move commercial 18

MOVECOMMERCIAL

May-July 2010LIVERPOOL CITY REGION CHESTER MANCHESTER

The north-west’s guide to property and business Issue 18

INDIGO-GOExclusive with

etrepreneur SimonMatthews-Williams

CANNES CLOSE-UPAll the Liverpool event photos

THE DAMNED UNITEDPriorities for thehung parliament

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01-12:p03-12 7/5/10 16:04

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 3

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MOVE COMMERCIAL4

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 5

MOVECOMMERCIAL

May-July 2010LIVERPOOL CITY REGION CHESTER MANCHESTER

The north-west’s guide to property and business Issue 18

INDIGO-GOExclusive with

etrepreneur SimonMatthews-Williams

CANNES CLOSE-UPAll the Liverpool event photos

THE DAMNED UNITEDPriorities for thehung parliament

www.langtreegroupplc.co.ukMere Grange – Major new office park

Issue eighteen Move Commercial

Welcome to Move Commercial

Contents

16

23 42

In this issue of Move Commercial, retail is on the table forour panel of experts, examining the growth of prime sitesin the region and the surprising benefits of online retail forkeeping the high street strong in Manchester, Liverpool,and the surrounding areas. In Founding Business Alan Beerconfides in Move Commercial about his plans for growthand we’ve compiled a list of the region’s wealthiestbusiness people in Rising Stars, while our architecturalupdate highlights some of the stunning entries for thisyear’s RIBA awards. The growth of the leisure industrycannot go unnoticed in Liverpool, where planningapplications for new hotels are at a record high. Maintainingquality in this sector is a concern, but our EntrepreneurSimon Mathews-Williams isn’t too worried ahead of the

Hotel Indigo launch – and no wonder with Marco Pierre-White onboard. Capitalising on the momentum ofsignificant lettings is a running theme, as Ask’s First Streetdevelopment launches the first phase of the Manchesterscheme with the city council as tenants. Furtherinvestment into the regeneration area and southerngateway into the city is anticipated by our Mover & Shaker,Ask director John Hughes, but if critics suspect the schemeof attempting rivalry with the city centre they’ll be wrong -the masterplan is cleverer than that. Move Commercial’sphotographers captured property professionals at lunch atthis year’s Cannes Do, and at the Women in Constructionevent at BoConcept Liverpool ahead of what should be abusy and prosperous summer for property.

move publishing ltdAdvertising DirectorFiona Barnet Tel 0151 709 3871Account ManagerJo Tait Tel 0151 709 3871Editorial TeamLucy Oliver and Jonathan KearneyEmail [email protected] 0151 709 3871Picture ResearcherFrances Gill. Email [email protected]

DesignerRob Whyte. Email [email protected] by Move Publishing LtdDirectorsDavid O’Brien, Kim O’Brien, Fiona BarnetPrinted by Precision Colour Printers LtdDistribution Liaison ManagerBarbara TroughtonTel 0151 733 5492 Mobile 077148 14662

Copyright Move Publishing Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced copied or transmitted in any form orby 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 forthe veracity of the claims made by advertisers.

News06 Plans for Pall Mall Exchange07 Central Village work to start09 Wirral’s links across the globe10 Princes Dock’s waterfront offer13 Exchange Flags’ foodie appeal14 Knowsley’s fierce attraction15 Runcorn points forwards16 Take-off for retail scheme17 Retail tops Kirkby survey18 Retail tenants for Liverpool19 Ellesmere Port’s

international attractions22 Gateway finds support 23 Media revolution in Manchester

Features11 Bitesize Thinking

Food for thought24 Mover & Shaker

John Hughes on a first forAsk Developments

28 Leisure economy updateHotels in focus

30 Founding BusinessAlan Beer on the family firm

34 EntrepreneurSimon Matthews -Williams on new ventures in hospitality

37 DebateThe retail climate is on the table

42 Architectural updateThe RIBA shortlist

44 Rising StarsRegional businesses growing their profits

46 Ask the PanelWhat should the new government do?

Key Events21 Women in Construction

Chapel Street networking26 Port of Liverpool

The lifeblood of business32 The Cannes Do in Liverpool

Annual property lunch

Careers40 Appointments

Property movers and shakers

44

CreditsFocus on Architecture photography credits: Abito © David Barbour. LJMU Art & Design Academy © Richard Chivers. ChavassePark Pavilion © Roy Roberts. Chips © Christian Richters. The Pier Head and Canal Link © Darren Johnston. Site 1, LiverpoolOne © Paul McMullin. Engineering Department, University of Liverpool, © Hufton & Crow. Tom Reilly Building, © Ian Lawson.New Roundhouse, © Daniel Hopkinson. Site 7, Liverpool One © Paul Raftery. Other credit: Peter Kelly/Key Event.

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News Move Commercial

New Vision forcity developmentLIVERPOOL VISION hasannounced a major newcommercial development for thecity. Incumbent chief executiveJim Gill used the platform of theannual property event, MIPIM inCannes, to announce the Pall MallExchange scheme, a four hectareextension to St Paul’s Square inthe city’s commercial district. Thedevelopment will offer up to450,000 sq ft of mixed-usecommercial space. The Northwest

Regional Development Agencycurrently own the freehold for thesite, which is to be developed asGrade A office space, togetherwith public realm, retail,restaurants, residential andparking. Jim Gill commented:“Pall Mall represents a fabulousopportunity to plan and developan office campus of the highestquality, to leading edgeenvironmental standards at theheart of a city centre with all the

benefits which follow from such asuperb location. This siterepresents a fantastic site for largescale civil service relocations orfor major corporations looking toreduce their cost base andenhance their business efficiency.”The procurement process for thesite will begin in the summer, withpublic sector funding available forfunding. King Sturge has beenappointed as property consultantsfor the project.

Pall Mall Exchange announced

CGI of how the Central Villagedevelopment will look

Artist’s impression of proposed Pall Mall scheme

CINNAMON Café Bar and Lounge hasopened in the atrium of The Capital,owned by property group Downing.The developers have been advancingLiverpool’s largest Grade A-equivalentrefurbishment scheme at The Capitalsince acquiring the building in 2006,and the café is the latest facility toopen at the £15million development,delivering new high quality officespace alongside business andlifestyle facilities. The new caféserves hot and cold drinks, breakfast,lunch, light refreshments and hotsnacks and features open planseating as well as quiet meetingspaces. Jacqueline McKeown, ownerof Cinnamon cafe bar and lounge,said: “I have worked in the CommercialDistrict for more than 20 years and Iknow what workers and residents

want from a cafe. “We’ve worked hardto meet those needs and think thatpeople will really enjoy what we haveto offer, all in the fantasticsurroundings of the Capital’s atrium.”Robin Ellis, senior agency surveyor atDowning, said: “The new cafe is agreat addition to the Capital andwe’re confident it will offer ourtenants, and the wider businesscommunity, the perfect meetingplace.” In December 2009 thecompany secured Liverpool’s largestever commercial letting when the UKBorder Agency, one of the city’sbiggest employers, took 220,000 sqft in the building.

Downingtoasts newtenantTouch of cinnamonfor commercialdistrict

Cinnamon Cafe

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 7

Move Commercial News

£37m deal at Central VillageSummer start forLewis’s renovation

A MULTI-MILLION POUND hoteldevelopment in the centre of Liverpool’shistoric RopeWalks district will welcomeits first guests in August. The hotelarrives in the city following the successof its flagship venture in London’sKensington. It will be the secondbase2stay hotel in the country. Thedirectors say that one of its uniqueselling points is that, rather than havinga bar or dining facilities on site, thehotel encourages guests to exploretheir surroundings by offering exclusivediscounts at restaurants, bars andcultural venues across the city. Thebase2stay Liverpool will be located 100meters from the new Liverpool Oneshopping district in a former print worksdating from the 1850s and will haveundergone a £14m redevelopment that

will transform it into a 106-room, fourstar hotel. The owners state that manyof the building’s original heritagefeatures have been retained andincorporated into the contemporaryinterior design, including the originalroof timbers with which the buildingwas first constructed and which arebelieved to have come from 18thcentury ships. Gary Laird, generalmanager of base2stay Liverpool, said:“Liverpool has gone through arenaissance recently and is now a moreexciting and appealing tourismdestination, so we were keen to be apart of that. Overseas and domesticvisitor numbers are rising rapidly and weare perfectly placed for people wishingto sample the city’s broad culturaloffering and uniquely vibrant nightlife.”

August opening for new hotel

CONSTRUCTION WORK torevitalise Liverpool’s historic Lewis’sBuilding will begin this summer(2010), developer Merepark hasannounced. Leading European hotelbrand Adagio has been named as theanchor tenant in the scheme whichwill feature leisure, retail and officespace at the landmark city centresite. Merepark has successfullyconcluded a £37.1 million deal toforward fund the works, part of itswider Central Village regenerationscheme, with a Regent Capitalsyndicate. A ten year senior debtfacility has been provided to thesyndicate by The Co-operative Bank.The project will deliver newlyrefurbished retail and leisure spaceand see the building’s unused upperfloors brought back to life as 80,000sq ft of offices and a 125-bedapartment–hotel. Adagio, a jointventure between the Accor andPierre Vacances hospitality groups,has pre-let space in the refurbishedbuilding. It will operate a new 125-bed Adagio Aparthotel - the first toopen in the UK. Ian Jones, directorat Merepark, said: “Securing forwardfunding and attracting a major hotelgroup represents a compelling voteof confidence in both the future ofthe Lewis’s Building and Liverpool as

a place to do business. We arelooking forward to starting on siteand delivering a scheme which willgive the building a new lease of lifeand a place at the heart of the widerCentral Village development.”The newly refurbished

contemporary office accommodationwill be located across four floors ofthe existing building and compriseindividual 20,000 sq ft grade A floorplates. It will be delivered to aBREEAM very good rating. Inaddition, a new plaza will be createdbetween Liverpool Central Station

and the Lewis’s Building and180,000 sq ft of leisure and retailaccommodation will be created inthe space previously occupied byVergo Retail. Discussions areongoing with Vergo Retail, as well asa number of other potentialoccupiers in relation to this leisureand retail space. The famous ‘DickieLewis’ statue will remain firmly inplace at the Renshaw andRanelagh Street entrance. The refurbishment is scheduled to beavailable for occupation from thethird quarter of 2011. DTZ and CBRE

have been appointed as agents forthe offices and Savills advisedMerepark on the pre-let to Adagio.Jim Gill, chief executive of LiverpoolVision, said: “This is very good news.The scheme will have a reallypositive impact on this part of thecity centre which has not really beenable to take advantage of thedevelopment boom since 2000. Thefunding package is evidence ofcontinued confidence in Liverpoolcity centre and a tribute to thetenacity and innovation of thedevelopment partnership.”

Lewis’s front view

base2stay main entrance

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For more information and advice about investing in Wirral

Call 0151 650 6915 Visit www.investwirral.com

If you are considering relocation for your business,or expanding your company, Wirral offers accessible,user-friendly information that saves you time and enables faster, better informed decision-making.

You will find specialist advice and assistance from finding sites and development partners, through to recruiting and training quality staff and developing new supply chains.

A full package of location advice and business support is availabledesigned to give your company a competitive advantage.

bigon support

417JUN08PJ

MOVE COMMERCIAL8

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PLANS are being unveiled today for anational training centre dedicated to greenenergy microgeneration technologies intime for an opening in July. Constructionwork began in April on the new GreenEnergy Training Centre (GETC) on WirralInternational Business Park inBromborough, with funding for the£280,000 project being drawn from boththe public and private sector. The GETC isa partnership between the Skills FundingAgency (SFA) and two Wirral based privatebusinesses Stiebel Eltron, the Germanowned renewable energy productmanufacturer, and Scientiam theBirkenhead based training provider. In totalStiebel Eltron will invest £57,372,Scientiam £100,050 and SFA £122,275,through the Regional Skills CapitalDevelopment Fund. The GETC will be builtat Stiebel Eltron’s premises. Stiebel Eltron’sUK managing director Mark McManus saidhe wanted to hear from engineers,electrical contractors, plumbingcontractors and heating and ventilationspecialists as well as other tradesmenlooking to transfer and improve skills. Hesaid: “We know the GETC can play a vitalrole in filling the green energy skills gap.We further know emphatically that greenenergy is the future, with £100bn being

invested in the industry creating anestimated 160,000 jobs by 2020according to government targets.However, if we are to meet the UK’s targetof 15 per cent of UK energy coming fromrenewable sources by 2020, there is adesperate need to improve the quantityand calibre of training available specificallyin microgeneration technologies. This isprecisely what the GETC will focus on.” Hecontinued: “Microgeneration is defined as

green technologies found within homesand commercial properties which produceheating, hot water, ventilation, lighting andelectricity. This includes equipment suchas ground and air source heat pumps, solarpanels and solar photovoltaic. Thesetechnologies have a vital role to play astoday renewables account for less thantwo per cent of energy production and by2016 all new homes built must be carbonneutral.” Mr McManus said the GETC will

provide the highest standards of trainingon the latest equipment helping installersfrom across the UK become accredited forthe Government’s MicrogenerationCertification Scheme (MCS). Thisaccreditation is critical as without itproperty owners using installers notrecognised by the MCS cannot apply forgovernment grants, which can pay up tohalf the costs of buying and installinggreen energy equipment.


WIRRAL COUNCIL has committedto investing £12m in its ITinfrastructure to provide super-fastNext Generation Access (NGA)broadband to businessesthroughout the Borough. Thissignificant investment in theborough’s IT infrastructure is beingmade to improve thecompetitiveness of existing Wirralbusinesses in the internationalmarket, as well as to attractcompanies wishing to locate to theUK or Europe who are dependenton fast data transmission. By theend of 2010, it’s predicted thatsuper-fast broadband will still onlybe available to 7.4 per cent of theUK population, making thisinvestment an historic one forWirral Council. Jim Wilkie, deputy

chief executive for Wirral Council,said: “High speed internet isbecoming an essential businesselement and this investment iscrucial to the future success of oureconomy. Next Generation Accesswill enable our businesses tosuccessfully compete and giveWirral a real unique selling point asa potential investment location.”The majority of UK broadbandcurrently lags behind other parts ofthe world such as Korea, Japan,France, Portugal and Spain becauseit is supplied through copper cables.A much higher speed ofconnectivity can be suppliedthrough fibre optic networks andWirral is proposing to install a ‘fibrering’ which will reach its keyinvestment and employment areas

and will use ‘Fibre to the Premises’(FTTP) technology so that thefastest service is available tobusiness at all times. Wirral’s fibrering will be ‘open access’ to serviceproviders such as Virgin, Sky andBT so as to ensure that Wirralbusinesses have access to the fastestbroadband at the cheapest price.Mr Wilkie added: “The installationof the fast fibre optic network willbe phased over the next few yearsbut we anticipate that the firstbusinesses will be benefiting from itwithin 18 months when they willhave a real edge over theircompetitors.” Wirral plans to boostits improved connectivity evenmore by linking up with datacentres throughout the world,enabling truly global coverage.

