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LIVERPOOL CITY REGION CHESTER MANCHESTER
Sept-Oct 2011
MOVE COMMERCIAL The north-west’s guide to property and business
No. 4 Unveiled Stylish launch at St Paul's Square OLYMPIC GOLD 2012 business wins DIGITAL DEBATE The race for better broadband
Issue 24
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Atlantic Pavilion Albert Dock, Liverpool L3 4AE
Offices To Let 7,000sqft to 17,965sqft (650sqm to 1,669sqm) • Quality air-conditioned offices • Striking new reception area • 14 Car Parking spaces • Unparalleled dockside location
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BREEAM EXCELLENT OFFICES ON LIVERPOOL’S ICONIC WATERFRONT 3,500-43,584 SQFT (338-4,049 SQM) Like the last piece of your favourite jigsaw, No 1 Mann Island completes the dramatic transformation of one of the world’s best recognised waterfronts. This is a development that offers a package that’s not just complete, it’s excellent in every aspect. Call Mark Worthington of CBRE on 0151 471 4971 or email mark.worthington@cbre.com for further enquiries.
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LOOKING FOR LIVERPOOL OFFICES? WE HAVE TWO STUNNING LANDMARK BUILDINGS. TO LET
CUNARD BUILDING.
Cunard Building has undergone a transformation receiving an extensive refurbishment inside and out to compliment its unrivalled location within the heart of Liverpool’s waterfront. The building offers the opportunity to combine modern office occupier requirements within a striking classic environment.
TO LET
43 CASTLE STREET.
43 Castle Street offers a superb new entrance lobby with cutting edge contemporary design and an imposing new entrance area. The refurbishment also includes modern high speed lifts, new double glazing throughout and air conditioning to most suites.
WWW.LIVERPOOL-OFFICES.CO.UK TO ARRANGE A VIEWING CONTACT THE JOINT AGENTS:
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Issue twenty-four Move Commercial
Contents News
21
Welcome to Move Commercial The North West’s connectivity to London and the international financial markets remains a key issue for businesses in the region. Move Commercial investigates how exactly the North West has benefitted from the 2012 Olympics Games, and where business north of the Watford Gap will cash in. The North West’s creative and
24
digital business is deliberated at the lunch debate with Liverpool’s top property and economic players discussing the present and future of the region’s digital infrastructure. The sector is also looked at in-depth in a special feature, which points to the North West becoming the Silicon Valley of the UK.
36
44
Features 13 Bitesize Thinking Food for thought 24 Mover and Shaker Balfour Beatty’s regeneration director interview 26 Rising Star Knowsley apprentice interview 28 Entrepreneur Anil Juneja buys TJ Hughes 31 Lunch Debate Panel discuss Liverpool’s digital future 36 Focus Businesses compete for Olympic contracts 40 Update The North West’s growing gaming and digital sector 44 Founding Father Eric Wright interview on retail sector 46 Ask The Panel PFIs and the threat to Royal Liverpool Hospital
Key Events
move publishing ltd Advertising Director Fiona Barnet Tel 0151 709 3871 Account Manager Jo Tait Tel 0151 709 3871 Editorial Team Dina Karim. Email: dina@movepublishing.co.uk Tel: 0151 709 3871 Emma Pinch. Email: emma@movepublishing.co.uk Tel: 0151 709 3871
06 New contractor appointed to Festival Gardens 07 Chinese investment interest in Wirral 08 Atlantic Park ready for businesses 09 First Liverpool monastery to be built in a century 10 The Contact Company HQ opened by minister 15 LJMU buys former post office 16 Kirkby’s Tesco superstore approved 17 Work begins on new Liverpool hospital 18 Wilson Henry wins prestigious commendation 20 Liverpool ONE expands further down Lord Street 21 New lets announced at Central Village
Designer Rob Whyte. Email: rob@movepublishing.co.uk Published by Move Publishing Ltd Directors David O’Brien, Kim O’Brien, Fiona Barnet Printed by Precision Colour Printers Ltd Distribution Liaison Manager Barbara Troughton Tel: 0151 733 5492 Mobile: 077148 14662
Copyright Move Publishing Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced copied or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in any information storage or retrieval system without the publishers written permission. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material published, Move Publishing can accept no responsibility for the veracity of the claims made by advertisers.
19 Knowsley Chamber host property breakfast Knowsley hosts property forum breakfast 35 ON THE COVER No 4 St Paul’s Square Prestigious St Paul’s Square launch
Careers 23 Appointments Movers and Shakers in new roles
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News Main
Festival Gardens back on track
Festival Gardens
THE RE-OPENING of Liverpool’s Festival Gardens has taken a significant step towards becoming a reality with the appointment of a new contractor at the site. Developer Langtree has instructed Tolent Construction to complete final works on the multi-million pound transformation of the site,
which had been delayed following the collapse of the previous contractor, Mayfield Construction, in July. Work resumed this month with a new anticipated completion date now set for early November. Langtree managing director, John Downes, said: “After the
unfortunate developments surrounding Mayfield, it was imperative that we moved swiftly and decisively to find a new contractor that could deliver the quality of work the site deserves. “Less than a month later, we are confident that we have found the right partner in Tolent, a contractor
with whom we have worked successfully before and who shares our vision for the future of Festival Gardens. “The public of Merseyside is understandably keen to explore the restored gardens and I can assure them that their patience will be rewarded in spectacular fashion.”
New planning powers for NW
Planning Minister Greg Clark
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LIVERPOOL, Wirral, Trafford Park and Winsford, in Chester, have been chosen to try out the government’s new planning powers. These areas are among the first to test out neighbourhood planning, a radical new power being introduced in the Localism Bill, which will give local people a real voice in deciding how development will look in their area. For the first time, neighbourhood planning will allow communities to shape their own vision for their community, from deciding the locations of shops, offices and schools to setting standards of design for new housing and protecting green spaces of value to the community. In areas where local people want to see homes and businesses built, neighbourhood planning will allow
communities to grant a blanket planning permission for development to go ahead without developers having to make separate applications. The community has the final say on whether a neighbourhood plan comes into force. If more than 50 per cent of people voting in a local referendum support the plan, then the local planning authority must bring it into force. Planning Minister Greg Clark said: “For too long local people have been shut out of the planning process with no real voice to affect decisions about the places where they live. Unpopular regional strategies left communities feeling bullied into development and this fuelled resentment towards growth. Neighbourhood planning will hand power
back to communities to decide the vision for their area as they see fit, encouraging people to plan positively for their future. This is localism in action and the enthusiasm across the country for neighbourhood planning shows how keen communities are to get involved.” The local council is being given £20,000 to support work on neighbourhood planning and free advice from planning experts will be available for the local community. At the industrial estate at Trafford Park, the Greater Manchester chamber of commerce is working with Trafford Council on a Business Neighbourhood Plan to develop a state of the art, sustainable mixed-use environment for high growth.
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Main News
Downing secures new let Property group Downing has secured a new letting at Victoria House in Liverpool city centre. BAM Construction has taken the entire fourth floor of the building, which is located on James Street, on a short-term, flexible lease. The company will be based in the 3,073 sq ft suite while it is progressing works on the Mann Island development. Downing will also provide BAM with 15 secure, on-site car parking spaces and the rent includes service charge and building insurance. Downing is reporting strong interest on the ground floor retail/leisure unit, where talks with a national operator are progressing, along with its refurbished office suites at Victoria House. Robin Ellis, senior agency surveyor at Downing, said: “This part of the city centre has seen huge changes in recent months with new businesses, restaurants and hotels locating to the area, as well as the on-going development of the Mann Island scheme. These developments are another piece in the jigsaw of city connectivity and Victoria House is right at the heart of this. Downing also unveiled last month a proposal for a 32-storey, mixed-use scheme in Vauxhall, its first development in London. The project, designed by Stirling Prize-winning architects Fielden Clegg Bradley Studios, will feature nearly 580 student bedrooms with a leisure centre and swimming pool at lower ground level.
Chinese Delegates visit Wirral THE WIRRAL continues to strengthen its ties with China as investors visit the city to look at Peel’s plans with Wirral Waters and the International Trade Centre. Wirral Council Leader Cllr Steve Foulkes welcomed a delegation from the Chinese city of Suzhou to discuss investment opportunities at the £4.5bn Wirral Waters site. Councillor Foulkes and senior council officers welcomed the delegation, led by Ms Du Guoling, Chairwoman of Suzhou People’s Congress, and will be attending Suzhou’s prestigious Mayoral Conference in September where he will further engage with businesses in Suzhou in relation to the International Trade Centre and investment opportunities at Wirral Waters. Cllr Steve Foulkes, leader of Wirral Council, said: “The feedback we received from our visitors was very positive and I know they were impressed with the opportunities that exist
in Wirral. The delegation was particularly interested in plans for an International Trade Centre at Wirral Waters and I am committed to strengthening the relationship I established between the two areas in 2008.” Suzhou is a major city in Jiangsu Province, Eastern China and is the second largest industrial city in the world’s second largest economy. A recent public exhibition at the
Birkenhead market recorded a staggering 100 per cent approval rate from people supporting the Peel International Trade Centre proposals to be located in Birkenhead Docks. The results also identified the importance of new investment in the area, remediation of vacant and contaminated land, and integration of the Peel International Trade Centre to help stimulate regeneration of the North Birkenhead area.
Cllr Steve Foulkes is presented with a gift from Ms Du Guoling on a recent visit to Wirral
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News Commercial
Largest regional office yields in Liverpool THE LIVERPOOL region has the highest office yield outside of London, according to a new report from leading property adviser CBRE. Liverpool’s highest yield is matched only by Southampton, which at seven per cent is 100 basis points higher than many of the larger cities, including Birmingham, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Manchester has the lowest yield of the regional cities, at 5.75 per cent. A total of 282,000 sq ft new office space is currently available in Liverpool, plus 1,716,000 sq ft secondary stock. A notable trend in Liverpool has been the emergence of requirements from the banking sector and professional services firms; Bank of New York and Santander are currently looking for space in Liverpool, and Weightmans is close to signing new accommodation. The trend is mirrored in Manchester; KPMG and Pannone are both in the market for 50,000 sq ft in Manchester. Mark Worthington, director of office agency at CBRE North West, commented: “In particular, we see call centres becoming a source of future demand, driven by higher costs in locations such as India and a desire for UK companies to improve their customer service offering. This was demonstrated in early July when Santander returned 200 jobs to UK locations including Liverpool, from India.” Overseas investors were responsible for the bulk of investment activity, accounting for almost half of all offices transacted by value. German funds have been particularly active, attracted to prime yields on offer in the regional markets.
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Atlantic Park development ready THE INFRASTRUCTURE work for the highly anticipated commercial development Atlantic Park in Sefton has been completed with a unit already let to Capita Symonds. The project represents the single biggest investment in the site to date and follows two phases of speculative office development, Alaska House and Caspian House, and marketing of the region’s largest industrial building, The Big Ft. The 120 staff at Capita Symonds’ now occupy the third
floor of Atlantic House, two and a half miles away from their former office at Magdalen House on Trinity Road. Works to Atlantic Park included the full upgrade and installation of a new high voltage electrical system with enhanced capacity, new gas distribution system, water and fire mains and a site-wide network of fibre-optic cable ducts, which will accommodate the most up to date communication technology and future-proof
the site. Rob Currie from Industrial Securities, the development managers acting on behalf of site owners Royal London Asset Management said: “This project has made Atlantic Park a development-ready site. The finished product will have broad appeal to a wide range of potential occupiers. “By investing in high voltage power capability and fibre-optic cabling we have ensured that Atlantic Park has the infrastructure and
services it needs to thrive and appeal to a mix of business and industrial users. We expect this investment to help generate enquiries.” Civil engineering company Lagan Construction started the infrastructure project in late 2010. Acoustic boundary fencing and extensive landscaping have been utilised across the site. Low energy street lighting, close-circuit security and new barrier controls have also been installed.
Caspian House
Weightmans partner awarded prestigious role A PARTNER at national law firm Weightmans LLP
Sian Evans
has been appointed Chair of the Law Society Housing Law Committee for a three-year term. Sian Evans, head of the social housing team at the firm, has been sitting on the committee for the past three years and will take on her new role as Chair from September 2011. The Law Society Housing Law Committee is a group of specialist housing solicitors that lobby the Government and prepare responses to Government consultations on relevant
housing issues. As Chair, Sian will lead this process to seek to improve housing law, procedure and practice. “The Committee plays an important role in developing the debate around housing law issues,” said Sian. “I look forward to leading the Committee’s representations to the Government on issues we all feel passionately about. “The social housing sector is currently experiencing a real period of change, whether in
response to the public spending cuts, housing crisis or specific legal challenges. I hope the Committee will be able to use its position to address these issues with Government.” The appointment comes at a busy period for Sian, whose social housing team has expanded considerably following Weightmans’ merger with Mace & Jones. The team has also recently taken on associate Jane Plant, in Birmingham, in response to its growing client base.
