Move Commercial 42

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LIVERPOOL CITY REGION CHESHIRE MANCHESTER

DECEMBER - JANUARY 2015

FREE

MOVE COMMERCIAL The north-west’s guide to property and business

Issue 42

Next Step for Stanley Dock Second phase of transformation starts

Trading Places Creative firms head for business districts

Your Move Property Awards

Flying High Aerial photographers IronBird capture city’s major schemes

www.movecommercial.com

A TRULY UNIQUE HOTEL WITH HISTORY AND CHARACTER

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A TRULY UNIQUE HOTEL WITH HISTORY AND CHARACTER

Almost 500 apartments, bars and shops planned in the Tobacco Warehouse

Coming Soon Preliminary work has commenced on the Tobacco Warehouse.

The Unesco World Heritage site of Stanley Dock has seen a major transformation over the last number of years. The Dock originally comprised of three historic industrial buildings situated to the north and south of the open dock itself. The buildings were constructed to service the tobacco import trade, and in fact the original dock comprised merely of the two smaller buildings, the North and South Warehouses, with a larger expanse of dock between them.

Following a sensitive restoration project over a two year period the North Warehouse has now been transformed into one of Liverpool’s top hotels trading as the Titanic Hotel and Rum Warehouse.

The next phases of the this exciting development will see the transformation of the Tobacco Warehouse once holding the title of the largest brick building in the world into almost 500 luxury apartments.

All enquiries please contact: declanbaxter@harcourthouse.com or patpower@harcourthouse.com

The Titanic Hotel is part of the redevelopment of the historic Stanley Dock complex.

The 153 rooms at Titanic Hotel are all about the space.

Our furnishings are rich and earthy. Our bed linen, is nothing short of wondrous. Each bedroom has the original windows of this incredible building giving vast views over the historic Port of Liverpool.

To book call 0151 559 1444 or visit www.titanichotelliverpool.com The Rum Warehouse is our conference, exhibition and banqueting centre which boasts 1400sqm of exhibition space, seating 1560 delegates over two levels and with capacity for up to 1000 in one space. Floor to ceiling glazing cannot but inspire all who gather here. The technology installed as standard will wow and excite you, including 100mb broadband throughout. In addition a range of boardrooms and breakout spaces are incorporated as are catering facilities and spacious accommodations to match.

Stanley Dock, Regent Road, Liverpool info@titanichotelliverpool.com

0151 559 1444

WWW.TITANICHOTELLIVERPOOL.COM

The Plaza fourth floor: Become part of Liverpool’s skyline We understand how important it is to find workspace that is perfectly situated to meet the needs of you and your business.

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Issue forty two Move Commercial

Contents News 06 Regional round-up 07 Liverpool’s waterfront Wellington Buildings to go under the hammer 08 Corn Exchange attracts 12 restaurant signings 09 Oldham town centre masterplan unveiled 10 Stanley Dock hotel hailed a ‘catalyst’ for surrounding area 11 Further lettings at Liverpool’s Graeme House

Features

22

Welcome to Move Commercial As 2014 comes to a close, what better time to celebrate some of the commercial property industry’s most successful firms and biggest projects from throughout the past year?

In this issue we bring you all the winners and pictures from Merseyside’s prestigious Your Move Property Awards.

Meanwhile, we look to the future in Manchester as our latest group of experts predict what the city’s recently

announced devolution settlement will bring, and our packed news section provides an up-to-date look at some of the key developments and biggest deals around the region.

From entrepreneurs and apprenticeship leaders to the industry’s movers and shakers, our in-depth profiles also once again shine the spotlight on some of the most active names and firms around the region right now.

26

30 move publishing ltd Advertising Director Fiona Barnet. Tel: 0151 709 3871 Advertising Manager Catherine McCarthy. Tel: 0151 709 3871 Editor Christine Toner. Tel: 0151 709 3871 Editorial Team Natasha Young, Stephen Hurrell and Amelia Heathman.

Tel: 0151 709 3871 post@movepublishing.co.uk Design Mark Iddon.

Email: mark@movepublishing.co.uk

40 M

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 Credits: Peter Kelly – Your Move Property Awards, Mover & Shaker, Entrepreneur, Interview.

Liam Deveney - Your Move Property Awards.

Emma Leigh Bassnett - Lunch Date.

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.

14 Bitesize Thinking Food for thought 21 My Month Stuart Keppie, partner at Keppie Massie, looks back at a busy month 22 Entrepreneur Aerial photography firm IronBird captures major development projects 26 Interview Glendale Liverpool’s Peter Cosgrove talks about nurturing talent 30 Your Move Property Awards 2014 Commercial industry celebrated at golden event 38 Trading Places North West creative firms move to commercial districts 40 Mover & Shaker Falconer Chester Hall director, Alastair Shepherd, talks about global expansion 42 Lunch Date Lunch with Holloway Cook 43 Secrets to Success Clearground’s Phil Piercy reveals all 44 Key event Construction Talk networking event 45 Event Planner Forthcoming events around the North West 47 Ask the Panel What will Manchester’s devolution settlement mean for the city?

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Around the region News in brief M6

M65

BLACKPOOL

M65

This issue of Move Commercial brings you up to date on the latest commercial property and business news around the region.

PRESTON BLACKBURN

M65

SOUTHPORT

M6

From regeneration schemes and sales and lettings deals to investments, our packed news section covers the biggest stories from across Merseyside, Cheshire and Greater Manchester.

M61

ROCHDALE

BOLTON ORMSKIRK

SKELMERSDALE WIGAN

OLDHAM

M58

M57 KNOWSLEY

MANCHESTER

M6 ST HELENS

M62

LIVERPOOL STOCKPORT BIRKENHEAD

WARRINGTON

ALTRINCHAM

M53

M6 ELLESMERE PORT

M56 MACCLESFIELD

CHESTER

> MANCHESTER

> OLDHAM

> CHESTER

> LIVERPOOL

Corn Exchange attracts new signings

Council unveils town centre masterplan

Office upgrade set for business park site

Commercial district building up for auction

Historic Manchester building will be home to 12 new restaurants once refurbishment is complete.

Plans to develop new retail units announced.

Prospect GB announces Edward House refurbishment.

Fully-let Customs House provides city centre investment opportunity.

>> Read More on Page 8

>> Read More on Page 9

>> Read More on Page 10

>> Read More on Page 11

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Latest News

Wellington Buildings to go under the hammer A 58,200 sq ft office building overlooking Liverpool’s iconic Three Graces will go up for sale at a December auction in Manchester.

The Wellington Buildings on The Strand is the highlight of the latest Eddisons event, which will see 134 lots go under the hammer at the Premier Inn at Trafford Park.

Located along the city’s UNESCO World Heritage waterfront and generating an annual income of £48,850, the property is expected to attract interest from investors across a host of sectors.

Tony Webber, director and auctioneer at Eddisons, says: “This is an exceptional building with a rich history and is ideally placed to capitalise on

Liverpool’s resurgent commercial and leisure sectors.

“It could suit a variety of uses including residential, hotel or student accommodation, subject to planning.”

Other highlights of the 9 December event include tenanted commercial properties in Old Swan and Leigh with guide prices of £275,000 plus and £775,000 to £825,000 respectively.

Meanwhile an industrial investment priced at £180,000 plus in Dukinfield and a £200,000 plus part-completed commercial development in Manchester will also be up for sale The full catalogue can be viewed at www.eddisons.com/auctions

Bruntwood targets large-scale firms with refurbished space A large office space spanning almost 50,000 sq ft is being brought The Plaza’s fourth floor to the market in Liverpool’s commercial district, following a refurbishment by Bruntwood.

The property firm says it is hoping to attract a national or international business with a major requirement to its new third and fourth floor offering at The Plaza on Old Hall Street.

The building is said to be one of Bruntwood’s “most successful, even during recession,” and is already occupied by firms including Investec, Weightmans, Service Source Europe, Maersk and Bosch.

With the fourth floor providing 23,000 sq ft, and the third floor adding potential for an even larger floor space and roof terrace.

Colin Forshaw, Bruntwood’s head of property in Liverpool, says: “We have refurbished such a large space with the specific aim of appealing to businesses which may have significant accommodation need and appreciate the benefits of being located in such a central location.

“While floors can be split to accommodate smaller requirements quite naturally, we are sure there will be appetite for the entire space and we approach the market with confidence.”

The building is being marketed by CBRE, DTZ and Matthews & Goodman.

Photo: Christian Smith Photography

Expansion makes way for firm’s continued growth

Managing director, Martin Clarke

Wellington Buildings

A five-month renovation project to expand Bootle Glass’ office and factory headquarters is complete, providing space for the company to continue its ongoing growth.

The Merseyside company has trebled the size of its Bankhall Street site to accommodate a spacious open plan area which will enable the business to expand and manufacture aluminium windows and doors, as well as a new studio space for an in-house leade light maker.

Martin Clarke, managing director of the firm which has carried out commercial and conservation projects on sites including The Florence Institute in Liverpool and

Wentworth Castle in South Yorkshire, says: “Our client base has grown significantly and after a recent recruitment drive that expanded the team and included the creation of apprenticeship positions, we wanted to keep operations under one roof.

“The units next door became available and although they needed extensive work, there was never a question of moving somewhere else.

We started out in this area, employ local people and are excited to continue to grow the company and contribute to North Liverpool’s economic engine. We made a conscious effort to stay here, and our new space offers room for growth well into the future.”

Warrington takes centre stage in Atlantic Gateway debate Leading North West experts gathered at Birchwood Park to discuss the Atlantic Gateway project to connect major infrastructure projects across the region.

The event was created by Birchwood Forum and sponsored by Move Commercial among others, featuring presentations by Jonathan Schifferes, senior researcher at the City Growth Commission and Mike Palin, Liverpool Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) executive director, on the importance of urban planning and the Atlantic Gateway scheme respectively.

During his speech, Mike Palin said: “A map of the region shows the importance of Warrington. The motorways, the eastwest and north-south rail connections; Warrington is right in the middle of that.

Atlantic Gateway is not a delivery body but we want to encourage investment, create growth and connect the North West.”

A panel discussion featuring Baron Frankel, Manchester Airports Group’s director of strategy; Dr Karen Russ, AMEC Foster Wheeler senior operations director; and Professor Steven Broomhead, Warrington Borough Council chief executive took place after the speeches to discuss Atlantic Gateway and Warrington’s strategic position in the North West.

Speaking at the event, Broomhead said: “Warrington is the fastest growing economy in the North of England. We have to make sure that’s infectious to business confidence. Investment breeds success and we’re trying to build on that.”