Wirral goes greenGreen technologies training for Bromborough

Jim Wilkie

Next Generation IT for WirralWirral Council invests £12m

Mandi O’Shea andMark McManus

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Locationfit for a princeGRADE A office accommodation atPrinces Dock on Liverpool’sUNESCO waterfront is available forbusinesses looking to relocate, withspace available from 2,316 –14,000 sq ft. Princes Dock is a hubof business activity set in 14.5hectares, situated next to theproposed £5.5 billionredevelopment scheme of Liverpoolwaterfront; Liverpool Waters, andnext to the iconic Liver Building.The scheme developed by PeelLand & Property is, according to aPeel spokesperson, already beingearmarked by prospective tenantsfor its enviable location combininga tranquil waterfront setting with

just a few minutes’ walk from thecentre of the city’s bustlingbusiness district. Tenants at thepremises include Coutts Bank,PricewaterhouseCoopers, KMPGand The Royal Bank of Scotland,and all occupiers benefit from on-site car parking, 24 hour securityservices, a dedicated on-sitemaintenance facilities and cleaningteam, an on site member healthand leisure club, and a cafe, barsand restaurants. The developmentis also notable for its adjacentcruise liner facility, and the newLeeds - Liverpool canal linkextension passes through thedevelopment. The site is key to the

city’s leisure offer, andapproximately 220,000 peoplevisited the waterfront to see cruiseliner and naval vessels in 2009. Inaddition to three Grade A officebuildings there are two high qualityhotels – the Crowne Plaza andMalmaison, three luxury apartmenttowers and a 760 space multistorey car park. Further land is alsoavailable for design and buildoffices of up to 200,000 sq ft. Foroffice enquiries please contactCBRE 0151 224 7666 or DTZ 0161236 9595. For retail/leisureenquiries please contact GVAGrimley 08449 02 03 04 or KeppieMassie 0151 255 0755.

Business opportunity at UNESCO site

SECTOR specific networking andintroduction of industry specificseminars have contributed to thesuccessful relaunch of LiverpoolChamber's Construction andDevelopment Lunch. John Sutcliffe, MDof Sutcliffe Projects and chair of theChamber's Construction andDevelopment Committee explained: “Werepresent the views of Chambermembers in the construction, propertyand professional sectors, by identifyingand promoting members' issues, andgive the construction sector a voice onplanning and construction issues. Thelunch events provide additional timelyand specific information to thesequarterly, sector specific networkingevents.” The second lunch of 2010takes place at the Atlantic by Thistle on2 June 2010. The event commences at11am, with three workshop sessionsspecifically tailored for the constructionsector followed by a sector onlynetworking lunch. The workshops beginwith ‘The Trouble with Trees’ withAlistair McLeod, MD of Pinnacle Tree andLandscape Solutions. This is followed byan overview of the City CentreMovement Strategy from Phil McGeal ofLiverpool City Council Highways ProjectTeam and a legal update from JohnHolmes, head of planning at HillDickinson, entitled ‘Planning and theElection - what next?’ After lunch arepresentative from the Royal LiverpoolHospital will talk about the planneddevelopment of the new hospital andthe issues around the redevelopment ofthe site. This event is open tocompanies in the construction andproperty development sectors only. Themember fee is £30/£40 non-members.Book at www.liverpoolchamber.org.uk.

Relaunchfor ChamberLunchEvent exclusive toconstruction andplanning sector

Princes Dock

JohnSutcliffe

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Move Commercial Bitesize thinking

...not to listen to those who advisedme against making my firstinvestments in student property. Idid it anyway, but with the benefitof hindsight I would have boughtmore stock. In the early ninetiesstudent accommodation was notconsidered an asset-class in its ownright by financial institutions andinvestors. I was advised that therewouldn’t be demand for the kind ofquality accommodation I wanted tocreate. All that has changed, studentvillages are well established, and thesector has experienced a very robustrental growth in the past five years.Also, if I’d known for certain thatEngland were going to qualify forthe World Cup, I wouldn’t be gettingso much grief for the last minutechange of my holiday plans.

If only I'd known… The student housing market willbecome an increasingly attractiveprospect for investors. Studentnumbers have consistently risenover the past ten years anddemand far outstrips supply inmany areas of the country. Wehave invested heavily in thequality and sustainability of ourstudent accommodation and arelooking to expand this part of ourportfolio. It’s also a fact that morestudents enter education, ratherthan the workforce, duringuncertain economic times. If I didhave a crystal ball I’d like to knowhow the next government willhandle rising university tuitionfees. It’s important that fees staysteady and affordable.

In my crystal ball…

George Downing,chairman of Downing

George Downing

Buzzword‘ T R A I L B L A Z E R ’

THE ORIGINS of the wordtrailblazer are in describing anadventurer who, on carving a pathinto the unknown, takes theprecaution of leaving a trail behindhim. Of course, our modern dayunderstanding of the term carriesmore specific connotations, withthe idea of leaving a path for othersto follow etched most strongly in

the general consensus. The term isoften used now to describe anynumber of business people whoseentrepreneurial talents have ledothers onto great things. This isusually with the added impression,achieved through the Germanicconstruct, of immediacy – a‘blazing’ path carved in lights andflames – of power, and fame.

The number of passengers travelling to and from GreaterManchester, who use John Lennon Airport for their flights.

760,000Vitalstatistics

ADAM HALL, architect and managingdirector at Falconer Chester Hall took onboard the covetable task of sharing hisfavourite architectural inspirations withMove Commercial readers.

“Locally I think the new LiverpoolMuseum just nearing completion on thewaterfront is fantastic. I feel its form oftwo interlocking rectangles sits verywell in this highly sensitive historicsetting next to Liverpool's three graces.It uses a stone that complements theexisting buildings in a modern yetcontextual way, and I expect the viewfrom the large picture frame window

onto the Mersey will be amazing.Abroad - I most admire the work ofAmerican architect Richard Mier and Ibelieve his best building is the Museumof Contemporary Art in Barcelona. Mier'swork is characterised by very sculpturalforms often using white concrete andrender as the main facing material. Thebuilding in Barcelona sits in the gothicquarter surrounded by some finehistoric, yet slightly dilapidated buildings- the contrast is amazing. In fact Iproposed to my wife in front of thebuilding so it holds more that just anarchitectural memory for me.”

Museum of contemporary art Barcelona

Adam Hall&HomeAway

FAVOURITEBUILDINGS

Liverpool National Museum

MOVE COMMERCIAL 11

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To Let/May SellUnit 54,551 sq ft

Wirral International Business Park,Bromborough

To Let / May SellIndustrial units from 3,800 - 18,500 sq ft

Lumina

Wirral International Business Park,Bromborough

For more information on these sites please contact us on 01925 273000 or visit ourwebsite www.langtreegroupplc.co.uk

£2 psf in

your 1st year

(subject to T&Cs)

£4 psf in your 1st year (subject to T&Cs)

MOVE COMMERCIAL12

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 13

LAW FIRM HALLIWELLS hascompleted its move to state-of-the-art offices on the eighth floor of ThePlaza, Liverpool. The firm hasentered into a lease until 2031, withthe innovative fit out of the newfloor giving the Liverpool team23,000 sq ft office space, 2,000 sq ftmore than on the old office on theseventh floor. Features of the new

space include a brand new carbonneutral air conditioning systemwhich will have a significant impacton the carbon footprint of both thefirm and the building as a whole.Meeting rooms have been equippedwith the latest AV and videoconferencing technology, improvingthe facilities for clients and staffalike. Clients will also have access to

improved meeting room facilitiesand the latest media. Meanwhile,the firm says it’s ensuring that theold office furniture doesn’t go towaste by offering it to charities andschools. Some of the charities tobenefit from desks, chairs, and otheritems were 2nd Allerton ScoutGroup, Women's Aid Centre inSouth Liverpool, Kelton Nursery

and Carleton House School. SueRussell, partner and head ofHalliwells’ Liverpool office said:“Thewhole office has worked together tomake this move a success. The newspace on the eighth floor will offer abetter working environment for bothour clients and our own peoplewhilst vastly improving our impacton the environment.”

New distribution centre

A JAPANESE RESTAURANT has secured6,200 sq ft of leisure space atLiverpool’s Exchange Square. UKLPDevelopments, a joint venture betweenUK Land & Property and Pochin, hasagreed a 15-year lease with restaurantoperator Sakura. The JapaneseTeppanyaki is currently undergoing a£500,000 fit out and is due to open inthe summer. Newsagent ExchangeNews has also signed up to 500 sq ftof retail accommodation on a 10 yearlease. Ian Sherry, development directorat UK Land & Property, commented: "Wewanted to find an operator that sharedour vision and delivered the quality tomatch the existing offer at the Flags. AsSakura is an independent restaurant,the offer will not only be of a highquality, but also unique to the area.Exchange News will also take

advantage of the high footfall at theFlags and compliment existingoperators Coffee Republic andPhilpotts." David McDermott, owner ofSakura added: "Exchange Flags is animpressive backdrop for our restaurant.Our aim is to create a European feel tothe Flags by setting up external deckingarea with windbreakers and state of theart heaters and umbrellas, so diners cansit outside all year round comfortablywhatever the weather. Our bar andstage area will be hosting some of thebest singers and musicians from aroundthe region and we will be bringing in 15master chefs handpicked from aroundthe world to produce food of thehighest standard.” Exchange Flags iscurrently home to Brabners ChaffeStreet, the Ministry of Defence,Deloittes and Knight Frank.

Flagging up food offerfor the square

Bruntwood building’s fit-out a success

15-year lease for £0.5m venue


Halliwells completes Liverpool office move

Alex McCann, Tricia Cottrell, Nicola Herbert, Fiona Parry and Michael Murphy try out the new meeting room for size

Sakura Restaurant

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MOVE COMMERCIAL14


COMMERCIAL AGENTS KeppieMassie and Knight Frank haveearned their stripes with a lettingof a 5018 sq ft commercial unit atTiger Court. National Lotteryoperator Camelot has secured theunit at King’s Business Park, onthe development by Marshall CDP.Camelot has agreed to take Unit 12on a 10-year lease at thedevelopment (close to theborough’s Safari Park), which is

already home to Duncan GibbonsSolicitors and charity RichmondFellowship. Other companies onthe business park include Vertex,CSC, Balfour Beatty and KnowsleyHousing Trust. Camelot plans touse the unit as administrativeoffice space, and will occupy bothfloors of the Unit. The Fit out hasbeen completed and is now fullyoperational. Nick O’Byrne,Camelot’s head of property and

building services, said: “We aredelighted to be taking space atTiger Court. The development is ina very convenient location and itoffers great facilities for our staff.”Three units remain at Tiger Court,on lease or purchase, at the site,situated at Junction 2 of the M57Motorway. Andrew Byrne ofKeppie Massie said: “This is anexcellent location for a companywanting to reach the length and

breadth of the North West witheasy access to Manchester,Liverpool and further intoLancashire”.

Simon Marshall of Marshall CDPsaid: “Camelot will be in goodcompany. Kings Business Park andTiger Court have attracted topnames from a range of industriesshowing that if you provideexcellent space to do business youattract the very best”.

MAGHULL DEVELOPMENTS hassecured six new lettings at its historicHahnemann Building, marking it out asa hub for creative businesses in thecity. Antonia Garcia’ Architects, LawnCreative, Hope Street Holistic Clinic,Wade Smith Fashion Design, GeeSquared Architects and BlackstoneProperty Ltd have collectively taken6,000 sq ft of office space. AndrewOwen from Mason Owen, the jointagents acting for the building said: “TheHahnemann Building at 42 Hope Streetis an impressive business base whichoffers good value, lease flexibility and agreat location. At the heart of thecity’s art and culture quarter and closeto the universities, accommodationwithin The Hahnemann is available onan all inclusive easy in, easy out basis,

which makes it a particularly attractiveproposition for start-ups and creativebusinesses.” The all inclusive rentsinclude service charge, rates and bills.Available on flexible short-term lettingsfor periods of one to 18 months, suitesare still available from 400 to 2,500 sqft. The building, acquired by MaghullDevelopments in 2007, is fully servicedand includes basement storage andmanaged work space and studios.Earlier this year five other creativebusinesses moved into TheHahnemann Building, including GabrielleWalker Interior Design and Best EnglishLanguage Tuition. For more lettingsinformation please contact AndrewOwen of Mason Owen on 0151 2423000 or Chris Hennessy of EdmundKirby on 0151 236 4552.

Historic site a creative hubSix new lettings in Liverpool’s cultural quarter

Tiger Court’sappealno lottery Knowsley’s fierce attraction

Tiger Court Unit 12

The HahnemannBuilding

p13-36:p03-12 7/5/10 14:43

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CB RICHARD ELLIS has announced thelargest letting of new space to take placein the north-west this year. Acting withDavies Harrison on behalf of developerCantt Pak, the agents have let 128,000 sqft of industrial space at Runcorn’s ManorPark to medical supplies manufacturerMedline. The US-based company hasentered into a 17-year lease at a headlinerental of £5.25 per sq ft and will use thespace for their UK distribution centre.Manor Park has previously attracted bluechip companies such as Fresinius Kabi,Eddie Stobart and Matthew Clark and thelatest move follows a spate of major north-west warehouse deals over the last 12months. Howard George, senior director ofIndustrial Agency at CBRE North West,commented: “This is superb news in whathas been a particularly difficult period fortake up in the north-west. This facility isbuilt to the highest specification andMedline were keen to acquire a strikingbuilding which matched their image as aprogressive company expanding into theEuropean market.”