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Commercial News
Work begins on Liverpool monastery CONSTRUCTION has begun on the first Carmelite monastery to be built in Liverpool in more than a century. The monastery at Maryton Grange, Allerton, is believed to be the largest purpose-built Carmelite monastery in Europe currently under construction and will be the new home to the Carmelite Sisters who are relocating from their present monastery in West Derby. Everton-based Nobles Construction has started work on this unique project on a 36,000 sqm site on Allerton Road, with an expected completion date in the summer of 2012. The order of 30 Sisters will be moving to the more secluded location after 100 years at its present monastery, next to Broughton Hall and Cardinal Heenan Schools. The three-storey building, designed by architects AustinSmith:Lord will be constructed with traditional materials and will feature a central chapel, cloister and work areas, together with a care facility for elderly sisters.
The Prioress, Sister Mary, said: “Whilst West Derby has been our home for over 100 years and we will be sad to leave, we felt it was time to move to a location which will be more compatible with our way of life. For example the new monastery will allow us to be much more energy
efficient and the gardens will also enable us to be selfsufficient whilst protecting the local habitat.” Nobles Construction will also undertake extensive landscaping works to the monastery gardens, which include the planting of new wildflower meadows and
water features to benefit the local wildlife and habitat together with the planting of over 1,500 trees. Ecology and sustainability are at the heart of the new building design, which will include ground source heating, solar panels and rainwater harvesting facilities.
Monastery sketch
JARGON-BEATING WEBSITE LAUNCH LEADING LIVERPOOL law firm Paul Crowley & Co Solicitors has launched a new website aimed at combating legal jargon. Tracy Thompson, practice development manager at the firm says the idea behind the site was to supply advice on law matters that everyone could understand. “Everyone needs some legal advice from time to time – whether that’s help with buying or selling a home, opening and growing their business, preparing their will, or claiming for a personal injury after being in an accident,” she said. “But it can be quite scary for some people when complex, legal jargon is used. At Paul Crowley & Co we feel strongly about the fact that legal advice needs to be easily accessible to everyone.” Paul Crowley & Co Solicitors,
which has two offices on Breck Road, Anfield, and one on County Road, Walton, has built a longstanding reputation on providing simple, straightforward service. “As a company we believe in talking to people in normal, everyday language when we’re offering them legal advice,” added Tracy. “Many of our clients are members of the local community, and it’s important to us that no one who needs legal advice feels isolated or alone.” The new website also includes an innovative Personal Injury Claims Calculator so that people considering making a claim for an accident or personal injury claim can easily see how much compensation they are entitled. Paul Crowley & Co has served the
local community for the past 20 years. For more information please visit www.paulcrowley.co.uk
Innov8 wins new contracts BIRKENHEAD based construction safety specialist Innov8 Safety Solutions has signed a new deal with Peel Ports Mersey to implement a vigorous 12 month construction health and safety programme. Innov8 will work with more than 130 of Peel Ports’ contractors, suppliers and consultants, with the aim of reinforcing Peel Ports’ commitment to the highest standards of competence in site safety. The deal is the latest in a number of other important project works they have won. Alan Robson, Innov8’s managing director, said: “This is a terrific contract to win and it really showcases the depth of expertise we offer to the construction industry. “The idea was developed with Peel Ports as an eye catching engaging initiative which will proactively promote safety. Peel Ports is passionate about safety and this campaign will ensure that contractors working on site are fully briefed on the most important aspects of site safety, from the basics of slips, trips and falls, to the necessary administration issues.” Innov8 have also won new contracts at three primary schools in West Cheshire. They will be building extensions to the main school buildings of Ashton Hayes Primary School in Chester, Comberbatch Primary School in Northwich, and Wimboldsley Primary School in Middlewich. They also gained contracts with Frank Rogers Building Contractors and Sterling Properties, where they will provide site safety and construction design management services for construction and refurbishment projects for both companies.
Tracy Thompson
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News Commercial
MINISTER OPENS CALL CENTRE HQ THE UNVEILING OF The Contact Company’s new headquarters in Birkenhead attracted the Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP Minister for Employment to its official opening as the company announces the creation of 500 new jobs. The Contact Company was established by Asif Hamid and Juliet Rhodes in the summer of 2006 and has rapidly grown to become one of the UK’s premier contact centres. Asif Hamid, chief executive officer of The Contact Company, said: “We have already won significant new contracts because of our investment in these new facilities. The Contact Company has come a long way in a relatively short space of time and our new offices and this considerable investment in jobs is a statement of our intent to continue growing by employing excellent people and providing the quality of service to our clients that we’ve become known for in the industry.” The company plan to take on 100 new staff immediately and will then recruit the remaining 400 positions in phases throughout 2011 and 2012.
The Contact Company, Asif Hamid (left) with Chris Grayling MP (centre) and Cllr Steve Foulkes
The Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP Minister for Employment said: “It’s great to come to Wirral and celebrate a local business success story. We want to see our entrepreneurs succeed in business and in doing so
Company breaks down barriers SPECIALIST TRAINING company Parcours is about to make people think differently about communication. The company specialises in intercultural working practices, which is the term now being used to describe the ability to work across cultures using a general understanding of communication and working styles. It aims to develop
Karen Bellion and Greg Logan
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sustainable strategies for organisations to facilitate learning and development. Set up earlier this year by Karen Bellion and Greg Logan, the idea behind the training is to establish realistic working partnerships between organisations and communities. This enables them to reach their full potential through their increased knowledge of intercultural working practices. Director Karen said: “Parcours is about taking people on a journey and to discover how we can become more accessible to others. Businesses and organisations have realised that their personnel need far more than facts and figures or dos and don'ts when working with people from different cultures. We offer a step by step approach to assist organisations in understanding its interests and those of the increasingly diverse markets.” Karen has worked in the BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) communities for more than 20 years and believes that improving communication is a key ingredient to successful business. For more information telephone 0151 706 8138 or visit www.parcours.org.uk.
create opportunities for jobs in areas that badly need them.” Their new office is located in the heart of the business district, close to the Birkenhead Queensway Tunnel, and has six floors covering 29,500 sq
ft. It is the company’s second location in the town with their original offices located at Europa Boulevard. The Contact Company clients include Superdrug, The Jewellery Channel and Liverpool FC.
Wirral employment scheme launched Council to contribute funds for first 26 weeks WIRRAL COUNCIL has launched a new initiative to support businesses consecutively employing more staff and growing their own companies. The Wirral Intermediate Labour Market (ILM) is a flexible programme that supports companies to employ people on an anticipated 52-week contract, with the council contributing funding for the first 26 weeks of that contract. Councillor Phil Davies, cabinet member for regeneration and planning strategy, said: “This is another great opportunity for Wirral businesses who wish to expand their workforce but are concerned about the finance involved in paying an additional salary. The ILM has been
designed to support our businesses as much as the individual, as it is the small and medium-sized businesses who contribute so much to the borough’s economy. The ILM will help people who may not have worked for some time because they have been raising young children, suffered from ill health or lack the academic qualifications and confidence needed in today’s job market.” The council’s contracted employment support programme, Reachout, will provide a full recruitment package including a list of eligible candidates as part of the programme. For more information visit www.wirral.gov.uk
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big
on support
If you are considering relocation for your business, or expanding your company, Wirral offers accessible, user-friendly information that saves you time and enables faster, better informed decision-making. You will find specialist advice and assistance from finding sites and development partners, through to recruiting and training quality staff and developing new supply chains. A full package of location advice and business support is available designed to give your company a competitive advantage.
For more information and advice about investing in Wirral
Call 0151 650 6915 Visit www.investwirral.com
417JUN08PJ
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GRADE GRA DE A REFU URBISH HED REFURBISHED OFFI ICE SPACE SP PACE OFFICE THE RECE RECEPTION EPTION @ LIVERP LIVERPOOL POOL INNO INNOVATION VATIO T ON P PARK ARK A // // // // // // //
5,500 sq ftt & 9,500 sq ft BREEAM very very good office office space TTraining raining i i ffacilities faacilities iliti High spee speed ed connectivity NOW N OW A AVAILABLE VAILABLE ALL A LL E ENQUIRIES NQUIRIES C CONTACT: ONTACT: Exhibition space Meeting pods pods Onsite carr parking A vvailable on flexible lease terms Available 0151 261 46655
Liverpool Innovation Liverpool Innovaation Park Park 360 Edge Lane Liverpool Liv erpool L7 9NW W
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Tel: Teel: 0151 2611 4665 Email: info@liverpoolinnovationpark.co.uk info@ @liverpoolinnovationpark.coo.uk Website: Website: www.liverpoolinnovationpark.co.uk ww ww.liverpoolinnovationpark.co.uk
0151 258 1995
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Move Commercial Bitesize thinking
ASIF HAMID CEO of The Contact Company
Vital statistics
7000
Is the number of jobs that could be created in the city region’s low-carbon economy by 2015, according to the sector’s most recent strategic plan. The report said offshore wind energy, microregeneration, smart grid and retrofitting in particular, offer substantial job creation opportunities.
&
Home Away FAVOURITE BUILDINGS
In my crystal ball… I see more call centres being based in the UK. Call centre service is better when it’s in the UK. Increasingly businesses are realising that outsourcing is not just about the cost side it’s about customer retention, and are bringing call centre services back here. People are asking for added value, not just someone picking up the phone. When customers phone up The Contact Company they benefit from our employees’ knowledge of the UK and the fact they are in a position to offer helpful, appropriate advice. We plan to offer 500 new jobs at our new building in Birkenhead in the next two years.
Lynn Haime, MRICS, MD Place Property Consultants Ltd At Home: I was lucky enough to see and work on plenty of RIBA award winning buildings while responsible for letting Albion House, Liverpool
If only I’d known…. Ten to 15 years ago that outsourcing would become such a huge phenomenon in the UK. Outsourcing is very cost effective and a huge amount of production and services has gone offshore over the past decade. If I’d known how big it would become I would have started my UK-based call centre business earlier and through improved industry efficiency kept more of the work here rather than see it go out of the country.
Away: Without question for me the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum in New York. I remember visiting it some years ago and being excited seeing it from the outside for the first time but then being absolutely blown away by the atrium. All my favourite elements in one place...clean lines, art deco-esque curves and my favourite building colour - white. I tried in vain to take an arty shot with my rubbish camera but I was told off by security for taking photos so bought a postcard instead!
‘Bleeding edge’ Buzzword Meaning: As is so often the case with buzzwords ‘bleeding edge’ was coined in Silicon Valley. The 2.0 version of ‘cutting edge’, ‘bleeding edge’ describes a technology or concept so new, so sharp and shiny that it slices through anything else currently
out there. The term contains a neat allusion to the term ‘leading edge’, while its visceral quality refers to a technology or concept being so fresh and untested that it actually has the potential to inflict a considerable amount of financial pain on its owners.
It was the first place that made an impression on me as a teenager. I found out that its architect, Robert Norman Shaw, had also designed New Scotland Yard, and that its balcony was where the announcement was made that the Titanic had sunk. The combination of the appearance and historic connections is what sets it apart for me.
commercial projects for 10 years at Urban Splash so this might seem a strange choice, but (apart from my own house, which will be top of my list once it is finished!) my favourite building close to home is Albion House.
Guggenheim Museum, New York
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CHURCH HOUSE
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14 MOVE COMMERCIAL
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News Developments
LJMU buys former post office LIVERPOOL John Moores University has secured its biggest single land acquisition in the history of the university after buying the former Royal Mail sorting office on Copperas Hill. The building, which is over 260,000 sqft, is at the heart of the city, close to Lime Street Station and at the epicentre of the university’s existing buildings, including the new Redmonds Building. Vice-Chancellor Professor Michael Brown said: “This strategic investment will provide for the future success of the University. LJMU aims to prepare students for the knowledge economy by providing a life-changing educational experience combining academic and world of work skills, and now we can also place them in the very heart of it by location.” The acquisition of the Copperas Hill site forms part of the University's 10 year campus development plan. In the summer of 2012, the School of Business and Law, the Liverpool Screen School, and the university’s new Professional Centre will move to the new Redmonds Building on Clarence Street, consolidating the Faculty of Arts, Professional and Social Studies in the Mount Pleasant Campus. Max Steinberg, chief executive of Liverpool Vision said: “The
acquisition of the Royal Mail building by LJMU is an extremely important step in delivering Liverpool’s strategic ambitions to grow the strength and reputation of its city centre knowledge quarter. The refurbishment and
LJMU will take the opportunity to move the Faculty of Education, Community and Leisure from the IM Marsh campus, in Aigburth, to join the rest of the University and consolidate academic delivery within the city centre. Professor Michael Brown atop the new Redmonds Building, with the former Royal Mail sorting office in the background
New Salford uni arts building PLANS TO develop a high-tech Arts Building for the University of Salford have been given the green light by city planners. The £38m Arts Building will accommodate performance and teaching spaces for students and the local community. The new building will feature a theatre and performance space, with students studying in areas such as music, design and performance and forms part of a major redevelopment of the university campus. As well as student spaces the new building will also include a café, and the theatre and studio facilities will be used to give performances and exhibitions open to the public. Vice-Chancellor, Professor Martin Hall said: "This building and our wider
redevelopment of this building for university-related use will act as a catalyst for the development of further high quality floorspace in the immediate area, reconnecting the main retail core of the city centre to the universities' area. “
Campus Plan are part of the university's strong commitment to the regeneration of central Salford, in the context of the city council's vision for this area and the work done over many years by the Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company. "It will be an important cultural centre for the people of Salford and will provide our students with a space to allow them to fully develop their skills." The new building is just part of an ambitious plan, already underway, with the refurbishment of the existing Chapman Building and the Arts Building will be sited adjacent to this development. The project is being worked on by planning consultants, Turley Associates and work will begin in the autumn of this year for completion mid-2014.
