Move Commercial 24

MOVECOMMERCIAL

Sept-Oct 2011

The north-west’s guide to property and business Issue 24

LIVERPOOL CITY REGION CHESTER MANCHESTER

No. 4 UnveiledStylish launch atSt Paul's Square

OLYMPIC GOLD2012 business wins

DIGITAL DEBATEThe race for betterbroadband

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Atlantic PavilionAlbert Dock, Liverpool L3 4AE

Offices To Let7,000sqft to 17,965sqft (650sqm to 1,669sqm)

• Quality air-conditioned offices

• Striking new reception area

• 14 Car Parking spaces

• Unparalleled dockside location

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BREEAM EXCELLENT OFFICES ON LIVERPOOL’S ICONIC WATERFRONT 3,500-43,584 SQFT (338-4,049 SQM)Like the last piece of your favourite jigsaw, No 1 Mann Island completes the dramatic transformation of one of the world’s best recognised waterfronts. This is a development that offers a package that’s not just complete, it’s excellent in every aspect.

Call Mark Worthington of CBRE on 0151 471 4971 or email [email protected] for further enquiries.

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LOOKING FOR LIVERPOOL OFFICES?WE HAVE TWO STUNNING LANDMARK BUILDINGS.

CUNARD BUILDING.

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43 CASTLE STREET.

TO ARRANGE A VIEWING CONTACT THE JOINT AGENTS:

Cunard Building has undergone a transformation receiving an extensive refurbishment inside and out to compliment its unrivalled location within the heart of Liverpool’s waterfront. The building offers the opportunity to combine modern office occupier requirements within a striking classic environment.

43 Castle Street offers a superb new entrance lobby with cutting edge contemporary design and an imposing new entrance area. The refurbishment also includes modern high speed lifts, new double glazing throughout and air conditioning to most suites.

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 5

Issue twenty-four Move Commercial

Welcome to Move Commercial

Contents

24 44

The North West’s connectivity to London and theinternational financial markets remains a key issue forbusinesses in the region. Move Commercial investigateshow exactly the North West has benefitted from the2012 Olympics Games, and where business north of theWatford Gap will cash in. The North West’s creative and

digital business is deliberated at the lunch debate withLiverpool’s top property and economic players discussingthe present and future of the region’s digitalinfrastructure. The sector is also looked at in-depth in aspecial feature, which points to the North West becomingthe Silicon Valley of the UK.

move publishing ltdAdvertising DirectorFiona Barnet Tel 0151 709 3871Account ManagerJo Tait Tel 0151 709 3871Editorial TeamDina Karim. Email: [email protected]: 0151 709 3871Emma Pinch. Email: [email protected]: 0151 709 3871

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 New contractor appointed to

Festival Gardens07 Chinese investment interest

in Wirral08 Atlantic Park ready for businesses09 First Liverpool monastery to be

built in a century10 The Contact Company HQ

opened by minister15 LJMU buys former post office16 Kirkby’s Tesco superstore approved17 Work begins on new

Liverpool hospital 18 Wilson Henry wins prestigious

commendation20 Liverpool ONE expands further

down Lord Street21 New lets announced at

Central Village

Features13 Bitesize Thinking

Food for thought24 Mover and Shaker

Balfour Beatty’s regeneration director interview

26 Rising StarKnowsley apprentice interview

28 EntrepreneurAnil Juneja buys TJ Hughes

31 Lunch DebatePanel discuss Liverpool’sdigital future

36 FocusBusinesses compete for Olympic contracts

40 UpdateThe North West’s growing gaming and digital sector

44 Founding FatherEric Wright interview on retail sector

46 Ask The PanelPFIs and the threat to Royal Liverpool Hospital

Key Events19 Knowsley Chamber host

property breakfast Knowsley hosts propertyforum breakfast

35 ON THE COVERNo 4 St Paul’s SquarePrestigious St Paul’sSquare launch

Careers23 Appointments

Movers and Shakers in new roles

36

21

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MOVE COMMERCIAL6

News Main

Festival Gardens back on track

THE RE-OPENING of Liverpool’sFestival Gardens has taken asignificant step towards becoming areality with the appointment of anew contractor at the site.

Developer Langtree has instructedTolent Construction to completefinal works on the multi-millionpound transformation of the site,

which had been delayed followingthe collapse of the previouscontractor, Mayfield Construction,in July.

Work resumed this month with anew anticipated completion datenow set for early November.

Langtree managing director, JohnDownes, said: “After the

unfortunate developmentssurrounding Mayfield, it wasimperative that we moved swiftlyand decisively to find a newcontractor that could deliver thequality of work the site deserves.

“Less than a month later, we areconfident that we have found theright partner in Tolent, a contractor

with whom we have workedsuccessfully before and who sharesour vision for the future of FestivalGardens.

“The public of Merseyside isunderstandably keen to explore therestored gardens and I can assurethem that their patience will berewarded in spectacular fashion.”

LIVERPOOL, Wirral, Trafford Park andWinsford, in Chester, have been chosen totry out the government’s new planningpowers. These areas are among the firstto test out neighbourhood planning, aradical new power being introduced inthe Localism Bill, which will give localpeople a real voice in deciding howdevelopment will look in their area.

For the first time, neighbourhoodplanning will allow communities to shapetheir own vision for their community,from deciding the locations of shops,offices and schools to setting standardsof design for new housing and protectinggreen spaces of value to the community.

In areas where local people want to seehomes and businesses built,neighbourhood planning will allow

communities to grant a blanket planningpermission for development to go aheadwithout developers having to makeseparate applications.

The community has the final say onwhether a neighbourhood plan comesinto force. If more than 50 per cent ofpeople voting in a local referendumsupport the plan, then the local planningauthority must bring it into force.

Planning Minister Greg Clark said: “Fortoo long local people have been shut outof the planning process with no realvoice to affect decisions about theplaces where they live. Unpopularregional strategies left communitiesfeeling bullied into development and thisfuelled resentment towards growth.Neighbourhood planning will hand power

back to communities to decide the visionfor their area as they see fit, encouragingpeople to plan positively for their future.This is localism in action and theenthusiasm across the country forneighbourhood planning shows howkeen communities are to get involved.”

The local council is being given£20,000 to support work onneighbourhood planning and free advicefrom planning experts will be available forthe local community.

At the industrial estate at Trafford Park,the Greater Manchester chamber ofcommerce is working with TraffordCouncil on a Business NeighbourhoodPlan to develop a state of the art,sustainable mixed-use environment forhigh growth.

New planning powers for NW

Festival Gardens

Planning Minister Greg Clark

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 7

Main News

Chinese Delegatesvisit WirralTHE WIRRAL continues tostrengthen its ties with China asinvestors visit the city to look at Peel’splans with Wirral Waters and theInternational Trade Centre.

Wirral Council Leader Cllr SteveFoulkes welcomed a delegation fromthe Chinese city of Suzhou to discussinvestment opportunities at the£4.5bn Wirral Waters site.

Councillor Foulkes and seniorcouncil officers welcomed thedelegation, led by MsDu Guoling,Chairwoman of SuzhouPeople’s Congress, andwill be attendingSuzhou’s prestigiousMayoral Conference inSeptember where hewill further engagewith businesses inSuzhou in relation tothe International TradeCentre and investmentopportunities at WirralWaters.

Cllr Steve Foulkes,leader of WirralCouncil, said: “Thefeedback we receivedfrom our visitors wasvery positive and Iknow they wereimpressed with theopportunities that exist

in Wirral. The delegation wasparticularly interested in plans foran International Trade Centre atWirral Waters and I am committedto strengthening the relationship Iestablished between the two areas in2008.”

Suzhou is a major city in JiangsuProvince, Eastern China and is thesecond largest industrial city in theworld’s second largest economy.

A recent public exhibition at the

Birkenhead market recorded astaggering 100 per cent approval ratefrom people supporting the PeelInternational Trade Centre proposalsto be located in Birkenhead Docks.

The results also identified theimportance of new investment in thearea, remediation of vacant andcontaminated land, and integration ofthe Peel International Trade Centre tohelp stimulate regeneration of theNorth Birkenhead area.

Property group Downing has secured anew letting at Victoria House in Liverpoolcity centre.

BAM Construction has taken the entirefourth floor of the building, which islocated on James Street, on a short-term,flexible lease. The company will be basedin the 3,073 sq ft suite while it isprogressing works on the Mann Islanddevelopment. Downing will also provideBAM with 15 secure, on-site car parkingspaces and the rent includes servicecharge and building insurance.

Downing is reporting strong interest onthe ground floor retail/leisure unit, wheretalks with a national operator areprogressing, along with its refurbishedoffice suites at Victoria House.

Robin Ellis, senior agency surveyor atDowning, said: “This part of the citycentre has seen huge changes in recentmonths with new businesses, restaurantsand hotels locating to the area, as well asthe on-going development of the MannIsland scheme. These developments areanother piece in the jigsaw of cityconnectivity and Victoria House is right atthe heart of this.

Downing also unveiled last month aproposal for a 32-storey, mixed-usescheme in Vauxhall, its first developmentin London. The project, designed byStirling Prize-winning architects FieldenClegg Bradley Studios, will feature nearly580 student bedrooms with a leisurecentre and swimming pool at lowerground level.

Downingsecuresnew let

Cllr Steve Foulkes is presentedwith a gift from Ms Du Guoling on

a recent visit to Wirral

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MOVE COMMERCIAL8

News Commercial

THE INFRASTRUCTURE workfor the highly anticipatedcommercial developmentAtlantic Park in Sefton hasbeen completed with a unitalready let to Capita Symonds.

The project represents thesingle biggest investment in thesite to date and follows twophases of speculative officedevelopment, Alaska House andCaspian House, and marketingof the region’s largest industrialbuilding, The Big Ft.