Taking stockMulti-million pound project for village centre

To the PointUS medical firm arrives in Runcorn

Boost forKnowsleyIndustrial Park

A REVIEW is to be carried out toboost the role of one of theregion’s biggest commercialareas at Knowsley IndustrialPark, near Kirkby, which coversaround 1000 acres and housesover 600 businesses.

It began life in the 1940s as amunitions factory but recentinvestments have extended andimproved facilities, attractingcompanies such as QVC, Sonae,and AC Delco. Knowsley Councilowns the freehold to most of thepark and in partnership with theNorthwest Regional DevelopmentAgency (NWDA) has appointedDTZ to carry out a comprehensivereview of how the site could beenhanced. DTZ will lead thereview in partnership with Arupand Taylor Young.

Cllr Graham Morgan, Knowsley’scabinet member for regeneration,economy and skills, commented:“We want Knowsley IndustrialPark to continue to be a majorbusiness hub for the LiverpoolCity Region. We want to ensurethat Knowsley Industrial Park is akey employment gateway site forKnowsley and the City Region.”Tim Claxton, developmentdirector at DTZ said of thecommission: “There are clearopportunities for the localauthority to influence the futuredirection of the industrial park.We will be looking at innovativefunding initiatives.”

Paul Lakin, director of land andproperty at the NWDA, said: “Asthe largest industrial area in theMerseyside sub-region, KnowsleyIndustrial Park offers significantpotential as an employmentlocation and it is vital that itrealises its potential as a primebusiness destination. This reviewwill play an important part inguiding its future developmentand helping to ensure that itplays its full part in growing thearea’s economy.”

Review of innovativefunding initiatives

NEW IMAGES of a majorregeneration project set to transformStockbridge Village have beenreleased. The multi-million poundplans include the creation of a newswimming pool, state of the art gymand leisure facilities, a learningresource centre, primary school,children’s centre and family centre,outdoor play facilities, a multi-usegames area (MUGA) and asupermarket. In addition, there areplans for enhanced bus facilities andwork is already underway to extendthe health centre. An exhibitionevent, organised by KnowsleyCouncil, was well attended by the

local community. The exhibitionincluded a scale model, plan andmoving imagery of the new villagecentre. In addition, artists’impressions were on display to givepeople an idea of how the newbuildings and public space will look.Those attending were able to meetwith the people involved in makingthis project happen, including thearchitects and representatives fromthe council and partnerorganisations including the Police,Knowsley Works and VillagesHousing. They were also given theopportunity to provide anyadditional feedback or comments

they may have on the plans. NickKavanagh, executive director forregeneration, economy and skills, isleading the project. He commented:“The feedback from residents hasbeen great and there is realenthusiasm and excitement in thearea to see these plans come to life.The support from the communityfrom day one has been fantastic andlocal people have played such animportant role in shaping theseplans.” Work has already begun tocreate the new Play Pathfinderfacilities, clear the former Heatwavessite and extend the health centre inStockbridge Village.

View across new school playground to primary school building

Manor Point

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£12million scheme ready for take-offLiverpool JohnLennon’s revamp

FROM 1 MAY until 31 October, Liverpoolwill showcase the city to Chineseinvestors at Shanghai. A week before theopening, 25 million tickets had been soldand it’s expected that around 70 millionvisitors will be attracted to the LiverpoolPavilion which is housed in the UrbanBest Practice Area of the 5.3 sq km siteoverlooking the Huangpu River. Designedby BDP architects and design agencyUniform, a total of 40 Liverpool CityCouncil staff, 20 Liverpool Vision staffand six NWDA and UKTI staff will beworking at the Expo, ensuring that thestand is staffed for visitors over the sixmonth period. River Media has designedthe digital media content including a 10minute 3D experience for visitors, and atotal of over 80 films will be broadcast inMandarin with some English subtitles toattract the interest of visitors andpotential investors. Peel Holdings is thelead sponsor for the event which is

costing £100,000, with just under 70sponsors signed up in total. In aninterview with Move Commercial, MikeTaylor from Liverpool Vision, stated thatthe Stott Wilson Groups report(commissioned through the North WestRegional Development Agency) foundthat the Expo would be worth £50m ofGVA growth over the next 10 years. Hecommented: “We know from ourstakeholders and partners who alreadydo business in China that it’s a longprocess of building a relationship. Onceyou’ve demonstrated that you are agenuine friend then they encourage theirfirms to do business with us. As Liverpoolwill be the only UK city in Shanghaithere’s a real opportunity to getLiverpool’s brand across and present thenorth-west as something distinct fromthe south-east, and position ourselves ina very favourable position forinvestment.”

Cultural connections

A NEW DEVELOPMENT is underwayat Liverpool John Lennon Airportincluding a 20,000 sq ft expansion ofretail space. The development aims tobring about a number ofimprovements for passengersincluding an expansion of theAirport’s departure lounge, additionalretail space and a new passengersecurity search area. McLarenConstruction has been appointed asthe main contractor for the scheme.Work commenced in December 2009and will be completed in phases withthe overall development due to befinished in autumn this year, witharchitects Leach Rhodes Walkerhaving worked on the designs of thedevelopment which will add an extra32 per cent of retail space. Theexpanded retail offer, with several newshop units, is set to create a largerdeparture lounge by moving theAirport's landside/airside boundary.Most of the retail development istaking place in the expandeddeparture lounge and the new retailspace will include a large walk-

through duty free area and a newcatering offer. A sweeping staircasewill link what is to become the upperfloor of the expanded departurelounge to the existing departures areaon the floor below, which will also seenew retail areas created. The plans willsee the relocation of the existingpassenger security search area on anew upper floor, becoming three timesthe size of the existing facility, with

new and additional latest generationpassenger screening equipment,aimed at reducing queuing timesduring peak periods. Additional retailareas are also being developed aroundthe landside arrivals area of theterminal building. Airport spokesmanRobin Tudor said the plans for thislatest development had involved inputfrom many retailers who wanted to be‘airside’, explaining that security

measures in place at all airports meanthat restrictions on the amounts ofliquids permitted in hand luggageremain in place. The development isexpected to improve the overallpassenger experience with a speedierand more relaxed passenger securityscreening process, and an expandeddeparture lounge with a number ofnew high street brands coming to theairport for the first time.

Liverpool’s EXPO at Shanghai

Artist's Impression of the newdevelopment interior at John Lennon Airport

CGI of Liverpool Pavillion at Shanghai

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Retail is toppriority for Kirkby THE RESULT of a consultationamong householders in Kirkby hasfound that retail remains a toppriority. In March every householdand business in Kirkby received aconsultation document askingpeople for their views on the futuredevelopment of the town centre.More than 1,600 responses weresubmitted to Knowsley Council bypost, online and through publicbuildings. The detailed findingsreport is currently being compiledbut the council has confirmed thatnew retail facilities and a food

superstore are clearly emerging asthe top priority for residents. NickKavanagh, executive director ofregeneration, economy and skillsat Knowsley Council is leading theproject. He said: “Approximatelyseven out of ten people whoresponded to the consultation haveranked new retail facilities or foodsuperstore as number one in theirlist of priorities for the towncentre. These initial findings giveus a very clear steer on what thecommunity wants us to focus ondelivering and we will be sharing

this feedback with our partners,including Tesco.” Michael Kissmanfrom Tesco said: “We are pleasedthat the council has had such agood response from the people inKirkby and encouraged to find thatso many people have listed retailas being the top priority for them.We remain committed to investingfurther in Kirkby town centre andto delivering the improvements toretail provision that thecommunity say they want. We willuse this feedback to now developsome exciting plans for the town.”

Tesco encouraged by survey

PROPERTY LAWYERS based in theLiverpool office of national law firmHalliwells LLP have kept the city’smarine traditions alive with theirlatest work for Cammell LairdShiprepairers and ShipbuildersLimited. The team, led by partner inthe real estate department, AlexMcCann, has just secured two 25-year leases of approximately 50 acreswithin Cammell Laird Shipyard inBirkenhead including the modularconstruction hall. Alex said of thedeal: “Cammell Laird Shipyard is anhistoric and impressive site thatincludes one of the largest dry docksof its kind in the world. It is of highstrategic importance to the UK’sshipbuilding and shiprepair industries.We are thrilled to be involved in atransaction of this type whichsecures the trading position of thefamous Cammell Laird Shipyard formany years to come.” The dealcontinues the good work ofHalliwells’ Liverpool real estate team,following on from the team’s successin completing the biggest officeleasing deal in Liverpool’s historytowards the end of 2009; anagreement to let out 220,000 sq ftin The Capital building for clientDowning Property Group. Alex addedsaid: “Our ongoing work for CammellLaird is yet another demonstration ofhow Liverpool has played to itsstrengths and is now looking forwardto the next 25 years.”

Law firm’spropertyteam sees itsship come inDry dock site extended

Nick Kavanagh

Alex McCann

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New arrivals at Cavern Walks

Property professionals reach outLunch event raises £5k for Mencap Liverpool

NEW TENANTS at Liverpool’s CavernWalks have boosted the shoppingcentre’s reputation as a boutique

fashion offer. Warner Estate Holdings,the owner of the city centre site, hassecured a number of lettings over the

last few months to join high-fashiontenants such as Vivienne Westwoodand Cricket. Suzanne Walker, senior

asset manager for Warner Estate,commented: “At Cavern Walks wecontinually review the tenant mixto ensure the centre's offer is reallyspecial for our shoppers. In recentmonths this has led to us securinglettings to businesses such asCello Boutique and Lola Loves, whichare up-and-coming young designerswith a loyal celebrity following. Morerecently a new brand ‘Oh My Love’ hastaken the last but one unit at CavernWalks and existing tenants havebeen expanding. Boudoir Boutique isnow trading as Boudette on the lowerfloor of their existing store and KidsCavern has taken a second unit of1,250 sq ft to run the only dedicatedchildren's footwear retailer in Liverpool.”Suzanne added: “While Liverpool Oneoffers the big chain brand experiencefor the city, our emphasis has beenvery firmly on developing a uniqueboutique shopping experience,fostering emerging talents andensuring Cavern Walks affirms its veryown place on the Liverpool retail map,a strategy that is working.”

THE ANNUAL Cannes Do eventsaw property professionals digdeep to raise £5,000 for MencapLiverpool – a charity which workshard to help those with learningdifficulties and their families to

lead happy, fulfilled lives. MarkChadwick of ProfessionalLiverpool, who organised theevent, presented the cheque tochief executive officer of MencapLiverpool, Sara Jones, from

Barclays on Chapel Street. Saracommented: “We wereoverwhelmed by the size – literally– of the cheque and I’m extremelygrateful to Professional Liverpooland the professional property

community for supporting us at adifficult time for many businesses.These funds will help us to extendour support services and reach sothat we are available 24/7 to thepeople that need us most.”

Mark Chadwick and Sara Jones

Cavern Walks

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DBH pioneernew tenants A TRIO of international businesseshave moved to Ellesmere Port’sPioneer House. Palm Recycling, asubsidiary of the German PalmGroup, has secured 2,100 sq ft atthe DBH managed development,bringing 24 staff to the threestorey facility. The Boston-basedCabot Corporation, a world leaderin performance materials, signedto a 2,000 sq ft unit in Januaryand will increase its Ellesmere Port

workforce to 19 in May this year.The latest arrival, Montreal firmAbitibi Consolidated, has taken an850 sq ft office suite. Thenewsprint and commercialprinting company has moved its10-strong UK sales team into thebuilding, which has been inoperation since late 2008. PiersGoodall, managing director ofDBH, commented: “We aredelighted to become the new home

to such established organisationsand are very pleased with howquickly each company has settledin. For DBH it’s great news thatcompanies recognise the benefitsof using our serviced officeaccommodation.” Pioneer House,which is housed on the 87-acrePioneer Business Park, boastsmeeting and conference facilitiesand high-spec office suites of up to8,532 sq ft.

International firms navigate to Ellesmere Port

MAX STEINBERG has beenannounced as Liverpool Vision’s newchief executive. The 58-year-old willreplace Jim Gill, who announced hisdecision to retire earlier this year. MrSteinberg began his career atLiverpool City Council in 1975, beforeembarking on a 25 year role with theHousing Corporation. He is currentlychief executive of RegeneratePennine Lancashire and is expectedto take up his new role in July thisyear. He commented: “I welcome themany and varied challenges that thisnew role will bring in helping takeforward the remarkable progress thatthe city has achieved in recent years.”Chairman of Liverpool Vision MikeParker commented: “Our search for anew chief executive attracted greatinterest nationwide and we were ableto assemble a very strong shortlist ofcandidates. We are delighted thatMax Steinberg has accepted theopportunity to become chiefexecutive of Liverpool Vision. He hasan impressive track record ofinnovation and achievement andimpressed with his understanding ofthe issues facing Liverpool Vision andthe City of Liverpool. The next fewyears will provide Liverpool with botha huge challenge through thesqueeze on public expenditure, butalso significant opportunities to buildon the city’s worldwide brand andimproved image.”

Steinbergin VisionNew chiefexec announced

Max Steinberg

Units at Pioneer Business Park

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1. Zoe Shields (retail director, BoConcept), with Lesley Martin-Wright (head of marketing, JST Lawyers) and Elaine Cunningham (BoConcept Liverpool). 2. Colette Malton

(property consultant) with Antonia Martin-Wright (Bruntwood). 3. Michelle Carberry (branch manager, HSBC Bank Lord St) and Jeanette McNabb (business specialist, HSBC

Bank). 4. Louise Davies (Plus Dane Group) and Sarah Duncan (JST Lawyers) with Hayley Hulme (Plus Dane Group). 5. Laura Sherlika and Michelle Riles (both of Austin Smith

Lord), Julia Ford (JST Lawyers) and Sarah Delucia (Gilling Dod Architects). 6. Jenny Buckley and Danika Wilkinson (Nationwide Assessors). 7. Elaine Cunningham presents the

raffle prize to Christine Fallon (Affordable Homes Consultancy). 8. Suzanne Wilson (Bidability) and Adrienne Taylor (Taylor Neighbourhood Renewal Ltd). 9. Christine Fallon

with her raffle prize. 10. Sue Patterson (Sutcliffe) and Liz Richards (Office Angels Recruitment).

Women inConstructionThe Plus Dane Group’s Hayley Hulme and Louise Davies were the guestspeakers at the recent Women in Construction event in Liverpool’s commercialdistrict. The well-attended event was hosted by JST Lawyers at Liverpool’sBoConcept urban design store on Chapel Street. The guest speakers providedan insight into the housing association’s work as a neighbourhood investor,focusing on homes, neighbourhoods and enterprise.