Final North West BSF school CITY PLANNERS have given the final North West school to be designed under Labour’s Building Schools for the Future programme the go-ahead at Wade Deacon High School in Widnes. The project will transform the school from four buildings across two sites into one building on a single site, and will involve incorporating a classically designed 1900s grammar school into the new structure. Architects Sheppard Robson is working within the Halton Transformational Partnership Consortium and they were appointed following a 15month bid process. Alex Solk, project leader and associate partner at Sheppard Robson, said: “Wade Deacon is an
inspirational building complete with cutting edge facilities to encourage learning for all - it will benefit the wider community as well as fulfilling its role in enhancing the learning experience of the students.” The build has been designed to make the school not only visually attractive, but to function as an encouraging and inclusive learning environment. The consortium comprises Hochtief PPP Solutions, Galliford Try and VINCI Construction UK. Completion is scheduled for May 2013.
Wade Deacon
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News Developments
Kirkby's Tesco superstore approved SUPERSTORE TESCO is set to be built at Kirkby following approval by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. The scheme, spearheaded by Spenhill (the regeneration subsidiary of Tesco), will bring more than £200 million of investment into Kirkby as well as creating the new supermarket. The Spenhill development will be complemented by more than £13 million of public sector investment
into a new state-of-the-art health facility and refurbishments to Kirkby Market and the Kirkby Suite. Councillor Dave Lonergan, Knowsley Council’s cabinet member for regeneration, economy and skills, said: “It has been a long, and sometimes challenging, journey to secure the right kind of regeneration for Kirkby but we are thrilled that our proposals will now be able to proceed. “In the current economic climate,
Runcorn market
the benefits of this project cannot be underestimated. The development will bring a welcome boost to the local area at a difficult time and will vastly improve the facilities and opportunities available to local people, something which the community of Kirkby has been demanding and something which it so richly deserves.” No date has yet been set for work to commence on the Spenhill development.
Kirkby Tesco CGI
New library for Runcorn RUNCORN’S former indoor market hall is set to be transformed into a stunning new library and council services one-stop-shop. The £550,000 scheme will be home to both Halton Library Services and Halton Direct Link, with access to the library and a one-stop-shop for council services including payments, service requests and general enquiries. Designed by leading architects Cassidy and Ashton, its plans for the building include making the most of the natural daylight provided by the existing rooflight and the open plan, single storey layout. A new entrance lobby will be constructed as part of the scheme, with automatic doors to improve accessibility and the refurbishment will include a high quality finish throughout. Toby Southgate, associate director from Cassidy and Ashton, said: “The old indoor market is a landmark building in Runcorn and it is very appropriate that it should be reinvented to provide valuable community services that are useful and accessible to all.” Work is expected to begin in October and scheduled to be completed by March 2012.
Prescot modernises facilities PLANS TO INVEST £1.4m in leisure facilities in Prescot have been given the go ahead by council planners. The Warrington Road site will see a new leisure facility that includes a fitness suite and will support the outdoor facility at the site, with work expected to begin this year and due for completion for summer 2012.
Councillor Eddie Connor, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Community and Culture, said: “I’m pleased that work will commence on site over the next few weeks, which will deliver improved leisure facilities in Prescot for our residents - something we have always been committed to providing. This latest investment
Community leisure centre, Warrington Road, Prescot - CGI
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will complement the work carried out a few years ago on the outdoor pitches and bring leisure facilities in Prescot up to modern standards.” In addition to this £1.4m investment, the council has invested significantly in the area in the form of new Centres for Learning, with each providing extensive leisure facilities available to the public. Knowsley Park Centre for Learning, in Prescot, and St Edmund Arrowsmith Centre for Learning, in Whiston, both offer a four-court sports hall, small fitness suite, multi-purpose/studio area, multi-use games area pitches and a full size pitch. During the construction work, the outdoor pitches will remain unaffected. Temporary parking will be available on Scotchbarn Lane until early 2012 when the new car park for the facility will be completed.
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Developments News
Old Walton Hospital demolition begins From London to Liverpool
CGI of new mental health facility
WORK HAS recently commenced on the demolition of the old Walton Hospital, off Rice Lane, which will pave the way for the construction of a new mental health in patient facility for Mersey Care. The new 85-bed facility will provide care for people in Liverpool, Knowsley and South Sefton to help aid their recovery from mental health problems such
as depression, dementia and learning disabilities. Liverpool development company LSHP is undertaking the work. They have also been working on a similar scheme at the former Skellys car dealership site on Edge Lane and have been involved in many of the new primary care centres in the city, including Walton, Southport and Garston.
John Doyle, project director for Mersey Care, said: “Our partnership with LSHP Ltd is enabling us to deliver a state of the art facility designed with the help of users and staff that will be a real step change in the way people will receive care services in the future. Having secured the land at Walton and recently received planning approval, I’m delighted to see
Dementia centre unveiled for north Liverpool Plans have been unveiled for a £1 million dementia care unit in Liverpool. The purpose-built facility, designed by 2020 Liverpool, will be constructed next to Sedgemoor Care Home, in Norris Green, and will be used by up to 30 people per day. It will include a ‘Telecare’ suite where staff will be able to fully assess
Sedgemoor Site
people and identify the most suitable types of technology for the home to help them stay safe - such as sensors and warning alarms. The centre will also be used for respite and include a sensory room, a hobby space where people can take part in arts and crafts, and a mini-cinema which will be used to show old film reels to help with
cognitive therapy. Councillor Roz Gladden, cabinet member for adult social care, said: “This is going to be a superb facility which will offer state-of-the-art support and care for people with dementia and their families. We have an ageing population in Liverpool and all of the evidence shows there is going to be an increased need for this type of facility to help assist those who have dementia. “We are moving to a system where we are focused on meeting people’s individual needs, rather than having to choose from a fixed menu of social care services.” The centre is part of the council’s ‘Transformation’ plan for day care services which will see six Health and Wellbeing ‘hubs’ created across the city to provide help and support for people. A planning application for the facility has been submitted, and if approved work is scheduled to start on site in January 2012, with the centre opening in late summer 2012.
tangible evidence of progress now taking place.” The project is the first step in Mersey Care’s ambitious plans for improving local facilities for those suffering from mental illness. Work will start on the two new centres, which will have a combined cost of around £48m, early in 2012 – subject to Government approval expected to open in 2013.
New GP surgery for Wallasey Assura, a leading national healthcare property group, is undertaking new construction on a new GP surgery in Wallasey, which will house a minor surgery suite. The project, which is being delivered in conjunction with LSP Developments, will see the St Hilary Brow Group Practice relocate from its existing premises in a former residential and retail unit on Wallasey Road to Broadway. The facility, spread across two floors and over 13,000 sq ft, will enable the practice to provide new services to its patients in a modern, professional environment including a minor surgery suite. Pochin Construction is the appointed contractor for the development and completion is expected in the summer of 2012.
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Business News
Wilson Henry invests in Edge Lane LIVERPOOL BASED award winning chartered accountants and business advisors, Wilson Henry LLP, have announced their commitment to a sixfigure investment at their Edge Lane offices. This follows the successful negotiation with Liverpool city council to remain on their existing site. Edge Lane is undergoing major redevelopment and Wilson Henry is playing a key part in this project. The investment will be made in improving on site car parking and building access
together with internal and external building refurbishment. Wilson Henry LLP is an awardwinning firm employing 30 people, advising 400 owner-managed business and private clients with consulting and compliance services. Wilson Henry LLP is run on very different lines from a traditional accountancy firm. Its growth is in large part to its passion for going the extra mile and living by its strap line in thinking ‘beyond the numbers’. It
puts clients and their needs at the centre of its operation. Peter Alcock, the firm’s marketing partner, commented: “We have a passion for wowing the client by delivering more than the ordinary and by being different in everything we do.” Wilson Henry LLP was recently awarded the gold standard at first pass for the prestigious Investors in People award, which it was awarded originally 12 years ago, for their commitments to improving
productivity and performance through better staff management. The award is in recognition for a number of standards they have in place such as answering phone calls within two rings and returned within 90 minutes. They proactively advise clients on the latest information such as on new tax savings ideas and developments. They are committed to deadlines and offer value-based billing. The firm also invests heavily in technology and people.
Wilson Henry Partners with banner at Edge Lane. L-R Peter Alcock, Hilene Henry and David Kirby
Professional Liverpool and Chamber join forces
John Hall, Professional Liverpool chief executive, Jim Gill, Professional Liverpool chairman, Neil Scales, Liverpool Chamber of Commerce chairman and Jack Stopforth, chief executive officer of Liverpool Chamber of Commerce 18 MOVE COMMERCIAL
PROFESSIONAL Liverpool moves to Number 1 Old Hall Street to join forces with Liverpool Chamber of Commerce. The member organisation, which promotes professional excellence in Liverpool and the surrounding region, will take offices at the Chamber of Commerce’s headquarters in the heart of the city’s business district. Professional Liverpool chair Jim Gill, said: “There is much common ground between the two organisations so it makes sense to share premises and our knowledge and expertise. There will be many opportunities for the Chamber and ourselves to develop new initiatives for the benefit of the city and both our members.” Professional Liverpool is currently
located at the University of Liverpool’s Foresight Centre. Neil Scales, Liverpool Chamber of Commerce chairman, said: “Finance and professional services are at the heart of the Liverpool business community and it makes perfect sense for us to work closely with Professional Liverpool. In this turbulent business environment it is vital that organisations share information, exploit expertise and co-operate for the benefit of the city. Both organisations will work closely together to develop business, promote the city and protect the economic health of the region.” Both member organisations have a number of shared objectives and believe that working together will increase efficiency and minimise overlap.
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Knowsley Chamber Key events
Property forum breakfast Knowsley Chamber of Commerce’s latest property and construction forum gave dozens of industry professionals the chance to network over coffee. Launched in February this year it connects people linked to the property, building development, planning and design, and construction sectors, and offers industry insights by a guest speaker held at the V7 building in Kings Business Park, Prescot. Craig Dulson of Mayfield Construction gave a well-received talk at the forum and Chamber representatives like CEO Lesley Martin-Wright were on hand to offer advice. 1
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1. Sean McGurren, Maghull Developments, Lesley Martin-Wright, Knowsley Chamber of Commerce, Michael Hanlon, Maghull Developments. 2. Andrew Owen, Mason Owen and David Al Hadithi, The Design Foundry, Craig Dulson Mayfield Construction. 3. Jon Rimmer, Tender Management Consultants and Ruth Kilbane, RK Auditing. 4. Geoff Green and Sarah Lavery both NWTC. 5. Robert Zatz, Your Energy Matter and Steve Pullin, Business Manager of Knowsley Council. 6. Linda Harrison, Oldham Bros Demolition, Sheila Toft, Knowsley Chamber Commerce, Rohini Green, Storm Consultants, Jonathan Cunningham, Storm Consultants and Lesley Martin-Wright, Knowsley Chamber of Commerce. 7. Angela Penn & David Percival, Weightmans. 8. Jon Battle, JDB Surveying, Cristina Chandler, DR8 Investments, Mark Parker, Maghull Developments. 9. Derek Dawson and Heather Summers, both JST Lawyers. 10. Sheila Toft, Knowsley Chamber of Commerce, Dave Tyrell and Judith Chrisp, both Knowsley Housing Trust.
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News Sales & Lettings
Manchester Circus sold for £20m Prime centre location snapped up
Manchester Circus
A PRIME Manchester city leisure complex has been bought for £20.1 million. Circus Invest purchased The Circus, on the corner of Oxford Street and Portland Street, which houses a Premier Inn Hotel and ground floor retail/leisure units and casino. Developed in 2001, partially behind an attractive listed façade, the scheme is let to Whitbread Group, JD Wetherspoons, Boots the Chemist, Genting Casinos and Barracuda Pub Company with a net initial yield of 6.19 per cent. Property consultants Jones Lang LaSalle and Cortex, on behalf of clients of LaSalle Investment Management, sold the property. Blandford Goldsmith represented the purchaser.
LIVERPOOL ONE EXPANDS IN DEAL GROSVENOR Liverpool Fund has expanded its investment portfolio snapping up a row of shops in the city centre and extending the reach of Liverpool ONE. Grosvenor purchased 52-78 Lord Street on Lord Street from Land Securities in a £19.1 million deal. The 11 units, totalling 55,000 sq ft, are situated between South John Street and Paradise Street, both of which are key entrances to Liverpool ONE. Fully let, it is home to Specsavers, French Connection, Yorkshire Building Society, Dollond & Aitchison Opticians, Home Bargains, Co-op Travel and Games Station. Miles Dunnett, asset manager for the Grosvenor Liverpool Fund, said: “This acquisition both reaffirms our commitment to Liverpool, a city that is thriving, and strengthens the wider Liverpool ONE offer. Active asset management of 52-78 Lord Street to improve the visibility, size and appeal of its units will create new opportunities for retailers. Consistent with our approach on Liverpool ONE, this will help to bring more new brands to the city, further improving the offer for visitors.” Grosvenor Liverpool Fund’s acquisition will allow the boundary of Liverpool ONE to be extended, increasing its presence on the main
Mason Owen acted for the Grosvenor Liverpool Fund and Lunson Mitchenall acted for Land Securities, who are also the owner of the St John’s and Clayton Square shopping centres in the city.