The 120 staff at CapitaSymonds’ now occupy the third

floor of Atlantic House, twoand a half miles away fromtheir former office at MagdalenHouse on Trinity Road.

Works to Atlantic Parkincluded the full upgrade andinstallation of a new highvoltage electrical system withenhanced capacity, new gasdistribution system, water andfire mains and a site-widenetwork of fibre-optic cableducts, which willaccommodate the most up todate communicationtechnology and future-proof

the site. Rob Currie from Industrial

Securities, the developmentmanagers acting on behalf ofsite owners Royal LondonAsset Management said: “Thisproject has made Atlantic Parka development-ready site. Thefinished product will havebroad appeal to a wide rangeof potential occupiers.

“By investing in highvoltage power capability andfibre-optic cabling we haveensured that Atlantic Park hasthe infrastructure and

services it needs to thrive andappeal to a mix of businessand industrial users. Weexpect this investment tohelp generate enquiries.”

Civil engineering companyLagan Construction startedthe infrastructure project inlate 2010.

Acoustic boundary fencingand extensive landscapinghave been utilised across thesite. Low energy streetlighting, close-circuit securityand new barrier controls havealso been installed.

Atlantic Park development ready

THE LIVERPOOL region hasthe highest office yieldoutside of London, accordingto a new report from leadingproperty adviser CBRE.

Liverpool’s highest yield ismatched only bySouthampton, which at sevenper cent is 100 basis pointshigher than many of the largercities, including Birmingham,Glasgow and Edinburgh.Manchester has the lowestyield of the regional cities, at5.75 per cent.

A total of 282,000 sq ft newoffice space is currently availablein Liverpool, plus 1,716,000 sq ftsecondary stock.

A notable trend in Liverpoolhas been the emergence ofrequirements from the bankingsector and professionalservices firms; Bank of NewYork and Santander arecurrently looking for space inLiverpool, and Weightmans isclose to signing newaccommodation. The trend ismirrored in Manchester; KPMGand Pannone are both in themarket for 50,000 sq ft inManchester.

Mark Worthington, directorof office agency at CBRENorth West, commented: “Inparticular, we see call centresbecoming a source of futuredemand, driven by higher costsin locations such as India and adesire for UK companies toimprove their customer serviceoffering. This wasdemonstrated in early Julywhen Santander returned 200jobs to UK locations includingLiverpool, from India.”

Overseas investors wereresponsible for the bulk ofinvestment activity,accounting for almost half ofall offices transacted by value.German funds have beenparticularly active, attracted toprime yields on offer in theregional markets.

A PARTNER at nationallaw firm Weightmans LLP

has been appointed Chairof the Law SocietyHousing Law Committeefor a three-year term.

Sian Evans, head of thesocial housing team at thefirm, has been sitting onthe committee for the pastthree years and will takeon her new role as Chairfrom September 2011.

The Law SocietyHousing Law Committeeis a group of specialisthousing solicitors thatlobby the Governmentand prepare responses toGovernmentconsultations on relevant

housing issues. As Chair,Sian will lead this processto seek to improvehousing law, procedureand practice.

“The Committee playsan important role indeveloping the debatearound housing lawissues,” said Sian. “I lookforward to leading theCommittee’srepresentations to theGovernment on issues weall feel passionately about.

“The social housingsector is currentlyexperiencing a real periodof change, whether in

response to the publicspending cuts, housingcrisis or specific legalchallenges. I hope theCommittee will be able touse its position to addressthese issues withGovernment.”

The appointment comesat a busy period for Sian,whose social housingteam has expandedconsiderably followingWeightmans’ merger withMace & Jones. The teamhas also recently taken onassociate Jane Plant, inBirmingham, in responseto its growing client base.

Weightmans partner awarded prestigious role

Largestregionaloffice yieldsin Liverpool

Caspian House

Sian Evans

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 9

Commercial News

JARGON-BEATING WEBSITE LAUNCHLEADING LIVERPOOL law firmPaul Crowley & Co Solicitors haslaunched a new website aimed atcombating legal jargon.

Tracy Thompson, practicedevelopment manager at the firmsays the idea behind the site was tosupply advice on law matters thateveryone could understand.

“Everyone needs some legaladvice from time to time – whetherthat’s help with buying or selling ahome, opening and growing theirbusiness, preparing their will, orclaiming for a personal injury afterbeing in an accident,” she said.

“But it can be quite scary forsome people when complex, legaljargon is used. At Paul Crowley &Co we feel strongly about the factthat legal advice needs to be easilyaccessible to everyone.”

Paul Crowley & Co Solicitors,

which has two offices on BreckRoad, Anfield, and one on CountyRoad, Walton, has built a long-standing reputation on providingsimple, straightforward service.

“As a company we believe intalking to people in normal,everyday language when we’reoffering them legal advice,” addedTracy.

“Many of our clients aremembers of the local community,and it’s important to us that no onewho needs legal advice feelsisolated or alone.”

The new website also includes aninnovative Personal Injury ClaimsCalculator so that peopleconsidering making a claim for anaccident or personal injury claimcan easily see how muchcompensation they are entitled.

Paul Crowley & Co has served the

local community for the past 20years. For more information pleasevisit www.paulcrowley.co.uk

BIRKENHEAD basedconstruction safety specialistInnov8 Safety Solutions hassigned a new deal with PeelPorts Mersey to implement avigorous 12 monthconstruction health and safetyprogramme.

Innov8 will work with morethan 130 of Peel Ports’contractors, suppliers andconsultants, with the aim ofreinforcing Peel Ports’commitment to the higheststandards of competence insite safety. The deal is thelatest in a number of otherimportant project works theyhave won.

Alan Robson, Innov8’smanaging director, said: “This isa terrific contract to win and itreally showcases the depth ofexpertise we offer to theconstruction industry.

“The idea was developed withPeel Ports as an eye catchingengaging initiative which willproactively promote safety. PeelPorts is passionate aboutsafety and this campaign willensure that contractors workingon site are fully briefed on themost important aspects of sitesafety, from the basics of slips,trips and falls, to the necessaryadministration issues.”

Innov8 have also won newcontracts at three primaryschools in West Cheshire. Theywill be building extensions tothe main school buildings ofAshton Hayes Primary School inChester, Comberbatch PrimarySchool in Northwich, andWimboldsley Primary School inMiddlewich.

They also gained contractswith Frank Rogers BuildingContractors and SterlingProperties, where they willprovide site safety andconstruction designmanagement services forconstruction and refurbishmentprojects for both companies.

Innov8wins newcontracts

CONSTRUCTION has begun onthe first Carmelite monasteryto be built in Liverpool in morethan a century.

The monastery at MarytonGrange, Allerton, is believed tobe the largest purpose-builtCarmelite monastery in Europecurrently under constructionand will be the new home tothe Carmelite Sisters who arerelocating from their presentmonastery in West Derby.

Everton-based NoblesConstruction has started workon this unique project on a36,000 sqm site on AllertonRoad, with an expectedcompletion date in thesummer of 2012.

The order of 30 Sisters willbe moving to the moresecluded location after 100years at its present monastery,next to Broughton Hall andCardinal Heenan Schools.

The three-storey building,designed by architects Austin-Smith:Lord will be constructedwith traditional materials andwill feature a central chapel,cloister and work areas,together with a care facilityfor elderly sisters.

The Prioress, Sister Mary,said: “Whilst West Derby hasbeen our home for over 100years and we will be sad toleave, we felt it was time tomove to a location which willbe more compatible with ourway of life. For example thenew monastery will allow usto be much more energy

efficient and the gardens willalso enable us to be self-sufficient whilst protectingthe local habitat.”

Nobles Construction willalso undertake extensivelandscaping works to themonastery gardens, whichinclude the planting of newwildflower meadows and

water features to benefit thelocal wildlife and habitattogether with the planting ofover 1,500 trees.

Ecology and sustainabilityare at the heart of the newbuilding design, which willinclude ground source heating,solar panels and rainwaterharvesting facilities.

Work begins on Liverpool monastery

Tracy Thompson

Monastery sketch

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MOVE COMMERCIAL10

News Commercial

THE UNVEILING OF The ContactCompany’s new headquarters inBirkenhead attracted the Rt HonChris Grayling MP Minister forEmployment to its official opening asthe company announces the creationof 500 new jobs.

The Contact Company wasestablished by Asif Hamid and JulietRhodes in the summer of 2006 andhas rapidly grown to become one ofthe UK’s premier contact centres.

Asif Hamid, chief executive officerof The Contact Company, said: “Wehave already won significant newcontracts because of our investmentin these new facilities. The ContactCompany has come a long way in arelatively short space of time and ournew offices and this considerableinvestment in jobs is a statement ofour intent to continue growing byemploying excellent people andproviding the quality of service to ourclients that we’ve become known forin the industry.”

The company plan to take on 100new staff immediately and will thenrecruit the remaining 400 positionsin phases throughout 2011 and 2012.

The Rt Hon Chris Grayling MPMinister for Employment said: “It’sgreat to come to Wirral and celebratea local business success story. Wewant to see our entrepreneurssucceed in business and in doing so

create opportunities for jobs in areasthat badly need them.”

Their new office is located in theheart of the business district, close tothe Birkenhead Queensway Tunnel,and has six floors covering 29,500 sq

ft. It is the company’s second locationin the town with their original officeslocated at Europa Boulevard.

The Contact Company clientsinclude Superdrug, The JewelleryChannel and Liverpool FC.

SPECIALIST TRAINING companyParcours is about to make people thinkdifferently about communication.

The company specialises inintercultural working practices, whichis the term now being used todescribe the ability to work acrosscultures using a generalunderstanding of communication andworking styles. It aims to develop

sustainable strategies fororganisations to facilitate learning anddevelopment.

Set up earlier this year by Karen Bellionand Greg Logan, the idea behind thetraining is to establish realistic workingpartnerships between organisations andcommunities. This enables them to reachtheir full potential through theirincreased knowledge of interculturalworking practices.