MOVE COMMERCIAL

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News Latest

First international event announced at Exhibition Centre Liverpool

The exhibition centre is expected to be completed in September 2015

Exhibition Centre Liverpool has signed up its first international conference and exhibition, as the European Association for International Education (EAIE) confirms its annual conference in September 2016.

The event is the largest international higher education conference in Europe and will see 5,500 delegates visit the centre over five days. It is estimated the conference could generate as much as £9.4m for the city region’s economy and marks the first confirmed international event at the £66m venue.

Kerrin MacPhie, director of sales of ACC Liverpool, says: “We are delighted to announce this large global event which comes as a result of the relationships we

have been building in the international conference market over the past four years.”

The annual conference has previously been held in Istanbul and Prague, with the later hosting the 2014 event. MacPhie adds: “The event will use all venues within the ACC Liverpool family portfolio - BT Convention Centre, Echo Arena and Exhibition Centre Liverpool - so our entire venue will be utilised for this event. Some delegates will have the opportunity to stay in our new integrated four-star, 216-bedroom Pullman hotel which is part of the new development.”

Over 50 events have been secured for the venue in its first year and work is expected to be completed in September 2015.

Chrysalis Fund invests £2.4m into speculative scheme Work is getting underway on a new speculative grade A warehouse in Knowsley, with the help of a £2.4m boost from the Chrysalis Fund.

Once completed the £6m scheme, by developer Fintan Earley, will provide 110,000 sq ft of space on Hornhouse Lane land at Knowsley Industrial Park.

John Tatham, fund manager of the £39m Chrysalis Fund which launched in 2012 to support commercial regeneration activities in the Liverpool City Region, says: “The fact that the development is speculative shows an increased confidence in the industrial sector and it is anticipated that the scheme will attract occupiers from the automotive, distribution or retail sectors.

“As Liverpool City Region gears up to be the freight and logistics hub for the North with the Liverpool 2 project, SUPERPORT will also drive demand for warehouse and logistics space such as this. This investment illustrates our continued commitment and passion to deliver economic growth and job creation in the Merseyside area.”

In addition to the Chrysalis Fund investment, a £1m European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and a £1.5m Growing Places Fund loan have also been approved to create a full financing package alongside sponsor equity.

Robert Hough, chair of Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has commended the Chrysalis Fund contribution, adding: “This announcement from the Chrysalis Fund is a welcome investment for the city region. The continued development of strategic areas such as Knowsley Industrial Park is an important priority for the LEP, and as such, is an important element of our £232m Growth Deal.”

Corn Exchange attracts 12 restaurant signings Manchester’s Grade II-listed Corn Exchange has announced 12 new restaurants have signed up to take space in the building when a major refurbishment is complete in June 2015.

Individual Restaurants, the company behind Piccolio, will open a restaurant called Eclectric Grill at the venue once the £30m refurbishment by owners Aviva Investors is complete. Other venues include two London-based restaurants opening their first venues outside the capital; Mexican street food specialist Wahaca and Italian restaurant Vapaino.

Manchester-based Byron will open its second burger venue in the city and other confirmed tenants include The Cosy Club, Brazilian Barbeque restaurant Cabana, Vietnamese street food venue Pho and Bar and Kitchen Banyan.

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Salvi’s Deli and Tampopo will move from their current pop-up location in Exchange Square and Pizza Express and Zizzi Ristorantre will also take space at the Corn Exchange.

Simon Green from owners Aviva Property Investors Trust says: "The redevelopment means a brand new offer for the city centre that is focused on great restaurants that simply aren’t available in Manchester currently, providing an environment where the best regional and independent food outlets can flourish in this incredible building – a gastronomic exchange.”

Aviva Investors also plans to announce an operator for the 86-room boutique hotel on the upper floors of the building to complement the restaurant offering.

A major refurbishment is currently underway

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Retail News

The proposed Prince’s Gate site

Oldham town centre masterplan unveiled One of the “most ambitious redevelopments for Oldham town centre since the 1980s” has been unveiled in a new masterplan, which will aim to boost business opportunities in the area.

Oldham Council has launched the Prince’s Gate at Oldham Mumps development, which will seek to capitalise on Metrolink’s arrival and transform the area with new retail space, residential properties and car parking spaces.

It is hoped retail giant Marks & Spencer (M&S) will form a key part of the overall 150,000 sq ft of extra retail space which would be brought to the town through the scheme, following ongoing discussions between the 130year-old chain and the council.

An M&S spokesperson says: “It is our intention to open a clothing, home and food store in the Prince’s Gate at Oldham Mumps development. We hope to progress plans in the near future.”

The store would occupy a 51,000 sq ft space within a proposed new glazed retail development on the area’s current Park and

Ride site, which would provide a focal point of Prince’s Gate at Oldham Mumps. The site, which would include a further 66,000 sq ft of retail space, would also feature a natural wave form roof and around 200 underground parking spaces.

Meanwhile, a further retail unit would also be provided to the west of Prince Street and landowner negotiations and talks with a ‘major supermarket tenant’ for the 10,000 sq ft store are ongoing.

Jim McMahon, Oldham Council leader, says: “This is one of the most ambitious redevelopments for Oldham town centre since the 1980s and will be developed in phases starting onsite in 2015. The next significant phase, including opening the new retail development – and the proposed M&S store – is set for 2017.”

The next steps include the submission of planning applications and a future cabinet report setting out the delivery options and financial analysis.

Manchester city centre

Manchester named retail development hot spot Manchester has been named a ‘development hot spot’ in a report on Europe’s shopping centre floor space announced at MAPIC 2014.

According to DTZ, which released the report at the annual retail property event in Cannes, France, Manchester is on a list of future European development hot spots as nearly 10m sq m of shopping centre floor space will be added to the existing 123m sq m of stock across Europe over the next two years.

While France, Turkey and central and Eastern Europe were named as the most dynamic markets for development, Manchester was one of three British cities included on the list of prime spots for shopping centre floor space.

Magali Marton, head of EMEA research at DTZ, says: “Interestingly, our analysis shows that only 40% of the shopping centres pipeline will take place in Europe’s capitals and main cities with the majority of developments taking outside top tier cities. This trend contrasts sharply with most retailers’ traditional focus on prime location.”

Other cities included in the hot spots list include London, Edinburgh and the Turkish cities of Ankara and Istanbul.

More than 8,300 international participants gathered for MAPIC, which featured three days of exhibitions, conferences and networking events targeting retail property including shopping centres, factory outlets and leisure areas.

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News Development Stanley Dock hotel hailed a ‘catalyst’ for area as next regeneration phase gets underway Liverpool’s Titanic Hotel and Rum Warehouse has acted as a “catalyst for the continued regeneration” of the historic area that surrounds it, according to its developer.

The hotel and event space opened at the city’s Stanley Dock in July this year, after Harcourt Developments carried out a major transformation of the disused mid-19th Century North Warehouse at the site.

The firm has hailed its two-year “sensitive restoration” project a success, having already attracted industry recognition including the Regeneration Award at this year’s Your Move Property Awards.

The Rum Warehouse conference and banqueting hall, which accompanies the 153-room hotel and spa,

Office upgrade announced for Chester Business Park site A new 11,500 sq ft office space will be created at Chester Business Park, as Prospect GB has announced a full refurbishment of Edward House.

Work will get underway in the new year to carry out a high-specification upgrade of the two-storey building, situated within the Kingsfield Court complex.

With the offices expected to be ready for occupation in the first quarter of 2015, Prospect GB is hoping the refurbishment will repeat the success of its previous upgrade of Montell House, at the same site.

Chris Walker, head of the company’s commercial division, says: “This time last year we completed the refurbishment of circa 10,000 square feet of business space within our Montell House building, located in the same complex – that project was highly successful and we expect Edward House to attract a similar level of interest.

“As well as being refurbished to an extremely high standard with air conditioning, raised floors and highspeed broadband, the offices will benefit from 24-hour business park security and a barrier-controlled car park with a generous allocation of space.”

For further information about Edward House, contact Prospect GB on 0151 448 5720 or Legat Owen on 01244 408200.

(L-R) Stephen Wade of Legat Owen with Chris Walker and Neil Waddington from Prospect GB) and Will Sadler, also from Legat Owen.

10 MOVE COMMERCIAL

has played a part in attracting members of the business community to the northern dockland area of Liverpool, as it provided a prominent venue for the International Festival for Business (IFB) in the city earlier this year along with other further events.

A spokesperson for Harcourt Developments says: “The successful completion of Titanic Hotel and Rum Warehouse has acted as a catalyst for the continued regeneration of this historic part of Liverpool and in turn it has been retained for the benefit of future generations.”

Work is now getting underway on the next phase of its Stanley Dock regeneration scheme, which will see it transform the adjacent Tobacco Warehouse – once the largest brick building in the world – into luxury apartments.

Harcourt Developments’ Titanic Hotel and Rum Warehouse

Contractor appointed for second phase of £11.9m theatre scheme Mellwood Construction Ltd will carry out the next stage of Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre renovation, the venue has announced.

Following a “lengthy tender process”, the Royal Court Liverpool Trust – the charity which acts as the custodian of the city centre entertainment space – has selected the Liverpool firm to deliver its vision for the new front of house and downstairs studio areas.

This £2.8m phase of the overall £11.9m project, known as ‘Act II’, will see a glass extension built on to the front of the building, new bars and toilets for the stalls foyer and circle levels, a lift to all floors and the development of the downstairs bar into a performance space. It is expected to be

completed by July 2015.

The theatre will remain open while Mellwood Construction, which has experience of working around the public on school and hospital projects, gets the development underway.

Gillian Miller, chief executive of The Royal Court Liverpool Trust, says: “I think that people will be really excited by this phase.

The building will look so different from outside which will get across the message that things are changing and improving at The Royal Court.”

The £1.2m ‘Act I’ stage of the renovation took place in 2012, two further phases are still to come as part of the process to completely modernise the building over the next few years.

Building firm to be chosen for Chester bus interchange Cheshire West & Chester Council has agreed to appoint a design and build contractor that will bring forward the £300m Northgate development by two months.

The recommendations to appoint a design and build contractor for the new bus interchange before planning, as well as confirmation of Local Growth funding, have been approved by the council’s executive in order to make Princess Street ready for the ambitious mixed-use Northgate development.

Councillor Lynda Jones, executive member for growth and innovation, says: ‘“It does mean a brief period where council funds are being invested at risk, but starting procurement at this

stage will yield benefits of about two months in the programme of completing the interchange and free up the Princess Street site for the commencement of works on the Northgate scheme.”

A total of £262,000 has been spent on design work and technical studies and the procurement will release a further £767,000 to progress the scheme. An application will be determined by the strategic planning committee on 16 December and, if successful, work will begin in summer 2015.