Lord Street, Liverpool
The Lyceum sold for £2.85m ONE OF LIVERPOOL’S most well known heritage buildings on Bold Street has been sold for £2.85 million. Panther Securities acquired the 20,000 sq ft Grade II listed building, currently housing The Post Office and subletting to the Cooperative Building Society. Built between 1800 and 1802, the
The Lyceum
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pedestrian route to reach South John Street from Church Street. Part of Grosvenor’s portfolio in Liverpool includes the former George Henry Lee building, in Church Street.
Lyceum was originally a gentlemen’s club, founded to create an alternative meeting place to the existing merchants’ coffee houses. The building also became home to the city’s subscription library, which is widely believed to have been the first lending library in Europe. Located on the edge of the prime core of Liverpool city centre, the Lyceum backs onto Merepark’s Central Village development and as such will benefit from the huge additional footfall that the scheme will generate. There is currently three and a half years left on the existing lease, which is currently let at a rental of £500,000 a year, with a net initial yield of 16.5 per cent. Rob Woods, director of investment agency at CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) who advised on the sale, said: “The
Lyceum is a fantastic building of historical significance, and is subsequently of enormous importance to the city and its heritage. The building also benefits from its location at the core of Liverpool city centre, with Merepark’s £160m Central Village scheme set to increase footfall in the area even further.” CBRE have lately had a run of successful appointments, including Liverpool office agency team being appointed by Grosvenor to let 17,693 sq ft of refurbished office space at Liverpool ONE. The units of Compton House and Russell Building on School Lane are both prestigious heritage buildings. Compton House is an 1870’s fivestorey former warehouse, while the six-storey Russell Building was built in the 1860’s.
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Sales & Lettings News
FLURRY OF LETS AT CENTRAL VILLAGE A HOST of lettings have been confirmed for the forthcoming Central Village leisure and retail development. Italian restaurant Prezzo is the latest operator to choose Central Village for its first Liverpool outlet. Prezzo will occupy 3,390 sq ft of space in the Lewis’s building’s new upper plaza, part of the £200m Central Village leisure and retail development, which is due to open in 2013. The 135-seat restaurant will sit adjacent to the six-screen Odeon cinema and overlook The Plaza, which links the Lewis’s building with Central Village’s boardwalk area and water feature. Independent pan-Asian restaurant Cosmo also confirmed it would take space. Handmade Burger Co. will be based in the Central Village Boardwalk building, which will overlook the stepped water-feature off Newington Square. Other lettings confirmed include restaurants Chiquito and Frankie & Benny’s. The refurbishment and remodelling of the Lewis’s building is currently underway and will bring the unused upper floors back to life as offices, and will include a 129-bed Adagio apartment–hotel. Neal Hunter, associate director at Merepark, the developer responsible
for Central Village, said: “Central Village’s proximity to Ropewalks and its link to Central Station provide operators with two very valuable assets – that of high footfall and wide appeal. This is evident in the success we’ve had bringing new national brands and independent operators into the city. Central Village will extend the city’s retail and leisure core with three new
hotels, offices, retail outlets, restaurants, bars, cafes, a new public car park, residential buildings, six cinema screens and landscaped public space. Central Village is expected to contribute £100 million to the city’s economy when it is completed in 2013 and will transform six acres of land behind Liverpool Central Station, Renshaw Street and Bold Street.
South Harrington Building
Central Village CGI
St Helens reaps in investment A ST HELENS brownfield site is set for redevelopment thanks to the latest Northern Trust deal in the borough. The recent acquisition of the fiveacre development site on College Street was purchased from St Helens Council is the latest in Northern Trust’s expanding investment portfolio. With the assistance of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funding, the investment and development company plans to develop out the site in three phases. The first phase of the £7.5 million, 80,000 sq ft new development, will incorporate over 30,000 sq ft of new high quality workspace units. Comprising of 21 units split into three blocks, construction work on the initial two acres is scheduled to commence in the autumn. The scheme will include construction of a new estate road, full site servicing and highways improvements. Mike Grindrod, development director at Northern Trust, said: “Northern
Harrington Building almost fully let
Trust already own two existing workshop estates in St Helens, and this new development shows our commitment to improving the prosperity of both the town and wider borough. By creating a range of modern industrial workshop units in sizes targeted at new start-up and SME businesses looking to relocate to the area, we are confident the new development will prove a huge success.” The development plans will achieve a
BREEAM rating of excellent. Units over 500 sq ft will also include a fully fitted office. Concrete service yards will provide adequate circulation and loading facilities and there will be ample car parking and quality landscaping around the scheme. The new development, to be known as Gerards Park, is located a half mile from the town centre on the main arterial route between the town Centre and the A580 (East Lancashire Road).
Gerards Park, St Helens
PRIVATE and commercial law firm Kirwans Solicitors has taken occupation of 6,500 sq ft of office space at the South Harrington Building in Brunswick Business Park, Liverpool. The deal, completed by Hitchcock Wright & Partners, was for a lease of 10 years at a rent of £11.50 per square foot. South Harrington Building was formerly a Victorian dock warehouse restored in the 1980s by the Merseyside Development Corporation and has undertaken a £1.5 million refurbishment two years ago. The development recently won a Your Move magazine award for Best Office / Workspace Development and was shortlisted by the RICS for the North West Commercial Development. Other lettings already made by the agents include Royal Mail, Vitaflo and New Mind. Nick Harrop, partner at agents Hitchcock Wright & Partners, said: “The building is now 83 per cent occupied and since the refurbishment was completed by Commercial Estates Group, we continue to receive a great deal of interest in the last available units. Office accommodation is available from 916 sq ft to 9,746 sq feet to provide capacity for all budgets.” Matthews and Goodman are joint letting agents on the property.
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Appointments New associate directors at Manchester DTZ
change consultancy experience. She has led on infrastructure projects, change programmes and new commercial ventures including the establishment of the Homes & Communities Agency, the development of sporting stadia and venues, PFIs and outsourcing contracts, and the £72m Museum of Liverpool. Booth joined Amion as a director in 2009, having previously worked for KPMG and Deloitte. She said: "Our work is perhaps
Mike Mitchell
Seven people have been promoted in DTZ’s Manchester office. Jo Hindle from the company’s HR team and Simon Lowe from investments will take up associate director positions while David Beavis, Gabrielle Donnelly and Tim Russell have been installed as senior surveyors. Mike Mitchell, managing director for regions outside Liverpool, said: “In such a difficult market the achievements of all these individuals are all the more special given how high the bar has been raised.” Professional Liverpool Personnel Change New chief executive of Professional Liverpool, John Hall, has announced more changes to personnel. Adele Jackson, previously of Merseyside Special Investment Fund (MSIF) is now employed on a full time basis while part time staff Denise Ashbridge and Trisha Evans have left. John Hall became chief executive of Professional Liverpool in May. Since then he has announced the relocation of Professional Liverpool to No. 1 Old Hall Street, in order to work more efficiently with Liverpool Chamber of Commerce. Members of Professional Liverpool include Venmore, Bermans, Qire, Charles Stanley, Forster Dean and Rees Roberts among many other leading local firms. Partner Role for Amion Director Liverpool-based economic development and regeneration advisory firm Amion Consulting has promoted Carmel Booth to the role of partner. Booth is a chartered accountant and has financial, commercial, regeneration and transformational
Carmel Booth
even more important today as organisations are looking to do more with less money and consider new ways of operating." New Hotels Head for Colliers Surveyor Colliers International has promoted Manchester-based Julian Troup to head of the UK hotels agency team. Troup joined Colliers during 2007 to manage the UK corporate hotels team and has now been appointed as head of the overall hotel Julian agency Troup operation. Since 2003 Troup has advised on the sale or disposal of 100 hotels on behalf of clients with asking prices ranging from £1.2m to in excess of £20m. Earlier this year he handled the sale of Forestdale Hotels, a privately owned portfolio of 18 three-star hotels across England, for £32m to Akkeron Hotels. Troup will work alongside David Hossack who leads the valuation side of the UK hotels team and Marc Finney, who continues to head up the international and UK professional and advisory team. Troup was promoted following the departure of Chris Moore to Jones Lang LaSalle.
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Liverpool’s Local Lawyers MOVE COMMERCIAL 23
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By Dina Karim dina@movepublishing.co.uk
Balfour Beatty is not just a global construction company; it’s also in the business of regenerating whole communities. It is Mark Howden, as director of regeneration, who is at the forefront of transforming a community’s economic and social prospects; from investing in people to business growth, Balfour Beatty’s stake in Liverpool is permanent.
A permanent stake in Liverpool
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various delegates from across the city, including the private sector, presenting the city to an audience of potential investors - that group of investors are our contacts.” With over 17 years experience in
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If you take something like Liverpool ONE, the project would have been unimaginable 20 years ago.
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Based at St Paul’s Square Balfour Beatty’s links with the city date back more than 60 years, having worked on some of the city’s most important regeneration projects including the £111 million transformation of Liverpool ONE and the recently completed Lime Street Gateway. They are also shortlisted for the £288m Alder Hey Children’s Health Park Project, an iconic paediatric health facility set to be the first of its kind in Europe - a decision which will be made by early 2012. “We’re investing in projects; in the projects we are bidding for we will be an investor and a construction partner. The fact that we will invest in the city I think is a demonstration that we intend to take a long-term stake in the city,” he says as we meet at his offices in the heart of Liverpool’s business district. “My role is demonstrating that we have a long-term stake in the communities. We will leave a skills legacy through our investment in apprenticeship and training of the workforce. We will support business growth through a difficult business cycle to ensure Liverpool communities get access to employment. “We hosted an event in London recently where we had the leader of the Liverpool city council and
workforce development, regeneration and economic development Mark has worked in a number of senior public sector roles, specialising in securing economic benefits from major capital programmes, with a range of public sector clients. Before
joining Balfour Beatty in 2008, he worked for Manchester Enterprises, the sub-regional economic partnership. “I was supporting the public sector in negotiations three years ago ensuring wider benefits from capital projects and now I’m doing the same thing but just on the other side of the table,” he explains. “I started work in the early 90s, mainly on employment projects in East Manchester in some very deprived communities. I was focusing specifically on young people and access to jobs. I’ve been involved in employment skills and economic development for 17-18 years, so it’s a natural progression.” Mark has been one of the people carefully manoeuvring the regeneration of the North West with one of his biggest projects being the move of the BBC to the North. While at Manchester Enterprises, he countered the arguments, particularly the political arguments, for why the BBC shouldn’t move to the North of England. “It was challenging at times, when you work for Manchester Enterprises you have to make sure you’re mindful of the aspirations of all partners and I think that’s something that I’ve brought to this
job, that you have to be mindful that you’ve got multiple drivers. Physically the BBC has based themselves in Salford Quays but economically they’ve based themselves in the North West and that can only be a good thing.” One of Mark’s first projects in Liverpool was the Building Schools for the Future venture, which was cut last year. Since then he has been involved with the Royal Liverpool Hospital bid, which they unfortunately lost, and the Alder Hey bid. “Balfour Beatty has a long history in working on healthcare projects across the country, and they remain a priority for us,” he said. “We will have spent the best part of two years bidding on the Merseyside hospital projects and the Mersey Gateway Project bidding window is coming up soon.” Having been at the forefront of the North West’s regeneration for three decades, he is well positioned to look back at its huge transformation - of which he has been a driver of - as well as where its future lies. “If you take something like Liverpool ONE, the project would have been unimaginable 20 years ago. Now there is that confidence of being able to create a huge regeneration project such as that
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Mark Howden Mover & Shaker
and being able to pull it off. “The problem now is where we go from here. The North did very well in exploiting what was available, every opportunity. The opportunities now are new and different; the challenge now is setting up what that new is. The growth of the city is absolutely sustainable, I think it’s a different model. To take the Manchester example, the IRA bomb was seen as the catalyst for Manchester’s regeneration. Public and European money poured in but behind that follows the commercial money and the investors and I think that’s where Liverpool is at.” Continuing from their investment in the city Balfour Beatty has now launched an apprentice scheme, across the North West, which has been highly commended by the National Apprenticeship Service. “We’ve just been nominated to go on a national panel of top 100 apprentice employers. We’ve also held a number of ‘Meet Balfour Beatty’ days. At our Aintree day over 150 businesses came to the event, which promoted contract opportunities to bid for work. We’re now starting to see the results of that. We’ve targeted local employment, local businesses and new apprenticeship opportunities. In the three years that I’ve been here, we have started to change the perception on the way Balfour Beatty does business in communities.”