Designing urban communities Key eventsBy Lucy [email protected]

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IN A LETTER to Labour MP for HaltonDerek Twigg, The Secretary of State forTransport (at the time of going to press)said that he was “committed to takingforward the Mersey Gateway Bridge,which offers considerable benefits forMerseyside and Cheshire”. TonyMcDermott, leader of Halton BoroughCouncil and chairman of the MerseyGateway Executive Board, commented:“One of the key strengths of the projecthas been the regional and cross-partysupport it has had over its developmentand we will be working hard to press thecase for a quick decision with whoeverforms the next government.” SteveNicholson, Mersey Gateway projectdirector, added: “We are looking forwardto the project being approved in time forthe procurement process to commencelater in the year. In the meantime, theproject team is undertaking crucialpreparation work so that constructioncan start within two years of theproject receiving approval.” The projectproposes a new toll bridge over theMersey between Runcorn and Widnes.

LAW FIRM HALLIWELLS hasadvised Stobart Group on its newventure with Biomass supply anddistribution market leader A.W.Jenkinson Forest Products. Inaddition Stobart Group expects tobenefit from £30m per annum oftransport revenues from the newventure within three years. At thesame time, Eddie Stobart hassecured a ten-year transportcontract with A.W. Jenkinsonwhich is expected to deliver pre taxprofit of £19.25m over five years.The Halliwells team was ledby Liverpool-based corporatepartners Jonathan Brown (who isalso the firm's managing partner)and Craig Scott. A.W. Jenkinsonwas advised by Dundas & Wilson.Stobart Group Limited, the UK'sleading provider of multimodaltransport and logistics solutions,has taken a controlling interest innewly formed Stobart BiomassProducts Limited together withmarket leader A.W. Jenkinson

Forest Products, the largestsupplier of wood related biomassin the UK. Based on currentidentifiable projects, the Boardestimates that the market couldpotentially increase ten-fold in thenext three to four years to 15million tonnes annually. AndrewTinkler, CEO Stobart Group, said:"This investment and transportcontract together are a strategicbuilding block for the StobartGroup on many levels. Firstly it isexpected to be earnings enhancingfrom day one with an expected£19m net profit for the corebusiness in the next five years andan additional benefit of £30mrevenue per annum for the newcompany within three years. It alsooffers potential to further leverageour multimodal offering throughStobart Ports and Stobart Railgoing forward. He added:"Secondly, it gives us access to,and income from, the highermargin renewable energy market,

which has the potential to growten-fold in the next five years,driven by governmental andsocietal pressures for the greenagenda. Thirdly, SBPL will becomea strategic asset and platform forthe development and growth of theStobart business. In short this newpartnership will drive strongreturns, benefits and synergies forthe Stobart Group going forward."

LordAdonisbacksMerseyGatewaySupport fortoll bridge

Liverpool firmadvises on biomass venture

A NORTH-WEST constructioncompany has been recognised forits considerate approach. Preston-based Conlon Construction secureda National Site Award by assessorsfrom the Considerate ConstructorsScheme. Conlon was praised for itsapproach to areas such as healthand safety, cleanliness and the localcommunity for its work on the newSt Michaels and All Angels PrimarySchool in Kirkby. The companybegan work on the £4.2m projectin October 2008 and completed thenew school in June 2009.Headteacher Ann Coffey, whoattended the award ceremony atManchester’s Lowry Hotel,commented: “We were able to havean input into the designs for theschool, which I particularly valuedas I knew what we wanted andneeded from the space. We weremade to feel like a partner in thebuild, as well as the client, and we

were able to have someone fromthe school on site every day.”Construction director MichaelConlon commented: “We alwaysstrive to go above and beyond theminimum requirements for our

sites but we never rest on ourlaurels and will continue to listento the views and feedback of ourclients to continually improve theservice we provide.”

Considered approach brings rewardSchool development praised

Lord Adonis

JonathanBrown

St Michael and All Angels prior to completion

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A DIGITAL media hub in eastManchester has been granted acombined £6.3m by regionaldevelopment agencies. TheNorthwest Regional DevelopmentAgency and the European RegionalDevelopment Fund made thecontribution to The Sharp Project.The former Sharp EuropeanDistribution Centre on Thorp Roadwill be refurbished into a£16.5million digital content

production complex which willprovide a range of sound stages,office, production space andinfrastructure for digital companies.Urban regeneration company NewEast Manchester is currentlyconverting the warehouse inNewton Heath. The funding of£3.3m from the NWDA and £3mfrom the ERDF will complete theoverhaul and equip the building forits new use. The funding is expected

to create 13,000 sq m of digitalbusiness space, assist 85 digitalbusinesses and create 550 jobs inthe digital sector. The project willalso support a recruitmentprogramme which provides trainingand job opportunities for localpeople. Steven Broomhead, chiefexecutive of the NWDA,commented: "Manchester has longbeen regarded as the UK’s emergingmedia city and has developed a

global reputation as a creativepowerhouse. Retention of this iscritical for the future growth of thecreative production sector – and theSharp Project is Manchester'sresponse. The Sharp Project willbuild a critical mass of skills, supplyand demand which will strengthenthe city's role as the home ofcreative industries. Completionof works is expected duringautumn 2010.

Grants support Manchester’s media revolution

BARDSLEY CONSTRUCTION hassecured £10.4m worth of contractson Merseyside. The work includes a£3.75m contract to construct a new2,370 sq m sports facility forMerchant Taylors’ School in Crosby.The £70m turnover business, basedin Tameside, Manchester, will alsoconstruct a new single storeyprimary school and nursery for StAustin’s Primary School in St Helens,and 40 apartments for Eldonians andLiverpool Housing Trust, off VauxhallRoad in Liverpool. Wayne Bardsley,

chairman of Bardsley Construction,commented: “We’re delighted to beworking with such blue chip clientson projects that enhance ourreputation and presence onMerseyside and indeed throughoutthe north-west. Bardsley continuesto benefit from its growingreputation for work for the publicsector with an emphasis onpartnerships with clients includinglocal authorities, education bodies,housing associations and healthauthorities.”

Back to School Show business

BUSINESS network ProfessionalLiverpool is urging buddingperformers to step up to themicrophone in aid of learningdisability charity Mencap. The YFactor, previously known asProfessional Liverpool Idol, willtake place on 1 July at the PanAmerican Club in the AlbertDock. Professionals will behoping to emulate last year’swinner John McCaffery of GrantThornton and impress judgesincluding Dean Sullivan, Billy

Butler and Steve Coleman. MarkChadwick, chief executive ofProfessional Liverpool,commented: “We are encouragingmembers of Liverpool’sprofessional community whofancy themselves as the next JoeMcElderry or Leona Lewis tocontact Mencap for their chanceto perform live at this year’sevent.” For further informationtelephone Mencap on 0161 9689269 or [email protected].

Liverpool’s professionalcommunity takes centre stage

Bardsley secures Mersey contracts

Artist’s impression of the Sharp Project

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JOHN HUGHES meets us for hisinterview on site at No1 First Street,the first phase of Ask Development’slandmark mixed-use site. The newaddress, which is part of a masterplanto encompass an adjacent hotel, asubstantial leisure offering, and anew public realm over the next fewyears, has just become occupied bythe city council. The customerservices team moved into the grade Apremises in April this year on a threeyear lease, over 140,000 sq ft. Thissigning is a boost to the progress ofthe rest of the scheme. Johnexplained: “No1 First Street, wascompleted in March 2009 at adifficult time, in the midst of a bigchange in the economy, but with thecouncil coming for three and a halfyears helps us both out. By then,when we’re back on the market, therewill be a very limited amount of goodquality, BREAM excellent,sustainable floor space.” The firm ishoping that the high qualitydevelopment and the buzz about thesite due to the newly signed publicsector occupier will pull in anothertenant to the top floor, where anotherlarge floor plate is available of 24,000sq ft. Going forwards, the scheme willsee Ask and the council, together withEuropean funding, extend the publicrealm by 400m long and 18 wide, in a£3million investment for trees andpublic art to put First Street on themap. Says John: “We hope this willget people really excited and talkingabout First Street. We want to makethe most of the momentum from thecouncil moving in to capitalise onlettings.”

John joined Ask in 2002, afterworking as a graduate for HenryBoot, and then as regional managerof the developer’s office – beingpromoted to this position just twoyears out of university. He said: “Ijoined principally to look after ourpartnership project, the Greengatescheme, with Network Rail andSalford Council. I also helped bring

through the St Peter’s Field schemein Ashton-under-Lyme in partnershipwith Thameside Council, EnglishPartnerships, and NWDA and I had arole at Central Park – in relation toNo1 there. That was a joint venturebetween Manchester College, orMANCA, and the universities –spanning all levels of educationaltraining in one building. We felt thatwas important as that’s how we’veregenerated the industrial heartlandof Manchester - it’s obviously gonethrough massive changes over a 40 or50 year period. That was the bigregeneration business scheme forthat part of Manchester, incollaboration with New EastManchester and was our first liveproject at Ask.” The work in thesurrounding regions has beendiverse, taking advantage of the needfor retail regeneration with housingattached, as well as commercialopportunities for office and industrialspace. He added: “I also had theopportunity to do other one-off newdevelopment opportunities that were

commercially driven, such as Park 66in Bury with facilities for L’Oreal andsome work for the Ministry ofDefence, purpose built, quasi-commercial industrial facilities, butthat’s not the sort of thing peoplereadily relate to Ask. We’re seen verymuch as office, regeneration,brownfield sites, but we can turn ourhand to more commercially focusedprojects such as retail. We did Gortondistrict centre on the Hyde Road, asyou head south-east out of

Manchester. Manchester Councilheld a development competition andthey were looking for ways toregenerate the area. It had fallen intodisrepair, the Co-op had closed thefoodstore, and so the council boughtthat building from them, and therewas an old community indoormarket. Our angle was, rather thanbuild a new market, we joined upwith Tesco to refurbish the old Co-opand make a new indoor marketattracting the existing market stallholders and new ones to move in. Wewere really pleased with the deliveryof that scheme.”

That, and other projects, saw Askventure into more varied and widerterritory. John continues: “Thatscheme gave us the appetite toventure into more retail-leddevelopments and our next big keystep was four years ago when wewere successful in bidding for andwinning the Urmston centreredevelopment project in partnershipwith Trafford Council. Trafford hadbought an old MEPC shopping centrewhich was very tired – a concrete,classic 1950s, inward looking scheme- and it was losing huge amounts oftrade to the Trafford Centre, and theAsda there. The brief was to bring anew foodstore anchor, for a newmixed-use retail-led scheme thatwould have national chains and moreregional independent operators. Ittook a long time but we got there andwe delivered a new Sainsbury’s, anew multi-storey car park and thefirst phase of about 15 units forshops. We’ve got local hairdressers,franchises, card shops, Greggs,Thornton’s, Boots and a residentialproduct which, even through the verydifficult 18 months which we’ve hadnationally, has seen sales of thoseunits continue to go forward.”

Ask took 10 years to acquire theFirst Street site, and the No1 FirstStreet building – formerly occupiedby British Telecom over 140,000 sq ft– was scaled right back and built up

as though new. One interesting pointI notice in the central atrium, nearthe coffee shop, is the tall tree in thecourtyard – a Vietnamese specimenimported from Holland. Thecosmopolitan feel to the developmentis unmistakable. John continues: “It’seffectively a brand new building withtwo new floors on top to 180,000 sqft with very large floor plates of25,000 sq ft. The city council areoccupying 140,000 sq ft of that fromApril this year until 2013, when theground floor will be their customerservices centre while they refurbishtheir Town Hall premises – whichwill see a substantial investment inManchester city centre as well.”

Reflecting on his career – from hisdreams to become a professionalcricketer, when he played alongsideMichael Vaughan and Phil and GaryNeville, before the latter pursued theirfootball careers, to his catching theproperty bug working for a familymember’s surveying firm – Johnrecalls that it was during his well-spent time at Henry Boot that he sawthe market move towards urbanrenaissance, regeneration and mixed-use schemes. He says: “I knew Iwanted to be in this market. It’s greatfun and it’s very challenging.” Ofcourse, it’s a very different animal tothe commercial schemes in which hegained his experience: “With officedevelopment you have competitionconstantly around you. With retailand commercial led industrialdevelopment it is very clear that thereis often just one opportunity in onetown to get the site assembled andusually you will then get the planningpermission and the retailers willcome. There is still demand out therefrom retailers and office occupies butthe volume of development thatcomes forward is going to be morelimited – just due to the massiverestrictions on debt availability. Therewill be massive changes over the nextsix or seven years due to this, and thespeculative development that has

John Hughes, a director at Ask Developments’ team in Manchester, joined to lend hisopportunistic vision and entrepreneurial skills to the firm best known for theirregenerative work in urban areas. Fast forward eight years, and the business has bothcapitalised on the need for urban housing, and got back into the urban renaissancebusiness with a landmark scheme at Manchester’ southern gateway.

A first in regeneration

we wanted to bewalking the walk aswell as talking thetalk of regeneration““

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 25

John Hughes, Ask Developments Mover & Shaker

been fantastic for Manchester, andhelped to develop it way ahead of itspeers in the region, won’t happen inthe same way on that scale.”

John’s take on the regionaldevelopment agencies is very muchthat they’re right to support thephysical regeneration so thatemployers will be attracted and realprogress can be made: “As you getmore exposure to regeneration bodies,you see the benefits and it’s not justabout property, and the buildings, it’sabout the functions they serve, thepeople, and the facilities availablearound the building. It’s so importantto people’s lives.

“Our offices are nothing as grade Aas this – we have an old Victorianschoolhouse in Ancoats which we’verefurbished. We used to be based inCastlefield, but we’d outgrown thesite, and we felt that – working inregeneration – we wanted to bewalking the walk as well as talking thetalk of regeneration. We moved thereabout two years ago – it’s a realmixed bag and a dynamicenvironment and it makes you thinkabout the work that you’re doing.”

The firm’s next big challenges are tocapitalise on the momentum of No1’snew tenants: “We’re aware thatdelivering more main projects on andaround First Street over the next twoor three years is absolutely key so thatwhen the council do move out wehave hotels, shops, restaurants, barsand an excellent public realm. Thisbuilding could accommodate up to2000 staff, and that number ofpeople need feeding and watering,and exciting things to go on.