The interchange has been described as a ‘key enabling project’ for the Northgate scheme, which comprises leisure, retail and offices.

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Sales & Lettings News

Photo: McCoy Wynne

Two sign up at Graeme House

Graeme House Graeme House

Recruitment company Reed will take 10,091 sq ft across four offices at Graeme House in Liverpool, developer Downing has announced.

The firm has moved from another Downing-owned property, Victoria House, and will take space across the first and second floors of the building once the fit-out is complete.

Robin Ellis, senior agency surveyor at Downing, says: “We’re very pleased to welcome Reed to Graeme House.

Reed is a long-standing tenant at Victoria House and it’s a pleasure to be continuing our relationship with the company and be able to provide the team with a new custom-created space into which they’ll be able to seamlessly expand.”

A second tenant, The Training Business Ltd, has taken 400 sq ft in one of the flexible office suites at Graeme House. The announcement comes at Downing begins work on two vacant wings at Graeme House to convert it into flexible offices ranging from 170 sq ft to 3,600 sq ft. The suites will be offered with inclusive monthly rents and short form leases.

Ellis adds: “Graeme House is in a fantastic central location and is rapidly becoming a hub of training, skills and recruitment specialists in the city. It’s great to see this concentration of businesses forming a nucleus of expertise which people can tap into and benefit from, and Reed’s arrival will bolster the expertise on offer.”

Customs House up for auction at December event

Customs House

A commercial investment opportunity within Liverpool’s business district will go up for auction in December.

Customs House, a Grade II listed fully let fourstorey building on Union Street, is among the 68 lots which will go under the hammer at Sutton Kersh’s final auction of 2014. It produces an annual rental income of £22,120 and has a guide price of

£175,000 plus.

Meanwhile, other commercial opportunities at the 11 December sale, taking place at the Liverpool City Centre Marriott Hotel, include The Gateway Hotel in Bootle.

The freehold mixed use property on Rimrose Road comprises a ground floor public house and 19 bedrooms to the upper floors, together producing a gross annual income of more than £100,000.

The property has been given a guide price of £200,000 plus.

Elsewhere, a part-let leasehold retail parade investment in Widnes currently generating £45,350 per annum is guided at £90,000 plus, and has the potential to provide an increased rental income in the region of £59,750 when fully let.

Vacant commercial opportunities include a two storey building in Wigan. Plus a vacant two-storey building on Liverpool Road, Wigan is described as being ‘suitable for a range of potential uses’, subject to planning and is up for sale with a guide price of £130,000 plus.

The full catalogue is available to view online at www.suttonkersh.co.uk/auctions-property.

Express Gifts signs 10-year deal on Widnes distribution centre Express Gifts Limited, one of the UK’s largest direct mail order businesses, has agreed a 10-year lease for Widnes distribution facility The Bear The Bear is a 105,000 sq ft, secondhand distribution facility which is fully fitted out, including racking, and was previous let to outdoor clothing retailer, Gelert. As Gelert was bought out of administration by Sports Direct Group and its distribution operations were relocated to Wigan, the property was left vacant.

However Manchester headquartered Express Gifts, part of the Findel Group, has taken on the building as part of a property consolidation exercise from a number of different other sites in the North West.

Jon Thorne of B8 Real Estate, who acted for the landlord Threadneedle, has described the deal as an “encouraging sign of occupier demand” in the North West logistics market as the property was vacant for less than six months.

He adds: “The Express Gifts requirement started specifically in the Manchester area but was widened to a North West search area given the lack of any suitable options around Manchester. This again shows how occupiers are prepared to widen their search areas when they have warehouse requirements given the lack of suitable buildings that are available to them in the market”.

Davies Harrison acted for the tenant, Express Gifts.

The Bear

MOVE COMMERCIAL 11

p01-16_Move Commercial 24/11/2014 13:52 Page 12

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neil.kirkham@cbre.com

p01-16_Move Commercial 24/11/2014 13:52 Page 13

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p01-16_Move Commercial 24/11/2014 16:34 Page 14

Bitesize thinking

Julien Kenny-Levick director, industrial and logistics at the North West office of Colliers International

In my crystal ball...

Certainly the lack of quality stock will continue to effect end users negatively with real shortages now evident in all but the sub-10,000 sq ft size ranges. Indeed, there are presently a number of unsatisfied requirements out in the market with the likes of Missguided, Boohoo and JD Wetherspoon all actively seeking grade A space. It remains to be seen whether these companies will consider the design and build route to procuring a facility if no credible alternative exists or whether their planned expansion will simply have to be shelved - something that cannot be good for the wider North West economy.

However, 2015 will be different to the preceding eight years - we are guaranteed to see the return of speculative development! The likes of Wilson Bowden, Canmoor and Marshall CPD are all racing to be the first on site with regionally significant schemes.

We will continue to see retailers downsize their store sizes in favour of warehouse facilities to cater for online deliveries but these facilities will also need to evolve with more satellite or spoke locations in larger demographic areas. This will allow online retailers to service customers ‘same day’ and not the outdated ‘next day’.

If only I’d known…

A large amount of the development activity in the logistics sector in the North West has been as a result of the internet retailers. No one would have predicted the growth in online sales that we are witnessing now nor would we have predicted that the type of facilities that were "standard" for most warehouse and distribution operations would in fact not suit this new breed of occupier. Internet logistics require bespoke properties with very low site cover and quite complex internal layouts. This model is still evolving with new "picking" models -"goods to person" automation with faster turnaround-next day delivery is now old fashioned, same day is the new norm.

If we could have predicted this, speculative development would have made some developers a lot of money - although convincing the banks to fund such ventures would have been impossible a few years ago.

My favourite building with...

Chris Brown director, Marketing Liverpool

Everyman, Liverpool Had you asked me a year ago, I probably would have gone for an old building – something with decades of history like the Royal Liver Building or, back in Glasgow, the Mackintosh building. However, as it is in late 2014, I would have to say my favourite building is a completely new addition; Liverpool’s Everyman theatre on Hope Street.

Like many people, I saw it gradually being built and was impressed by the façade. But it was the first time I went in, at the start of the year, that I was truly won over.

Building something for a theatre with a history as rich as the Everyman’s is not easy, yet by being unabashedly bold and innovative the theatre retains the spirit of the old and is an immediate classic, in an area that is already very familiar with great buildings.

14 MOVE COMMERCIAL

“The theatre retains the spirit of the old and is an immediate classic.”

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Bitesize thinking

Charles Millett partner, head of employment and HR team, Morecrofts

Curriculum VITAE Main duties:

I run the employment and HR team at Morecrofts and also lead a separate arm of the business, Morecrofts HR & Business Services, helping companies large and small to manage their employees.

Education:

Lancaster Royal Grammar School, University of Kent, University of Copenhagen and the College of Law, York.

First job:

Trainee at a solicitors firm in Hertfordshire.

Shortest job:

I worked at a bar for a few months during university.

What’s the secret to your success?

Combining a friendly approach with a determination to achieve the best outcome.

What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve ever received?

Don’t tell the client they can’t do something they need to do, find them the best way to achieve what they are seeking.

What advice would you give to somebody starting out in the industry?

Appreciate that the profession has changed drastically in the past 10 years and don’t expect work just to fall on your desk without making the effort to go out and get it.

What makes Morecrofts different?

Our people. We frequently hear feedback from our clients that they like the professional, personable and approachable manner of the people they deal with at Morecrofts. We do not believe in passing clients from pillar to post. We would like to think that our clients trust us to deliver a level of service in the manner they’re used to.

Tell us about Morecrofts plans for the next 12 months:

We are shortly relocating our headquarters a short distance to Cotton Yard on Old Hall Street in Liverpool. We are seeking to further expand our commercial client base, including our portfolio of business clients for whom we provide employment and HR advice on annual fixed fee retainers.

Tweet all about it The 5 best commercial tweets

1 2 3 4 5

@KnowsleyUK The Local Growth Deal will create 15,000 jobs, build 16,000 homes & generate £30m in spending. @UoMGraphene We have partnered with @NPL (National Physical Laboratory) to develop much needed standardisation for #graphene. @SeadrillLtd We’ve chosen Liverpool for our international service centre & will create almost 100 jobs. @Cycling_Guru North West England a heatmap of activity, esp Liverpool. Hard to understand why UK gov (esp. HS2, HS3) overlooks this. @hitchcockwright So proud to have been named Best Commercial Agent at such a prestigious event. What a great night! #YMPA14

Commercial

STATS

22,765 sq ft The size of the Grade A office space taken by Ticketmaster UK Ltd at the newly refurbished Sevendale House in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

The firm has signed a 10-year lease for the space over two floors, becoming the first commercial tenant at the site.

£300m The value of investment and export sales expected to be achieved as a result of this year’s International Festival for Business (IFB), according to an evaluation report of the 50-day event. The total comes as 1,400 companies have secured or expect export sales totalling £100m, and 350 firms expect to sign investment deals worth £200m.

£50m

The cost of the major Barons Quay development in Northwich, Cheshire. Building work, being carried out by Balfour Beatty, recently got underway on the town centre retail and leisure scheme which is due to be completed in 2016.

2016

St. Modwen’s £150m North Liverpool regeneration scheme, Project Jennifer is due to be completed in the summer of this year. A ground-breaking ceremony marked the start of work in November, and once complete it will feature a 110,000 sq ft Sainsbury’s supermarket, 80,000 sq ft of retail and new homes, along with road improvements and the new recently opened ‘Greaty’ market.

£76.3m The total economic benefit The Open brought to the Wirral Council area and the wider North West when it was held at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake this summer. That’s according to independent research into the event’s impact commissioned by The R&A, golf’s governing body.

2,873 sq ft The size of a new McDonalds restaurant which is set to be built at Manchester Fort, as part of a £1.3m redevelopment project. The expansion of the 325,000 sq ft retail park, one of the largest in the North West, is being project managed by JLL in Manchester and will also include a car park.

p01-16_Move Commercial 24/11/2014 13:52 Page 16

Appointments

Growth for Brabners team

Hannah Bradley, Raana Afsarpour and Mark Brandwood

Two solicitors have been appointed to Brabners’ Manchester-based commercial litigation team as the law firm continues to grow.

Hannah Bradley, who joins the firm from Fieldings Porter, brings a broad range of commercial experience, having represented clients in breach of contract claims, negligence claims, property disputes and contentious probate claims.

Fellow newcomer Raana Afsarpour will deal with breach of contract claims, landlord and tenant disputes, shareholder and director disputes and breach of warranty claims.

Mark Brandwood, managing partner at Brabners, says: “It’s a measure of the skill and success of our litigation team that we are continuing to expand in this area. These new appointments show that as a firm we continue to build up our presence in Manchester and grow as a business.”