Howden File DOB: 24 March 1967. Education: Degree in Economics at Sunderland polytechnic; Master from University of Manchester in Middle Eastern Politics. Career: Head of Regeneration at Balfour Beatty Capital, Head of Infrastructure Projects at Manchester Enterprise.
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By Emma Pinch emma@movepublishing.co.uk
As university fees soar, local council leaders and business leaders have announced a new drive to create thousands more apprenticeship places across Merseyside. Welder Ian Green tells Move Commercial about his placement.
Window to the Future
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universities, offices and car parks, one project providing louvre ventilation for a multi-storey car park at Liverpool One. Already equipped with an NVQ level 2 in Welding and Fabrication, Ian was able to hit the ground running when he joined the firm. He will emerge from the threeyear scheme as a fully qualified welder, with the option of becoming a coded welder - the industry professional qualification. “I was always more interested in working hands on with things, and at school took an option in wood technology and I really enjoyed it, says Ian, now 21.
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the machinery you use can be dangerous, so you’ve got to be constantly alert.” He’s progressed from welding steel to welding panels of aluminium and works in a team of seven on the shop floor. A recent project was working on steel structural girdles that go inside a building. “In the factory I was welding on the outside frame that the girdles sit in, on the mechanical panels that open and close to allow ventilation. Lately he has been working on welding together aluminium box sections, and use cutting equipment to add in the barrel of the locks.
to it in order to stick the material together. I’ve had to adapt myself.” Ian has developed in leaps and bounds since starting his apprenticeship at Louvresol. Now just starting his third year he has nearly completed his NVQ level 3 which most apprentices only reach 12 months later. “Now I’m coming to the end of my apprenticeship I have more responsibility,” he says. “I’m finding myself completing a job myself and not needing to get so much advice, which is a big confidence boost. “I take pride in my work and I enjoy knowing at the end of it, that I’ve done a good job and I’ve made
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Ian Green knows at first hand just how tough the world is for school leavers. A year into an informal apprenticeship scheme as a welder he was laid off, aged just 17. “I was really gutted,” he remembers. “I felt really low for a while. I tried everywhere to get another apprenticeship but I couldn’t find anything.” Salvation for Ian came via the Knowsley Apprentice Scheme. Galvanised by his experiences, he competed against 100 people in four stages of aptitude tests and interviews, and won one of its coveted apprenticeship places. Businesses and council leaders aim to provide 10,000 apprenticeships across the region’s six local authorities over the next year. Ian can thoroughly recommend them. With no business in Knowsley offering a suitable scheme, the council found him a place in the neighbouring borough of St Helens, at Louvresol Specialist Projects Ltd. The company, based at Lea Green Business Park, produces high specification architectural solar shading and screening louvre products on large buildings around the world. They have worked on bespoke designs for colleges and
I take pride in my work and I enjoy knowing at the end of it, that I’ve done a good job
“When I left school I studied motor vehicle maintenance for a year but I couldn’t find an apprenticeship in it, so I switched over to welding and found a place at an engineering company in Kirkby. It suited me down to the ground. “The main thing is concentration. You have to be able to concentrate hard so you don’t make mistakes and you need patience too. Some of
“When I first started I hadn’t welded in aluminium before, only in steel, where you used copper wire to fuse the two panels of steel together. Aluminium takes a different set of skills. You’ve got to be more precise because the welding process used, tungsten inert gas welding, means it burns quicker. You’ve got to make sure you’ve got enough heat going in
the thing myself.” One highlight has been working away on projects. He travelled to Scotland to work on Edinburgh College, and to fit decorative aluminium tubes onto the outside 02 headquarters in Slough, staying at B&Bs with the on site crew. “I like getting out on site,” he says. “What sticks out as a highlight in what I’ve done so far was going
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Apprentice Ian Green Rising Star
Ian Green File DOB: 2/8/1990. Education: Brookfield High School, Kirkby; Knowsley Community College, Kirkby. Employment: Year three of an apprenticeship with Louvresol Specialist Projects Ltd, St Helens.
to Slough to work with six others, only one of whom I knew. I was mostly labouring but it was good to see how our work in the factory is used and to be part of the team. It’s part of the reason my ambition now is to work on oilrigs. My uncle works on rigs and it seems like a great challenge, although it’s a lot harder than in a factory. You do 12 hour days and obviously, you have to live on site.” He’s also been given a supervisory
position over a new apprentice who has recently joined the team. “I’ve been asked to watch over him when he welds,” says Ian. “It’s good because it gives me a sense of pride that my employer trusts me to watch over someone else.” He hopes to continue studying and working and obtain his NVQ level 4 and eventually get taken on by the firm. Ian, who lives with his mother, father and younger sister in South
Dene, Kirkby, says his experiences have helped him mature as a person. “Having responsibility, having to be somewhere everyday opened my eyes to the world of work, when some of my mates had a more laid back lifestyle.” As the new academic year starts, placements are now becoming available. Liverpool, Sefton and Knowsley Councils have announced 739 places on their joint scheme, which they are just starting to
advertise. They won £2 million European Social Fund grant to administer the scheme and subsidise apprenticeship wages until their skills reach a certain level. “My advice to any other apprentice would be, just make the most of it because it’s a huge opportunity,” says Ian. “It definitely helps if you can get one you enjoy of course, which I luckily, did. Stay focused and committed.” MOVE COMMERCIAL 27
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By Emma Pinch emma@movepublishing.co.uk
The Benross Group is in the spotlight after stepping up to buy two historic Liverpool brands. Anil Juneja tells Move Commercial why they are worth fighting for.
Saving T J Hughes
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Kong and Ningbo, China, where they source and manufacture products that are sold on under their own brand and packaged up under those of other well known retailers. With an annual turnover that tops £30million Benross is a success story by anyone’s standards, but the rapid expansion of the company’s retail arm has
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I’m Liverpool born and bred so this has been a very rewarding thing to do. I’ve been overwhelmed by the reaction.
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With the countdown to the reopening of TJ Hughes’ flagship Liverpool store in mid-September now on, Anil Juneja has his work cut out for him. He hit the headlines when his Speke-based company, the Benross Group, stepped into the breach to buy the ailing store and five other TJ Hughes branches across the country, including one in Widnes. Behind the store’s London Road frontage Anil is working around the clock, seven days a week. When doors fully open – September 15 has been pencilled in as the day – he is determined that customers will discover a revamped, wellstocked, supremely efficient store that bristles with best-loved brands. The TJs deal alone cost £2million and with Benross having previously concentrated the majority of its efforts on the wholesale market trading like everyone else in global recession - it was a truly entrepreneurial move. “Financially, I’ve put everything into it,” Anil says frankly. “But business is always a risk and TJs is very close to my heart and it’s a well-loved brand. It’s an opportunity that I think we are going to make into a success.” The Benross Group has its headquarters in Bridge Industrial Estate in Speke. It supplies more than 3,000 lines of home, garden and leisure products to a raft of retailers including Tesco, Matalan, Next and it was also a supplier to the previous incarnation of TJ Hughes. It also has offices in Hong
been in some ways a baptism of fire. Buying TJs has meant building bridges with suppliers who had their fingers burned in previous dealings with the store, unpicking operational tangles and fanning the embers of customer confidence back to life. For Anil there just aren’t enough hours in the day.
“There are a lot of operational issues to resolve, integration of systems to carry out and the closing down sales mean there’s no stock,” says Anil. “So there’s a lot of behind the scenes work to be done.” The resurrected TJs will ensure that core lines are regularly replenished and that the brand has a strong online sales presence. Anil is optimistic that tried and tested Benross practices of buying right and pitching prices correctly will stand them in good stead. Stalwarts like management operations director Chris McEwan, who has 30 years of TJ Hughes experience under his belt have been invaluable. Chris’s is one of 576 jobs that have been saved through the TJ Hughes acquisition. “We’ve kept all the staff in the stores, and that’s been a really nice thing to come out of this,” says Anil. “In Liverpool we have about 70 at the last count and want to recruit more. We are trying to bring back staff that were made redundant. “I’m Liverpool born and bred so that’s been a very rewarding thing to do. I’ve been overwhelmed by the reaction to what we’ve done.” TJ Hughes isn’t the only famous local brand to be scooped out of difficulties by Benross. Before TJs was even a glimmer in his eye he’d bought the rights to the Lewis’s brand and formed Lewis’s Home Retail Ltd, under whose auspices the TJ Hughes purchase was made. He has visionary plans about how to revive that too.
“I’m passionate about retail and I’ve always felt I had a good eye for finding products,” he explains. “We wanted to find a retail opportunity and Lewis’s was that opportunity, and we’ve since spent a lot of time and money developing the concept.” He sees his Lewis’s as a destination store for good quality homeware. It will be based in retail parks rather than on the high street – the old building on Ranelagh Street is being turned into hotels, shopping and leisure space by new owners Merepark – to reflect emerging shopping trends, and it will capitalise on the drive to improve rather than move. Product lines span linens to lighting and everything in between. The first will be open in Bury, to go live in mid October. For old school Lewis’s aficionados, it will still incorporate elements of the historic department store. ‘We will be looking to retain some of Lewis’s heritage in terms of branding and ethos,” says Anil. “The typeface and colour of the logo will be the same. We would like to bring Lewis’s back to the region as soon as we find suitable premises.” Retail acumen and entrepreneurial spirit run in the family. His father, Paul Juneja, came to Liverpool from India aged 17 to pursue an engineering apprenticeship. The family settled in Gateacre, where Anil grew up. His father set up wholesalers, Double Vee, in Devon Street, a stone’s throw
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Anil Juneja Entrepreneur
Juneja File DOB: 23 February, 1979 Education: Gateacre Comprehensive, Manchester University Career: Benross Group Sales Director, Benross Group MD, Chief Executive of Lewis’s Home Retail Ltd
from TJs on London Road and it was where Anil cut his sales teeth. “From the age of 13 I spent my summer holidays working behind the till at the cash and carry and lifting boxes,” says Anil. “It taught me discipline I think and the importance of family values. It shows other employees that I haven’t just sat at home.” He studied Business Administration at Manchester University and afterwards joined the family firm as a sales account manager and worked his way up to sales director. Five years later, with an MBA under his belt, he took on the role of MD from his father. But for the moment any hopes his dad might have harboured of putting his feet up have been put on ice, as he, along with Anil’s brother Amit, run the Speke operation while Anil focuses on Lewis’s Home Retail Ltd. Most of the family, it seems, are being roped in. Anil lives with his wife Karina and their one-year-old daughter Amaya India in Woolton, and Karina, a fashion designer, is also rolling up her sleeves. Anil has great hopes for his new stores. “I’m very passionate about work and our products and I enjoy business,” he says. “What I’d like is to see TJ Hughes and Lewis’s go fully nationwide. I want to make my mark in life.” From where I’m sitting, he already has. MOVE COMMERCIAL 29
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N E P O
up to business success. Talk to our local business experts Whether you are opening a business or are already up and running, talk to Barclays about how we can help make your business a success. For more information please contact Nigel Cooper, Area Manager for Barclays Business in Merseyside, on 07917 200668, or visit www.barclays.co.uk/business
Barclays Business is a trading name of Barclays Bank PLC. Barclays Bank PLC is registered in England and authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Registered No.1026167. Registered Office: 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP. Barclays Bank PLC subscribes to the Lending Code which is monitored and enforced by the Lending Standards Board.
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Digital Liverpool Lunch debate
By Dina Karim dina@movepublishing.co.uk
Steve Smith, digital industry director at Liverpool Vision, Wayne Locke, Ashtenne’s regional director and Liverpool Innovation Park project leader and David Guest, Bruntwood’s regional director of Liverpool, came together to discuss Liverpool’s digital sector and its infrastructure. The North West is expeditiously establishing itself as a hotbed for talent, from gaming to software; developing Liverpool’s knowledge economy is paramount to its future. It is the infrastructure though, which attracts business to the area and broadband speed has become a top priority for all. Two schemes are currently taking centre stage; the bid for superfast broadband of 100MB in the business district, and the FibreNET project which will see even faster internet connectivity speed of 1GB. The experts sat down for lunch at the stylish Restaurant Bar & Grill, on Brunswick Street, to discuss Liverpool’s and Manchester’s digital sector.
David Guest Bruntwood’s regional director for Liverpool
Steve Smith Digital industry director at Liverpool Vision
Wayne Locke Ashtenne’s regional director leading the Liverpool Innovation Park project
DIGITAL LIVERPOOL WHAT IS THE CURRENT STATE OF LIVERPOOL’S DIGITAL SECTOR? Steve: The shape of the digital sector is that we have no big companies and very few mediumsized companies, and a lot of small companies. I will use one example explaining why I’m a lot more optimistic today than I may have been a few years ago. Bizarre Creations (a gaming company), based in Speke, which employed 250 people, was owned by a major global player in the games market, Activision. For global economic reasons, it’s far better for Activision to have them in Canada and Seattle than in the UK. They had huge tax breaks on employing their workforce from Canada. So they shut (Bizarre Creations) down. They
offered their 250 staff a job in Seattle or Canada, and I believe only four or five have moved, all the rest have stayed. Their demographic is 20-35, typically from all over the UK, but they don’t want to move from Liverpool, which says there’s something here that keeps that demographic happy. The thing that has made me quite optimistic is that Lucid Games, started by former employees, was formed with Liverpool investors and Liverpool managers and it now employs 50 people and will take over 100 more in the next 18 months. That tells me that the Liverpool economy in the digital sector is helping itself, whereas a few years ago there wouldn’t have been any investors.
