Property Focus: The Interview – Simon McCabe
SIMON McCabe is a director of property specialist Scarborough Group International.
Scarborough Group International (SGI) is a leading UK property development, investment and leisure corporation and has established itself worldwide, in Europe, China, the Far East and Australia.
It was founded in the 1960s, by Simon’s father, Kevin McCabe, the chairman of Sheffield United.
SGI has also developed numerous subsidiary companies within the group, such as the serviced office providers, Forsyth Business Centres, which operate centres throughout the UK and the Far East.
The group has assets and projects valued at more than £1bn including Thorpe Park business park in Leeds and recently announced annual pre-tax profits of £4.7m.
1. What are your views of the current state of the commercial property and property development markets?
“The market is challenging. Property companies are facing a difficult set of circumstances especially in sourcing finance. Some companies can obviously adapt to this situation better than others and it is important that where possible they do to try and maintain market buoyancy.
“These difficulties are being compounded at every turn by an overall negativity which, to some extent, is a case of people talking themselves into a recession.”
2. What key challenges and pieces of legislation do you think will most affect your sector over the coming months?
“For the Government to introduce Empty Rates Relief at a time of economic instability was fairly naïve and an onerous burden to many developers.
“Property companies, now suffering from increased finance costs and potentially longer disposal periods, cannot justify the prospect of paying full rates on vacant properties.”
3. Why do you think Yorkshire is a good place to do business?
“Above all, the people in Yorkshire make it a good place to do business. On all our projects in the region we have seen a fantastic attitude from progressive thinking people especially across the local authorities.
“They have worked with us to adapt to a changing market and help us achieve our goals in the region. Even with the changing market we have seen a willing and proactive attitude to drive the region forward.
4. What is your favourite building/development in Yorkshire and why?
“I am going to say Sheffield United Football Club’s Bramall Lane ground. Not only does it represent a historical sporting landmark as the oldest professional football ground in the world at 153 years old and an emotional home for all Blades fans, but it is also hoping to act as a catalyst for the future of football in England.
“The club has just released details of the first phase of development plans to increase the capacity to 36,000 and eventually 40,000 plus which ultimately could see the club staging games in a successful 2018 England World Cup bid.”
5. If you could improve anything in the region, what would it be?
“As a regular traveler up and down the country and further afield I would say that the region lacks a coordinated transport system. The main cities seem to act very independently and travelling between bases like Leeds and Sheffield can only be done efficiently by getting in the car.
“The motorway links are strong but public transport is severely lacking. The region needs to think creatively about policies and funding to help people see public transport as a viable option.”
6. What barriers have you had to overcome during your career and how have you overcome them?
“I don’t see barriers. To me that promotes negativity. I also don’t set myself goals. I’ve always been a person who avoids targets. If you set yourself a goal, you take your foot off the pedal once you’ve achieved it!”
7. What was your first job and how did you enter your current line of work?
“I was a youth footballer at Scarborough Town Football Club until I was about 16 years old. The club was in the old Division Three in the Football League and I was there until age 18 when they deemed I wasn’t good enough.
“My father Kevin was originally a quantity surveyor and so I studied that at Nottingham Trent University. After working in London for a firm of quantity surveyors I ran my own business ventures before coming into the family business.”
8. What do you most enjoy about your job?
“For me my career has meant diversification. One day I can be working on projects related to the Sheffield United Football Club Academy, then I could be dealing with a new tenant for a Forsyth Business Centre or travelling the world with Scarborough Group International looking for another business opportunity in the property sector.
“I love seeing the world and experiencing new cultures, listening to foreign languages and meeting different people.”
9. What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
“The best piece of advice I have ever been given was by my nan. She said to me for about 20 years of my life ‘It’s a great life if you don’t weaken’.”
10. And the worst?
“I try not to listen to bad advice. It’s never helped anyone!”