Experienced planner joins Pavis board

Duncan Shimmin

Liverpool-based Pavis Financial Management has appointed a new director, as it continues to move forward with “ambitious

growth plans”.

Duncan Shimmin joins the board of the firm alongside managing director Bob Newton and fellow directors Julie Calvert and Quentin McCormick.

With Shimmin's arrival confirmed, Pavis is on course to further boost its funds under management to beyond £150m and is taking steps to increase staff numbers and office space as a result of that growth.

Shimmin says: “I have spent more than 30 years in the financial services sector and Pavis has long been on my radar as a firm that always offers bespoke advice and deserves to be recognised among the higher echelons of our industry.

“I hope that my arrival will help the existing board move forward with their ambitious growth plans and I can’t wait to join the team.”

16 MOVE COMMERCIAL

ISG appoints new northern director Construction firm ISG has appointed a new northern regional managing director.

Danny Murray Danny Murray will be based in the company’s Manchester office and brings 30 years’ construction industry experience, having worked in senior roles with national main contractor organisations.

Murray will oversee ISG’s operations across Manchester, Liverpool, Bradford and Leeds office bases; building upon existing customer relationships, spearheading the drive to secure additional framework appointments and further developing the company’s pipeline of high quality future opportunities.

He says: “ISG has a strong presence in the north of England and I’m delighted to be joining an organisation entrusted to deliver so many high profile and regionally significant projects.”

Mullenger to take helm at ES Group’s Manchester office Property and asset consultancy, ES Group has appointed a new director to head up its Manchester office.

Stephanie Mullenger Stephanie Mullenger will lead the city’s practice in the firm’s wider business strategy to enhance its service to owners, occupiers and investors through ES Group’s property advisory services.

Joining ES Group from her own consultancy, Mullenger has also previously held positions including managing director at MAG Property, agency director at Colliers International, managing director at Urban Splash and national roles at National Australia Bank and the Co-operative.

ES Group’s senior partner, Nick Boyd, says: “Appointing someone of Stephanie’s calibre and reputation to this role is a great boost to our Manchester office and the firm as a whole. The appointment reflects our commitment to growing our property advisory services offer and the ambition that we have for that division and our presence in the North West.”

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 17

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p17-34_Move Commercial 24/11/2014 13:54 Page 19

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p17-34_Move Commercial 24/11/2014 13:54 Page 20

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my month MC42.qxp_x 24/11/2014 13:26 Page 1

My Month Stuart Keppie, partner, Keppie Massie The past month has been one of the busiest so far in terms of commercial activity, according to Stuart Keppie. The market has seemingly “woken up” after the summer bringing more activity on the occupational and investor front than has been experienced earlier in the year. We caught up with the Liverpoolbased property expert to find out about some of his biggest developments and achievements in recent weeks and his outlook for the month ahead.

My goal at the start of the month was...

To capitalise on the re-invigorated activity in the market and move forward on as many of our instructions as possible, both in Liverpool city centre and in the out of town office and industrial market, for lettings and sales. I was also aiming to secure premises for a number of new occupational acquisitions which have arisen since

the summer. On the residential side, the objective was to promote our considerable services in the field and seek out opportunities to replenish the depleted letting stock, particularly in the city centre, following the highest level of activity that we can recall in the student market.

My biggest achievement was...

My biggest challenge was...

Capturing a significant industrial sale instruction at Orion Trade Centre in Trafford Park as well as securing instructions on a handful of new office and industrial acquisitions for occupation. It was also satisfying to have seen the sale of a residential apartment block on our books and finalising the arrangements for the management of a mixed

From a business perspective, persuading two independent occupational clients to jointly acquire an office building within the Merseyside area and, on a separate instruction, attempting to secure an industrial/office building suitable for conversion into an academy on behalf of a client based outside the North West on a restricted timescale.

On a more personal level, in my

portfolio instruction for an important locally based client.

capacity as chairman of the property group, Professional Liverpool the challenge of finding a suitable venue for the ‘Cannes Do’ for 2015 has been a priority and I am pleased to say that we have secured The Rum Warehouse (Titanic Hotel) at Stanley Dock, which only opened in June but is a wonderful addition to Liverpool’s rapidly growing hotel and conference sector.

THE NEWS STORY THAT CAUGHT MY EYE...

Came from the Liverpool Echo for planning consent to convert the historic Heap’s Rice Mill in Liverpool’s emerging Baltic area into 123 luxury apartments forming part of a larger £130m development scheme for residential, leisure and public realm. This followed a spot listing in August to prevent demolition of the building. This is one of a handful of residential conversions of landmarks which includes the Tobacco Warehouse and Customs House at Queens Dock. They all seem great for Liverpool’s regeneration the key is delivery, particularly given the amount of alternative obsolete office space that could be converted in the city.

The key meeting I had...

I was fortunate to be ‘selected’ as part of a Liverpool delegation to promote North Shoring for the area, principally for back office services. A targeted audience including 80 high profile business personnel from London along with around 40 delegates from Liverpool attended a luncheon event at The Mansion House which was hosted by Professional Liverpool. The event proved to be extremely successful with presentations from Pershing and ServiceSource. By way of reciprocation, the Mayor of London is due to visit Liverpool later in November to explore some of the opportunities that were highlighted at the event. I believe that this sort of initiative is essential if Liverpool is to actively encourage inward investment from the South East.

My plan for next month...

Not surprisingly, I am anxious to continue the groundwork that has been put in on a number of instructions and potential transactions to come to fruition given the looming spectre of Christmas. It is important to take advantage of the current momentum in the market as you never know how long it is going to last!

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Stephen Hurrell stephen@movepublishing.co.uk

Aerial photography has been making headlines in the UK in recent weeks, amid concerns over the use of drones above crowded public areas by unqualified pilots. We spoke to Rob Tilly of professional aerial photography studio IronBird about the issues surrounding the use of drones and how the Liverpool-based company is working with some of the biggest names in the commercial property sector to deliver aerial footage.

In the summer of 2013 TV cameramen Rob Tilly and Alec Caton were coming to the end of a three-year stint on a Nickelodeon show and preparing to make the move from assistants to camera operators. However, after seeing the competition in the industry and the take-up of new technology, they instead decided to team up and launch IronBird; a start-up that delivered aerial photography through the use of a remotely piloted aircraft.

“We invested some of our own capital in air frames and equipment from America,” says Tilly. “It was a gamble but with our background in TV we knew directors were going to want the shots that we get. So we had a bit of an insider spin on it.”

Through contacts in TV the duo worked on a BBC children’s show 22 MOVE COMMERCIAL

in Scarborough and then Wales, as well as corporate photography for businesses who were filming promotional videos. But it soon became clear the drones could be used in the construction industry as well.

Using drones is cheaper than hiring a helicopter and cameraman, while the drones can get closer to buildings than any manned aircraft. They need a smaller team and as the view from the camera can be seen from monitors on the ground, it means one trip is often enough to get the necessary shots.

It was something that caught the eye of Peel Group, which has been vocal about hiring local firms in its Liverpool Waters project.

Tilly says: “Ian Pollitt at Peel has been really good to us. He’s really keen and really interested in our

company and when he saw what we can do he commissioned us to film all of Liverpool Waters and all of the Peel land down at the docks.”

The Liverpool Waters scheme is a £5.5bn development covering 650 acres of dockland in Liverpool and Wirral. Taking 30 years to build, it will include offices, leisure, retail and residential and will transform the skyline north of Liverpool’s World Heritage waterfront. IronBird was tasked with filming the entire site for the company’s marketing and planning teams and it proved to be a big break for the fledgling company.

“There’s a bit of a buzz about it,” explains Tilly. “Just being on the site – you don’t get to go to somewhere like that too often. It helped IronBird get on the map outside of TV. Working with Peel,

such a big company, was really good for us.

“It was difficult but the space down there is accommodating, it’s wide open and there’s not a lot of hazards apart from the coastal wind and the seagulls. They were a big hazard. They didn’t like us flying round especially during nesting season.”

Having worked with Peel, a second major company with North West projects commissioned IronBird. Carillion is constructing the £355m Royal Hospital and IronBird has been tasked with taking progress pictures of the site of what will be one of the UK’s largest and most advanced hospitals.

Tilly says: “We are commissioned to span the entire length of the build and our work

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Rob Tilly, co-founder, IronBird Entrepreneur

Alec Caton and Rob Tilly

“

We are really excited about the prospect of the construction industry having uses for our aircraft that we haven’t yet been able to do

“

there takes place very early in the morning. We’ve got a couple of sites set up and we go and take various stills of the site for them for their monthly board meetings.

These meetings have conference calls with board members from all over the world and they need these photographs readily available on their system for them to look at.

We go and deliver the photographs and they can see it grow and can reference them in a really visual way.”

Dodging seagulls and early mornings are just two of the many challenges facing IronBird. Before they could take the drones out in public there is a host of legislation to consider.

Anybody wanting to fly a drone needs insurance and this means having a qualified pilot. Only then

will the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) grant permission to fly the drone. Once a pilot has a licence and insurance, the drone can only be flown 500m away from the pilot and 400ft above the ground. This is known as the operating bubble.

“We do often have concerns about footage we have seen elsewhere. You wouldn’t have a hobbyist flying a remote control plane around the centre of town.

So you shouldn’t be allowed to fly a remote controlled quadcopter or drone around. The dangers are still there and still the same.

“It’s a bit of a shame because it makes us qualified entities look bad and legislation could get more severe. It’s a double-edged sword though because it does weed out some of the hobbyists who are being slightly reckless.”

For those who do have the necessary qualifications the possibilities are endless. Tilly is particularly excited about investing in new equipment to expand what IronBird can offer the construction industry.

He says: “The amount of applications was surprising. We are really excited about the prospect of the construction industry having uses for our aircraft that we haven’t yet been able to do. Lifting sensors, thermal uses, things like that.”

As for the future, Tilly hopes to add to an impressive client list. He says: “We’re very keen to let people know we are still here and we still want to work in Liverpool as much as we can.”

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24 MOVE COMMERCIAL

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Christine Toner christine@movepublishing.co.uk

When Glendale Liverpool manager Peter Cosgrove left school with very few qualifications he thought his future looked bleak. The opportunity to embark on a government training scheme helped him carve out a hugely successful career in horticulture and instilled in him an unshakeable commitment to developing young people, he tells Christine Toner.

Cultivating talent As manager of Glendale Liverpool Peter Cosgrove has become something of a youth champion, actively working to promote apprenticeship opportunities at the company and lending his name – and his time - to events such as the Apprentice Ship Cup. His commitment to the development and progress of young people stems not only from a belief that all youngsters should be given an opportunity to make something of themselves but also the fact that he has been in their shoes and knows what a difference a helping hand can make.