Wayne: So it wasn’t an infrastructure thing or a connectivity thing. SS: It’s purely a tax break issue we would never be able to match in the UK. It’s bad news, but if it then means we are investing our own talents locally then it means actually that’s better for us in the midterm. WL: Coming back to that core issue, does that mean every time a company gets to a certain critical mass that they’re going to be tempted to go to Seattle? SS: Well, case study number two is my favourite pet company Qire. Their biggest competitor is a US company, NASDAQ listed, and last October they were offered $10.5 million [for a buy-out]. This is a 15man operation in Chapel Street and
they turned it down. That again is very reassuring but they saw the value actually as an expanding company. Those two stories are more than anecdotal; I think they show a kind of confidence in ourselves that wasn’t there a few years ago. Qire were asked specifically ‘Why not shut down and move somewhere else?’ They said: ‘We can’t do that because we source specific talent and skill sets locally’. This is quite heartening because it says the graduates coming out of local universities are in the right shape. David: There are lots of small businesses that are talking about Liverpudlians who have moved around the country, to London, Edinburgh, wherever it may be, and
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moved back because of the quality of the work, and the quality of the environment and the opportunities that exist now. This has shifted rapidly probably over the past seven years or so. WL: The key factor here is the talent pool, the critical mass of talent and education resources that are in the region. SS: The key dynamic is that where you’ve got lots of small players you get much more innovation, therefore you get more early adoption of talent and skills that are in demand. The genuine convergence of creative and digital talent, that’s what becomes the demand. Now I think if you can grow that and keep the edge that’s what success can do. Recently I brought some people over from Finland involved in the creative digital space. Now they went to London first and they were awestruck by how small they felt. They then came to Liverpool and they conceived reality, they could see how they could connect, fit in, and the massive difference in cost of operation. Every foreign business if they think of the UK they think of London but if you bring them here, it not only gives them a taste, you change their mindset forever and they do remember it.
WHAT IS THE CURRENT STATE OF LIVERPOOL’S INFRASTRUCTURE? SS: I did a survey about 18 months ago and in terms of connectivity we were average compared to other 32 MOVE COMMERCIAL
major cities in the UK. Manchester has a disproportionally high amount of broadband because it was the second exchange in the UK and some good thinking went into the city early on. The report said if Liverpool didn’t do something pretty soon we were average heading in the wrong direction, we were slipping and to be honest average doesn’t win the race. This is the reason we’ve put in an Regional Growth Fund bid to at least set up the commercial district of Liverpool with ubiquitously superfast broadband at wholesale prices. That will change the commercial district and because that’s the heart of Liverpool economy and that will have a massive influence in what everybody else does. WL: When I first came to Liverpool, and started to get my head around this new world of broadband connectivity and what it means the first thing that I learned was that we had fibre connectivity but it wasn’t lit. It was dark fibre. It was actually lighting it, which was the key thing and the expensive project. SS: The city council has the traffic light network, for example, which has CCTV monitoring and the CCTV has a unique fibre network to handle the heavy weight file usage. They only use a very small proportion of the fibre that’s dedicated to that so there’s always capacity that is unused. That is lit so it’s not dark fibre but it’s underused, so it needs to be connected to something that will use it, so its restricted use. That’s fundamentally the issue. Virgin Media also has a large capacity. I felt that while the city was going to get itself together with the Knowledge Economy Plan (an audit of the Liverpool’s assets, defining where it has the potential to be a UK leader, such as in the Creative & Digital sector) it didn’t really say this doesn’t work if we don’t have broadband. The plumbing was never really referred to. If you’re going to develop the knowledge economy and you don’t have an infrastructure that’s progressive enough to handle
a growth in the knowledge economy then you’re not credible. The Knowledge Economy Plan is a collective of the universities and the public and private sectors; so it is the right people involved but I just think not everyone knows and understands what the difference between broadband and superfast broadband is. I think it’s up to all of us to ensure they understand it, that
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This is the reason we’ve put in an Regional Growth Fund bid to at least set up the commercial district of Liverpool with ubiquitously superfast broadband at wholesale prices.
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you need all the factors, that you need the infrastructure, you need the buildings, you need the talent. For all of it to come together at the same time, it is a harmonisation. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 10MB, 100MB OR EVEN 1GB BROADBAND?
SS: It’s a sea change in what you can do, if you think about a video conference when the speech is faster than the pictures, in superfast respects all these problems go away. DD: It’s the ability to save time, effort and money because with really good broadband connectivity you do not need to travel. People are doing conference calls from their laptops. When you speak to someone looking to take space in serviced offices and the question was what’s your resilience with the capacity life within your broadband. The key to this person is I want to be able to know that every time that I need to have that video conference because I’m doing UK wide business that I can get on it. FIBRENET RECENTLY GAINED THE BACKING OF THE NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY BOARD TO KICK START THE TRANSFORMATION OF LIVERPOOL'S DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE WITH £1 MILLION PROJECT. IN WHAT WAY COULD THIS CREATE A HUB OF MASSIVE DIGITAL ACTIVITY? SS: What we need is to get superfast broadband ubiquitously available to everyone at competitive prices. The problem is we have slow broadband at uncompetitive prices, it’s almost a monopoly. What we need is more providers, which brings the price down and more people using it. I think that’s the dynamic that we need to change.
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Digital Liverpool Lunch debate WL: That’s the thing, this isn’t just about games developers, or internet providers, this is about everyday businesses whose demand on the net is growing exponentially day by day. The likes of accountants are finding the existing broadband facilities just aren’t enough. I can only speak for Liverpool Innovation Park, but the buildings we’ve got are just buildings, boxes, and when you get people coming in they check the demographics and the services that go with those boxes and that’s the same with the business district. If we can get the power, the connectivity and the public transport around you then you’re starting to answer all the questions that these businesses are asking and finding the most suitable locations. DG: It’s about flexibility. One thing we shouldn’t underplay is the dynamics of the creative and digital sectors, they are becoming successful and that turns the heads of bigger corporations from other locations like American and Canada. The other
thing is that broadband speed is essential because without it we’ll all slow down and stop the ability of the business to be innovative. HOW WELL IS LIVERPOOL CONNECTED REGIONALLY? WL: It’s a bit like Bruntwood and Ashtenne, they’re in competition sitting next to each other but they’re better off working together. Now MediaCity, you could see it as a huge black hole, absorbing
everything that could be coming to Liverpool. On the other hand it’s creating a huge hub of digital activity which the surrounding area of Manchester could benefit from. With good fibre connectivity between the cities we’ve got a good power supply in certain areas that can support resources to back up what going on in MediaCity. SS: I agree wholeheartedly. It puzzles me why the ManchesterLiverpool conurbation doesn’t sell itself to the globe as one entity, in the way that Silicon Valley does. Up here there are two camps, it doesn’t matter where you are on the M62, between them it should be good news. MediaCity is great. The BBC and ITV up there will hike up the rent; therefore, the small guys are going to live in the fringes. And that’s got to be good news for Liverpool. It’s all about connectivity, it’s all about talent. WL: The smaller businesses who are the foundation stones of this economy and who are feeding into the likes of the BBC and the big
media players who will be up here at MediaCity, they can locate up here. SS: It’s time for Liverpool to get its act together and make sure it gets a huge proportion of that commissioning that the BBC and ITV will bring about. WITH BRUNTWOOD AND ASHTENNE NOT NECESSARILY SPECIALISING IN DIGITAL COMPANIES, HOW IMPORTANT IS SUPERFAST BROADBAND FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS?
DG: It is going to become more and more important. Everyone is going to be looking for superfast broadband
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Now MediaCity, you could see it as a huge black hole, absorbing everything that could be coming to Liverpool. On the other hand it’s creating a huge hub of digital activity which the surrounding area of Manchester could benefit from.
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and everyone wants it first, there’s an ability for the city to be one of the first movers and we’ve got to get a hold off that and do it now. SS: It’s funny I was at this lunch yesterday and they were walking us round this huge trading floor which had connectivity gone mad, everyone had six huge screens in front of them it was sensory overload but the fibre going in there is huge, at the speed of light. I asked them what’s important to you? They said: ‘If it was to make our emails go a bit faster it wouldn’t matter, but if we could get market data three seconds faster than other markets we will pay anything to get that’. That just blew me away. I think the nature of what they’re doing isn’t that far removed from other businesses, it’s about competitive edge. If you’ve got that kind of bandwidth then you start to work in a different way, maybe work a bit more efficiently and you explore new dynamics. DG: When you get good broadband at home you use the internet more, you get access to far more information, you change your habits and you see the possibilities. WL: Just on the property business, all our business is now on cloud computing and we’ve got our data systems which are all in one place and they’re backed up in another place and all our property information is on one big system which is centralised in the country. DG: Bruntwood is all entirely internet based and the infrastructure has to be there.
Broadband is not just about creative businesses this is giving the whole businesses of Liverpool a lift and the capacity to really perform. WHO IS ON YOUR WISHLIST TO LOCATE TO LIVERPOOL? SS: Realistically the days of the big names moving in are diminishing; you’re far more likely to get a runaway success from one of the companies that are here. So it’s about getting as many start-up businesses and making that cake bigger, and by a process of numbers you will get one or two that will make it. And that’s the way you do it. WL: The thing is the big, proactive moves in the event they do happen but they will only come here if there is a really good, proactive and vibrant community of smaller businesses that are developing and bringing ideas. If the region invests on SMEs that in itself will make the region more attractive to any big corporate. DG: That’s exactly it if you grow your own then there’s a better attitude to coming in.
RESTAURANT BAR & GRILL Halifax House, Brunswick Street, Liverpool L2 0UU
Our panel enjoyed an assortment of dishes in the restaurant’s stylish private dining room, ideal for a business lunch. Located in a majestic building The Restaurant Bar & Grill makes an impression as soon as you walk in with its modern interior and relaxed surroundings. For a late lunch, the panel enjoyed the Baked Goats Cheese Salad with Beetroot and Toasted Walnuts. From the specials menu, one of the panellists had the Baked Salmon with Salad, a delicious dish. The crowning dish was the Malayan Chicken with Sweet Potato, Coconut and Lime. The Restaurant Bar & Grill is now taking Christmas bookings. A three-course menu is set at £31. There is also a Christmas a la carte menu. To make a reservation visit www.therestaurantbarandgrill. co.uk or telephone 0151 236 6703.
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Liverpool's first speculatively developed BREEAM ‘EXCELLENT’ office building New 8 storey Grade ‘A’ office building (109,361 sq ft) in the heart of Liverpool's new Commercial District Column free floorplates from 13,719sq ft (1,274sq m) to 14,155sq ft (1,315sq m) Suites from 5,286 sq ft (491.1 sq m) Panoramic views of Liverpool city centre Solar control glazing VRF Heating and Cooling System Fully accessible raised floors Secure on-site car parking (1:1,000 sq ft) 20% reduction in carbon emissions through intelligent design Stunning double height entrance and reception area
A development by
4 more information
Ian.Steele@gva.co.uk
mark.worthington@cbre.com
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BREEAM “EXCELLENT”
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St Paul’s Square Key events
By Dina Karim dina@movepublishing.co.uk
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Special guest Sir Michael Lyons, English Cities Fund chairman, and the Rt Hon Lord Heseltine opened the award-winning No 4 St Paul’s Square at a prestigious lunch and drinks reception on the spectacular top floor. English Cities Fund, a joint venture between Muse Developments, Legal and General Property and the Homes and Communities Agency, invited the region’s key business figures to the event. The £32m commercial building, which recently won a RICS award for best commercial development in the North West, provides a total of 109,000 sq ft of high quality Grade A office space over eight floors and is the focal point for Liverpool’s Central Business District.
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1. Matt Crompton, Phil Mayall (both from Muse Developments) and Mark Worthington (CBRE). 2. Philip Shopland-Reed (CBRE), Neil Kirkham (Hitchcock Wright & Partners) and Jonathan Lowe (GVA). 3. David Swafield (Hill Dickinson) and Robert Woods (CBRE). 4. Rt Hon Lord Heseltine with guests outside No 4 St Paul’s Square. 5. Nick Rice (CBRE) and Chris Connor (Mason Owen). 6. String quartet provides the music. 7. Guy Wallis (DWF), David Sayer (GVA) and Stuart Keppie (Keppie Massie). 8. Members of the Roy Castle Foundation. 9. Philip Shopland-Reed and Tim Garnett (both from CBRE). 10. Jonathan Ashcroft, Mike Homer (both from Muse Developments) and Simon Reynolds (GVA). 11. Prina Shah (CBRE), Adam Robson (DJ Deloitte) and Siobhan Fraser (CBRE). 12. Matt Crompton (Muse Developments), Sir Michael Lyons (English Cities Fund) and Darren Lawless (Muse Developments).
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By Emma Pinch emma@movepublishing.co.uk
How is the North West cashing in on the 2012 Olympic Games? Move Commercial finds out.