Director Karen said: “Parcours isabout taking people on a journey andto discover how we can become moreaccessible to others. Businesses andorganisations have realised that theirpersonnel need far more than factsand figures or dos and don'ts whenworking with people from differentcultures. We offer a step by stepapproach to assist organisations inunderstanding its interests and thoseof the increasingly diverse markets.”

Karen has worked in the BAME (Black,Asian and Minority Ethnic) communitiesfor more than 20 years and believesthat improving communication is a keyingredient to successful business.

For more information telephone 0151706 8138 or visit www.parcours.org.uk.

Company breaks down barriers Wirral employmentscheme launched

WIRRAL COUNCIL has launched anew initiative to support businessesconsecutively employing more staffand growing their own companies.

The Wirral Intermediate LabourMarket (ILM) is a flexibleprogramme that supportscompanies to employ people on ananticipated 52-week contract, withthe council contributing funding forthe first 26 weeks of that contract.

Councillor Phil Davies, cabinetmember for regeneration andplanning strategy, said: “This isanother great opportunity for Wirralbusinesses who wish to expand theirworkforce but are concerned about thefinance involved in paying anadditional salary. The ILM has been

designed to support our businesses asmuch as the individual, as it is thesmall and medium-sized businesseswho contribute so much to theborough’s economy. The ILM will helppeople who may not have worked forsome time because they have beenraising young children, suffered fromill health or lack the academicqualifications and confidence neededin today’s job market.”

The council’s contractedemployment support programme,Reachout, will provide a fullrecruitment package including a listof eligible candidates as part of theprogramme.

For more information visitwww.wirral.gov.uk

The ContactCompany, Asif

Hamid (left) withChris Grayling

MP (centre) andCllr Steve Foulkes

MINISTER OPENS CALL CENTRE HQ

Karen Bellion and Greg Logan

Council to contribute fundsfor first 26 weeks

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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 COMMERCIAL 11

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MOVE COMMERCIAL12

p01-12:p03-12 8/9/11 18:02

MOVE COMMERCIAL 13

Move Commercial Bitesize thinking

If only I’d known….

ASIF HAMID

‘Bleeding edge’BuzzwordMeaning:As is so often the case withbuzzwords ‘bleeding edge’ wascoined in Silicon Valley. The 2.0version of ‘cutting edge’,‘bleeding edge’ describes atechnology or concept so new, sosharp and shiny that it slicesthrough anything else currently

out there. The term contains a neatallusion to the term ‘leadingedge’, while its visceral qualityrefers to a technology or conceptbeing so fresh and untested thatit actually has the potential toinflict a considerable amount offinancial pain on its owners.

Is the number of jobs that could be created in the cityregion’s low-carbon economy by 2015, according tothe sector’s most recent strategic plan. The report saidoffshore wind energy, microregeneration, smart gridand retrofitting in particular, offer substantial jobcreation opportunities.

7000Vitalstatistics

Ten to 15 years ago that outsourcing would become such a hugephenomenon in the UK. Outsourcing is very cost effective and a huge amountof production and services has gone offshore over the past decade. If I’dknown how big it would become I would have started my UK-based call centrebusiness earlier and through improved industry efficiency kept more of thework here rather than see it go out of the country.

I see more call centres being based in the UK. Call centre service is betterwhen it’s in the UK. Increasingly businesses are realising that outsourcing isnot just about the cost side it’s about customer retention, and are bringing callcentre services back here. People are asking for added value, not justsomeone picking up the phone. When customers phone up The ContactCompany they benefit from our employees’ knowledge of the UK and the factthey are in a position to offer helpful, appropriate advice. We plan to offer 500new jobs at our new building in Birkenhead in the next two years.

In my crystal ball…

CEO of The Contact Company

At Home:I was lucky enough to see and workon plenty of RIBA award winningbuildings while responsible for letting

commercial projects for10 years at UrbanSplash so this mightseem a strange choice,but (apart from my ownhouse, which will be topof my list once it isfinished!) my favouritebuilding close to home isAlbion House.

It was the first place that made animpression on me as a teenager. Ifound out that its architect, RobertNorman Shaw, had also designed NewScotland Yard, and that its balcony waswhere the announcement was madethat the Titanic had sunk. Thecombination of the appearance andhistoric connections is what sets itapart for me.

Away:Without question for me the SolomonR Guggenheim Museum in New York. Iremember visiting it some years agoand being excited seeing it from theoutside for the first time but thenbeing absolutely blown away by theatrium. All my favourite elements inone place...clean lines, art deco-esquecurves and my favourite building colour- white. I tried in vain to take an artyshot with my rubbish camera but I wastold off by security for taking photosso bought a postcard instead!

&HomeAway

Lynn Haime, MRICS, MD Place Property Consultants Ltd

FAVOURITEBUILDINGS

Albion House, Liverpool

Guggenheim Museum, New York

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MOVE COMMERCIAL14

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 15

News Developments

LIVERPOOL John MooresUniversity has secured its biggestsingle land acquisition in the historyof the university after buying theformer Royal Mail sorting office onCopperas Hill.

The building, which is over260,000 sqft, is at the heart of thecity, close to Lime Street Station andat the epicentre of the university’sexisting buildings, including the newRedmonds Building.

Vice-Chancellor Professor MichaelBrown said: “This strategicinvestment will provide for the futuresuccess of the University. LJMU aimsto prepare students for the knowledgeeconomy by providing a life-changingeducational experience combiningacademic and world of work skills,and now we can also place them inthe very heart of it by location.”

The acquisition of the CopperasHill site forms part of theUniversity's 10 year campusdevelopment plan. In the summer of2012, the School of Business andLaw, the Liverpool Screen School,and the university’s new ProfessionalCentre will move to the newRedmonds Building on ClarenceStreet, consolidating the Faculty ofArts, Professional and Social Studiesin the Mount Pleasant Campus.

Max Steinberg, chief executive ofLiverpool Vision said: “The

acquisition of the Royal Mailbuilding by LJMU is an extremelyimportant step in deliveringLiverpool’s strategic ambitions togrow the strength and reputation ofits city centre knowledge quarter.The refurbishment and

redevelopment of this building foruniversity-related use will act as acatalyst for the development offurther high quality floorspace in theimmediate area, reconnecting themain retail core of the city centre tothe universities' area. “

LJMU will take the opportunity tomove the Faculty of Education,Community and Leisure from the IMMarsh campus, in Aigburth, to jointhe rest of the University andconsolidate academic delivery withinthe city centre.

LJMU buys former post office

PLANS TO develop a high-tech ArtsBuilding for the University of Salfordhave been given the green light bycity planners.

The £38m Arts Building willaccommodate performance andteaching spaces for students and thelocal community. The new buildingwill feature a theatre andperformance space, with studentsstudying in areas such as music,design and performance and formspart of a major redevelopment of theuniversity campus.

As well as student spaces the newbuilding will also include a café, andthe theatre and studio facilities will beused to give performances andexhibitions open to the public.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor MartinHall said: "This building and our wider

Campus Plan are part of theuniversity's strong commitment to theregeneration of central Salford, in thecontext of the city council's vision forthis area and the work done overmany years by the Central SalfordUrban Regeneration Company.

"It will be an important cultural centrefor the people of Salford and willprovide our students with a space toallow them to fully develop their skills."

The new building is just part of anambitious plan, already underway, withthe refurbishment of the existingChapman Building and the Arts Buildingwill be sited adjacent to this development.

The project is being worked on byplanning consultants, TurleyAssociates and work will begin in theautumn of this year for completionmid-2014.

Final North West BSF schoolCITY PLANNERS have given the finalNorth West school to be designedunder Labour’s Building Schools forthe Future programme the go-ahead atWade Deacon High School in Widnes.

The project will transform theschool from four buildings across twosites into one building on a singlesite, and will involve incorporating aclassically designed 1900s grammarschool into the new structure.

Architects Sheppard Robson isworking within the HaltonTransformational PartnershipConsortium andthey were appointedfollowing a 15-month bid process.

Alex Solk, projectleader andassociate partner atSheppard Robson,said: “WadeDeacon is an

inspirational building complete withcutting edge facilities to encouragelearning for all - it will benefit thewider community as well as fulfillingits role in enhancing the learningexperience of the students.”

The build has been designed to makethe school not only visually attractive,but to function as an encouraging andinclusive learning environment.

The consortium comprises HochtiefPPP Solutions, Galliford Try andVINCI Construction UK.

Completion is scheduled for May 2013.

New Salford uni arts building

Professor Michael Brown atopthe new Redmonds Building,

with the former Royal Mailsorting office in the background

Wade Deacon

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MOVE COMMERCIAL16

News Developments

Kirkby's Tesco superstore approvedSUPERSTORE TESCO is set to bebuilt at Kirkby following approval bythe Secretary of State forCommunities and Local Government.

The scheme, spearheaded bySpenhill (the regenerationsubsidiary of Tesco), will bring morethan £200 million of investmentinto Kirkby as well as creating thenew supermarket.

The Spenhill development will becomplemented by more than £13million of public sector investment

into a new state-of-the-art healthfacility and refurbishments toKirkby Market and the Kirkby Suite.

Councillor Dave Lonergan,Knowsley Council’s cabinetmember for regeneration, economyand skills, said: “It has been a long,and sometimes challenging, journeyto secure the right kind ofregeneration for Kirkby but we arethrilled that our proposals will nowbe able to proceed.

“In the current economic climate,

the benefits of this project cannot beunderestimated. The developmentwill bring a welcome boost to thelocal area at a difficult time and willvastly improve the facilities andopportunities available to localpeople, something which thecommunity of Kirkby has beendemanding and something which itso richly deserves.”

No date has yet been set for workto commence on the Spenhilldevelopment.

PLANS TO INVEST £1.4m in leisurefacilities in Prescot have been giventhe go ahead by council planners.