“When I left school I wanted to pursue a career in the construction industry but because of my poor exam results, no employer would take me on,” explains Cosgrove. “I found myself in a job in a warehouse packing clothes and it dawned on me that I could be doing this for the rest of my life.

After 12 months I left and took a pay cut to go on a ‘Youth Opportunities Programme’, a government training scheme, in horticulture. It wasn’t particularly because I wanted to go into horticulture; it was because it was 26 MOVE COMMERCIAL

something that I thought could kick-start a career in.

“I was fortunate because I had a group of people there that took a genuine interest in me. I’m 51 now but I remember it like it was yesterday. They pushed me to do well.”

With a new confidence, and a growing interest in horticulture, Peter moved to York to study at one of the UK’s most renowned horticultural colleges, Askham Bryan, to gain his National Certificate in Horticulture before studying Landscape Design and Construction at Welsh College of Horticulture in North Wales.

When he returned to Liverpool Cosgrove attempted to get a job in the parks department at Liverpool City Council but says he found it difficult to get the chance at the time. He would go on to work in various senior posts around the country but it wasn’t until 1999 that the chance to work in his home city arose.

While working in London for Brophy Grounds Maintenance, Glendale, the national supplier of specialist service solutions, became one of the first private contractors

to break into Liverpool and began advertising for contract manager roles. Eager to return to his home city - “I’d had enough of being on the road anyway, I had a young family who didn’t see much of me” – Cosgrove successfully applied to become a contract manager there.

“I took a big pay cut and a big drop in status to come home,” he says. “I came back in 1999 as a contract manager, running a small geographical area within Liverpool.

It was a position he held until 2006 when Glendale submitted a proposal to run the service and was successful. Glendale Liverpool was formed in a joint venture with the city council, resulting in a restructuring of the company.

Cosgrove was appointed manager and the company was given the responsibility to look after all of city’s parks, cemeteries and recreational spaces, around 170-odd sites and 14m square metres of green open space.

Glendale Liverpool is 81% owned by Glendale, the parent company, and 19% owned by the city council. The joint venture agreement is for 12 years, something that Cosgrove says

allows him to plan long-term.

“The council was looking for a partner to be able to take on a level of corporate social responsibility, says Cosgrove. “It’s not just about looking after the gardens in the city, but transforming the city in terms of its social responsibility and that would include giving employment opportunities to socially disadvantaged people or young people. I think we won that contract because we came across as a genuine organisation that cared about the people and we still do that today, eight years on.

“At the time there was a lot of regeneration taking place in Liverpool and in the early stages of the bid I remember saying ‘Whilst regenerating the city through building things, it is equally as important to build people and promote a sense of purpose and pride.’ That was my statement back in 2005 and it’s a statement that I truly believe today.”

Whilst not a not-for-profit company, because the parent company does earn a management fee, if there is any surplus from Glendale’s budget or profit it goes back into the service.

p17-34_Move Commercial 24/11/2014 16:37 Page 27

Peter Cosgrove, manager, Glendale Liverpool Interview

“

Whilst regenerating the city through building things, it is equally as important to build people and promote a sense of purpose and pride.

“

MOVE COMMERCIAL 27

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Christine Toner christine@movepublishing.co.uk

“The money that I’ve been able to save over the years I’ve been redirecting into the apprenticeship programme, which has significant costs,” says Cosgrove.

But it wasn’t just the company’s agreement with the council that led Glendale to invest in young apprentices, Cosgrove says concerns about staff attitude and commitment dictated it too.

“When Glendale Liverpool was formed we had people transfer from three different organisations,” he explains. “There was a problem with attitude and values; there wasn’t a shared vision. So we brought in over 50 apprentices and we transformed the workforce.

“We’ve got people now who are genuinely proud to look after parks. I tell them ‘Look, I’m not just your boss and your employer, my job is to train you, reward you, recognise you, motivate you, make sure you’re working safely, give you the best equipment possible and your job is: don’t let your customer down in that park’.”

It’s a motivation tool that Cosgrove says his young staff members are responding to.

“They are very receptive,” he says. “It’s still a work in progress but I’d say I’m at 90%. What we want to do is promote this civic pride. I always make a joke with the lads - I’ve got to get them to kiss the badge but unfortunately I can’t pay them Steven Gerrard wages! You’ve got to be passionate about what you do and if the leader isn’t, if the leader doesn’t believe in those values then it falls flat on its face.”

Glendale currently employs 112 people. Of those, 26 are apprentices and another 10 preapprentices (16 and 17 year olds who are classed as NEET - not in education, employment or training) will join the firm on 1 December. These new starters will be welcomed into the fold at this year’s Glendale Liverpool Staff Recognition Awards, the company’s annual celebration of achievement.

This year’s event will take place at Liverpool Town Hall and Joe Anderson, elected Mayor of Liverpool, will open the ceremony.

28 MOVE COMMERCIAL

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Peter Cosgrove, manager, Glendale Liverpool Interview

“That evening the preapprentices will be there with their mum or dad, they’ll come up to the stage and be congratulated for getting themselves out of the potential rut they could have fallen into,” says Cosgrove. “They put themselves through an interview, they took all the advice that was given to them by their advisers and they’ve made a good account of themselves. They’ve started that journey that I started in 1980 back in the Youth Opportunities Programme.”

Although this is the fourth year the awards are taking place, this year’s ceremony will be of a much bigger scale than in previous years.

“We’ve cranked it up significantly this year because I think it’s important that, with only four years left on this contract arrangement, we start to further improve the profile of the organisation,” explains Cosgrove.

“But most importantly the work of these people needs recognising.”

Awards will be presented to the new pre-apprentices; those preapprentices from last year who are now moving up to the Extended Apprenticeship Programme; those apprentices who will now begin an Advanced Apprenticeship Programme; graduating apprentices; and champions of the apprenticeship programme.

There will also be awards for team leadership, team development, participants in the Green Print for Growth Employment Programme and four special awards.

“

“We will also be celebrating all of the people that took part in The Apprentice Ship Cup, which was fantastic,” adds Cosgrove.

The Apprentice Ship Cup, which took place in May and June of this year, saw a team from Glendale join youngsters from across the region to take part in a tall ship race, organised by the Merseyside Adventure Sailing Trust (MAST).

The event was sponsored by Glendale Liverpool.

Working alongside a host of other North West firms and seeing first hand their commitment to apprentices was reassuring, says Cosgrove.

“We were rubbing shoulders with much bigger organisations than us, like Cammell Laird and Peel Ports and their apprenticeship schemes are very good,” he says.

“Those big employers who have a long-term interest in the city have realised that succession planning and the recruitment of young people and apprenticeships is absolutely critical. So I fully applaud and endorse those people, they share a similar vision to ourselves even though we’re nowhere near the size of those organisations.

“But, on the other hand, you’ve got some organisations which pay lip service to apprentices. They may take the funding but they don’t really see the programme through properly. I always say to myself ‘I do not want to let a young person down’.”

While Glendale Liverpool’s apprentices are undoubtedly

“

Those big employers who have a long-term interest in the city have realised that succession planning and the recruitment of young people and apprenticeships is absolutely critical.

“

grateful for the opportunity of a career, Cosgrove says for the most part they were unaware of or at least not actively seeking a career in green services when they first joined the company.

“That is no different to how I was when I was 16,” says Cosgrove.

“When I left school I wanted to play for Everton, but I think the last thing on a kid’s mind is to go into horticulture. When I went into the industry all those years ago, it wasn’t my choice but I fell into it and I sort of fell in love with it. It’s our job to try and encourage young people, it might not be their first choice but it’s a great opportunity.”

And it’s Cosgrove’s affinity with the young people he works with

I know everyone in the workforce because I make it my business to know everybody. I’m there to ensure they are on track, and if they are it’s a big pat on the back.

I’m also there to make sure that we’re not letting that young person down through our faults.

“

that, he says, makes him so approachable to them.

“They know me personally,” he says. “I know everyone in the workforce because I make it my business to know everybody. I conduct reviews with the apprentices and they see me on a regular basis but I’m not there to judge, there are different people who will score them in terms of assessment. I’m there to ensure they are on track, and if they are it’s a big pat on the back. If they’re not, then we need to do something about it. I’m also there to make sure that we’re not letting that young person down through our faults. If we are then that leads to very stern words with the people who are working for me”.

With this month’s award ceremony offering Glendale Liverpool the perfect opportunity to bid farewell to 2014, Cosgrove is now thinking ahead to next year.

“We’ve got significant budget challenges which the city council passed down to us but one thing that I’m not going to compromise on is the training and development and the investment in people,” he says. “In 2015 I will continue to make the savings elsewhere but I’ll continue investing in what is clearly the most important asset and resource that I’ve got which is our people.”

MOVE COMMERCIAL 29

p17-34_Move Commercial 24/11/2014 15:35 Page 30

A golden year The past 12 months has seen confidence continue to return to the region’s property industry, bringing further cause for celebration when the annual Your Move Property Awards took place in November. As well as recognising 2014’s key residential property achievements, accolades were also presented to some of the brightest names and biggest projects in the commercial industry.

p17-34_Move Commercial 24/11/2014 15:36 Page 31

Your Move Property Awards 2014 Event Special Key players in commercial property came together at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral’s stunning Lutyens Crypt to celebrate some of the Merseyside industry’s biggest achievements throughout 2014.

Guests dressed for the occasion as this year’s truly glittering event followed the theme of ‘gold’, complete with a lavish meal, a glamorous after party and the all important awards presentation.

Commercial categories included Best Commercial Agent and Best Commercial scheme, whilst awards for Regeneration and Apprentice of the Year were open to entries from across both the residential and commercial sectors.

Lesley Martin-Wright, chief executive of Knowsley Chamber, was the host for the evening and was one of the judges of the prestigious awards. She was part of an esteemed expert panel which also featured Eric Wright of Hitchcock Wright & Partners, Alastair Shepherd of Falconer Chester Hall and Elaine Cunningham, of Elaine Cunningham Interiors.

REGENERATION AWARD SPONSORED BY MACBRYDE HOMES TITANIC HOTEL & RUM WAREHOUSE, HARCOURT DEVELOPMENTS The winner of the Regeneration Award was Harcourt Developments for its work on the Titanic Hotel and Rum Warehouse development at Stanley Dock. In one of the strongest categories of the awards, Downing’s student development at the former Scandinavia Hotel, now named The Arch, finished in second place while the Norris Green Village housing development by Regeneration Liverpool and Countryside was shortlisted.

Pat Power, director at Harcourt Developments, says: “It was nice to be recognised amongst your peers and contemporaries in the business. The hotel is there for Liverpool and for the people of Liverpool, whose friendliness and warmth is what is making the success of the hotel to date.”