“We have come to terms with ahotel and are in advanced talks tosecure funding for that building. Wenow need to make sure we have thefunding to build it, and we expect toput a planning application in laterthis year and then to start on site in2011, for a 15-month build. By theend of 2012 we should have the nextphase of development up andoperating at First Street – followed bymultiple phases over the next two andthree years.” Looking out over the cityfrom the top floor at No1 First Street,the plans for the area coming aliveare an exciting prospect for the cityand the region: “This is the southerngateway to Manchester - it’s key, froman international perspective, and weneed it to fit in with the city centre,but is different from the city centre.We’re not here to compete with thecity centre or with the CBD, but wecan provide something different –and we have the space here to createsomething quite special.”

Hughes FileDOB: 07/02/1975 Blackburn

Education: Sheffield Hallam;BSc Urban Land Economics

Top tip: There’s always a way –never give up.

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AN INVITATIONFROM DOWNING

Quality and integrity have never mattered more. In a difficult market occupiers always demand the best space and the best financial package. But too many will overlook their long term relationship with their landlord. And that’s where quality and integrity really matters. Downing has invested millions of pounds in restoring and future-proofing The Port of Liverpool Building. It’s not just the quality of space we offer that sets us apart. Our dedicated in-house management team ensure that your occupation will be trouble free – now and in years to come.

WE INVITE YOU TO TALK TO US ABOUT YOUR ASPIRATIONS FOR YOUR NEW BUSINESS SPACE.

Suites from 500 to 10,000sqftLETTING AGENTS

ROBIN ELLIS – TEL: 0151 707 2666

[email protected] | www.downing.com

CALL US DIRECT

THE PORT OF LIVERPOOL BUILDING

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1. George Downing speaking at the event. 2. John Shields (JST Law), Anne Martin (Edge Hill University), Paula Keaveney (Edge Hill University) and Fergal O'Cleirigh (Bermans).

3. George Downing, Bob Newton (Pavis), John Powell (Barclays Corporate). 4. Pam Prescott (National Blood Service), Mark Hughes (Unilever) and Barbara Blanche (National

Blood Service). 5. Rod Holmes (The Mersey Partnership), Cllr Gary Millar (Liverpool City Council) and Mark Basnett (The Mersey Partnership). 6. Clare Mills, Marriott Hotels.

7. John Clegg (Downing) with Paul Chavasse (Rathbones) and Hannah Collins (Downing).

Campaign launchat Port of LiverpoolLeading figures from Liverpool’s business community joined host George Downing at the Port ofLiverpool Building, to mark the launch of the National Blood Service’s ‘Blood for Business’ campaign.The campaign aims to educate businesses on how easily employees can give blood during theworking day and to encourage city workers to visit the service’s Moorfields Donor Centre on DaleStreet. Guests enjoyed wine and canapés and the stunning interior of the recently refurbished Gradell* listed building on Liverpool’s World Heritage waterfront. Downing chairman, George Downing,spoke of the importance of blood donation at the event alongside Clare Mills from Marriott Hotels.He said: “As business leaders, we have a duty to inform our staff about the great need for blooddonors and we have the ability to make it easier for them to make time to donate during the day. Headded: “There are some 25,000 people working in Liverpool’s Commercial District - if just 10 per centof these gave blood twice a year, it would generate an additional 5,000 units of life-giving blood.”

Lifeblood in property Key eventsBy Lucy [email protected]

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FIGURES RELEASED by the NorthWest Regional Development Agency(NWDA) in January estimate that theLiverpool City Region’s visitoreconomy is on target to be a £2billiona year sector by 2020. The MerseyPartnership, which has made it itsbusiness to track growth in this area,has reported that the value of tourismto Liverpool’s economy rose by animpressive 25 per cent during 2008,generating a total spend of £617m,up from £493m in 2007. The totalnumber of visits to the destinationrose from 63 million to 75 million,with day visitors rising by 20 per centand the number of visitors staying inhotels up by 6 per cent. TMP chiefexecutive, Lorraine Rogers, said:“These new figures not only illustratethe massive success of tourism inLiverpool in 2008 but also theimportance of the industry to ourlocal economy. “

For the developer, the recession’simpact on lending and the lack offinance available for speculative officeand apartment schemes has causedmany to look to the hospitality industry.In Liverpool, this has been in manycases to the mutual benefit of thedeveloper and the city. Pam Wilsher,head of tourism development at TheMersey Partnership (TMP), commented:“Hotel development is still going on inmost provincial cities, includingNewcastle, Leeds and Manchester, soLiverpool isn’t unusual in that sense –but until recently we’ve been playingcatch-up with the number of rooms wehave available.” This shortfall haspresented an opportunity for hoteloperators and developers keen toinvest in the city since 2008’s Capitalof Culture year. According to the TMP’sfigures, at the end of 2007 the city

centre offered 2,800 hotel rooms. Thishad grown to 3,443 by 2008 and atthe end of 2009 the figure stood at4,000 – with an additional 3,700spread across the city region. Thegrowth is continuing, and Pam says thatfrom now until the end of 2012, wecan expect to see 16 new hotels openacross the city region, nine of them citycentre based. These figures do notinclude every scheme which hasreceived planning, but they do countthose hotels with an operator signed upand an imminent on-site start date.Pam added that towards the end ofApril this year, she spoke to threecompanies hoping to invest in the city.

At the Lewis’s Building, the newscheme developed by Merepark andentitled Central Village will seeconstruction work begin this summer,now that a European hotel operatorhas been secured as the anchor tenant.Adagio Aparthotel will operate a 125bed hotel at the site, its first in the UK,enabling the £37.1million project tomove forwards. Furthermore, the cityand region’s public bodies have

identified the need to support thehospitality industry in the city, notingthat it supports a total of 22,640 jobsacross the City Region. Nick Brooks-Sykes, director of tourism at the NWDA,said: “These figures underline thesignificance of tourism to theNorthwest’s economy; this is one ofour most important industries, worthmore than £14 billion across theregion, and it is vital that we continueto support it. Liverpool hastransformed itself into one of the UK’stop visitor destinations, but there is noroom for complacency. We must nowmaintain the momentum and continueto improve our offer if the city is tocompete at an international level.”

JA Lewis Consulting, a firm also behindthe residential development PortsideHouse on Duke Street in Liverpool citycentre, is acting for Grosvenor onbringing a 180 bed Premier Inn hotel tothe city. This project will be a flagshiphotel for Premier Inn, occupying thesite next to the Hanover Street Tesco,and offering standard three starbudget accommodation in the heart ofthe city centre. Alex Lewis, MD at JALewis commented: “Premier Inn isthriving in this market, and we’recurrently developing another in Prestonat the moment. The market place hasbeen difficult for hotels in the lastcouple of years and it’s clear thatbusiness budgets and the public havehad to tighten their belts on what theyspend. Premier Inn is doing wellbecause it offers the four star qualitywithout the price tag, and it works wellfor corporate business because thebrand delivers the same expectationsin every city. It’s attractive to lendersbecause it’s a bankable and fundableproject and offers a 20 to 25 yearlease at a market rent.” Indeed the past

two years for the Whitbread group,which owns Premier Inn, have seenconsiderable success and the grouphas taken the opportunity to buy landat a reduced price at key sites with amind to future development. At theend of April, the group announced a6.6 per cent rise in its pre-tax profitsfor year to March; an increase from£224m to £239m across itshospitality ventures, which includeBeefeater, Premier Inn, Brewers Fayreand Costa Coffee. Indeed, at time ofgoing to print, another 101 roomPremier Inn hotel has been announcedfor a £5.5m development at Speke.

Architects in the city have also foundthemselves well-placed to takeadvantage of these opportunities.Adam Hall, managing director ofFalconer Chester Hall, commented thatin the last three years the firm’s hoteland leisure sector work has increasedsignificantly. He said: “This area hasalways been a special issue for us,having worked on the Crowne Plaza,Queen Square and Crowne PlazaSpeke Airport, but, we have noticed asignificant and improved increase inthe recent years. We are currentlyinstructed on in excess of 25 hotels atthe present time which equates toover 3,000 bedrooms. The projects areat varying stages with some atfeasibility ability level, and a significantnumber now on site. It is also excitingthat our hotel portfolio extendsnationally with locations as far a fieldas Exeter to Glasgow to Belfast.” Headded: “I am delighted that FalconerChester Hall has actually expanded itsteam over the last 18 months. Whenthe general trade in architecturalpractices has been to cut back, herewe have seen the reverse. We havestructured our team internally so we

Liverpool’s hotel industry has seen remarkable growth in recent years,capitalising on Capital of Culture and millions of pounds in good publicityand the city’s rising profile as a business and leisure tourism destination.Now the hospitality industry’s growth is accelerating to match the offerat Liverpool One, and the way that the rest of the city is upping the anteto keep business strong.

At your service

Adam Hall

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Hotels and leisure Developments update

have specific architects that specialisein the various brands that we dealwith. We have dedicated teams, forinstance, working particularly on andfor Intercontinental Hotels, Hilton

Hotels, Wyndham Hotels, and so on.” Inreference to his work at hotels acrossthe city, with hotels being built onJames Street and Oldam Street, headded: “Liverpool is well placed to buckthe regional trend as it has alwayslagged behind other regional cities inthe quality and variety of its leisureoffer and happily this is not nowbecoming the case.”

Indeed, for the ongoing success of thehospitality industry, developersproducing mixed-use schemes are key– creating new hotel accommodation ina lively environment populated byother users. One new scheme whichhas been granted planning consent forthe university district in the city centre,is being developed by Northern Ireland-based Tara House to encompass twohotels and run by an as yet unspecifiedmajor international hotel operatoralong with post-graduateaccommodation. Liverpool-basedarchitects Falconer Chester Hall havedesigned one 140 bedroom three starand one 130 bedroom budget hotel,113 post-graduate studio units and abasement car park with 247 spaces.Managing director at Tara House,Simon Murray Twin, commented: “Weare very excited about our schemewhich should help to promote furtherregeneration in this important andstrategic city centre location. Themixed uses will bring vibrancy and lifeto the Oldham Street area, whilstcreating jobs and giving a boost to thelocal economy.”

However, occupancy levels at hotelsacross the city are remaining highwith the average at the Crowne Plaza

reported at 77 per cent - an excellentstatistic in a market where bed stockhas increased considerably over thepast few years. With the uptake atthe hotels remaining consistentlyhigh, competition is increasing in price;the rates achieved are said to havedecreased slightly across the board –some quarters reporting that rates arenow up to 20 per cent less than twoyears. For general manager, StephenRoberts, at the Crowne Plaza, it is therates achieved which indicates thebarometer of health in the sector. Inorder to maintain rates and occupancylevels, for example, the brand islaunching a Sleep Advantage packageto upgrade the bedrooms and use fineEgyptian cotton. After location andbrand strength, customer service isparamount, and it will be this whichensures the better operators succeed.The added attraction of a celebrityname is another pull to the leisureindustry in the city, with Jamie Oliver’snew Italian restaurant at LiverpoolOne and Marco-Pierre White’sinvolvement at Hotel Indigo. Thesenew tenants, coinciding over therecent 12 months, are anunprecedented vote of confidence inthe city from London-basedrestaurateurs. This expanded leisure

offer, working to the benefit of boththe residents of the city and visitors,is set to raise Liverpool’s profile evenfurther.

As the development of the city’shospitality industry continues apace,Pam Wilsher from The MerseyPartnership is keeping a watchful eyeon the industry’s growth and attentionto the number of rooms sold. Theheights of 2008, which saw 915,000rooms sold, were followed by only atwo per cent drop in 2009 when therecession took hold. In the period fromJanuary to March this year, 227,000rooms have been sold compared with193,000 on 2009 – proof that thedemand is high, even while competitionis fierce.

Liverpool hastransformeditself into oneof the UK’stop visitordestinations

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200875m102.3m

Number of visitors to the city

200763m100.5m

LiverpoolManchester

20083,443

Number of rooms sold in Liverpool

20072,800

20094,000

REGIONAL COMPARISON

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MOVE COMMERCIAL30

Beers Timber & Building Supplieshas a long history in Liverpool.Started in 1916 by the great-grandfather of the firm’s directors,Michael and Alan Beer as anindependent timber importer, andoriginally based in the Dukes Dockwarehouses, the firm relocatedthree years ago to a new two acre,purpose built site on BoundaryStreet in Liverpool. Originallyspecialising in hardwoods for thecoffin, furniture and tool trades, thecompany has expanded andadapted to meet changing markets.Alan Beer joined in 1989, workingwith his father and brothers, afterspending a year working for anaccountancy firm in London. Hisfather had moved the business tothe Herculaneum Dock andestablished the timber milling andmachining business, which is stillan important part of the companyactivities. Says Alan: “When theSouth Docks area was beingimproved by the MDC in the 80s wechose to not renew our lease. Myfather took the opportunity to buyour own premises, which previouslywe had always rented. We relocatedto Kings Dock Street. This wascloser to the city and proved to be amuch better location. Initially weowned only two acres of the site,but expanded over time until weeventually occupied the entire sixacre site. The move from there tothe Boundary Street site at the otherside of the city centre makesanother good story. Alan continues:“We purchased this site in about a24 hour period. It was an EnglishPartnership site, and it had a saleagreed with another party which fellthrough. We were told about it, andmy brother and I made a quickdecision as, at the time - back in2007 - the property market wasgoing ballistic. “The problem with the Kings DockStreet site was that the premiseshad reached the end of their life.

We would have needed to rebuildthere or move, and we could see thecity was expanding and moving out.We knew we weren’t the right usethere – that site now occupies animportant strategic locationbetween the Arena, Liverpool Oneand China town, and it’s perfect fora large, mixed-use development. Westill own the land and are currentlyworking with the city council andLiverpool Vision in developing amasterplan for the site.” The Beerbrothers have established a separatedevelopment company M&A Beer tohandle this and their otherdevelopments in Warrington andelsewhere.

Since the move to a new purposedepot in Boundary Street, thebusiness has succeeded in raising itsprofile. Alan maintains that thedecision to stay in the city, ratherthan to move to Speke orSkelmersdale, where land is easierto come by, was the right one – andmade for reasons whichcomplement the firm’s continuinghistory in the city: “Our trade is verylocal and customers – who aremostly builders – won’t travel morethan a few miles to get theirmaterials. It was a big enough movefor us to travel across the city centre.We’ve managed to retain andexpand our customer base though.What’s been great about movinghere is that our profile has increasedwe are actually more visible nowthan we were.”