The Warrington Road site will seea new leisure facility that includes afitness suite and will support theoutdoor facility at the site, with workexpected to begin this year and duefor completion for summer 2012.

Councillor Eddie Connor, CabinetMember for Leisure, Communityand Culture, said: “I’m pleased thatwork will commence on site over thenext few weeks, which will deliverimproved leisure facilities in Prescotfor our residents - something wehave always been committed toproviding. This latest investment

will complement the work carriedout a few years ago on the outdoorpitches and bring leisure facilities inPrescot up to modern standards.”

In addition to this £1.4minvestment, the council hasinvested significantly in the area inthe form of new Centres forLearning, with each providingextensive leisure facilities availableto the public. Knowsley Park Centrefor Learning, in Prescot, and StEdmund Arrowsmith Centre forLearning, in Whiston, both offer afour-court sports hall, small fitnesssuite, multi-purpose/studio area,multi-use games area pitches and afull size pitch.

During the construction work, theoutdoor pitches will remainunaffected. Temporary parking willbe available on Scotchbarn Lane untilearly 2012 when the new car park forthe facility will be completed.

Prescot modernises facilities

Community leisure centre, Warrington Road, Prescot - CGI

Kirkby Tesco CGI

RUNCORN’S former indoormarket hall is set to betransformed into a stunningnew library and council servicesone-stop-shop.

The £550,000 scheme willbe home to both Halton LibraryServices and Halton Direct Link,with access to the library and aone-stop-shop for councilservices including payments,service requests and generalenquiries.

Designed by leadingarchitects Cassidy and Ashton,its plans for the buildinginclude making the most of thenatural daylight provided bythe existing rooflight and theopen plan, single storey layout.A new entrance lobby will beconstructed as part of thescheme, with automatic doorsto improve accessibility and therefurbishment will include ahigh quality finish throughout.

Toby Southgate, associatedirector from Cassidy andAshton, said: “The old indoormarket is a landmark building inRuncorn and it is veryappropriate that it should bereinvented to provide valuablecommunity services that areuseful and accessible to all.”

Work is expected to begin inOctober and scheduled to becompleted by March 2012.

Newlibrary forRuncorn

Runcorn market

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 17

Developments News

From London to Liverpool

WORK HAS recently commencedon the demolition of the old WaltonHospital, off Rice Lane, which willpave the way for the construction ofa new mental health in patientfacility for Mersey Care.

The new 85-bed facility willprovide care for people inLiverpool, Knowsley and SouthSefton to help aid their recoveryfrom mental health problems such

as depression, dementia andlearning disabilities.

Liverpool development companyLSHP is undertaking the work.They have also been working on asimilar scheme at the formerSkellys car dealership site on EdgeLane and have been involved inmany of the new primary carecentres in the city, includingWalton, Southport and Garston.

John Doyle, project director forMersey Care, said: “Ourpartnership with LSHP Ltd isenabling us to deliver a state of theart facility designed with the helpof users and staff that will be a realstep change in the way people willreceive care services in the future.Having secured the land at Waltonand recently received planningapproval, I’m delighted to see

tangible evidence of progress nowtaking place.”

The project is the first step inMersey Care’s ambitious plans forimproving local facilities for thosesuffering from mental illness.

Work will start on the two newcentres, which will have a combinedcost of around £48m, early in 2012– subject to Government approval -expected to open in 2013.

Old Walton Hospital demolition begins

Assura, a leading nationalhealthcare property group, isundertaking new construction on anew GP surgery in Wallasey, whichwill house a minor surgery suite.

The project, which is beingdelivered in conjunction with LSPDevelopments, will see the StHilary Brow Group Practice relocatefrom its existing premises in aformer residential and retail unit onWallasey Road to Broadway.

The facility, spread across twofloors and over 13,000 sq ft, willenable the practice to provide newservices to its patients in a modern,professional environment includinga minor surgery suite.

Pochin Construction is theappointed contractor for thedevelopment and completion isexpected in the summer of 2012.

Dementia centre unveiled for north LiverpoolPlans have been unveiled for a £1million dementia care unit inLiverpool.

The purpose-built facility, designedby 2020 Liverpool, will beconstructed next to Sedgemoor CareHome, in Norris Green, and will beused by up to 30 people per day.

It will include a ‘Telecare’ suitewhere staff will be able to fully assess

people and identify the most suitabletypes of technology for the home tohelp them stay safe - such as sensorsand warning alarms.

The centre will also be used forrespite and include a sensory room,a hobby space where people cantake part in arts and crafts, and amini-cinema which will be used toshow old film reels to help with

cognitive therapy.Councillor Roz Gladden, cabinet

member for adult social care, said:“This is going to be a superb facilitywhich will offer state-of-the-artsupport and care for people withdementia and their families. We havean ageing population in Liverpooland all of the evidence shows there isgoing to be an increased need for thistype of facility to help assist thosewho have dementia.

“We are moving to a systemwhere we are focused on meetingpeople’s individual needs, ratherthan having to choose from a fixedmenu of social care services.”

The centre is part of the council’s‘Transformation’ plan for day careservices which will see six Health andWellbeing ‘hubs’ created across the cityto provide help and support for people.

A planning application for thefacility has been submitted, and ifapproved work is scheduled to starton site in January 2012, with thecentre opening in late summer 2012.

New GPsurgery forWallasey

SedgemoorSite

CGI of new mental health facility

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MOVE COMMERCIAL18

Business News

LIVERPOOL�BASED award�winningchartered accountants and businessadvisors, Wilson Henry LLP, haveannounced their commitment to a six-figure investment at their Edge Laneoffices. This follows the successfulnegotiation with Liverpool city councilto remain on their existing site. EdgeLane is undergoing majorredevelopment and Wilson Henry isplaying a key part in this project. Theinvestment will be made in improvingon site car parking and building access

together with internal and externalbuilding refurbishment.

Wilson Henry LLP is an award-winning firm employing 30 people,advising 400 owner-managedbusiness and private clients withconsulting and compliance services.Wilson Henry LLP is run on verydifferent lines from a traditionalaccountancy firm. Its growth is inlarge part to its passion for going theextra mile and living by its strap linein thinking ‘beyond the numbers’. It

puts clients and their needs at thecentre of its operation.

Peter Alcock, the firm’s marketingpartner, commented: “We have apassion for wowing the client bydelivering more than the ordinary andby being different in everything we do.”

Wilson Henry LLP was recentlyawarded the gold standard at first passfor the prestigious Investors in Peopleaward, which it was awardedoriginally 12 years ago, for theircommitments to improving

productivity and performance throughbetter staff management. The award isin recognition for a number ofstandards they have in place such asanswering phone calls within tworings and returned within 90minutes. They proactively adviseclients on the latest information suchas on new tax savings ideas anddevelopments. They are committed todeadlines and offer value-basedbilling. The firm also invests heavilyin technology and people.

Wilson Henry invests in Edge Lane

PROFESSIONAL Liverpool moves toNumber 1 Old Hall Street to join forceswith Liverpool Chamber of Commerce.

The member organisation, whichpromotes professional excellence inLiverpool and the surrounding region,will take offices at the Chamber ofCommerce’s headquarters in the heartof the city’s business district.

Professional Liverpool chair Jim Gill, said:“There is much common ground betweenthe two organisations so it makes senseto share premises and our knowledge andexpertise. There will be manyopportunities for the Chamber andourselves to develop new initiatives forthe benefit of the city and both ourmembers.”

Professional Liverpool is currently

located at the University of Liverpool’sForesight Centre.

Neil Scales, Liverpool Chamber ofCommerce chairman, said: “Finance andprofessional services are at the heart ofthe Liverpool business community and itmakes perfect sense for us to workclosely with Professional Liverpool. In thisturbulent business environment it is vitalthat organisations share information,exploit expertise and co-operate for thebenefit of the city. Both organisationswill work closely together to developbusiness, promote the city and protectthe economic health of the region.”

Both member organisations havea number of shared objectives and believethat working together will increaseefficiency and minimise overlap.

Professional Liverpool and Chamber join forces

John Hall, Professional Liverpool chief executive,Jim Gill, Professional Liverpool chairman, NeilScales, Liverpool Chamber of Commercechairman and Jack Stopforth, chief executiveofficer of Liverpool Chamber of Commerce

Wilson Henry Partners with banner at Edge Lane. L-R Peter Alcock, Hilene Henry and David Kirby

p013-30:p03-12 8/9/11 17:57

1. Sean McGurren, Maghull Developments, Lesley Martin-Wright, Knowsley Chamber of Commerce, Michael Hanlon, Maghull Developments. 2. Andrew Owen, Mason Owen

and David Al Hadithi, The Design Foundry, Craig Dulson Mayfield Construction. 3. Jon Rimmer, Tender Management Consultants and Ruth Kilbane, RK Auditing. 4. Geoff

Green and Sarah Lavery both NWTC. 5.Robert Zatz, Your Energy Matter and Steve Pullin, Business Manager of Knowsley Council. 6. Linda Harrison, Oldham Bros Demolition,

Sheila Toft, Knowsley Chamber Commerce, Rohini Green, Storm Consultants, Jonathan Cunningham, Storm Consultants and Lesley Martin-Wright, Knowsley Chamber of

Commerce. 7. Angela Penn & David Percival, Weightmans. 8. Jon Battle, JDB Surveying, Cristina Chandler, DR8 Investments, Mark Parker, Maghull Developments. 9.Derek

Dawson and Heather Summers, both JST Lawyers. 10. Sheila Toft, Knowsley Chamber of Commerce, Dave Tyrell and Judith Chrisp, both Knowsley Housing Trust.

Knowsley Chamber Key events

Property forumbreakfastKnowsley Chamber of Commerce’s latest property and construction forum gavedozens of industry professionals the chance to network over coffee.Launched in February this year it connects people linked to the property, buildingdevelopment, planning and design, and construction sectors, and offers industryinsights by a guest speaker held at the V7 building in Kings Business Park, Prescot.