BEST COMMERCIAL AGENT

BEST COMMERCIAL SCHEME

APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY ELAN HOMES

SPONSORED BY HOMESHUB

SPONSORED BY COUNTRYSIDE

HITCHCOCK WRIGHT & PARTNERS

COTTON QUARTER, BRUNTWOOD

LIAM SARGEANT, REDROW HOMES

The Best Commercial Agent award saw some industry heavyweights go up against one another. The judges chose Hitchcock Wright & Partners as the winner of the award and Mason Owen as runner up.

Brian Ricketts, head of office agency at Hitchcock Wright & Partners, says: “We’re delighted as a firm to be recognised amongst our peers, to be the best of the best and as a practice we think we know how good we are and we’re particularly low key but we know that we provide a service that is second to none.”

Keppie Massie and CBRE were shortlisted for the award, which saw all shortlisted agents praised by the judges for the high standard of service they provide.

Developer Bruntwood’s regeneration of the Cotton Quarter building in Liverpool’s business district was awarded the Best Commercial Scheme accolade ahead of The Arch by Downing and The Courtyard at X1 The Quarter by X1 Developments.

Colin Forshaw, head of property at Bruntwood, says: “We’re glad for the recognition that the Cotton Quarter has finally changed from the perception people had 10 years ago of a run down office building to what it is now, which is a real place for people to work and enjoy.”

Matt Lee, head of sales at Bruntwood, adds: “It culminates seven years of work to turn it from where it was to a building that a lot of people want to take space in and it’s really refreshing to find lots of people’s perceptions are changing as they come out to view.”

Honouring the most impressive young people across the property industry’s sectors, the Apprentice of the Year award was an opportunity the celebrate the hard work of the region’s rising stars.

The winner of the award was Liam Sargeant of Redrow Homes. He says: “I’m speechless to be honest. I can’t believe it. It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work but I didn’t expect it.”

Judges praised the hard work and dedication of several industry apprentices on the night and the impressive shortlist included Jasmine Preston of Keppie Massie, Georgia Kearney of MSB Solicitors, Layla Swainbank of Northwood and Emily Downey-Connelly of Abode.

MOVE COMMERCIAL 31

p17-34_Move Commercial 24/11/2014 15:36 Page 32

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1. RBS Corporate Banking guests 2. Host Lesley Martin-Wright with Pat Power (Harcourt Developments) as he collects the Regeneration Award 3. Robin Ellis (Downing) and Dick van Breeman (Moose Coffee) 4. James Tartt and Alastair Shepherd (both Falconer Chester Hall) 5. Paul Crowley & Co Solicitors 6. The Kirwans table 7. Downing guests enjoyed the evening 8. Matt Lee and Colin Forshaw (both Bruntwood) 9. The Move Publishing team 10. MSB Solicitors guests

32 MOVE COMMERCIAL

p17-34_Move Commercial 24/11/2014 15:36 Page 33

Your Move Property Awards 2014 Event Special

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1. The Bruntwood table played host to guests from across the commercial property industry 2. Host Lesley Martin-Wright 3. A golden feast was served 4. Victoria Sharpe entertained guests with live music 5. The event provided an opportunity to network 6. Judge Alastair Shepherd (Falconer Chester Hall) 7. Robin Ellis (Downing) presents an award 8. Cassell Moore guests 9. The Harcourt Developments table 10. Stuart Keppie (Keppie Massie)

MOVE COMMERCIAL 33

p17-34_Move Commercial 24/11/2014 16:39 Page 34

Melling Lane, Maghull Adjacent to Maghull railway station Approx 2.5 acres 14 No. 3 bed semi detached houses Plus stand-alone 2 storey office former station masters house

Planning application currently live with approval anticipated at committee on 10th December 2014

FOR SALE

Residential development opportunity

All enquiries please contact Andrew Owen: 0151 242 3120 or andrew.owen@masonowen.com

34 MOVE COMMERCIAL

Offers invited for the benefit of our clients freehold interest with planning permission

p35-48_Move Commercial 24/11/2014 13:57 Page 35

p35-48_Move Commercial 24/11/2014 14:56 Page 36

p35-48_Move Commercial 24/11/2014 15:09 Page 37

up to

50%

Providing The Legal Foundations For Commercial Property

Property Development

Lease Grant / Assignment

Commercial Property Purchase

Commercial Property Sale

Business Sale and Acquisition

Contact our Commercial Property experts today on:

0800 525 035 www.kirwans.co.uk

info@kirwans.co.uk @KirwansLaw

Kirwans is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (www.sra.org.uk) Prenton SRA Number 71723

MOVE COMMERCIAL 37

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Stephen Hurrell stephen@movepublishing.co.uk

According to government figures the creative industries account for 1.68m jobs and are worth £8bn to the economy every hour, which is why office providers are waking up to the potential the sector holds in two of its strongholds; Liverpool and Manchester. Why are creative businesses increasingly moving from out-of-town hubs to business districts and what does the future hold for the burgeoning industry?

Trading places Old Hall Street

Traditionally small, creative businesses ranging from designers to marketers and architects to media businesses would gather in out-of-town hubs where warehouses and unused buildings were transformed into flexible office space and small communities of freelance and start-up entrepreneurs.

Liverpool is a city that saw just such a trend with areas such as the Baltic Creative and Elevator Studios in the Baltic Triangle becoming hubs for creative companies. But the statistics show take-up is slowing in fringe areas while office take-up for the city’s business district is on the rise.

Developments such as Bruntwood’s Cotton Quarter and One Old Hall Street, and Peel’s Princes Dock have all secured leasing success in 2014, and all of them cater for start-up businesses who want flexible contracts in the heart of Liverpool’s Central 38 MOVE COMMERCIAL

Business District (CBD).

So what happened? The annual Liverpool office market report shows there were a record number of transactions in Liverpool’s Central Business District (CBD) in 2013 as the market recovered from recession years. However, that figure was reached through a rise in smaller transactions with 55 below 1,000 sq ft. Of the 55 sub1,000 sq ft transactions, more than half were for two developments alone; the Cotton Quarter and One Old Hall Street, with an average office size of just 357 sq ft. It seems creative businesses are increasingly tempted by the bright lights of the city’s professional districts and developers have been quick to spot the trend.

"We've seen a lot of media and digital firms move into Cotton Exchange on Bixteth Street,” says Bruntwood’s director of property marketing, Colin Sinclair.

“Inspirational workspaces are proving to be a big draw but we also find it's the free networking space and the ultra-fast internet that attracts them into the Cotton Quarter.

“For a lot of creatives it makes sense to be where their customers are too. You've also got Moorfields Station and some great bars and restaurants."

Liverpool’s creative sector is a maturing market – but you don’t have to look far to find a market that has matured and is showing what happens when smaller companies set up in city centre offices.

According to Katie Gallagher, director at Manchester Digital, Manchester is the UK’s biggest creative hub outside London.

“Manchester has a mature creative sector and has always had strong clusters of digital start-ups dotted throughout the city,” she says. “Start ups are crucial to the

eco-system and as the sector matures we are seeing an increased growth in these companies.”

Bruntwood is active in Manchester too, with the Together flexible offices on Portland Street.

Chris Bridgett is a social media freelancer and runs his company, Silverback Social. He is one of several start-up businesses that have taken space at Bruntwood’s Together space, a city centre flexible office complex that caters for the creative and digital sectors and brings the out-of-town community feel to the heart of Manchester’s central districts.

He says businesses are choosing to move to Manchester city centre for three reasons: “It’s down to price, position and product. I have a great size desk in the centre of town.”

Having spent two years working from home and at an office in Ancoats, Bridgett says the move to

p35-48_Move Commercial 24/11/2014 16:41 Page 39

Creative Spaces Focus

“ “

The networking and collaboration opportunities found in out-of-town centres can now be found within cities.

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Inspirational workspaces are proving to be a big draw but we also find it’s the free networking space and the ultra-fast internet.

“

Together was chosen because the networking and collaboration opportunities found in out-oftown centres can now be found within cities, mirroring the success of the office developments in Liverpool.

“Co-working has worked for me in the last six months,” he adds.

“People are working collaboratively in here and that’s what I do, I like to get involved and find projects that are interesting and that I can be a part of.”

However, in Manchester many digital businesses have simply outgrown their surroundings.

With many outgrowing the notion of freelancers and small start-ups and becoming much more like national and multi-national companies, there is now need for a prestigious office address, excellent connectivity – both in terms of broadband and transport – and larger floor plates.

“Manchester has more digital hubs than anywhere else in the country and some of them are global brands,” says Gallagher.

“Some digital businesses have grown successfully in Manchester and are worth a lot of money.

They will be looking for prestigious Grade A space and this is often found in city centres.”

Developers are responding to demand once again and the search for creative hubs is by no means moving away from fringe areas completely. For example, at MediaCityUK Salford City Council has approved plans by the Peel Group to build 54,000 sq ft of creative office and studio space at a cost of £20m that will deliver new, innovative office space in the out-of-town location with larger floor plates for growing businesses. The provision of such space across the North West will be necessary for the region’s digital sector to continue to grow.

“Technology, media and creative is a rapidly growing sector in Greater Manchester, which itself is now considered the second largest creative and digital hub in Europe,” says Stephen Wild, managing director of MediaCityUK. “It’s essential that we give these businesses the right type of space and the flexibility to grow organically.”

Since the Liverpool office market report, the Baltic Creative has secured its final tenants to fill the space. Applications have been submitted for more flexible offices at a former shed yard nearby and out-of-town developments such as the Bunker Building at the former Littlewoods site are underway.

Whether that means on the city fringe or in the city centre, for flexible space or Grade A offices, creative businesses are becoming top of the agenda for developers and agents across the North West.

MOVE COMMERCIAL 39

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Natasha Young natasha@movepublishing.co.uk

Adapting with the ever-changing property industry has been the key to success for Liverpool-established architects, Falconer Chester Hall in recent years. Director Alastair Shepherd tells Move Commercial how the practice has not only survived the testing economic climate, but has also expanded its national presence and branched out into the global market whilst continuing with high profile North West schemes.

Having studied at Liverpool John Moores University, the city provided a “home from home” for Alastair Shepherd along with a range of opportunities that weren’t available in his native North East. But it was the “magnificent historic fabric” of Liverpool which made it an attractive destination to keep on living and working in.

It’s a trait of the city which Falconer Chester Hall, an architecture practice which Shepherd has been a part of since 1999, has also evidently made the most of across its extensive portfolio of schemes. Among recent city projects alone, the firm has been behind the conversion of the iconic Grade II* listed Royal Insurance Building to create the newly opened Aloft Hotel (pictured), the planned £1m transformation of the historic Cains brewery building, and the project to turn the former 19th Century Grade II* listed Bridewell Prison on Cheapside into Jamworks’ student accommodation complex.