The new depot is spread acrosstwo floors, including 30,000 sq ft ofoffice and warehouse space on atwo acre site, and was built by theBeers Group in 2007. Alan adds:“This is our head office and ourmain centre, and we want to openanother depot in Old Swan inLiverpool ready for 2011. We haveanother site in Chester and we wantto develop ourselves from theexisting four depots in Liverpooland Wirral to open another two or

three in the next five years.” The firm’s ambitions to grow are

sure and steady, and it’s clear thatBeers is not run by a managementteam of risk-takers. “Traditionally wehave been a prudent business, andsome might say, you could haveexpanded more and done so morequickly, but with the downturn it wasclear that we’d made the rightdecisions. By the same token, ifsomething isn’t working we’ll shrinkit down rather than close until we’reready to build it up again.”

The family firm ethos has kept staffturnover very low over the years.

Says Alan: “There’s a two wayresponsibility – there are advantagesto having the business in the family,and then there’s the responsibilityyou feel towards the business. It’snot the easiest sometimes, but youdo end up with many long-servingstaff and turnover is lower than inother types of businesses.

Diversifying the business has kepttrade strong, with EcoWarm openingfive or six years ago to manufacturetimber-frame buildings and rooftrusses – a growing demand in thebuilding industry. The firm has justsupplied the frames to a new 50

bedroom student development onMyrtle Street in the city centre –evidence that local trade is pickingup. The newly acquired MBS, aspecialist in power tools, workwear,and plumbing, has added to thegroup’s offer, and in total the BeersGroup is predicting a turnover thisyear of £18million. While therecession brought difficult times forsome customers, with banks refusingto lend and overdrafts cut, thecompany felt it was important to asfar as possible stick with their tradecustomers. “In the city, we saw thatat the end 2007, virtually everythingstopped. As a result, quite a fewbuilder’s merchants have closed,some of the national chains thatwere in Liverpool pulled out of thecity, and I think we have stayedstrong because we look after thecustomer. You have to know thecustomer, and being local to themhelps. You have sometimes got thosepeople who can’t pay straight awaybut they’ve been loyal to us so we’vebeen loyal to them – and that’s partof the customer service, to be flexibleand understanding.” The firm’s maincompetitors are all independents likeourselves: “National firms tend tocome in and then close down or pullout in a downturn. They don’tdevelop the long term relationshipswith the customers.”

On the topic of the future of thecity, Alan believes that Liverpoolcould be doing more. “The citymassively under-exploits its locationand its quality of life, its people andover the next decade I’d hope to seeit continue growing. The next stagefor Liverpool is to grow ouremployment base and develop largenew locally based employers,whether that be governmentdepartments relocated or headoffices coming in. The city needs tomake itself into a business centre. Ifthat happens it will drive a lot moreresidential development in the citycentre.” On a regional basis, he is

A family firm with a strong heritage in the city’s past and its regeneration,the Beers Group of companies is certain to be part of its future for a longtime to come.

Built to last

Liverpool’sadvantages overManchester are todo with quality oflife and we needto use this to drawin the right qualityof employer

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 31

Alan Beer, Beers Group Founding Business

clear about where Liverpool andManchester differ: “I thinkManchester’s advantage has beenthat it has a critical mass, whichLiverpool still lacks, of largenumbers of young skilled people.Paradoxically, people are oftensaying there are too manyapartments here – but Manchesterhas even more apartments, creatingperhaps even more vibrant life, andthis forms a virtuous circle.Liverpool’s advantages overManchester are to do with quality oflife factors - a great location and avery rich culture - and we need touse this to draw in the right qualityof employer.” The Expo at Shanghaicould be an aid to achieve this: “Ithink the Liverpool brand needs tobe developed. Manchester clearly isthe kingpin amongst its localauthorities and I think Liverpool stillhasn’t quite integrated enough withWirral, and Sefton and Knowsley.We need to work much more handin hand – you can see it already withthe Liverpool and Wirral Waters – isit a game being played as to who willwin? It shouldn’t matter – we as acity should get behind either schemeas long as it happens, and make onehappen quickly. I think the citiesdon’t recognise businesses as muchas they should do, or listen to them.”He added: “Liverpool is fascinatedby the glamour and pays attention tothe same businesses time and again.They are at risk of missing somelarge scale employers who aren’t ontheir list of people to be consulted.They sometimes need to payattention to where the money is,rather than the noise.” As thebusiness draws near its 100thanniversary, Alan’s ambitions aresimple and easy to envisage. “Mynext ambition is for our centenaryyear in 2016; it sounds boring butthe business has been around for along time and I want to make surethat it carries on being around andcarries on growing and being asuccess. We’re not focused on beingthe largest or in doubling the size ofthe company every two or threeyears, but we are very keen to growthe profitability and turnover so thatwe know it stands us well for thenext generation, if the nextgeneration wants to work in it.”With the number of customers up by20 per cent over the last two years,and the £3million investment in thenew plant to single out as significantachievements, this aim is one withwhich many will emphasise, seeingthe value in it for the city as well asthe business.

Beer FileDOB: 14/04/66 in Birkenhead

Education: Calday Grammarand Manchester University;BSc Management

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By Lucy [email protected]

We Cannes do itThe Cannes Do, an annual event for property professionals run byProfessional Liverpool, saw its numbers swell to a record 400 people thisyear at No 1 Tithebarn, part of the Legal & General and Kenmore PropertyGroup portfolio. The lunch saw an entertaining round up of the past year inproperty delivered by Chris Connor, of Mason Owen, as guests relaxed inthe high specification premises enjoying beers, curry and a comedian. Withsupport from several sponsors including Grant Thornton, Hill Dickinson,HSBC, Liverpool Vision The Purple Wine Company, AlphabetDesign and Move Commercial, the charitable event raised£5,000 for Mencap Liverpool.

1. Claire Robinson, Robin Ellis, Downing and Katy Roper, Bellway. 2. Mark Chadwick, Professional Liverpool with Mark Robinson, Kenmore. 3. Phil Haslam, senior

development manager at Priority Sites, with Nick Harrop from Hitchcock Wright & Partners. 4. Daryl Kelly, Regeneration Consultant and Adam Hall, Falconer Chester

Hall. 5. Jim Spencer, Spencer Holdings with a fellow Cannes Do attendee. 6. Elizabeth Clark (Hill Dickinson) with Nicola Farnell (Co-Operative Investments).

7. David Baybut (Stephensons LLP), Rob Woods (CBRE) and Will Ainscough (Himor Group). 8. Laura Brown from The Design Foundry, with Janice Weatherly and Roland

Hutchins from Mace & Jones Solicitors. 9. Roger Aitchison from Lloyds Banking Group, with James Heyes from Mason Owen and Phil Pugh from Royal Bank of Scotland.

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Liverpool’s largest ever property lunch

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Celebrating commercial property Key events

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10. Tony Reed, Keppie Massie with Chris Connor, Mason Owen. 11. Stuart Gray (Bellway Homes) with Karen Beddow (DWF Solicitors) and John Webster (Bellway

Homes). 12. Andy Martin from Bellway Homes with Emily D’Ambrosio, Ashtenne Regional Manager. 13. Lynn Haime, associate director of Urban Splash Manchester,

with Neil Kirkham from Hitchcock Wright & Partners. 14. Claire Robinson from Ashtenne, with Andy Nichol from DWF Solicitors, Katy Roper from Bellway Homes

and Karen Beddow from DWF Solicitors. 15. Elaine Cunningham, Elaine Cunningham Interiors with John Tusom from Kirwans Solicitors. 16. David Legat (Mason

Owen) and Claire Cosgrove (Hill Dickinson). 17. A view of the room. 18. Kevin Manley and Ian Hardman from Brabners Chaffe Street Solicitors, with John Williams

from Lloyds Banking Group. 19. Guests gather.

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MOVE COMMERCIAL34

DESPITE only being formed inDecember 2006 with thedevelopment of Bristol’s CadburyHouse, Sanguine Hospitalitycurrently boasts a significantportolio, with propertiespredominantly in the north-west.The venture north began inFebruary 2007 with the £6.35macquisition of Hoole Hall nearChester and the hotel, now brandedDoubletree by Hilton, is where Imeet Simon. Our first encounterhad been earlier in the year at thelaunch of Marco Pierre White’s TheSwann Inn, Aughton, and Marco’simage looms over us once more inthe chef’s steakhouse restaurant atthe impressive Doubletree venue,an 18th century manor house set infive acres of landscaped gardens.White’s partnership with Sanguineproperties will continue in the £15mHotel Indigo development inLiverpool’s commercial district.Work on the 151-room boutiqueproperty began in March this year,with the facility scheduled to openon Chapel Street in May 2011.Coupled with the opening of the154-room Days Inn Hotel aboveLiverpool’s James Street station, thedevelopment indicates a show of

confidence in the city’s potential tofill an increasing number of hotelrooms, and the strength of theSanguine business as a whole.Speaking about the future of thecity’s hotel industry, Simoncommented: “There will be somecasualties along the way, but ittends to be the more tired stock thatwill be hit. There’s always going tobe a demand for a quality productand the ones that don’t invest anddon’t have the right location willsuffer, and that’s not a bad thing.The three key constants of asuccessful venture are the need for agood location, the right product andgood management.” Having startedout in the hotel business as an 18-year-old “tea boy”, the 50-year-oldhas justifiable confidence in hisknowledge of the industry. With theassistance of backers such asDowning Corporate Finance,Sanguine Hospitality now hasinvestments in over £120m of assetsacross the UK. Simon’smanagement and development of agrowing portfolio of hotels has ledhim to the conclusion that workingwith brands such as Days Inn orHotel Indigo significantly offsets therisk element in times of economic

uncertainty. “To be brutally honest,going forward now I don’t thinkwe’ll do any more hotels unlessthey’re branded, purely because inthese uncertain times it gives youcomfort that you’re not stand-alone.It helps from a banking perspective

and also people identify with thebrand. The Indigo brand is part ofthe Intercontinetal family, who weare very familiar with. They driveterrific business through theircentral reservation system and

there’s a great track record ofdelivering bookings. They’re goodbrands to be with. If you look atother boutiques in the city they’reunknown outside of a certainnetwork. If you’re in theIntercontinental in Hong Kong youcan pick up a brochure and seeLiverpool Indigo. You’re not goingto get that with an independenthotel. We think we have the edgewith the brand.” Simon’s faith inLiverpool’s continued economicrenaissance is as unwavering as hiseconomic principles. “I think thegreat thing you have aboutLiverpool is the only reason we’recoming back in: the two majorinvestments that have already takenplace – the Arena and ConventionCentre and Liverpool One. I don’tthink in today’s climate they couldget those developed. The city got inat the right time and got thoseaway. That’s nearly £2bn worth ofinvestment. Where do you get 40acres of prime retail estate right inthe middle of a city where you cancreate a shopping mall? The onlything is we didn’t get a Harvey Nic’sor a Selfridges but maybe they willcome. Liverpool is number three orfour for shopping outside of

With three north-west hotel venues scheduled to open in the summer of2011 and further developments in the offing, the ensuing 12 monthspromise to be a busy time for Sanguine Hospitality. Move Commercialdiscussed the multi million pound hospitality management business withchairman and co-founder Simon Matthews-Williams.

A Sanguineoutlook

the ones thatdon’t invest anddon’t have theright location willsuffer, and that’snot a bad thing

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 35

Simon Matthews-Williams Entrepreneur

London. Previously we werenumber 16. That’s a massive shootup the ladder. For years we madedo with a tent and now we canattract top conferences andconcerts.” Sanguine’s most recentactivity in the region has been tosecure planning permission for theredevelopment of the King's CapCourt Hotel in Hoylake, which is toopen as a £5.5m Holiday Inn

Express next summer. The 56-roomfacility will launch ahead of the2014 Open golf championship atRoyal Liverpool and feature aFrankie’s Restaurant, a jointventure between jockey FrankieDettori and Sanguine’s trustedpartner Marco Pierre White.Sanguine recently exchangedcontracts to convert an old officebuilding into a Hotel Indigo in

Newcastle and planning permissionhas also been granted to extend thehotel facilities at The Swann Inn.With another development on thehorizon, details of which Simon wasunable to disclose at the time, it isevident he has no intention ofslowing the expansion of thebusiness over the next couple ofyears. “We like the north-west andwe’re also looking further afield. We

never discount places like London ifthey’re the right opportunities, but Ithink really over the next 18 monthsthere is a great opportunity toacquire good properties at areasonable price, purely becausebank funding is very difficult tocome by. If you get the liquidity youcan get some great deals at themoment. I think in 18 months timethose opportunities will be closed.”