Craig Dulson of Mayfield Construction gave a well-received talk at the forumand Chamber representatives like CEO Lesley Martin-Wright were on hand tooffer advice.

5

8

1

76

9

2 3 4

10

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MOVE COMMERCIAL20

News Sales & Lettings

LIVERPOOL ONE EXPANDS IN DEALGROSVENOR Liverpool Fund hasexpanded its investment portfoliosnapping up a row of shops in thecity centre and extending the reachof Liverpool ONE.

Grosvenor purchased 52-78 LordStreet on Lord Street from LandSecurities in a £19.1 million deal. The11 units, totalling 55,000 sq ft, aresituated between South John Streetand Paradise Street, both of whichare key entrances to Liverpool ONE.Fully let, it is home to Specsavers,French Connection, YorkshireBuilding Society, Dollond &Aitchison Opticians, Home Bargains,Co-op Travel and Games Station.

Miles Dunnett, asset manager forthe Grosvenor Liverpool Fund, said:“This acquisition both reaffirms ourcommitment to Liverpool, a city thatis thriving, and strengthens the widerLiverpool ONE offer. Active assetmanagement of 52-78 Lord Street toimprove the visibility, size andappeal of its units will create newopportunities for retailers.Consistent with our approach onLiverpool ONE, this will help to bringmore new brands to the city, furtherimproving the offer for visitors.”

Grosvenor Liverpool Fund’sacquisition will allow the boundaryof Liverpool ONE to be extended,increasing its presence on the main

pedestrian route to reach SouthJohn Street from Church Street.Part of Grosvenor’s portfolio inLiverpool includes the formerGeorge Henry Lee building, inChurch Street.

Mason Owen acted for theGrosvenor Liverpool Fund andLunson Mitchenall acted for LandSecurities, who are also the owner ofthe St John’s and Clayton Squareshopping centres in the city.

ONE OF LIVERPOOL’S most wellknown heritage buildings on BoldStreet has been sold for £2.85 million.

Panther Securities acquired the20,000 sq ft Grade II listedbuilding, currently housing The PostOffice and subletting to the Co-operative Building Society.

Built between 1800 and 1802, the

Lyceum was originally a gentlemen’sclub, founded to create analternative meeting place to theexisting merchants’ coffee houses.The building also became home tothe city’s subscription library, whichis widely believed to have been thefirst lending library in Europe.

Located on the edge of the primecore of Liverpool city centre, theLyceum backs onto Merepark’sCentral Village development and assuch will benefit from the hugeadditional footfall that the schemewill generate.

There is currently three and a halfyears left on the existing lease,which is currently let at a rental of£500,000 a year, with a net initialyield of 16.5 per cent.

Rob Woods, director of investmentagency at CB Richard Ellis (CBRE)who advised on the sale, said: “The

Lyceum is a fantastic building ofhistorical significance, and issubsequently of enormousimportance to the city and itsheritage. The building also benefitsfrom its location at the core ofLiverpool city centre, withMerepark’s £160m Central Villagescheme set to increase footfall in thearea even further.”

CBRE have lately had a run ofsuccessful appointments, includingLiverpool office agency team beingappointed by Grosvenor to let17,693 sq ft of refurbished officespace at Liverpool ONE. The unitsof Compton House and RussellBuilding on School Lane are bothprestigious heritage buildings.Compton House is an 1870’s five-storey former warehouse, while thesix-storey Russell Building was builtin the 1860’s.

The Lyceum sold for £2.85mA PRIME Manchester cityleisure complex has beenbought for £20.1 million.

Circus Invest purchasedThe Circus, on the corner ofOxford Street and PortlandStreet, which houses aPremier Inn Hotel andground floor retail/leisureunits and casino.Developed in 2001,partially behind anattractive listed façade,the scheme is let toWhitbread Group, JDWetherspoons, Boots theChemist, Genting Casinosand Barracuda PubCompany with a net initialyield of 6.19 per cent.

Property consultantsJones Lang LaSalle andCortex, on behalf of clientsof LaSalle InvestmentManagement, sold theproperty. BlandfordGoldsmith represented thepurchaser.

Lord Street, Liverpool

The Lyceum

Manchester Circus

Prime centrelocationsnapped up

ManchesterCircus soldfor £20m

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 21

Sales & Lettings News

A ST HELENS brownfield site is set forredevelopment thanks to the latestNorthern Trust deal in the borough.

The recent acquisition of the five-acre development site on CollegeStreet was purchased from St HelensCouncil is the latest in NorthernTrust’s expanding investmentportfolio.

With the assistance of EuropeanRegional Development Fund (ERDF)funding, the investment anddevelopment company plans todevelop out the site in three phases.The first phase of the £7.5 million,80,000 sq ft new development, willincorporate over 30,000 sq ft of newhigh quality workspace units.

Comprising of 21 units split intothree blocks, construction work on theinitial two acres is scheduled tocommence in the autumn. The schemewill include construction of a newestate road, full site servicing andhighways improvements.

Mike Grindrod, development directorat Northern Trust, said: “Northern

Trust already own two existingworkshop estates in St Helens, and thisnew development shows ourcommitment to improving theprosperity of both the town and widerborough. By creating a range of modernindustrial workshop units in sizestargeted at new start-up and SMEbusinesses looking to relocate to thearea, we are confident the newdevelopment will prove a huge success.”

The development plans will achieve a

BREEAM rating of excellent. Units over500 sq ft will also include a fully fittedoffice. Concrete service yards willprovide adequate circulation andloading facilities and there will beample car parking and qualitylandscaping around the scheme.

The new development, to be knownas Gerards Park, is located a half milefrom the town centre on the mainarterial route between the town Centreand the A580 (East Lancashire Road).

PRIVATE and commercial lawfirm Kirwans Solicitors has takenoccupation of 6,500 sq ft ofoffice space at the SouthHarrington Building in BrunswickBusiness Park, Liverpool.

The deal, completed byHitchcock Wright & Partners,was for a lease of 10 years at arent of £11.50 per square foot.

South Harrington Building wasformerly a Victorian dockwarehouse restored in the1980s by the MerseysideDevelopment Corporation andhas undertaken a £1.5 millionrefurbishment two years ago.The development recently won aYour Move magazine award forBest Office / WorkspaceDevelopment and was shortlistedby the RICS for the North WestCommercial Development.

Other lettings already made bythe agents include Royal Mail,Vitaflo and New Mind.

Nick Harrop, partner at agentsHitchcock Wright & Partners,said: “The building is now 83 percent occupied and since therefurbishment was completedby Commercial Estates Group,we continue to receive a greatdeal of interest in the lastavailable units. Officeaccommodation is available from916 sq ft to 9,746 sq feet toprovide capacity for all budgets.”

Matthews and Goodman arejoint letting agents on theproperty.

HarringtonBuildingalmost fully let

Gerards Park, St Helens

South Harrington Building

FLURRY OF LETS AT CENTRAL VILLAGEA HOST of lettings have beenconfirmed for the forthcoming CentralVillage leisure and retail development.

Italian restaurant Prezzo is the latestoperator to choose Central Village forits first Liverpool outlet. Prezzo willoccupy 3,390 sq ft of space in theLewis’s building’s new upper plaza,part of the £200m Central Villageleisure and retail development, whichis due to open in 2013.

The 135-seat restaurant will sitadjacent to the six-screen Odeoncinema and overlook The Plaza,which links the Lewis’s building withCentral Village’s boardwalk area andwater feature. Independent pan-Asianrestaurant Cosmo also confirmed itwould take space. Handmade BurgerCo. will be based in the Central VillageBoardwalk building, which willoverlook the stepped water-feature offNewington Square. Other lettingsconfirmed include restaurantsChiquito and Frankie & Benny’s.

The refurbishment and remodellingof the Lewis’s building is currentlyunderway and will bring the unusedupper floors back to life as offices, andwill include a 129-bed Adagioapartment–hotel.

Neal Hunter, associate director atMerepark, the developer responsible

for Central Village, said: “CentralVillage’s proximity to Ropewalks andits link to Central Station provideoperators with two very valuableassets – that of high footfall and wideappeal. This is evident in the successwe’ve had bringing new nationalbrands and independent operatorsinto the city.

Central Village will extend the city’sretail and leisure core with three new

hotels, offices, retail outlets,restaurants, bars, cafes, a new publiccar park, residential buildings, sixcinema screens and landscaped publicspace.

Central Village is expected tocontribute £100 million to the city’seconomy when it is completed in2013 and will transform six acres ofland behind Liverpool Central Station,Renshaw Street and Bold Street.

Central Village CGI

St Helens reaps in investment

p013-30:p03-12 8/9/11 17:58

No1 TITHEBARN

TO LET 3,500 - 84,000 sq ft (325 - 7,803 sq m)

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Refurbished contemporary offices in the number one location

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 23

Appointments

New associate directors atManchester DTZ

Seven people have been promotedin DTZ’s Manchester office. Jo Hindle from the company’s HRteam and Simon Lowe frominvestments will take up associatedirector positions while DavidBeavis, Gabrielle Donnelly andTim Russell have been installedas senior surveyors.

Mike Mitchell, managing directorfor regions outside Liverpool, said:“In such a difficult market theachievements of all these individualsare all the more special given howhigh the bar has been raised.”

Professional LiverpoolPersonnel ChangeNew chief executive of ProfessionalLiverpool, John Hall, has announcedmore changes to personnel. Adele Jackson, previously ofMerseyside Special Investment Fund(MSIF) is now employed on a full timebasis while part time staff DeniseAshbridge and Trisha Evans have left.

John Hall became chief executiveof Professional Liverpool in May.Since then he has announced therelocation of Professional Liverpoolto No. 1 Old Hall Street, in order towork more efficiently with LiverpoolChamber of Commerce.