This selection of schemes gives just a hint of the diversity in sectors that Falconer Chester Hall has become accustomed to, as both the scale of the practice and its areas of expertise have evolved dramatically since Shepherd joined what was then a seven-strong team within a sole 40 MOVE COMMERCIAL

Liverpool office.

Having formed in 1997, just two years prior to Shepherd’s appointment, the firm’s first key projects included Liverpool city centre’s Queen Square masterplan with new build and refurbished office accommodation, a four-star hotel and leisure space; while its early “bread and butter “ projects came in the form of Manchester and Liverpool city centre residential developments.

“I think we took the view that we needed to broaden the type of work we were working on,” recalls Shepherd, who kickstarted his own career within the practice by working with the now long-running client Downing through work on its Liverpool residential development The Symphony, and also as part of the team behind the major masterplan around Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral – a multiphased commercial scheme incorporating university buildings.

“It was probably about 2007 when we decided to branch into the hotel sector on top of the residential and commercial stuff we were already doing and on the back of that it’s taken us all over the country.”

Experience with sizeable hotels including Liverpool’s Beatlesinspired Hard Days Night Hotel and

Southport’s Vincent Hotel stood Falconer Chester Hall in good stead to further develop its profile in the sector at a time when other areas of the industry were slowing down.

This shift in focus saw opportunities arise not only across Liverpool, Manchester, Salford and Warrington but also further afield, prompting the practice to set up an office in the capital.

“There were two reasons for that really; there was a geographic spread of the work and it was more convenient, but also the obvious opportunities that London provides,” explains Shepherd. “The focus went from being a regional practice to more of a national practice with the challenges that brings. We’ve grown significantly but incrementally through the years.”

Having delivered around 2,000 rooms in the past five years across various star-ratings and brands, it seems this now extensive hotel experience has proven invaluable on several fronts. Firstly, such projects helped the practice to fine tune its skills in redeveloping existing buildings in a climate when new development projects may have been thinner on the ground.

“You’ve got to be bold and adaptable,” adds Shepherd.

“Developers are still looking for

opportunities when markets are failing around them. It’s the right opportunities, and you’ve got to be clever about how you tease those opportunities out.

“We got very good at looking at existing buildings, which were widely available in cities from Newcastle down to Bristol, and you’ve got to look at what’s special about that building. How can you get an existing building to work with a new use, whether it be modern offices or hotel accommodation?”

Also, Falconer Chester Hall is now noticing “increasing overlaps” between its hotel work and other projects, as more often schemes are requiring a “personal” feel with further attention paid to the quality of entrance spaces and more consideration into how people are greeted.

For instance, a current North West commercial project is the Tower Wharf office development adjacent to Wirral Waters, which Shepherd says is an “exciting” scheme for the firm as it holds the potential to trigger further regeneration in that area.

Once completed, the building will welcome visitors through a triple height atrium before revealing views across the Mersey to Liverpool’s waterfront.

Suggesting the North West has

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Alastair Shepherd, director, Falconer Chester Hall Mover & Shaker

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You’ve got to be bold and adaptable. Developers are still looking for opportunities when markets are failing around them.

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provided the “proving ground” to develop such expertise, Shepherd says: “We’re very proud of the start that we had in Liverpool. We’ve gone through recessions and tight budgets but the grounding we’ve had here and the overlap between the commercial sector and the hotel sector has served us very well in the London market.”

Whilst growing the commercial presence in the capital is said to be a “great aim” for the practice moving forward, it is this London market which has already, in turn, allowed the practice to progress to its latest major phase – an expansion into Malaysia.

Falconer Chester Hall is currently working on a £120m mixed used development in Kuala Lumpur for client Shapadu, one of Malaysia’s biggest energy companies.

Having met the client whilst working on a hotel scheme in London’s Kennington area, the practice was then asked to look at a new headquarters for the international brand. The overall scheme involves a 150,000 sq ft base for Shapadu complete with ‘sky garden’, a 300-bed hotel and 150 apartments, all underpinned by a retail mall.

According to Shepherd, beginning an international presence with such a high profile project – a recent launch was attended by the Malaysian Prime Minister - is a “great calling card”, and has led the company to set up a Kuala Lumpur office too, with further residential and commercial schemes said to be on the horizon.

Such a bold move hasn’t been without its challenges though, from establishing a presence in a whole new territory and grasping its culture and architecture, to ensuring that communication and technology is in place to allow the Liverpool, London and Kuala Lumpur offices to work together globally. However, Shepherd insists it’s not just a case of the practice providing an expert service to international clients.

“We’re not just going out and saying ‘this is how it should be’,” says Shepherd, as he explains that the experience is also enhancing the team’s knowledge for future highly serviced developments here in the region.

“You look at how they treat residential properties and the level of community space, how they form part of mixed use developments.

There’s a lot to learn really.”

p35-48_Move Commercial 24/11/2014 13:58 Page 42

Lunch Date

Stephen Hurrell stephen@movepublishing.co.uk

The Yacht Club Liverpool Coburg Wharf, L3

Located in the picturesque setting of Liverpool Marina and with spectacular views from the bar and grill area and the events space, The Yacht Club is one of the city’s excellent waterside eateries. A stone’s throw from the up-and-coming Baltic Triangle area and offices and leisure amenities on the waterfront, it is an ideal venue for business lunches and evening meals.

The laid-back bar and grill serves an upmarket take on traditional pub grub, with chef Adam Franklin serving up the finest ingredients across the standard menu and the Sunday lunch specials. Meanwhile, the events space caters for everything from weddings to business conferences.

For more information or to book online visit www.yachtclubliverpool.co.uk.

LUNCH WITH

Murray Cook and Mike Holloway directors, Holloway Cook Liverpool Marina represents a halfway point between two of the city’s greatest assets; the World Heritage waterfront and the upand-coming creative district, the Baltic Triangle. Its signature restaurant, The Yacht Club, was an ideal location to talk to Mike Holloway and Murray Cook, founders of Holloway Cook, about their exciting new plans and projects in both areas of the city.

There is something inherently creative about the duo, who left jobs in a national company to set up what they refer to as a ‘lifestyle business’ in commercial and industrial roofing services. Having turned over £1.2m in the first year of trading and securing key contracts throughout the city, it has become clear their particular brand of problem solving is in demand.

42 MOVE COMMERCIAL

“Up to 30% of our business has been putting brand new or nearly new buildings right,” says Cook. “If you’ve got building owners or managers with ongoing problems with water, they’ll come to us for a solution. We’ve done jobs where they’ve had every roofer out and they’ve had some key players in the building and they couldn’t solve the leaks.”

Early contracts for the University of Liverpool’s engineering department building on Brownlow Hill have been followed by work on the likes of the Cunard Building and Exchange Flags. However, the next big project for the company is something a little closer to the founder’s hearts.

Having bought a property in the Baltic Triangle, Holloway Cook has now become a landlord to two of the city’s creative start-ups; independent

brewer Mad Hatter Brewery and education specialist caterer Tastebuds.

Holloway says: “We didn’t set out to become landlords. We wanted an office, a yard and stores all in the same area. We struggled to find the right place but we figured we could do it with this building.”

With tenants moved in, the company plans to transform its office into a creative space for the city’s developers, architects and designers.

“We want to use a lot of recycled products and make it a warehouse feel, which is quite sympathetic to what the building is. We’d like to encourage our customers – building surveyors, facilities managers, designers, architects – to come in and use our office space. We’re going to put in a boardroom with lots of good facilities so it’s going to be a

network hub for the SMEs in the city.”

Work on the fit-out is set to get underway in the next few weeks and the company is looking forward to 2015, according to Cook.

“We know what we’re doing, we’re good at what we do and we want to set up an office in a place we love, which is Liverpool,” he says.

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We’re good at what we do and we want to set up an office in a place we love.

p35-48_Move Commercial 24/11/2014 13:58 Page 43

MOVE COMMERCIAL

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Phil Piercy managing director, Clearground

Manchester Victoria Station

SUCCESS Clearground began in 2001 as one man with a van. The commercial cleaning service has now grown to employ 20 staff and has a turnover in excess of £1 million. With contracts for iconic buildings such as the Liverpool’s ‘Three Graces’, as well as clients ranging from the NHS to regional educational authorities, it is an impressive success story. We ask managing director Phil Piercy about the secrets behind the firm’s success.

How have you expanded the business from its formation to where you are today?

It is more common knowledge than a secret, but ultimately, hard work and passion is the main key to success. I think anyone would be hard pushed to find a successful business where the founder hasn’t put in their fair share of blood, sweat and tears.

Building long-term relationships with clients is essential, as their loyalty will see you through the difficult times, and is the backbone for any company whilst growing.

We try to ensure that clients have a single point of contact who understands their specific requirements.

The £1 billion Northern Hub project will connect the North with improved rail infrastructure and more efficient transport links including a HS2 link. A £44 million transformation of Victoria Station is one of the first developments to get underway and will see Manchester’s second station revamped to cope with thousands of new passengers every year.

SEP

Planning documents are submitted for the redevelopment of the station, including replacing the roof with a new structure, a new link bridge to Manchester Arena and a redesigned concourse.

DEC

The plans, which also include heritage rooms, a soldier gate, memorial wall and additional Metrolink tracks and platforms, are approved.

MAR

Scaffolding is erected and a temporary roof deck is installed. Work begins on dismantling the old roof and on the concourse substructure.

2012

2012

2013 WINTER

2013

Work starts on the high level link bridge to Manchester Arena and cleaning starts on the historic Victoria building façades. The Metrolink upgrade begins.

How have you achieved such rapid growth in recent years?

By analysing our current clients we maximised our existing offering to them, and identified our "best fit" customers enabling targeted marketing to new clients. This has resulted in a 40% growth over the past two years.

A bespoke client management system enables us to efficiently manage all works, enabling accurate pricing of new jobs and identification of key growth areas, which is of course key to any expansion.

We have occasionally lost work to cheaper competition, which at the time is quite hard to swallow – but we always leave the client on good terms by handing over in a professional manner. Quite often, the client returns and we can continue building a solid relationship.

SPRING

2014

SUMMER

2014

What advice would you give to start-ups hoping to grow in the North West?

With a good idea and the right work ethic, a start-up firm can go on to big things.

I think it is key that you take it a step at a time, always have the end goal in mind, but don’t leap to get there. Take small steps over months and years and sooner or later you will reach, or even surpass, the position you want to be in.