Three hopes for the year ahead• Stability in the economy

• Liverpool to “push on” with developments

• Keep developing quality hotels

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MOVE COMMERCIAL36

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 37

How has the economic climateaffected the region’s retailers overthe last couple of years?Heidi Rankin: It has actually beenquite a growth time for my business.I think Liverpool has gone throughsome tough times but we’reattracting more people and moreretailers to the city centre. It’s been agood time for us as a company. Whenyou look at the sort of retailers thathave come in to Liverpool city centreI think it’s booming.Tom Cannon: Generally retailing isquite strong at the moment in thenorth-west. You’re getting quite a bigshift so there’s more clusteringhappening. For example ExchangeSquare and the Trafford Centre inManchester and Liverpool One.Where they are suffering tends to bethe non-central areas such as StHelens. Chester is doing well andSouthport is in some kind ofrecovery, but Wigan, St Helens andHalton are suffering partly because

of Liverpool One and also becausethere are very strong brands now inevery one of the north’s major cities.David Morgan: I think retailers wanttop quality space so they migrate toLiverpool One. The differencebetween a prime shopping districtlike Liverpool One and a secondaryspace is getting wider and there’sgoing to be a bigger and bigger gap.If you say retail is strong that doesn’ttranslate through into the propertymarket. Tenants are, in one sense,having their best time ever becauserents aren’t increasing on renewalsnow. The major players aredemanding rent free periods.Do you think enough has beendone to help retailers in the region?HR: I think so. I do hear a lot aboutrenegotiation of rents and I think it’simportant that landlords look at thatbecause they don’t want an emptyunit. It’s far better to have someonein there than to have an empty unit. DM: From the landlords’ point of view

I think it’s important to maintain thepayment structure. It’s better to havesomeone in there, even if you have togive them 12 months’ rent free,because if you take them out it couldtake them longer than that to getsomeone else in anyway.TC: I think a lot of landlords were veryslow to respond to the recession.Many landlords were bringing in thebailiffs because they thought therecession wasn’t going to last.They’ve got a lot of vacantpossessions because they believedthe bounce would be faster or therecession wouldn’t last as long. A lotof landlords acted that way,particularly the bigger ones in London.DM: Some retailers have takenmatters into their own hands. Theywrote to the landlord and said, “we’vegot a portfolio of 1,000 shops, we’regoing to pay you monthly rent andwhat are you going to do for us?”TC: On a policy side it’s fair to sayyou don’t get the level of attention

from the RDA and the localauthorities that retailing as a sourceof employment and as a source ofeconomic development for the regionmerits. It is still probably one of thebiggest single employers in theregion. It also has an incrediblydiverse portfolio now and certainlyas far as regional developmentagencies and manufacturers areconcerned it’s still not given theweight that it merits in terms of itseconomic value, certainly to the bigcities of the region.How do you think the recent recessionhas differed from those in recentyears?TC: I think it’s different in the north-west because of Liverpool One.That’s the biggest single factor.Manchester’s momentum hascontinued in the city centre. Thedynamic of Liverpool has changed. Infact they carried on that investmentright into the recession. We knowthat the figures have been good

Panelists David Morgan, a partner at Halliwells solicitors, Heidi Rankin, store manager at TMLewin’s Liverpool Metquarter store, and Tom Cannon, professor of strategic development atthe University of Liverpool Management School, met at Harvey Nichols’ Second Floorrestaurant in Manchester’s Exchange Square to discuss the state of the high street and thenorth-west’s retail climate.

High street hopes

Retail climate Round Table

David MorganPartner, Halliwells solicitors

Heidi RankinStore manager, TM Lewin

Tom CannonProfessor, University of Liverpool Management School

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even during the recession and that’shad a massive effect. I do thinkpeople are being a lot morediscriminating though. There hascertainly been a move to quality andI think we’ve seen that right throughthe recession. Basically, the peoplewho do have money during thisrecession have got a lot moredisposable income.HR: What I seem to find is that it’s alonger lasting recession than the lastone so a lot of retailers have got tomake themselves a little leaner andlook at what the customer wants interms of quality, product and service.

They’re looking at that more thanever before.TC: Also retailing has changed.Retailing is now part of the touristeconomy. The truth is Manchester isa tourist destination, partly becauseof the quality of retail. You look atChester and retail and tourism areintertwined. They’re trying to do thesame thing in Southport and we cansee that happening in Lancaster. It’sbecoming part of the visitor economyas well as retailing. DM: I think the other thing about thedifference between the two is that

there is much more debt in this one.There’s a huge amount of debtoutstanding. Even on the mainshopping centres. That’s coming offin most books in 2012 and certainlyone of the major banks is forecastinga double dip in 2013 simply becausetheir investment is coming up forrenewal. They don’t see the valuemeeting what they’ve lent out.What has been the impact of theonline shopper on the high streetover the last couple of years?DM: In 2007 online shoppingaccounted for something like£8.7bn. That was a 33 per cent

increase on previous years. That’s ahuge difference.HR: Online is a big business of ours.It’s grown over the last few years tosuch a level that we’re now globalwith it. We actually cater to people asfar away as Russia and Australia. DM: Stuart Rose said recently thatMarks & Spencer’s online businessis worth £500m. He said it oughtto be a billion.HR: It’s a big business but what it’shelped us do is create moreawareness for our brand, so whatwe’ve found is we actually get

visitors now to Liverpool orManchester who first startedshopping online but they want to seea store. We actually served someonethe other day from Australia whowould usually only be able to see thestock online. Everything is a benefitto the company because it makespeople more aware of the brand,particularly a company that’s growing,and if they’re aware of the brandthen they seek you out in the majorcities that you’re in. TC: It’s instant globalisation if you doit right. Online retailing is growing by15 per cent year on year. The sectoris quite strong on the high street butthen you look at what’s happeningonline and people are spending moreand they’re buying a much greaterrange of things. It’s interesting theway some of the retailers are havingto adjust to that. I think it’sinteresting how John Lewis have hadto adapt to that. They’re offering thesame prices online as in thestore. That’s quite a bigchange for them.DM: People will keep coming

in to their stores if they’re qualitystores. They can go in and check theproducts out and buy them online.TC: I think you’ve put your finger ona really big thing in that thedemands for service are actuallygoing up because if you don’t getgood service you buy it online. Oneof the strengths of stores like TMLewin is that they focus on the retailexperience. If it’s not a good retailexperience then why would you goin the shop?HR: We have customers that do bothbecause they do like that shoppingexperience and that personal one-to-one that they can’t always getonline, and so it does help drivecustomers into our stores. Do you think online shopping couldeventually have a negative impacton the high street?TC: I think it will eventually lead to agreater concentration on the highstreet. I don’t believe quality retailerswho can produce a qualityexperience have anything to fearfrom the internet. I think people whoare into piling high and selling cheap

“Tenants are, in one sense,having their best time ever David Morgan

”

“Liverpool has gone through some toughtimes but we’re attracting more peopleand more retailers to the city centreHeidi Rankin

”

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are the ones who will suffer. Unlessyou can do that really well, likeCheshire Oaks for example. I’msurprised there haven’t been morediscount malls in the north-west. HR: People come from all over thecountry to go to Cheshire Oaks. DM: It’s a mixed-use offer now. HR: That’s what they’ve done withLiverpool One. They’ve not just madeit a day out shopping but a morevibrant city that people want to comein to. Liverpool was lucky because italready had a very good nightlife butit just adds to that experience. It’sexactly what they did in Manchester.TC: If you take Liverpool andManchester they both are able toattract people in. I think every otherplace, with the possible exception ofLancaster which has the advantageof distance, is struggling. I thinkChester does the retail/touristdestination really well. HR: I know several retailers whoare looking to move into Chesterquite soon.TC: If you want a diversified retailexperience with a qualityenvironment then you go there. It’sthe way Southport used to be.Southport used to be the quality retailspace for most of the north-west.Lord Street was where the ladies wholunched did their shopping.DM: It’s a challenge for Southport.You’re going to need someone witha degree of vision to go in thereand sort it out. What do you think the nextgovernment could do to helpretailers in the north-west?HR: To enable smaller retailers togrow. We are a retailer that was quitesmall and I would like to see otherretailers in the position to grow, justto bring more to the shoppingexperience. You want healthycompetition and people to be giventhat chance to deliver that service.

TC: I think there are a few things.Certainly it seems to me the gap inthe market is support for newretailers and specialist retailers. Iknow they’re not prioritising that atthe moment.There are an awful lot ofnew business opportunities inretailing, particularly when retailersuse local suppliers. I think that’s anarea where an incoming governmentcould see new businesses generatedand growing. If they really want tomake a difference to the outer townsites the truth is public transport ishopeless. Public transport beyondthe city centres is terrible. Theinfrastructure is not good. You cansee the importance of the Metro inManchester.DM: Manchester has a good free bussystem around the city as well. Youcome up on the train from Londonand you’re outside the office inabout five or six minutes. TC: I can’t understand why Liverpoolhasn’t done it.Is enough being done to attractglobal brands to the region?DM: I think going back two yearsthere probably weren’t enough. Ithink it has certainly moved in theright direction. You wouldn’t be ableto attract those brands without thequality offer. You need that mixed-use opportunity so people arecoming in to do their shopping, to eatand perhaps go to the theatre, so it’smoving in the right direction. TC: I think Manchester has beenclever in terms of developing itsposition as, in a sense, the capital ofthe region. As a result it does get thepremium brands. DM: I think Liverpool One and Capitalof Culture have closed that gap. HR: It was the Metquarter thatbrought the global brands likeHugo Boss. DM: It was marketed as a youngand trendy shopping centre and it

helps having fashion shows andthings like that.Do you think the high street isquite buoyant at the moment?HR: It seems it when you look at theamount of shoppers that go out inthe day. Whether that’s a truereflection of what’s being spent inthe shops is difficult to say really.DM: Most retail figures areencouraging. Some of the storesthat have come in recently like JDSports are showing quite goodgrowth. Even Debenhams isshowing growth. I think there issome encouragement out there. TC: I think the thing that’s surprisedme the most is not the premiumfirms, it’s the fact the supermarketsare doing so well. That’s what hassurprised me, the fact that they canreport such great figures, not just interms of significant growth, but alsotheir profitability.DM: Look at their diversity. If youlook at Tesco they recordedsomething like £1bn in clothing salesthis financial year. I think they’re alsoone of the biggest sellers oftelevisions in the country. Is it important to have a busyhigh street?DM: I think so. I think quality high

streets offer something. TC: Quality matters but the otherthing is the retail experience. Peopleenjoy shopping whereas it used tobe a chore. I suspect that people arequite happy nowadays to spend aday in the city centre.DM: And in Liverpool you haveoutstanding museums in easywalking distance.HR: When I come in to work on aSunday there are people who areobviously set for a day out inLiverpool. They’re there before theshops open and they’ll probably bethere for the full day.Do you envisage a bright future forhigh street retailers?HR: We do. There’s some smallertowns possibly struggling but I thinkfor the major regional cities thefuture is bright. I think Liverpool isvery lucky to have shopping centreslike the Metquarter and LiverpoolOne because without that therewouldn’t be the growth that there is.Manchester’s regeneration is wellestablished. I think the future isbright for places like Chester becausepeople love to go shopping there.They don’t just want to do theirshopping online. As long as theservice is there and the product isthere then yes there will be.TC: I think you need a propositionnow. I think Manchester has aproposition, Liverpool now has aproposition. If there isn’t aproposition then you’re going tostruggle. Simply having the shop isn’tenough to get people to go. DM: I think the high street with itsreconfigured mixed-use environmentwill go from strength to strength. Ithink there are problems from afinancing point of view but peoplehave to work round those and find away to move forward.

Retail climate Round Table

“Retail is still notgiven the weightthat it merits interms of itseconomic valueTom Cannon

”

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Appointments

Senior property consultants appointedWIRRAL-BASED property consultants Smith & Sons have made twosenior additions to the team. John Crowley and Ian Raffe will workalongside former Smith & Sons managing partner Peter Bowskill tosupport the commercial team. Ian’s background in construction andproperty, will be used to support clients in the planning, costing andimplementation of development schemes. Chartered building surveyorJohn Crowley is experienced in portfolio maintenance management andprofessional consultancy for commercial, industrial and retail business.A former director at Atisreal, he will advise the firm on a range of largerschemes across the region. Sean Seery, partner at Smith & Sons,commented: “Working with both consultants will enhance our currentservice range to new and existing customers and help us fulfil our long-term aim to provide a complete property consultancy service from underone roof, through our own multi-skilled professional workforce.”

Central Village dream teamTHE LEWIS’S SITE in Liverpool has seen some key appointmentsmade for its delivery. Merepark has announced the appointment ofa director-level construction manager to work on the scheme.Formerly senior contracts manager at Mowlem and Carillion, AlexMoore, has joined the north west-based team to oversee thedelivery of future projects including Central Village. His previousprojects include the Quadrangle in Manchester, the WarringtonCollegiate campus and Oldham LIFT. In addition, Louise Ilhan hasalso joined the team as company solicitor. Previously with law firmCobbetts LLP, Louise will be responsible for handling smaller scalelegal transactions whilst overseeing the legal aspects of thecompany’s growing property investment and developmentmanagement portfolio.

John Crowleyand Ian Raffe

Q&AWith Mark FergussonAssociate Solicitor,Corporate and Commercial Department

My company markets its services on its website. Arethere are any rules and regulations which I need to

comply with?

It is true that information technology and business areinextricably interwoven and it is difficult to talk meaningfully

about one these days without talking about the other.

Mark Fergusson, Associate solicitor at Morecrofts, and the firm’snewest recruit to its ever expanding corporate and commercialdepartment, advises his broad client base on the full spectrum oftheir commercial legal requirements including e-commerce andintellectual property.

Mark advises that the regulation of e-commerce and the rulesgoverning the internet, websites, on-line contracting, distanceselling and data protection (to name but a few) is currently one ofthe most legislated areas of the law.

Most clients who are in business will have a website, whether thisis used as a marketing tool, a sales tool, or simply to have apresence on the internet where prospective customers may findout a little more about you.

However, many clients will not be aware of the many rules andregulations which address:

• domain names and trade mark/passing off issues(or “cybersquatting”)

• linking to third party websites • disability discrimination considerations which

apply to websites • the regulation of trading on-line • the information all commercial websites must

by law include • contracts concluded on line or by e-mail

(distance selling regulations) • data protection issues • privacy and electronic communication rules which deal

with marketing by e-mail and other means(such as SMS or MMS)

• the general contractual and consumer aspectsof e-commerce

In summary there are potentially a number of matters which willrequire consideration by any business which has an on-linepresence, whether they actually trade on-line or not. If you wish todiscuss any of the above or want to arrange for one of ourspecialist solicitors to undertake a website or e-commercecompliance test then please do not hesitate to contact Morecrofts.

Mark Fergusson is based in The Liverpool City Centre office.Liverpool City Centre Office.No.1 Tithebarn, 1-5 Tithebarn Street,Liverpool, Merseyside, L2 2NZ

Tel: 0151 236 8871Website: www.morecroft.co.uk

A

Q

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A total of 32 projects in the north-west were nominated and 11 have been shortlisted by theRoyal Institute of British Architects for the national awards to celebrate ‘buildings considered to beof high architectural merit’ – with a huge number of these from the region. Ahead of the ceremonyin Liverpool on 19 May when the winners will be announced, we’ve researched the merits of eachshortlisted scheme in our region, with our verdict.

Built-environment update Focus on architecture

The north-west shortlist

A MEMBER organisation formed in 1834 by a number ofprominent architects to foster the highest standards inarchitecture and design, RIBA (once known as theInstitute of British Architects in London) perhaps bestknown for calling for a minimum space in the design ofBritish houses. When considering the shortlist for the

RIBA awards, the panel of judges will take intoconsideration the budget, size, complexity of the brief,detail used in the design, invention and or originality, thecontract type, client satisfaction, sustainability, socialfactors and the capacity of the scheme to engage anddelight its occupants and visitors.

