Property round-up: Lego builds presence at Arndale; Comfy Quilts; and more
MANCHESTER’S Arndale has attracted two new lettings to its 1.4m sq ft centre.
Superdry has opened a new flagship 22,340 sq ft store at the centre, which is one of its largest outside of London.
The retailer has moved into the former HMV unit on the ground floor of the centre, while Lego is set to move into the centre’s old Barratts unit.
The 2,934 sq ft Lego unit is the Danish toymaker’s eighth UK retail branch and its first in Manchester.
Deny Andolscheck, senior director of retail expansion at Lego, said: “With the opening of the Manchester Arndale location, Lego continues the investment in its brand by opening stores in select locations throughout the UK.”
Ed Sellick, director of asset management for the centre’s joint venture owner, PRUPIM, said: “We have been taking a very proactive asset management approach to select sought after names to occupy the very limited available space at the centre.
“These recent lettings are notable examples of this approach, and serve as an indication of the direction the tenant mix at Manchester Arndale is taking. They follow on from the arrivals of the likes of Hollister and Yo! Sushi last year, demonstrating the polarisation of retail locations and brand recognition of Manchester Arndale’s flagship city centre status.“
Manchester Arndale is jointly owned by PRUPIM alongside Capital Shopping Centres. Letting agents are Tushingham Moore and CBRE. Cushman & Wakefield acted for Lego and Jones Lang LaSalle for Superdry.
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PROPERTY consultant Nolan Redshaw has been instructed to sell Premier House in Haslingden, on behalf of hygiene supplies firm Holchem.
Premier House contains 25,000 sq ft of office and warehouse space in two separate buildings, which are available either for sale or through a new lease. Holchem is selling the building, which is just off the A56 Haslingden bypass near the M66 motorway, following its relocation to a 90,000 sq ft second-hand warehouse on the M66 trading estate in Pilsworth.
Nolan Redshaw director Paul Nolan said: “Premier House is an attractive Head Office facility, with good quality offices and meeting areas, coupled with manufacturing and storage areas. It presents an ideal opportunity for any business looking to expand their operations.”
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THE Manchester Office of Christie + Co has been appointed to sell a Spar store at Llanfairpwllgwyngyll on the island of Anglesey.
The business has been run by the current owners for the past nine years and operates as a fully-licensed Spar convenience store. It is a ground floor-only unit currently operated by staff, and is situated in the heart of the village with ample parking.
It has also recently undergone a major refurbishment, and is on the market as a leasehold property for £193,950.
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LAW firm Kuits Solicitors has advised Wilmslow-based Comfy Quilts on the purchase of a 200,000 sq ft a warehouse unit on Stakehill Industrial Estate in Middleton.
Comfy Quilts, which is owned by the Moryoussef family, makes quilts, pillows and bed linen both for private label retail custoers and for brands such as Silentnight, Jeff Banks and Sound Asleep. It currently has a nearby factory in Middleton town centre.
The firm bought the 205,000 sq ft warehouse from parcel delivery company DHL off an asking price of £3.5m. Lambert Smith Hampton advised Comfy Quilts and B8 Real Estate advised DHL.
Ray Smith, commercial property solicitor at Kuits, who advised Comfy Quilts on the purchase, said: “We are delighted to have concluded the purchase of this unit for Comfy Quilts. The business has its roots in the North West and has established itself as a leader in the bedding manufacturing market.”
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A PORTFOLIO of seven tenanted apartments near Sefton Park in Liverpool is set to be sold at auction for around £400,000.
The properties at Aigburth Vale currently generate an annual rent of £52,000 but will be offered for sale at Eddisons’ June auction in Manchester after joint LPA receivers were appointed to the propoerties – part of a purpose-built development known as Travellers Court which contains 14 apartments in total.
The seven properties being sold (left) currently generate £52,000 a year in rent, offering a potential return of over 13%.
A property in Gorton containin two adjoining retail units with four bedsits above is being offered for £210,000.
It currently generates annual rents of £31,040.
Guide prices for residential stock start at £15,000, which includes a tenanted one-bedroom flat in Bolton.
The auction will take place on June 19 at the Premier Inn at Trafford Park.
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SPECIALIST plastering firm Ornate Interiors has won national recognition for its work on a grade II listed building.
Yorkshire-based Ornate Interiors won the Special Award for Craftsmanship at the first ever National Federation of Builders Annual Awards.
The award was in recognition of the role in played in the £3m restoriation of Stockport’s Plaza cinema.
“It’s always pleasing when your work is recognised by your peers and we’re particularly proud of what was achieved at Stockport Plaza,” said Ornate Interiors managing director Ronnie Clifford.
