager Brewin Dolphin has moved its Cumbrian office from Keswick to larger premises in Penrith.
Since setting up its Cumbrian office in 2006 with a team of just three staff, Brewin Dolphin now has 11 members of staff and is responsible for managing funds worth £200m. The larger new office is at Junction 40 Business Park.
Peter Martin, head of the Cumbrian office, said: “We spent a long time searching for the right premises and we are delighted with the new space in Penrith. We hope clients will enjoy the more conveniently located premises.”
Jones Lang LaSalle advised Brewin Dolphin on the move.
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THE North West Industrial team at CBRE has just completed the fifth letting at Haydock Industrial Estate, letting 35,000 sq ft of space on behalf of landlord Aberdeen Asset Management.
New tenants include Lifterz, Nestco, Pubstuff, Kapak Foods and Interserve Industrial Services. Additionally, existing occupier Film and Foil has acquired an extra 3,600 sq ft of space for storage.
Darren Hill, senior surveyor at CBRE North West, said: “Haydock has always been a popular location for industrial occupiers due to its strategic location at Junction 23 of the M6 and its intersection with the A580. This, combined with the landlord’s flexible approach to lettings, has ensured that demand for the units has remained high.”
Haydock Lettings acted as joint agent alongside CBRE.
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UNIPART Automotive has taken Unit 9 at Eagle Park in Warrington, measuring 13,462 sq ft. A new 10-year lease at an annual rent of £67,310 or £5 per sq ft was negotiated.
Unipart will use the unit for the storage and distribution of automotive components with an ancillary trade counter. Jones Lang LaSalle and Davies Harrison represented the landlord, The Invista Canmoor Active Industrial Limited Partnership. DTZ advised Unipart.
Richard Johnson, associate director at Jones Lang LaSalle, said: “We are extremely pleased to have re-let Unit 9 within a month of the previous tenant’s lease expiring and keeping the landlord’s void period to a minimum.
“Recently there have been an encouraging number of enquiries in the market for modern units between 10,000 to 20,000 sq ft in Warrington and because there is very little competition available, we were confident of securing an early disposal on market terms. As a result Eagle Park is now fully let once again.”
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PARCEL delivery firm City Air Express has taken a 3,434 sq ft unit at the SEGRO-owned Westbrook Park development on Trafford Park.
The company had previously been a subtenant on a lease at another of the Westbrook Park units but is now taking all of unit 28 on a five-year lease.
Hazel Lambert, senior leasing surveyor for SEGRO, said: “We invested £160,000 to refurbish these units last year in order to improve the standard of accommodation and working environment for our customers.
“As a result of this investment, we have seen a surge in take-up at the park, with six new companies taking occupation in the last eight months, so we are pleased to see that the improvements have been well received.”
Clint Rylance of City Air Express said: “We have built a good relationship with SEGRO since moving to the park, so when our subtenancy expired we were keen to stay.”
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SPECIALIST insurance provider AmTrust Europe Legal, which is part of New York-based AmTrust Financial Group, has relocated from Grange House on John Dalton St into space at stockbroker WH Ireland’s Manchester headquarters.
Amtrust has taken a five-year lease for the whole of the 3,329 sq ft first floor at 11 St James’s Square. It was advised on the move by WHR, while landlord WH Ireland was advised by Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH).
LSH is now marketing the remaining space on the second floor at 11 St James Square, which totals 4,806 sq ft and is ccurrently in the midst of a refurbishment which should complete by the end of the month.
LSH’s head of office agency, David Thwaites, said: “Although still a challenging occupational market, those landlords which offer flexible solutions both in terms of leasing policy and through the quality of accommodation that can be provided will still prosper.
“High quality buildings in central locations such as 11 St James Square will always be in demand and we therefore expect to receive a high level of interest for the remaining floor which once let will eliminate any voids at the building.”
Colin Taylor of AmTrust said: “we are delighted to move into St James Square and for the assistance of everyone involved in enabling the negotiations and our move to go so smoothly.”