Along the way, it is pertinent that you keep a keen eye on customer service and be receptive to your client base’s needs. Remember, you’re only ever as good as your last client says you are!

Value your people. A strong and happy workforce is such a vital cog in the success of a business. Recruiting and managing people can be a minefield, but treat them well and give them respect and more often than not they will mirror the same values.

And don’t be afraid of accepting help. Be it mentoring, business coaching or development seminars - embrace it. Over the years we’ve found such things to be invaluable and we’ve had great support from our local authority, which is proactive with economic development.

WINTER

2014

2015

2019

Installation of new £16m roof begins. Morgan Sindall moves the steel beams, including the 70-tonne, 100-metre long ninth and final beam, into place.

The old roof is fully dismantled and new ticket gates are installed. The high level link bridge structural work completes and Victoria building façades are fully cleaned. Installation of new ETFE – the clear, self-cleaning material roof begins.

All external works are completed on external buildings and the Metrolink upgrades are complete. Work on ETFE roof and concourse resurfacing is complete.

The opening of the new Victoria Station is scheduled after final works to the station.

The £1bn+ Northern Hub and North West Electrification programme is scheduled to be completed. It will allow hundreds more trains and thousands more passengers every day to use the network.

p35-48_Move Commercial 24/11/2014 17:38 Page 44

Industry Networking Key event

Construction Talk holds debut event Construction Talk took over the Hard Days Night Hotel for its first networking event in Liverpool.

The aim of the event was to discuss the Liverpool City Region’s construction plans, with the two questions: ‘Where are we?’ and ‘Where are we going?’ serving as the basis for the event.

Attendees were seated at tables and given the opportunity to hear the main speakers, including Gary Millar, Liverpool City Council cabinet member for business, enterprise and investment, and the panel of leading public and private sector experts and professionals debate the city’s current and future construction plans.

This was followed by opportunities for structured networking as the tables discussed what the panel had said and contributed their own ideas to the debate.

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1. Guests listen to an address by Councillor Gary Millar 2. Benedict Ward (Tender Management Consultancy) 3. Ricky Byrne (YSS Commercial) and Jemma Ellison (Parry & Co. Solicitors) 4. Peter Kerrigan (Kerrigans Construction Lawyers) 5. Lively debate 6. Liam and Barry Sidwell (both of Metas Design and Construction) 7. The event was well attended 8. Event organiser Kelley Hargreaves 9. Councillor Gary Millar 10. Gary Johnson (Assured Heating Solutions) and Shelley Mason (HST Training), with Anthony O’Brien (Beneficial Marketing) 11. Peter Skates (Liverpool City Council) 12. Debbie Williams (Tender Management Consultancy)

p35-48_Move Commercial 24/11/2014 17:38 Page 45

Move Commercial Events Dec-Jan

EVENT PLANNER

Our pick of the best local events

29 NOV

2 DEC

11 DEC

15 JAN

Lighthouse Club North West Annual Dinner The Hilton, Manchester

Legal changes and updates in planning consents and appeals Crowne Plaza, Liverpool 1pm-2pm

A Mad Hatter’s Christmas Mad Hatter Brewing Company, Liverpool 6pm-9pm

Gain legal insight to ensure challenges in planning legislation can be avoided or well managed.

Tickets, £30, are available to RICS members and non-members. www.rics.org/uk

Women in Property is teaming up with CIOB, Wates Living Space and RICS to host a festive event in the Baltic Triangle. Indulge in some of the brewery’s famous beer, enjoy a festive supper and catch up with industry contacts. Open to men and women, as well as members and non-members of Women in Property, CIOB, and RICS. Email Kat Brown at kbrown@aewarcitects.com

Crisis management – prepare for the worst, hope for the best?

Irish World Heritage Centre, Manchester 6.30pm

The Lighthouse Club, the construction industry charity, is holding its annual North West dinner at the Hilton in Manchester.

It’s promising a great lunch and entertainment. To book a place email Paul Murray at lighthousenw@gmail.com

9 DEC

1 DEC

3 DEC

BIM Technical Seminar Midland Hotel, Manchester 7.30am – 10am

Mitigating fraud in the property and construction industry Double Tree by Hilton, Manchester 6pm-7pm

A seminar hosted by the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, providing an opportunity to find out about Building Information Modelling (BIM) and how it can help deliver projects. www.gmchamber.co.uk

PICK OF THE MONTH

Guidance on measures to help prevent the money laundering and fraudulent activities which are affecting the property industry.

Tickets, £30, are available to RICS members and non-members. www.rics.org/uk

GEPMore Business Liverpool Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, Old Hall Street, Liverpool 11.30am-1.30pm Ahead of new green regulations that businesses must abide by in 2020, GEP More Business is hosting a networking event with advice on how business can benefit from being greener. www.liverpoolchamber.org.uk

Foresight Centre celebrates successful 2014 The Foresight Centre

The Foresight Centre conference and meeting venue has secured a number of repeat bookings for 2015, after a successful year hosting events for the health, education and construction sectors.

The venue has secured bookings from the NHS, pharmacy companies and firms in the education and construction sectors, says Claire Coombs, business development manager at the Foresight Centre.

She says: “The Foresight Centre has had a busy 2014 having hosted many of the university’s most high profile meetings, training events, away days and conferences.

“State of the art technology in all our meeting spaces, coupled with the building’s rich heritage and history make the Foresight the perfect venue for businesses. We look forward to seeing them in 2015.”

The venue has achieved silver MIA accreditation and has installed technology such as video conferencing facilities and an IT training suite including 17 PCs. For further information about the Foresight Centre, call 0151 794 8060.

15 JAN The Business Network: Warrington and Chester group DoubleTree by Hilton, Manchester 12pm-2pm The Business Network Warrington is co-hosting a lunch event with the Chester group, aiming to connect like-minded business leaders in a relaxed, productive environment and through the support and cultivation of local businesses.

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) hosts a training session for crisis management, touching on incidents, their causes and how to react by being professional, caring and prepared.

Members and non-members welcome. Email Barbara Brown at bbrown@ciob.org.uk

23 JAN RICS Annual QS and Construction Dinner The Point, Lancashire County Cricket Club 7pm-11.30pm This established dinner returns to celebrate industry achievements, as well as providing a chance to network and establish relationships with fellow professionals from around the region. Tickets are available to members and nonmembers. www.rics.org/uk

New Liverpool festival to provide ‘shop window’ for businesses A brand new three-day festival will take place in Liverpool in 2015, celebrating the city’s small, creative and independent businesses.

Liverpool Loves will take over the iconic Pier Head, along the UNESCO World Heritage waterfront, from 6-8 August with a Business Big Top aiming to provide a “shop window for the commercial and social enterprise sectors” during the first two days.

As the festival as a whole aims to celebrate all things Liverpool, with the third and final day offering a host of cultural attractions, the business part of the event includes a commercial marketplace, seminar stages for guest speakers, networking spaces and work stations along with a themed gala dinner.

The festival is the brainchild of Debbie Boyd, director of the city’s Orb Events which helped pioneer its successful cultural Liverpool Pride and Brazilica events.

Following the announcement of the new free addition to the city’s events calendar, Boyd says: “Liverpool very much has an international focus, which is paramount in attracting new business to the city. But we also have so much to offer from grass roots level, through to global companies. The city has a real business ethos and we want to strip that right back, rediscover our roots, and encourage and empower people.”

Organisers are also hoping the event will become a “vital part” of the International Festival for Business when it returns to Liverpool in 2016.

Tell Move Commercial about your commercial property and business events.

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Expert views Ask the panel

What will the devolution settlement mean for Manchester?

As well as providing an opportunity for the people of Scotland to have their say on the prospect of being an independent country, September’s historic referendum also opened up the debate amongst some English cities calling for further powers from Westminster. Following the announcement that Greater Manchester has now agreed a devolution settlement with the government – a move which will aim to give ‘greater powers to the area’s combined authority working in partnership with a directly-elected mayor’ – we ask industry insiders what it will mean for the city.

It’s between significant and momentous. This is a milestone in a long journey, but an important one. It builds on existing initiatives like ‘Earnback’, which enables the city region to reinvest £30m a year of value raised locally, pushing new boundaries and bringing the power of decision to Manchester.

Recognising this step-change needs a new level of accountability, the

It’s clear that more of a focus is being put on transport and infrastructure and the region’s politicians have a good track record when it comes to this – we have an excellent transport network set to be boosted by HS2, which is in turn leading to global investors’ attraction to the city and growing demand for new offices.

If more funding is made available for infrastructure and housing in the deal, as it appears to be the case, then there is no doubt that Greater Manchester will stand to benefit.

The city region doesn’t want to stop here. Sir Richard Leese says his ultimate aim is to have full control over the total £22bn of annual spend. These new funds are a drop in the ocean compared to this. I think that this goes to show that it is a step in the right direction but isn’t quite the transformational move it’s been made out to be.

David Lathwood, lead director, North West at JLL

agreement also allows for an elected mayor to be added to the combined authority, a governance scheme made in Manchester.

Given the evidenced benefits that having a metropolitan mayor has brought London, this is hugely to Manchester’s advantage – so we welcome what will be a nationallysignificant institution to galvanise and deliver Manchester’s agenda, from HS2 and HS3 to changing the health, benefits, planning and business support systems.

These new powers need study and support, and we will play our part in helping to use them to advance the local economy and strengthen the gateway that the north of England is to the world, connecting people and business with more opportunity, trade and investment.

Baron Frankal, strategy director, Manchester Airports Group

Devolution for the North West is a rare opportunity. The Scottish referendum on independence appears to have accelerated public and political disenchantment with centralised Whitehall governance. Regional devolution may not be a panacea for all, and there are potential issues in ensuring that those areas outside Greater Manchester are included, but it can promote stakeholder focus and ownership over the region’s economy.

Even a small increase in regional fiscal and policy autonomy will prove exciting and stimulating, both for those with money to invest and those in a position to provide support and services for that investment. Greater Manchester and the North West have a chance to jump ahead of regional rivals, not only in the potential for developing sensible strategic governance on

crucial issues like economic growth and transport but also in terms of developing media coverage and brand marketing.

Siobhan Fraser, director of valuation advisory, CBRE Manchester

There's still a bit of detail about how government or opposition parties are going to deliver devolution through new legislation, but anything that puts the region in control of its own destiny has to be a good thing.

Giving local control in policy areas such as transport, for example, will have a major impact on the city centre retail economy, which is already worth £3.4bn a year.

Skills is another area of interest to retail, as the sector is such a huge employer in the city - around 25,000 people.

Manchester is growing in reputation and popularity as an international visitor destination so it is encouraging to see the city region being given the powers to steer that global growth at a local level.

Simon Binns, Heart of Manchester BID manager, CityCo

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