Members of Professional Liverpoolinclude Venmore, Bermans, Qire,Charles Stanley, Forster Dean andRees Roberts among many otherleading local firms.

Partner Role for Amion DirectorLiverpool-based economicdevelopment and regenerationadvisory firm Amion Consultinghas promoted Carmel Booth tothe role of partner.

Booth is a chartered accountantand has financial, commercial,regeneration and transformational

change consultancy experience.She has led on infrastructure

projects, change programmes andnew commercial ventures includingthe establishment of the Homes &Communities Agency, thedevelopment of sporting stadia andvenues, PFIs and outsourcingcontracts, and the £72m Museumof Liverpool.

Booth joined Amion as a directorin 2009, having previously workedfor KPMG and Deloitte.

She said: "Our work is perhaps

even more important today asorganisations are looking to domore with less money and considernew ways of operating."

New Hotels Head for ColliersSurveyor Colliers International haspromoted Manchester-based JulianTroup to head of the UK hotelsagency team. Troup joined Colliers

during 2007to managethe UKcorporatehotels teamand has nowbeenappointed ashead of theoverall hotelagencyoperation.

Since 2003 Troup has advised onthe sale or disposal of 100 hotelson behalf of clients with askingprices ranging from £1.2m to inexcess of £20m. Earlier this year hehandled the sale of ForestdaleHotels, a privately owned portfolio of 18 three-star hotelsacross England, for £32m toAkkeron Hotels.

Troup will work alongside DavidHossack who leads the valuationside of the UK hotels team and MarcFinney, who continues to head upthe international and UKprofessional and advisory team.

Troup was promoted following thedeparture of Chris Moore to JonesLang LaSalle.

CarmelBooth

JulianTroup

MikeMitchell

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p013-30:p03-12 8/9/11 17:58

MOVE COMMERCIAL24

Based at St Paul’s Square BalfourBeatty’s links with the city dateback more than 60 years, havingworked on some of the city’s mostimportant regeneration projectsincluding the £111 milliontransformation of Liverpool ONEand the recently completed LimeStreet Gateway. They are alsoshortlisted for the £288m AlderHey Children’s Health ParkProject, an iconic paediatric healthfacility set to be the first of its kindin Europe - a decision which willbe made by early 2012.

“We’re investing in projects; inthe projects we are bidding for wewill be an investor and aconstruction partner. The fact thatwe will invest in the city I think isa demonstration that we intend totake a long-term stake in the city,”he says as we meet at his offices inthe heart of Liverpool’s businessdistrict.

“My role is demonstrating thatwe have a long-term stake in thecommunities. We will leave a skillslegacy through our investment inapprenticeship and training of theworkforce. We will supportbusiness growth through a difficultbusiness cycle to ensure Liverpoolcommunities get access toemployment.

“We hosted an event in Londonrecently where we had the leaderof the Liverpool city council and

various delegates from across thecity, including the private sector,presenting the city to an audienceof potential investors - that groupof investors are our contacts.”

With over 17 years experience in

workforce development,regeneration and economicdevelopment Mark has worked in anumber of senior public sectorroles, specialising in securingeconomic benefits from majorcapital programmes, with a rangeof public sector clients. Before

joining Balfour Beatty in 2008, heworked for ManchesterEnterprises, the sub-regionaleconomic partnership.

“I was supporting the publicsector in negotiations three yearsago ensuring wider benefits fromcapital projects and now I’m doingthe same thing but just on theother side of the table,” heexplains.

“I started work in the early 90s,mainly on employment projects inEast Manchester in some verydeprived communities. I wasfocusing specifically on youngpeople and access to jobs. I’ve beeninvolved in employment skills andeconomic development for 17-18years, so it’s a naturalprogression.”

Mark has been one of the peoplecarefully manoeuvring theregeneration of the North Westwith one of his biggest projectsbeing the move of the BBC to theNorth. While at ManchesterEnterprises, he countered thearguments, particularly thepolitical arguments, for why theBBC shouldn’t move to the Northof England.

“It was challenging at times,when you work for ManchesterEnterprises you have to make sureyou’re mindful of the aspirations ofall partners and I think that’ssomething that I’ve brought to this

job, that you have to be mindfulthat you’ve got multiple drivers.Physically the BBC has basedthemselves in Salford Quays buteconomically they’ve basedthemselves in the North West andthat can only be a good thing.”

One of Mark’s first projects inLiverpool was the Building Schoolsfor the Future venture, which wascut last year. Since then he hasbeen involved with the RoyalLiverpool Hospital bid, which theyunfortunately lost, and the AlderHey bid.

“Balfour Beatty has a long historyin working on healthcare projectsacross the country, and theyremain a priority for us,” he said.“We will have spent the best partof two years bidding on theMerseyside hospital projects andthe Mersey Gateway Projectbidding window is coming upsoon.”

Having been at the forefront ofthe North West’s regeneration forthree decades, he is wellpositioned to look back at its hugetransformation - of which he hasbeen a driver of - as well as whereits future lies.

“If you take something likeLiverpool ONE, the project wouldhave been unimaginable 20 yearsago. Now there is that confidenceof being able to create a hugeregeneration project such as that

Balfour Beatty is not just a global construction company; it’s also in thebusiness of regenerating whole communities. It is Mark Howden, asdirector of regeneration, who is at the forefront of transforming acommunity’s economic and social prospects; from investing in people tobusiness growth, Balfour Beatty’s stake in Liverpool is permanent.

A permanentstake in Liverpool

If you takesomethinglike LiverpoolONE, theproject wouldhave beenunimaginable20 years ago.

“

“

By Dina [email protected]

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 25

Mover & Shaker

and being able to pull it off. “The problem now is where we

go from here. The North did verywell in exploiting what wasavailable, every opportunity. Theopportunities now are new anddifferent; the challenge now issetting up what that new is. Thegrowth of the city is absolutelysustainable, I think it’s a differentmodel. To take the Manchesterexample, the IRA bomb was seenas the catalyst for Manchester’sregeneration. Public and Europeanmoney poured in but behind thatfollows the commercial money andthe investors and I think that’swhere Liverpool is at.”

Continuing from theirinvestment in the city BalfourBeatty has now launched anapprentice scheme, across theNorth West, which has been highlycommended by the NationalApprenticeship Service.

“We’ve just been nominated to goon a national panel of top 100apprentice employers. We’ve alsoheld a number of ‘Meet BalfourBeatty’ days. At our Aintree dayover 150 businesses came to theevent, which promoted contractopportunities to bid for work.We’re now starting to see theresults of that. We’ve targetedlocal employment, local businessesand new apprenticeshipopportunities. In the three yearsthat I’ve been here, we havestarted to change the perceptionon the way Balfour Beatty doesbusiness in communities.”

HowdenFileDOB:24 March 1967.

Education:Degree in Economics atSunderland polytechnic; Masterfrom University of Manchester inMiddle Eastern Politics.

Career:Head of Regeneration at BalfourBeatty Capital, Head ofInfrastructure Projects atManchester Enterprise.

Mark Howden

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MOVE COMMERCIAL26

Ian Green knows at first handjust how tough the world is forschool leavers.

A year into an informalapprenticeship scheme as a welderhe was laid off, aged just 17.

“I was really gutted,” heremembers. “I felt really low for awhile. I tried everywhere to getanother apprenticeship but Icouldn’t find anything.”

Salvation for Ian came via theKnowsley Apprentice Scheme.Galvanised by his experiences, hecompeted against 100 people infour stages of aptitude tests andinterviews, and won one of itscoveted apprenticeship places.

Businesses and council leadersaim to provide 10,000apprenticeships across theregion’s six local authorities overthe next year.

Ian can thoroughly recommendthem.

With no business in Knowsleyoffering a suitable scheme, thecouncil found him a place in theneighbouring borough of St Helens,at Louvresol Specialist Projects Ltd.The company, based at Lea GreenBusiness Park, produces highspecification architectural solarshading and screening louvreproducts on large buildings aroundthe world. They have worked onbespoke designs for colleges and

universities, offices and car parks,one project providing louvreventilation for a multi-storey carpark at Liverpool One.

Already equipped with an NVQlevel 2 in Welding and Fabrication,Ian was able to hit the groundrunning when he joined the firm.

He will emerge from the three-year scheme as a fully qualifiedwelder, with the option ofbecoming a coded welder - theindustry professional qualification.

“I was always more interested inworking hands on with things, andat school took an option in woodtechnology and I really enjoyed it,says Ian, now 21.

“When I left school I studiedmotor vehicle maintenance for ayear but I couldn’t find anapprenticeship in it, so I switchedover to welding and found a place atan engineering company in Kirkby.It suited me down to the ground.

“The main thing is concentration.You have to be able to concentratehard so you don’t make mistakesand you need patience too. Some of

the machinery you use can bedangerous, so you’ve got to beconstantly alert.”

He’s progressed from weldingsteel to welding panels ofaluminium and works in a team ofseven on the shop floor.

A recent project was working onsteel structural girdles that goinside a building. “In the factory Iwas welding on the outside framethat the girdles sit in, on themechanical panels that open andclose to allow ventilation. Lately hehas been working on weldingtogether aluminium box sections,and use cutting equipment to addin the barrel of the locks.

“When I first started I hadn’twelded in aluminium before, onlyin steel, where you used copperwire to fuse the two panels of steeltogether. Aluminium takes adifferent set of skills.

You’ve got to be more precisebecause the welding process used,tungsten inert gas welding, means itburns quicker. You’ve got to makesure you’ve got enough heat going in

to it in order to stick the materialtogether. I’ve had to adapt myself.”

Ian has developed in leaps andbounds since starting hisapprenticeship at Louvresol. Nowjust starting his third year he hasnearly completed his NVQ level 3which most apprentices only reach12 months later. “Now I’m comingto the end of my apprenticeship Ihave more responsibility,” he says.“I’m finding myself completing ajob myself and not needing to getso much advice, which is a bigconfidence boost.

