Property round-up: Powell Williams to oversee 201 Deansgate refurb; and more
KAMES Capital has appointed building consultancy Powell Williams to embark on a £1.5m refurbishment of 28,406 sq ft of space at 201 Deansgate in Manchester.
Two of the vacant floors of office space in the five-storey building are to be upgraded as well as the building’s common areas. New services – including a new building management system with central air conditioning chillers – are also being installed. The work is set to start in August and complete by the end of the year.
John Benham of Kames Capital said: “201 Deansgate is an important asset in our portfolio with a proven track record in attracting and retaining high quality tenants.
“The investment will help to maintain its established reputation in the marketplace as a prime, Grade A office building offering fantastic floor plates”.
Martin Hunt, a partner at Powell Williams’ Chester office, said: “This is a great commercial property located between the established Central Business District and the Spinningfields regeneration zone.
“Following the corporate failure of a previous tenant, we have the opportunity to undertake significant refurbishment works and create a space which can make its mark in the competitive Manchester marketplace.”
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UNITED Phosphorus has moved to a bigger unit at MEPC’s Birchwood Park scheme in Warrington.
The Indian-headquartered company, which makes crop protection products and industrial chemicals, has relocated from Chadwick House to a 4,575 sq ft office on the first floor of The Centre – the park’s conference and meetings venue.
The firm has moved following a recent expansion which has taken numbers in Warrington, which is the company’s European base, to 25. It supports satellite offices in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain, and Birchwood Park was chosen for its proximity to the region’s two main airports as well as the two-hour rail link to London from Warrington.
United Phosphorous has been a tenant on the site since 1999. The firm’s customer service manager Mark Thompson said: “We were keen to stay on the park and the new office space at The Centre is just the right size for us.”
Jonathan Walsh, MEPC Birchwood Park’s managing director, said: “The deal marks a strong start to a year during which we will begin construction of the final phase of our flagship 250,000 sq. ft. Bridgewater Place office scheme.
“With this new-build, we look forward to welcoming more companies like United Phosphorus where our flexibility supports their growth and success.”
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ALLIED London has announced that design agency Great Fridays is to move into Tower 12 when the scheme completes in the summer.
Great Fridays provides digital design services and “experience” applications to clients such as Vodafone, Adobe, Thomson Reuters, Gucci, Imagination Technology, Pearson and Orange, among others. The firm was founded in Manchester and also has offices in London and San Francisco.
Allied London’s chief executive, Michael Ingall, said: “With Great Fridays signed to move into Tower 12, it shows the space we are creating is exactly what the market is looking for at this time, and I am very pleased the building is filling up well before it is finished.”
Great Fridays’ founder Matt Farrar said: “As we are expanding our Manchester team, moving to Tower 12 makes complete sense.
“The location at Spinningfields is superb, while the office space itself, full of natural light will provide a good working environment and great place to welcome our clients to.
“It is important to us that our team have the best working environment in Manchester, and we are confident we have found it.”
OBI Property is the sole letting agent for Allied London at Tower 12 – the 75,000 sq ft former Manchester House office block.
Following refurbishment, the block will have ten retail and leisure units at ground floor level branded as Avenue North and 40,000 sq ft of offices above.
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LIVERPOOL-based contractor AZTEC has completed the final phase of a three-storey fit-out of Murray House in Manchester city centre for New College Manchester.
The six-week project at Murray House consisted of reconfiguring each floor to create a more efficient, modern environment which will appeal to the language academy’s global student market.
New College Manchester now occupies the entire building, which is opposite Bruntwood’s Number One Piccadilly office scheme. Its new space contains informal learning spaces and a new high spec IT suite.
Works included a new high-spec electrical system to cater for the enhanced IT infrastructure, glazed partitioning, decoration, bespoke joinery, furniture and signage.
AZTEC managing director Rob Maxwell said: “Having worked closely with the team at NCM, we are very proud to see them go from strength to strength and start to see the benefits of their unique academy.
“We understand the benefits of communication and collaboration, the results of this educational facility speak dividends, highlighting our ongoing relationship.”
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BRUNTWOOD has let 649 sq ft of space at its Caledonian House office scheme in Knutsford to online publishing company Pressglue.com.
Pressglue.com help schools, charities and volunteer groups to positively increase their exposure in the community by making it easier to write and share their news stories and announcements through websites and online magazines.
Jonathan Farber, founder of Pressglue.com said: We are a creative digital company and we value certain things like freshness, colour, energy, vibrancy. Bruntwood’s open-minded approach to facilitating and supporting our ideas was a perfect match and now we have an excellent space to think, work, enjoy and expand into.”
Office suites are still available at Caledonian House, ranging from 850-2,800 sq ft.