North West Businesses Go For Gold
t’s not widely known, but Liverpool was the very first host of the modern Olympic Games. Thirty years before the Olympic Games were revived in Athens in 1896 the torch was figuratively speaking – carried to the city by an enterprising pair of gym enthusiasts. Keen to revive the noble pursuit of athletic perfection, on June 14 1862 at Mount Vernon Parade a Mr John Hully and Mr Charles Melly - an ancestor of jazz musician George – put on the 1st Grand Olympic Festival. Featuring running, long jump, high jump, boxing, wrestling, fencing and a host of other modern Games-style disciplines, it drew in 10,000 viewers and athletes. Fast forward to 2012, exactly 150 years on from their magnificent endeavour, and most of
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the Olympic action has moved 200 miles South and East. But the North West is still poised to snaffle gold – gold in the form of Olympic-sized business contracts and tourism opportunities. According to the North West Development Agency (NWDA) local businesses have netted contracts to the value of more than £100 million from the £6billion worth tendered nationwide to put on the Games, while untold millions more are expected to flow in through related tourism. And the story doesn’t end with 2012. A study by Lloyds TSB estimates that Britain will bask in an Olympic Games afterglow worth £21 billion, with £4.4 billion of that pouring out into the North West. But where are the opportunities and who is cashing in? Move Commercial finds out.
COMPETITION FOR CONTRACTS To date some 251 companies in the North West have secured 421 Gamesrelated contracts. The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), the public body responsible for construction of London’s Olympic Park, tendered three types of contract. Tier One involved the main contracters who provided infrastructure, and Tier Two and Three and beyond relate to subcontractors and suppliers. Businesses in the North West who have so far scooped contracts – many of them Tier One – are overwhelmingly construction-related, providing the likes of pilings, heavy plant and pre-cast concrete. But they also ran to less obvious beneficiaries like travel agencies and economic consultants. The ODA is cagey about giving information that could engender
regional comparisons over who got what, but Rob Young, North West Coordinator for the 2012 Olympic Games, said the region had done well out of the tendering process. Indeed a map of suppliers on the ODA website, which is not exact but which is proportionate, shows the region to be well represented by businesses who won contracts. “The business response was very good,” said Rob. who with the NWDA advised businesses on the tendering process for Olympics contracts. “Around 9,000 businesses competed, which was well over what we were expecting. Not everyone got the contract but they competed. “Compared with the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002 when just £22 million of North West business was won, I think the business story is
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Olympics Focus very positive.” Contracts currently out to tender are listed on the CompeteFor website, an online database connecting suppliers and businesses. Go to www.nwbeinspired.com for the link.
CULTURAL CASH
TORCH OPPORTUNITIES The real opportunity for the Liverpool visitor industry is when the Olympic Torch relay arrives in Liverpool on Friday June 1, according to Pam Wilsher The Mersey Partnership’s Head of Visitor Economy Development. As the Monday immediately following it is an extra bank holiday for the Queen’s Jubilee, tourism chiefs hope to tempt city visitors to stay for the whole weekend. “It will be a weekend full of celebration,” said Pam. “We are lucky enough to be one of the places having the torch overnight so in the evening there will be a torch relay show put on by the sponsors. We’ve been speaking to some of the hotels and they’re planning to really get behind the weekend. “The route isn’t published until November but it’s certain the Waterfront will be showcased and it may well be coming across on the Ferry. It will be a photo opportunity to show Liverpool off to the world.”
Anthony McCall, 'Column' Project
A major 2012 public art installation is under construction at Wirral Waters on Birkenhead to aid regeneration in the area. Column, by renowned installation artist Anthony McCall, will be a milehigh corkscrewing spire of water vapour, visible from 100km away on a clear day. It is due to be unveiled on December 31 this year. Choosing to commission the £500,000 work as part of the Cultural Olympiad, the Arts Council panel commented it would “contribute to regeneration of the area” and “attract audiences far and
wide”. It is hoped that Column, which is higher than Blackpool Tower, will enjoy a public profile as high as the Angel of the North. A host of cultural events and festivals such as and Cumbria’s fouryear Lakes Alive festival are being partly sponsored by 2012 funds. “Around £24 million has flowed in from major events driven through 2012 like the Great North Swim on Windermere, which started with 2,000 participants and at last count brought 10,000 to it,” said Rob Young.
CASE STUDIES: AND THE WINNERS WERE... Bolton-based Watson Steel Structures were one of the big business winners. They won contracts to provide structural steelwork for the 80,000 seater 2012 Olympic Stadium at the 500-acre Olympic Park site in Stratford and more recently for the looping, 115metre high ArcelorMittal Orbit observation tower at the site. The former was one of the biggest contracts the company had ever signed. Peter Emerson, the company’s managing director, said the deal was good news for the firm's suppliers in Bolton, across Greater Manchester and beyond. “It's great for the company and puts us on a world stage,” he said. Professional Services also won gold. Economists at Amion Consulting, based in Union Street in Liverpool, were recruited to carry out a study into the regenerative impact of the Olympics on the area round the site, the five London boroughs and the UK as a whole. The study took around eight months to complete and is due to be published soon. “We were commissioned by the Department for Communities and Local Government to develop an evaluation framework and assess the regenerative legacy of the Olympics,” said director
Graham Russell. “It considered potential benefits in terms of place and environment, skills and economy, and
sports and health.” He said the assignment helped underline the 11year-old firm’s national credibility.
Observation Tower
HOSTING SPECTATORS AND ATHLETES
Pam Wilsher
Up to 750,000 spectators are expected to make their way to Old Trafford for the nine Olympic football games which will take place in July, and both Liverpool and Manchester will be positioning themselves as the places to stay and be entertained in. In the run up to the Games, 20 different nations are heading this way to use the region’s 68 designated Olympic training camp venues and 25 Paralympic sites. They include Swim Australia, basing themselves at the Manchester Aquatic
Centre, Fiji’s swimmers training at Wavertree Sports Centre’s 50-metre pool, the Romanian Paralympic tennis team practicing at Knowsley, and the Vanuatu Beach Volleyball team acclimatising in Crewe - all of whom will be adding to the region’s coffers. Tourism chiefs will pitch a campaign to tempt London-based Games spectators to the region during and immediately after the Games, and to even Londoners longing for a break. “London is the honey pot, but
we are likely to get some international visitors coming up for the weekend,” said Pam Wilsher, TMP’s Head of Visitor Economy Development. “We are pushing forward Liverpool events into the 2012 calendar and we might just about get in the Biennial in at the end of the Paralympic Games. And we know that 22,000 non Games accredited members of the media are coming to the UK who will cover all different aspects of life in the UK, including we hope, the North West.” MOVE COMMERCIAL 37
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By Dina Karim dina@movepublishing.co.uk
Globally the UK stands in a strong position, between Asia and the US, to become an international creative hub. Regionally, the North West, on the back of MediaCityUK, could easily become the ‘Silicon Valley’ of the UK attracting investment and innovation to the region. The creative and digital regional sector already contributes £16 billion to the UK economy each year.
The UK's Silicon Valley The UK has the largest creative industries sector in the EU, with the North West standing as Europe’s largest media hub. Move Commercial looks at the gaming and digital business in the North West, and the problems faced by the SMEs and the hubs created to help drive forward innovation in the area. THE DIGITAL BUSINESS The UK has the largest creative and digital industries sector in the EU. The incredible growth of the sector has been hugely impressive – increasing at twice the rate of the wider UK economy since the mid-1990s. The digital industry includes a vast array of businesses from companies developing cloud computing to digital production companies creating content for TV, online, mobile and social media. Liverpool Vision is at the forefront of helping the digital businesses in Liverpool. It supports a number of digital and software development companies such as Qire, which works in the Interactive Voice Messaging arena. The IVM software service can make and receive phone calls interacting with callers by understanding what callers say and by talking to callers in a natural human, or human-like voice. Last year the company was offered a multi-million pound buy-out from a US company but turned the offer down preferring to continue their software development in Liverpool. Liverpool Vision’s Digital Industry director Steve Smith also runs Software City. It is a programme which provides funding, networking, investment and training opportunities for entrepreneurs and investment in the digital and creative sectors while showcasing Liverpool and the wider region as internationally significant in this key sector. Steve Smith said: “As high quality 40 MOVE COMMERCIAL
companies come out of recession and early stage companies look to establish a foothold we must do all we can to get them here, sell the city as innovative, creative with a ready source of venture capital.” Proof of Liverpool’s international importance in the global digital sector comes from Google, who in its first initiative of this kind will kick off three months of free business workshops and events across Liverpool in September. The project aims to boost the area’s online economy, with the goal of providing face-to-face help for 1,500 local businesses. A member of Google’s developer relations team will also spend two days a week in Liverpool in the new technology hub, DoES Liverpool on Hanover Street, in a bid to work more closely with software developers and electronic engineers across the North West. Despite a thriving local business community, Liverpool lags behind many rival cities in its use of the Internet for business, including Manchester, London, Leeds and Bristol. Raja Saggi, head of small business initiatives at Google UK, said: “This is the first time we have ever run a series of events aimed at helping one city, and we’ll be working hard with our partners to make a real difference to Liverpool’s internet economy over the coming months. With Liverpool’s strong business networks and sense of community, we believe this is the best city to run such an initiative.” THE GAMES BUSINESS Although computer games developers and companies may not be a household name, the products they turn out are. From WipEout to MotorStorm Apocalypse they are on the shelves of most households. The UK has the biggest developer base of computer games in Europe, with the sector characterised by small businesses responding quickly to changing
technologies and market developments. Liverpool is a focal point for Europe’s games industry generating a £300 million turnover. The biggest games developer in the North West by far is Sony, who own Sony Computer Entertainment’s Studio Liverpool, a video game development house based at Wavertree Technology Park in Liverpool, and Evolution Studios in Runcorn. Studio Liverpool, SCE’s European headquarters for games testing, is best known for the WipEout series of futuristic racing games, with the first instalment released on the original PlayStation in 1995. Sony bought Evolution Studios, founded in 1999 by a team of simulation specialists, in 2007. They created MotorStorm for PlayStation 3 in 2006, which has sold millions across the world. The city was also the home of the hugely successful video game developer Bizarre Creations, however due to better tax incentives, its parent company Activision moved operations to Canada earlier this year leaving over 200 people without a job. Instead of resulting in an immediate brain drain, most of the former employees chose to stay in Liverpool, setting up an assortment of games companies. One of the companies to successfully rise from the ashes is developer Lucid Games, whose staff have previously worked on Geometry Wars, the Project Gotham Racing series, Blur and James Bond 007: Blood Stone at Bizarre Creations. Based at Elevator Studios, within the Baltic Triangle, which contains a large number of SMEs in the creative and digital industries, they currently employ 20 people and plan to double that number by Christmas. Pete Wallace, a former Bizarre Creations senior manager and Lucid Games managing director, said: “After
Bizarre Creations closed 250 jobs were lost and people were committed to working in Liverpool, therefore it was
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Gaming Industry Update
n
appropriate to keep the same location. We’ve received some financial support from Liverpool Vision’s Steve Smith (Digital Industry Director) which was essential.” Lucid Games have recently been working with OnLive, based in Paolo Alto, California, on small technical projects such as porting games. This is when games are made usable in different devices such as converting an arcade version for use on console. Another company set up after working for the big players is Catalyst Outsourcing, based at Liverpool Innovation Park. Headed up by games veteran Ivan Davies, who's worked for the likes of Infogrames, Warthog and Sony, Catalyst manages the outsourcing requirements of some of the highest profile games released.
Games from their wide-ranging portfolio include Brink, Blur, James Bond 007: Bloodstone and Driver: San Francisco. Ivan Davies, production director, commented: “Liverpool is our home town and has a long history of video game development and publishing. We decided to set up here to keep this tradition going and support new talent in the city and the North West area. And besides, there aren't many places where you can go and see five European Cups in your lunchtime.” The industry is such a big money generator high profile business people have joined forces with the fledgling games companies. Social games publisher We R Interactive is just one to benefit from this relationship; they recently announced the appointment
of Christian Purslow, former managing director of Liverpool FC, to the role of non-executive independent director. “We R Interactive is taking social gaming to another level with a fresh and truly innovative user experience,” he said. “Its first game, I AM PLAYR, allowing you to experience the life of a footballer through the eyes of a footballer, is proving to be a massive success already and I’m thrilled to be getting involved with We R Interactive as this now proven model is rolled out to new product genres.” THE POLITICS TIGA, the trade association representing the UK games industry, said this month that UK high technology businesses were at risk of a brain drain and skill shortages,
compounded by the existence of tax breaks in other countries. This follows a report by Zurich Insurance, which revealed that 57 per cent of the UK’s mid-sized technology companies feel that they are at risk from losing skilled employees. Richard Wilson, TIGA CEO, said: “The UK video games industry is suffering from a brain drain fuelled in part by Canadian tax breaks. The UK games industry is at a competitive disadvantage. Canada and other key competitors have tax breaks for games production while the UK does not. The Coalition Government must wake from its slumber. If the Coalition Government wants to see a thriving video games sector then it must look again at TIGA's proposal for a tax break for games production.”