Abito, Salford, designed by BDP

This design comes with the tagline‘Not bigger. Just smarter. That’s abito.’These residential apartments are‘dedicated to the elimination of deadspace.’ The one bedroom cityapartments are held to stand outfrom the rest of Salford’s city centre

living because the greatest use ismade of the space to provideattractive, quality accommodation atprices 20 per cent below othercontemporary apartments. Theexpected result, to attract youngprofessionals and first time buyers to

the apartments, saw two schemescompleted by Ask developments –known for their work in regenerationand urban areas, including the FirstStreet scheme (see our interviewwith John Hughes on page 24).

A £27million investment, across11,000 sq m, has created a signaturebuilding said to capture the way inwhich the university envisages a newway of bringing students, academicstaff, business, industry and thegeneral public together. Marking thefirst phase of LJMU’s long-termcampus development strategy, theserpentine curve was designed to linkit to the new public space oppositethe Metropolitan Cathedralsympathetically, yet dramatically, andthe lower ground and ground floorfacilities with a café and bookshopand design to use and incorporateoutdoor space echo this. A dramaticstaircase linking the floors drawstogether the academic departmentsand public facilities forms the heartof this building and is an aestheticand practical focus.

LJMU Art & DesignAcademy, Liverpool,Rick Mather Architects

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The Pavilion was shortlisted last yearfor the coveted Stirling Prize, and thestriking building stands out even fromthe rest of Grosvenor’s £1billionregeneration scheme. The landmarksite, overlooking the waterfront, isalso key to why this project excitedmuch attention during its conception.Completed in 2009, with a value of£1.2million, the Pavilion was one ofthe last buildings to be commissionedwithin the wider Liverpool Onescheme and the brief asked for asimple and modest sized building witha ‘light and playful’ feel.

Chavasse Park Pavilion, Liverpool One, designed by Studio Three Architects

The Urban Splash scheme, which sawone of the company’s directors, NickJohnson, move in with his family lastyear at the PR campaign’s launch sitsoverlooking the canal on a previouslyempty site. Regeneration in its truestsense, the derelict land needed soildecontamination and an imaginativevision to bring this building to the

canal site and conceive 142 one, two,and three bedroom flats. Plans to seethe area become a kind of high streetwith a restaurant and bar offer toattract young professionals, are yet tocome to fruition in a difficult market,but the design and scope of thebuilding stands up well on its own.

CHIPS, New Islington, Manchester by Alsop Architects

A project to masterplan the Pier Headarea was commissioned to reflect theaward to the city of World HeritageSite status and the 2008 EuropeanCapital of Culture celebrations. Withthe Three Graces as a backdrop, the16,000 sq m public realm facing theRiver Mersey posed a challenge tocreate an exciting space that

remained sensitive to the historicsurrounds. Incorporating vibrantsunken basins as part of a new canallink and a revitalised open-airperformance area in the context of amasterplan for the new Museum ofLiverpool, a mixed-use site and aremodelled ferry terminal, this was noeasy brief.

Pier Head and Canal Link, Liverpool,AECOM Design and Planning

This site at the east side of Peter’sLane between School Lane andCollege Lane sees a building that setsthe scale and character of the lane,with a public space at either end, and

was developed to complement theBluecoat Chambers – therefore notbuilt too high. Its retail uses have seennew brands attracted to the city.

Site One at Liverpool One,Dixon Jones, Brock Carmichael and Haworth Tompkins

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This city block between ParadiseStreet, College Lane, Peter’s Laneand School Lane is a four storeybuilding with the roof of the retailelements forming a terrace gardenfor residents’ use. Facing onto bothParadise Street and Peter’s Lane, thefaçade had to take intoconsideration the characteristics ofthe two contexts.

Site Seven atLiverpool One,Dixon Jones, BrockCarmichael andHaworth Tompkins

This £32million project, completed in2008, covers two large open spaces –one on top of the other – with a totalfloor space of almost 1,000 sq m. Theflexibility of the space, and the size,means that it can accommodate atotal of 250 students simultaneously,which is said to be unprecedented inalmost every other universityengineering department. Theflexibility of the design means thatone week the laboratory may act as adesign studio complete with computerworkstations, the next as amanufacturing facility withworkbenches and machine tools, andthe next as an open space in whichstudents can run the robots or carsthey conceived, designed and builtthemselves. With funding from theNorth West Development Agency(NWDA), a lighting scheme illuminatingthe city skyline saw the building litwith hundreds of LEDs and electronicsolar tracking equipment to create afantastic display with hugely reducedenergy running costs.

This £20million project is the firstphase of a 10-year masterplan forthe LJMU campus, and is the fourthcommission delivered by Austin-Smith:Lord. An earlier project, theAldham Roberts building, was a RIBAwinner, and this new building includesan Olympic-standard 60 metrerunning track and specialist teachingand research laboratories to reflectthe university’s status as a leadingUK sports science school. With anexciting mix of uses at the site and aquick deliver in just two years, thisscheme ranks highly.

This building, valued at £1.6million, isinnovative in its shared uses as a socialaction centre. Home to a registeredcharity, a housing association, and asixth form college its interiors includeboth cellular spaces and large openareas. The atrium’s solar thermalchimney also acts as a visual linkbetween all the building’s users.

New Roundhouse,Manchester, designed by WalkerSimpson Architects

Engineering Department, University of Liverpool, Sheppard Robson Tom Reilly Building,Liverpool John Moores,designed by Austin-Smith:Lord

Built-environment update Focus on architecture

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� First in the north-west and atnumber three on the national list,The Duke of Westminster, bestknown regionally as developer ofLiverpool One and chairman oftrustees for the Grosvenor estate,saw his personal wealth increase to£6.75billion. This position placeshim much higher than retail giantsand newspaper fodder Sir Philip andLady Green. The success of LiverpoolOne’s retail and leisure industry,attracting high profile tenants likeJamie Oliver’s new restaurant, soonto arrive, and a gamut of high streetbands, is bringing in business for thecity and for Grosvenor – an exampleof regeneration at its best. The Dukealso tops the list of richest hoteliers,with the Chester Grosvenor and Spa.

� Ranked as the second wealthiestin the region, Cheshire-based LordGranchester and the Moores family,founders of the Liverpool-basedfootball pools business stand at£1.2billion.

� In third place JohnWhittaker, the founderof Peel Holdings – thecompany behind thelandmark scheme for

Liverpool and Wirral waterfronts,saw a drop in his fortunes whichcan be attributed to the recession’simpact on property prices. He stillowns £58m in UK Coal, last year

took a stake in Land Securitiesworth £287m, and has a £660mshare in Peel Holdings and PeelHoldings Land & Property. Hisinterests in the Marriott, Worsley,list him as 10th richest hotelier.

� In fourth place John Hargreaves,the founder of discount clothing andhomeware Matalan, saw theLiverpudlian’s wealth increase from

£330m to over £1billion afterrefinancing the chain, placing himnumber 51 nationally. From sellingseconds on a market stall afterleaving school aged 14, Hargreaves’empire saw him found Matalan in1985 with US warehouse stores ashis model. When the businessstruggled during the recession, hisrefinancing deal added to his ownpersonal wealth by £250m. Whilehe now resides in Monaco, he madea generous donation to NSPCC of£7m and established the HargreavesCentre in Liverpool.

� Emerson Property Group,owned by the elusive Peter Jonesand family, is listed as fifth on thenorth-west list with £673m. Theproperty development empire,begun in south Manchester, nowtakes Peter’s interests to Portugaland Florida, but Emerson Groupand PE Jones (Properties) arebased in Alderley Edge.

� The BetFred empire, run bybrothers Fred and Peter Done, is asubstantial north-west basedbusiness and a major employer.With 800 BetFred outlets and alegal advice group, PeninsulaBusiness Services, worth £120m initself, the Salford-born brothershave seen a £150m rise in theirfortunes over the last year, placingthem sixth on the north-west listand 92nd nationally. Theircombined wealth stands at £660m.

The region’s wealthiest players in property and business have seen (as in previousyears) the north-west make the pages of the annual Sunday Times Rich List for2010. Some major losses, which can be sensibly attributed to changes in themarket value of land of property, have made room for some stand-out successestaking opportunity of an altered market. We’ve scoured the lists to compile thevital statistics on prominent players in the region, in the order they appear.

The region’s wealth

THE DUKE OF WESTMINSTERGrosvenor

LORD GRANCHESTERLiverpool-based football pools

JOHN HARGREAVESMatalan

JOHN WHITTAKERPeel Holdings

PETER JONESEmerson Property Group

FRED AND PETER DONEBetFred

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� Ninth on the list is the Warburtonfamily’s £495m fortune. Now run bythe fifth generation of family bakers,under chairman JonathanWarburton, the business continuesto be based in Bolton, and employsapproximately 5,000 people.

� In 10th place and number 166 onthe national list, the founder ofHome Bargains, Tom Morris, is

believed to have £411m, seeing£222m made in the last year alone.The firm’s concentration on budgetprices across a wide range of goodshas seen the chain grow nationally.

� Following in 11thplace is housebuilder,Steve Morgan, who hasreturned to Redrow aschairman. He’s

currently overseeing the propertybusiness’s refocusing on traditionalstyle two storey homes, and hasrepositioned the north-west firm inthe league of national housebuilders.His fortune stands at £350m.

� In 12th place and 214nationally MichaelOglesby and family,owners of Bruntwooddevelopers, increased

their wealth over the last year by£25m taking it to £320m. Theproperty group’s interest in sitesacross Liverpool and Manchester,and its work on Manchester

Business School, has kept it strongduring the recession.

� Lord Alliance and family areranked in 13th place in the north-west with £265m made from the mailorder business and 251 natioanlly.

� Brian Kennedy’s Sale Sharksputs him in 14th place with£250m, and 260 nationally.

� Martin Ainscough and family areranked 309th nationally with£200m after selling AinscoughCrane Hire for £255m in 2007.

� Dave Whelan, of DW SportsFitness, is placed joint 16th with a£190m fortune and 336 on thenational list. The owner of WiganAthletic has seen the club struggle oflate but his career saw him overcomeadversity. His broken leg in 1960ended his professional footballingcareer but he then built his fortunein JJB Sports, which he later sold.

� Stuart Wall, whofounded Opal PropertyGroup in Manchesterin 1982, has wealthtotalling £180m. Opal

remains the UK’s largest privateprovider of studentaccommodation – a growing

market. This puts him at 354th,and 17th in the north-west.

� William Ainscough of theLangtree Group in Newton-le-Willows is ranked as 596thnationally with £110m.

� Melvyn and Delia Grodner ofAtmore, a property firm based atQueens Square in Liverpool, have afortune of £80m, putting them at808 nationally.

� David Russell, of Property AllianceGroup in Manchester - whichrecently developed AXIS - comes in875th with a fortune of £75m.

� With £69m, theowners of the StobartGroup Andrew Tinklerand William Stobart,increased their

wealth this year by £17m to comein at 953.

� On the list of thosewhose recent donations tocharitable causes haveput them on the

‘Giving List’, the developer behindthe Edge Lane masterplan inLiverpool, and founder of KwikSave and Total Fitness, is placedsecond. Having famously made apact with God in his youth, theentrepreneur and multi-millionairenow runs Derwent Holdingsdevelopment company with all theprofits directed to good causes.Albert Gubay’s wealth is estimatedat £480m, and recent donationstotal £470m – evidence too thatbig business can have a big heart.

The Rich List Rising Stars

JONATHAN WARBURTONWarburtons

TOM MORRISHome Bargains

STEVE MORGANRedrow

MICHAEL OGLESBYBruntwood

LORD ALLIANCEN Brown Group

BRIAN KENNEDYSale Sharks

MARTIN AINSCOUGHAinscough Crane Hire

DAVID RUSSELLProperty Alliance Group

MELVYN AND DELIA GRODNERAtmore

ALBERT GUBAYDerwent Holdings

DAVE WHELANDW Sports Fitness

WILLIAM AINSCOUGHLangtree Group

STUART WALLOpal Property Group

ANDREW TINKLERAND WILLIAM STOBARTStobart Group

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Expert views Ask the panel

What should be the first thingthe new government does?

“The first thing that needs to bedone by the new government, isto stabilise the financial market.They need to provide somepositive initiatives to encouragelending, particularly to SMEs, andalso to address the existingwastage in public spending. Theconcern is that a hung parliamentwill not properly address thesematters which are essential to theimprovement of the economy. I dothink the Scottish vote is aproblem and would want to seeelectoral reform to temper theinfluence - given that they dohave their own Parliament. Assuch, I think there should be a`weighting' to reflect the level ofindependent responsibility.”

Stuart Keppie, partner,Keppie Massie

“Clearly our national interestwould be best served if theConservative leader weredeclared Prime Minister as headof the largest party inparliament. His immediate andmain priority must be to strike adeal with the Lib Dems andestablish an effective workinggovernment capable of takingthe government forward. If thisis achieved quickly then stabilitywill return to the markets andthe pound will recover. Thediversity between the results inScotland and the rest of the UKis unhelpful in terms of nationalcohesion but only time will tellhow this develops.”

Paul Sutton, managingdirector, Sutton Kersh

"A hung parliament may turn out to bea blessing in disguise becausecompromises will need to be made inrespect of each party's policies, leadingto a better balance in decisionoutcomes. Agreement on dealingwith the UK budget deficit will be apriority, with longer-term issues onthe back-burner for the time being,except perhaps for electoral reform."

Peter Stoney, honorary senior fellow,Liverpool UniversityManagement School

“The first thing a newgovernment should do is toencourage the banks toincrease liquidity in an attemptto kick start the market again.Specifically for our industry, I’dlike to see them reconsider theirposition on empty rates whichonly serves to penalise thoselandlords already suffering anddiscourage furtherdevelopment.”

Andrew Owen, partner,Mason Owen

"To coin a phrase, the newgovernment must "Keep Calm &Carry On." Opportunistic movesor unreasonable demands mayspook the markets and remindvoters of the old politics somany of us want to leavebehind. Given the result of theelection, whoever gets the keyto Number Ten will need toshow a bit of humility."

Liam Fogarty, chair,amayorforliverpool.org

“Opportunistic moves or unreasonabledemands may spook the markets andremind voters of the old politics somany of us want to leave behind.

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How should it take stock of the global response to the hungparliament and its effect on the pound’s diminishing value?

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