“I take pride in my work and Ienjoy knowing at the end of it, thatI’ve done a good job and I’ve made

the thing myself.”One highlight has been working

away on projects. He travelled toScotland to work on EdinburghCollege, and to fit decorativealuminium tubes onto the outside02 headquarters in Slough, stayingat B&Bs with the on site crew.

“I like getting out on site,” hesays. “What sticks out as a highlightin what I’ve done so far was going

As university fees soar, local council leaders and business leaders haveannounced a new drive to create thousands more apprenticeship places acrossMerseyside. Welder Ian Green tells Move Commercial about his placement.

Window tothe Future

I take pride in my work and I enjoy knowingat the end of it, that I’ve done a good job“

“

By Emma [email protected]

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 27

to Slough to work with six others,only one of whom I knew. I wasmostly labouring but it was good tosee how our work in the factory isused and to be part of the team. It’spart of the reason my ambition nowis to work on oilrigs. My uncleworks on rigs and it seems like agreat challenge, although it’s a lotharder than in a factory. You do 12hour days and obviously, you haveto live on site.”

He’s also been given a supervisory

position over a new apprentice whohas recently joined the team. “I’vebeen asked to watch over him whenhe welds,” says Ian. “It’s goodbecause it gives me a sense of pridethat my employer trusts me towatch over someone else.”

He hopes to continue studyingand working and obtain his NVQlevel 4 and eventually get taken onby the firm.

Ian, who lives with his mother,father and younger sister in South

Dene, Kirkby, says his experienceshave helped him mature as a person.

“Having responsibility, having tobe somewhere everyday opened myeyes to the world of work, whensome of my mates had a more laidback lifestyle.”

As the new academic year starts,placements are now becomingavailable. Liverpool, Sefton andKnowsley Councils have announced739 places on their joint scheme,which they are just starting to

advertise. They won £2 million European

Social Fund grant to administer thescheme and subsidiseapprenticeship wages until theirskills reach a certain level.

“My advice to any otherapprentice would be, just make themost of it because it’s a hugeopportunity,” says Ian. “Itdefinitely helps if you can get oneyou enjoy of course, which I luckily,did. Stay focused and committed.”

Apprentice Ian Green Rising Star

Ian GreenFileDOB:2/8/1990.

Education:Brookfield High School, Kirkby;Knowsley Community College,Kirkby.

Employment:Year three of an apprenticeshipwith Louvresol SpecialistProjects Ltd, St Helens.

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With the countdown to the re-opening of TJ Hughes’ flagshipLiverpool store in mid-Septembernow on, Anil Juneja has his workcut out for him.

He hit the headlines when hisSpeke-based company, the BenrossGroup, stepped into the breach tobuy the ailing store and five otherTJ Hughes branches across thecountry, including one in Widnes.

Behind the store’s London Roadfrontage Anil is working around theclock, seven days a week. Whendoors fully open – September 15has been pencilled in as the day –he is determined that customerswill discover a revamped, well-stocked, supremely efficient storethat bristles with best-loved brands.

The TJs deal alone cost £2millionand with Benross having previouslyconcentrated the majority of itsefforts on the wholesale market -trading like everyone else in globalrecession - it was a trulyentrepreneurial move.

“Financially, I’ve put everythinginto it,” Anil says frankly. “Butbusiness is always a risk and TJs isvery close to my heart and it’s awell-loved brand. It’s anopportunity that I think we aregoing to make into a success.”

The Benross Group has itsheadquarters in Bridge IndustrialEstate in Speke. It supplies morethan 3,000 lines of home, gardenand leisure products to a raft ofretailers including Tesco, Matalan,Next and it was also a supplier tothe previous incarnation of TJHughes. It also has offices in Hong

Kong and Ningbo, China, wherethey source and manufactureproducts that are sold on undertheir own brand and packaged upunder those of other well knownretailers. With an annual turnoverthat tops £30million Benross is asuccess story by anyone’sstandards, but the rapid expansionof the company’s retail arm has

been in some ways a baptism offire. Buying TJs has meantbuilding bridges with supplierswho had their fingers burned inprevious dealings with the store,unpicking operational tangles andfanning the embers of customerconfidence back to life. For Anilthere just aren’t enough hours inthe day.

“There are a lot of operationalissues to resolve, integration ofsystems to carry out and the closingdown sales mean there’s no stock,”says Anil. “So there’s a lot of behindthe scenes work to be done.”

The resurrected TJs will ensurethat core lines are regularlyreplenished and that the brand hasa strong online sales presence. Anilis optimistic that tried and testedBenross practices of buying rightand pitching prices correctly willstand them in good stead.

Stalwarts like managementoperations director Chris McEwan,who has 30 years of TJ Hughesexperience under his belt havebeen invaluable.

Chris’s is one of 576 jobs thathave been saved through the TJHughes acquisition.

“We’ve kept all the staff in thestores, and that’s been a really nicething to come out of this,” says Anil.“In Liverpool we have about 70 atthe last count and want to recruitmore. We are trying to bring backstaff that were made redundant.

“I’m Liverpool born and bred sothat’s been a very rewarding thingto do. I’ve been overwhelmed bythe reaction to what we’ve done.”

TJ Hughes isn’t the only famouslocal brand to be scooped out ofdifficulties by Benross. Before TJswas even a glimmer in his eye he’dbought the rights to the Lewis’sbrand and formed Lewis’s HomeRetail Ltd, under whose auspicesthe TJ Hughes purchase was made.He has visionary plans about howto revive that too.

“I’m passionate about retail andI’ve always felt I had a good eye forfinding products,” he explains. “Wewanted to find a retail opportunityand Lewis’s was that opportunity,and we’ve since spent a lot of timeand money developing the concept.”

He sees his Lewis’s as adestination store for good qualityhomeware. It will be based in retailparks rather than on the highstreet – the old building onRanelagh Street is being turnedinto hotels, shopping and leisurespace by new owners Merepark –to reflect emerging shoppingtrends, and it will capitalise on thedrive to improve rather than move.Product lines span linens tolighting and everything in between.The first will be open in Bury, to golive in mid October.

For old school Lewis’saficionados, it will still incorporateelements of the historicdepartment store.

‘We will be looking to retainsome of Lewis’s heritage in termsof branding and ethos,” says Anil.“The typeface and colour of thelogo will be the same. We wouldlike to bring Lewis’s back to theregion as soon as we find suitablepremises.”

Retail acumen and entrepreneurialspirit run in the family.

His father, Paul Juneja, came toLiverpool from India aged 17 topursue an engineeringapprenticeship. The family settled inGateacre, where Anil grew up. Hisfather set up wholesalers, DoubleVee, in Devon Street, a stone’s throw

The Benross Group is in the spotlight after stepping up to buytwo historic Liverpool brands. Anil Juneja tells Move Commercialwhy they are worth fighting for.

Saving T J Hughes

I’m Liverpoolborn and bredso this has been a veryrewarding thingto do. I’ve beenoverwhelmed bythe reaction.

““


MOVE COMMERCIAL28

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 29

from TJs on London Road and it waswhere Anil cut his sales teeth.

“From the age of 13 I spent mysummer holidays working behindthe till at the cash and carry andlifting boxes,” says Anil. “It taughtme discipline I think and theimportance of family values. Itshows other employees that Ihaven’t just sat at home.”He studied Business Administrationat Manchester University andafterwards joined the family firm asa sales account manager and workedhis way up to sales director. Fiveyears later, with an MBA under hisbelt, he took on the role of MD fromhis father. But for the moment anyhopes his dad might have harbouredof putting his feet up have been puton ice, as he, along with Anil’sbrother Amit, run the Spekeoperation while Anil focuses onLewis’s Home Retail Ltd. Most of thefamily, it seems, are being roped in.

Anil lives with his wife Karina andtheir one-year-old daughter AmayaIndia in Woolton, and Karina, afashion designer, is also rolling upher sleeves. Anil has great hopes forhis new stores. “I’m very passionateabout work and our products and Ienjoy business,” he says. “What I’dlike is to see TJ Hughes and Lewis’sgo fully nationwide. I want to makemy mark in life.” From where I’msitting, he already has.

Anil Juneja Entrepreneur

Juneja FileDOB:23 February, 1979

Education:Gateacre Comprehensive,Manchester University

Career:Benross Group Sales Director,Benross Group MD, ChiefExecutive of Lewis’s HomeRetail Ltd

p013-30:p03-12 8/9/11 17:58

MOVE COMMERCIAL30

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p013-30:p03-12 8/9/11 17:59

WHAT IS THE CURRENT STATE OFLIVERPOOL’S DIGITAL SECTOR?Steve: The shape of the digitalsector is that we have no bigcompanies and very few medium-sized companies, and a lot of smallcompanies. I will use one exampleexplaining why I’m a lot moreoptimistic today than I may havebeen a few years ago. BizarreCreations (a gaming company),based in Speke, which employed250 people, was owned by a majorglobal player in the games market,Activision. For global economicreasons, it’s far better for Activisionto have them in Canada and Seattlethan in the UK. They had huge taxbreaks on employing theirworkforce from Canada. So theyshut (Bizarre Creations) down. They

offered their 250 staff a job inSeattle or Canada, and I believeonly four or five have moved, allthe rest have stayed. Theirdemographic is 20-35, typicallyfrom all over the UK, but they don’twant to move from Liverpool, whichsays there’s something here thatkeeps that demographic happy. Thething that has made me quiteoptimistic is that Lucid Games,started by former employees, wasformed with Liverpool investors andLiverpool managers and it nowemploys 50 people and will takeover 100 more in the next 18months. That tells me that theLiverpool economy in the digitalsector is helping itself, whereas afew years ago there wouldn’t havebeen any investors.