MOVE COMMERCIAL 41
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Gaming Industry Update THE HUBS The North West is home to a number of creative and digital industry innovation hubs, promoting excellence in research and development as well as top of the range technical capabilities. MediaCityUK
MediaCityUK at Salford Quays is one of only a handful of new media cities in the world and is considered by many the catalyst in establishing the North West as a global player in the digital industry and expected to generate £1 billion to the UK economy in the next five years. The high capacity network has been developed to cater for the bandwidthhungry requirements of the media industry, offering some of the UK’s fastest data and file transfer speeds and capable of delivering speeds of up to 10 Gb. Its ‘future-proofed’ system ensures that it is prepared for growth in traditional and new media content. It also ensures that MediaCityUK is geared up to attract a wide range of digital and creative businesses, across the media spectrum. Within MediaCityUK is The Pie factory, a thriving production base, and the Greenhouse. Offering flexible office space for small creative businesses, The Greenhouse is spaced over three floors and is neighbour to The Pie Factory and the University of Salford. Creative visual communications consultancy Andrassy Media is the latest new media business to relocate to The Greenhouse. David Andrassy, director of Andrassy Media, said: "We decided to move to MediaCityUK as it promises to become a regional hub for creative activity and a great place to develop stimulating partnerships. Our clients come to us because we enable them to communicate persuasively and effectively with their audience."
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Liverpool Innovation Park (LIP) LIP, based off Edge Lane, is a significant hub in the city region’s knowledge economy as it offers essential expansion space for knowledgeintensive companies. Currently home to over 80 businesses, LIP offers companies access to high quality digital
infrastructure, significant power availability, local research excellence and human capital, extensive links to business and innovation support and a secure environment with excellent
transport links. Well-established games company Spiral House moved into Liverpool Innovation Park three years ago and has recently taken an additional 30 per cent office space. Kevin Oxland, managing director of Spiral House, said: “Liverpool Innovation Park has all of the necessary ingredients to support a 21st century company; cutting-edge digital infrastructure, a professional environment, the flexibility and space to expand, good transport links, and what’s more there’s a great community where businesses can collaborate and support each other.” LIP is owned and operated by Space North West, a joint venture between Ashtenne Industrial Fund and the North West Development Agency.
In April, the national Technology Strategy Board gave its backing to the £1 million FibreNet project to kick-start the transformation of Liverpool's digital infrastructure. Led by AIMES Grid Services and supported by 2020 Liverpool, Virgin Media Business and Global Crossing, the FibreNet project will link strategic sites across the city, providing businesses with high speed internet connectivity and creating a ‘digital testbed’ which will enable companies to trial new applications and services. FibreNet will connect businesses to new data centre resources at Liverpool Innovation Park and eventually pave the way for the creation of a new internet exchange point. Liverpool Science Park (LSP) Liverpool Science Park, based on Mount Pleasant, has been a success since its launch in January 2006 demonstrating the city's potential as a world-class centre for knowledge enterprise and confirms LSP’s role in redeveloping the city's wealth and knowledge based economy. The purpose of LSP is to provide a home for developing science and knowledge based companies by offering a combined package of first-class accommodation, business support, and links to the region's specialist experts. Forensic investigation practice Afentis Forensics is the latest company to take up residence at LSP. Afentis Forensics is a leading forensic investigation practice whose services have been used in numerous high profile and nationally significant cases. The firm offers a broad range of services including computer and telecommunication analysis, audio-visual exhibit assessments, DNA profiling and firearm studies, and is the only forensic provider that makes its own software. Afentis' managing director Ross Patel said: “Innovation is at the heart of modern forensics - engineering unique solutions to complex evidence. Our move to the innovation centre shows our continued commitment to excellence in the Criminal Justice System.”
Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus Daresbury SIC occupies a strategic position between the major economies of the Liverpool and Manchester City Regions and North Wales. A regular destination for international delegations as well as UK visitors, the campus is a significant gateway, which brings UK and international knowledge, skills and ideas into the city region whilst enabling excellence to be exported across the UK and beyond. The campus is of major significance not
only to the knowledge economy in the city region, but also to the UK’s international competitiveness. Daresbury Science & Innovation Campus is one of only two national science research facilities in the country, and is home to the Daresbury Laboratory and Daresbury Science and Innovation Centre, where more than 100 high tech firms are already based. The recent announcement of Daresbury SIC being appointed an Enterprise Zone will provide a platform to bring "world class science" to the Cheshire facility, according to John Downes, chairman of Daresbury SIC. The proposal promises to reinvest business rates to deliver new specialist office, laboratory and technical space, with the potential to create as many as 10,000 skilled jobs and leverage more than £150m in private sector investment. John Downes, who is also managing director of Langtree, said: “The financial and commercial impact of Enterprise Zone status gives us a unique opportunity to press ahead with improving the infrastructure of the campus and bringing world class science and successful business growth together in one location.”
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MOVE COMMERCIAL 43
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By Dina Karim dina@movepublishing.co.uk
It’s hard not to miss the ubiquitous red and blue Hitchcock Wright & Partners signs draped on buildings across Liverpool, a symbol of regeneration with commercial and retail space changing hands, the badge of a healthy city.
THE RED AND BLUE FLAG In the centre of arguably Liverpool’s most prominent address, Castle Street, with the Town Hall on one end and Liverpool ONE on the other, behind the glass doors of the conspicuous Number 43, is chartered surveyors Hitchcock Wright & Partners. Ticking away on the first floor, after almost 20 years at the same address, the team of surveyors play their part in changing the Liverpool and national cityscape, negotiating with buyers and sellers, renewing leases, conducting property rate appeals and conducting valuations. It is Eric Wright who I meet, one half of the founding fathers of the business, a man so respected in his trade he sits as ‘judge’ on the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors’ panel of Independent Experts and Arbitrators North division. RICS is the world's leading professional body for qualifications and standards in land, property and construction; one of their duties is to provide expert judgement when two parties can’t agree on, for example, rent reviews on leases then the dispute resolution is to apply to the RICS. “It is an acknowledgement by your peers that what you have in expertise is competency, which they respect. It is recognition in the business that you are good at what you do,” says Eric, as we meet at the company’s remodelled offices. It is a recognition well deserved for a man successfully serving the city 44 MOVE COMMERCIAL
for almost four decades, who not only acts as judge using his expertise but also sits in front of judges giving his expert opinion. At a recent high profile case of Miss Sixty, which had gone into receivership, versus Metquarter he was called upon as an expert witness on behalf of the shopping centre. A case they eventually won. Undoubtedly, one of Hitchcock Wright & Partners’ biggest projects at this time is St Modwen’s Project Jennifer, on Great Homer Street, where they’ve been appointed the agents to let the proposed retail space of the shopping centre neighbouring the new Sainsbury’s development. Project Jennifer is a massive regeneration scheme for Everton, completing transforming one of Liverpool’s city centre entrances as well as its downtown supermarket offering. Recently settling the Tesco High Court dispute, St Modwen are now in the middle of acquiring the last pockets of land through Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO) before the scheme can get underway. “This will take our business full circle; when we first started we were involved in CPOs in BarrowIn-Furness, which was one of the first jobs we did for the town centre there. Great Homer Street is an interesting site because if you are in the city centre and want to go to a big supermarket you have to go a
long way. This is a great sign for Sainsbury’s, you could even walk to the supermarket. It’s very easy for people who are going over to the Wirral to go to Sainsbury’s just before turning into the tunnel. Once you get out to Bootle there’s plenty of supermarkets but there aren’t any in the city centre, so it’s an interesting site. It’s an
“
There’s always a lot of change but in Liverpool it’s been a very positive change, and the icing on the cake has been Liverpool ONE.
”
important site for us and a strategic site for Liverpool.” It is not the first major regeneration development Eric has seen: situated in the heart of the commercial district, the business has witnessed the transformation
of Liverpool through the years. Eric first arrived to the city in 1967 to study Estate Management at London College (now LJMU), in the midst of a city going through a cultural revolution with The Beatles spearheading the movement. “If I go back to the early 70s Liverpool has changed enormously in that time. During my business career, there never has been a boom in Liverpool, but I think in the last 10 to 15 years there’s been a gradual change of Liverpool from the inside with people investing in the infrastructure, investing in the town.” Following his degree, he joined H H & J Robinson based at 42 Castle Street where he quickly progressed to partner at the firm heading up the retail department. Working at the same firm as Peter Hitchcock, both were promoted on the same day. After the company was bought by Halifax, in 1987, Eric and Peter felt the new working environment at the company as unsuitable for them. Five years later, in 1992, they both left together to set up Hitchcock Wright & Partners. “I couldn’t think of anyone else to do it with because we knew each other inside out and also he did business space, offices and industrial space, and I did retail - it was a perfect match. “We had the same values of integrity, doing a good day’s work and a strong work ethic, so it was fantastic for me that he wanted to do something together. We started on
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Eric Wright Founding Father
the third floor of this same building, with one secretary and the two of us and it was interesting and exciting. “Castle Street has always been changing; it’s always being dug up. So there’s always a lot of change but in Liverpool it’s been a very positive change, and the icing on the cake has been Liverpool ONE. A client of mine, jeweller David M Robinson, was originally on North John Street, but the store was missing out on footfall. So we moved the shop to the corner of Mathew Street and North John Street to accommodate the changing habits of shoppers. Then Liverpool ONE opened and the pattern changed again so we moved the store into where it is now opposite WH Smith by Debenhams. This is now their flagship store in the city centre.” However, in this economy even a company standing strong for two decades is faced with challenges, with its dependency on the fluid movement of the retail and commercial market. “Running a business is particularly challenging at a time where the commercial property sector is very sensitive. Now we’re in the process of changing; we had larger offices and because of the challenges we face we have now shrunk ourselves into almost the same size of when we started 20 years ago. And that’s because like everybody we are watching our overheads and tightening our belts and doing everything we can to keep the business afloat in challenging times. The market for commercial property has been very slow; we need change, we need people to be moving, we need them to be buying and selling.” If it means shrinking an office to keep a company healthy and avoid job cuts, then Hitchcock Wright & Partners look to be navigating the company into a strong position once the market picks up. However, even with a slower market than say a decade ago, the city (and company) is doing well. Their recent deal with the building on the corner of Exchange Street East and Tithebarn Street is testament. They transformed it from deserted offices to a bustling new Travelodge and bringing a new lease of life to the area.
Wright File DOB: 19 October, 1948. Education: Bachelor of Science degree in Estate Management at Liverpool John Moores University. Career: Partner at H H & J Robinson, Partner at Hitchock Wright & Partners.
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Expert views Ask the panel
Are Private Finance Initiatives (PFIs) a good idea? The House of Commons spending watchdog has claimed the PFI behind the redevelopment of the Royal Liverpool Hospital offers taxpayers poor value for money, potentially jeopardising the future of the redevelopment of the hospital. We asked our panel of experts for their opinion. “It’s pretty widely acknowledged that massive future problems have been created by the explosion in PFI projects that took place under the last government. There are serious issues with high costs, poorly negotiated (only from the taxpayers point of view!) contracts and huge off balance sheet liabilities. Having said all that, if the accounting could be made more transparent, and the risk/reward equation balanced, I don’t believe that there is a problem in principle with this method of funding, especially with public finances as tight as they are. The private sector began tightening its belt two years ago, and renegotiating public contracts may be difficult in the short term, but will benefit us all in the longer term.” Julia Casimo, partner at John Kerr Chartered Accountants
“While there are doubts that PFIs are always the best way of funding projects, the reality is that the city needs a new hospital and at the moment this seems to be the only way that we are going to achieve that. It might not be the most ideal situation but we have to be pragmatic. ” Jack Stopforth, chief executive officer of Liverpool Chamber of Commerce
“The current Royal Liverpool Hospital is way past its sell by date and is literally crumbling away. The city desperately needs a new hospital fit for the 21st century in order to make sure that our residents get the best possible health care. Without PFIs there will be no Royal Liverpool Hospital and it’s the only mechanism we can use for funding. It’s the only way new hospitals are being funded now.” Liverpool City Council Leader Joe Anderson
“
Many PFI contracts are drawn in a way that makes the ongoing maintenance of buildings very expensive.
46 MOVE COMMERCIAL
”
“The use of private finance to fund major public building projects has generally received bad press. It is recognised that raising funding privately is more expensive than the government taking its own borrowings. As the recent Report of the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has stated, very few projects seem to have achieved a genuine transfer of risk. Furthermore, the long term nature of contracts makes it very difficult to adapt buildings as the services housed within them develop. Many PFI contracts are drawn in a way that makes the ongoing maintenance of buildings very expensive. Despite the criticisms of PFI, the government is considering PFI for investment in school buildings and for the CrossRail project. It seems to be arguing that lessons have been learnt and contracts signed will be much more favourable to the taxpayer. Only time will tell.” John Keyes, DTZ’s director of corporate real estate consulting in Manchester
“I’m not an advocate of PFIs, I prefer public funding, but my but my major concern is to ensure the new hospital goes ahead. Any delay at all could increase the project being cut in the new spending cuts. The hospital is crumbling and people in Liverpool deserve top class facilities. The hospital is essential to improve the quality of health care for the people of Liverpool.” Louise Ellman MP for Liverpool Riverside
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