Wayne: So it wasn’t aninfrastructure thing or aconnectivity thing.SS: It’s purely a tax break issue wewould never be able to match in theUK. It’s bad news, but if it thenmeans we are investing our owntalents locally then it means actuallythat’s better for us in the midterm.WL: Coming back to that core issue,does that mean every time acompany gets to a certain criticalmass that they’re going to betempted to go to Seattle?SS: Well, case study number two ismy favourite pet company Qire.Their biggest competitor is a UScompany, NASDAQ listed, and lastOctober they were offered $10.5million [for a buy-out]. This is a 15-man operation in Chapel Street and

they turned it down. That again isvery reassuring but they saw thevalue actually as an expandingcompany. Those two stories aremore than anecdotal; I think theyshow a kind of confidence inourselves that wasn’t there a fewyears ago. Qire were askedspecifically ‘Why not shut down andmove somewhere else?’ They said:‘We can’t do that because wesource specific talent and skill setslocally’. This is quite hearteningbecause it says the graduatescoming out of local universities arein the right shape.David: There are lots of smallbusinesses that are talking aboutLiverpudlians who have movedaround the country, to London,Edinburgh, wherever it may be, and

DIGITAL LIVERPOOL

David GuestBruntwood’s regional director for Liverpool

Digital Liverpool Lunch debateBy Dina [email protected]

Steve SmithDigital industry director at Liverpool Vision

Wayne LockeAshtenne’s regional director leading the LiverpoolInnovation Park project

Steve Smith, digital industry director at Liverpool Vision, Wayne Locke, Ashtenne’s regional director and LiverpoolInnovation Park project leader and David Guest, Bruntwood’s regional director of Liverpool, came together to discussLiverpool’s digital sector and its infrastructure. The North West is expeditiously establishing itself as a hotbed fortalent, from gaming to software; developing Liverpool’s knowledge economy is paramount to its future. It is theinfrastructure though, which attracts business to the area and broadband speed has become a top priority for all. Twoschemes are currently taking centre stage; the bid for superfast broadband of 100MB in the business district, and theFibreNET project which will see even faster internet connectivity speed of 1GB. The experts sat down for lunch at thestylish Restaurant Bar & Grill, on Brunswick Street, to discuss Liverpool’s and Manchester’s digital sector.

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MOVE COMMERCIAL32

moved back because of the qualityof the work, and the quality of theenvironment and the opportunitiesthat exist now. This has shiftedrapidly probably over the pastseven years or so.WL: The key factor here is thetalent pool, the critical mass oftalent and education resources thatare in the region.SS: The key dynamic is that whereyou’ve got lots of small players youget much more innovation,therefore you get more earlyadoption of talent and skills thatare in demand. The genuineconvergence of creative and digitaltalent, that’s what becomes thedemand. Now I think if you cangrow that and keep the edge that’swhat success can do. Recently Ibrought some people over fromFinland involved in the creativedigital space. Now they went toLondon first and they wereawestruck by how small they felt.They then came to Liverpool andthey conceived reality, they couldsee how they could connect, fit in,and the massive difference in costof operation. Every foreign businessif they think of the UK they think ofLondon but if you bring them here,it not only gives them a taste, youchange their mindset forever andthey do remember it.

WHAT ISTHE CURRENT STATE OFLIVERPOOL’S INFRASTRUCTURE?SS: I did a survey about 18 monthsago and in terms of connectivity wewere average compared to other

major cities in the UK. Manchesterhas a disproportionally high amountof broadband because it was thesecond exchange in the UK andsome good thinking went into thecity early on. The report said ifLiverpool didn’t do something prettysoon we were average heading inthe wrong direction, we wereslipping and to be honest averagedoesn’t win the race. This is thereason we’ve put in an RegionalGrowth Fund bid to at least set upthe commercial district of Liverpoolwith ubiquitously superfastbroadband at wholesale prices. Thatwill change the commercial districtand because that’s the heart ofLiverpool economy and that willhave a massive influence in whateverybody else does. WL: When I first came to Liverpool,and started to get my head aroundthis new world of broadbandconnectivity and what it means thefirst thing that I learned was thatwe had fibre connectivity but itwasn’t lit. It was dark fibre. It wasactually lighting it, which was thekey thing and the expensive project.SS: The city council has the trafficlight network, for example, whichhas CCTV monitoring and the CCTVhas a unique fibre network to handlethe heavy weight file usage. Theyonly use a very small proportion ofthe fibre that’s dedicated to that so

there’s always capacity that isunused. That is lit so it’s not

dark fibre but it’sunderused, so it needs

to be connected tosomething that will

use it, so itsrestricted use.That’sfundamentallythe issue.Virgin Mediaalso has alarge capacity.I felt thatwhile the citywas going to

get itselftogether with

the KnowledgeEconomy Plan (an

audit of theLiverpool’s assets,

defining where it has thepotential to be a UK leader,

such as in the Creative & Digitalsector) it didn’t really say thisdoesn’t work if we don’t havebroadband. The plumbing was neverreally referred to. If you’re going todevelop the knowledge economyand you don’t have an infrastructurethat’s progressive enough to handle

a growth in the knowledge economythen you’re not credible. TheKnowledge Economy Plan is acollective of the universities and thepublic and private sectors; so it isthe right people involved but I justthink not everyone knows andunderstands what the differencebetween broadband and superfastbroadband is. I think it’s up to all ofus to ensure they understand it, that

you need all the factors, that youneed the infrastructure, you needthe buildings, you need the talent.For all of it to come together at thesame time, it is a harmonisation. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCEBETWEEN 10MB, 100MB OR EVEN1GB BROADBAND?

SS: It’s a sea change in what youcan do, if you think about a videoconference when the speech isfaster than the pictures, insuperfast respects all theseproblems go away. DD: It’s the ability to save time,effort and money because withreally good broadband connectivityyou do not need to travel. Peopleare doing conference calls from theirlaptops. When you speak tosomeone looking to take space inserviced offices and the questionwas what’s your resilience with thecapacity life within your broadband.The key to this person is I want tobe able to know that every timethat I need to have that videoconference because I’m doing UKwide business that I can get on it.FIBRENET RECENTLY GAINED THEBACKING OF THE NATIONALTECHNOLOGY STRATEGY BOARD TOKICK START THE TRANSFORMATIONOF LIVERPOOL'S DIGITALINFRASTRUCTURE WITH £1MILLION PROJECT. IN WHAT WAYCOULD THIS CREATE A HUB OFMASSIVE DIGITAL ACTIVITY?SS: What we need is to getsuperfast broadband ubiquitouslyavailable to everyone at competitiveprices. The problem is we have slowbroadband at uncompetitive prices,it’s almost a monopoly. What weneed is more providers, which bringsthe price down and more peopleusing it. I think that’s the dynamicthat we need to change.

“This is the reasonwe’ve put in anRegional Growth Fundbid to at least set upthe commercial districtof Liverpool withubiquitously superfastbroadband atwholesale prices.

”

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WL: That’s the thing, this isn’t justabout games developers, or internetproviders, this is about everydaybusinesses whose demand on thenet is growing exponentially day byday. The likes of accountants arefinding the existing broadbandfacilities just aren’t enough. I canonly speak for Liverpool InnovationPark, but the buildings we’ve gotare just buildings, boxes, and whenyou get people coming in theycheck the demographics and theservices that go with those boxesand that’s the same with thebusiness district. If we can get thepower, the connectivity and thepublic transport around you thenyou’re starting to answer all thequestions that these businesses areasking and finding the mostsuitable locations.DG: It’s about flexibility. One thing weshouldn’t underplay is the dynamicsof the creative and digital sectors,they are becoming successful andthat turns the heads of biggercorporations from other locations likeAmerican and Canada. The other

thing is that broadband speed isessential because without it we’ll allslow down and stop the ability of thebusiness to be innovative.HOW WELL IS LIVERPOOLCONNECTED REGIONALLY? WL: It’s a bit like Bruntwood andAshtenne, they’re in competitionsitting next to each other butthey’re better off working together.Now MediaCity, you could see it asa huge black hole, absorbing

everything that could be coming toLiverpool. On the other hand it’screating a huge hub of digitalactivity which the surrounding areaof Manchester could benefit from.With good fibre connectivitybetween the cities we’ve got agood power supply in certain areasthat can support resources to backup what going on in MediaCity. SS: I agree wholeheartedly. Itpuzzles me why the Manchester-Liverpool conurbation doesn’t sellitself to the globe as one entity, inthe way that Silicon Valley does. Uphere there are two camps, itdoesn’t matter where you are onthe M62, between them it shouldbe good news. MediaCity is great.The BBC and ITV up there will hikeup the rent; therefore, the smallguys are going to live in thefringes. And that’s got to be goodnews for Liverpool. It’s all aboutconnectivity, it’s all about talent. WL: The smaller businesses who arethe foundation stones of thiseconomy and who are feeding intothe likes of the BBC and the big

media players who will be up here atMediaCity, they can locate up here.SS: It’s time for Liverpool to get its acttogether and make sure it gets a hugeproportion of that commissioning thatthe BBC and ITV will bring about. WITH BRUNTWOOD AND ASHTENNENOT NECESSARILY SPECIALISING INDIGITAL COMPANIES, HOWIMPORTANT IS SUPERFASTBROADBAND FOR YOURCUSTOMERS?

DG: It is going to become more andmore important. Everyone is going tobe looking for superfast broadband

and everyone wants it first, there’san ability for the city to be one ofthe first movers and we’ve got toget a hold off that and do it now. SS: It’s funny I was at this lunchyesterday and they were walkingus round this huge trading floorwhich had connectivity gone mad,everyone had six huge screens infront of them it was sensoryoverload but the fibre going inthere is huge, at the speed of light.I asked them what’s important toyou? They said: ‘If it was to makeour emails go a bit faster itwouldn’t matter, but if we could getmarket data three seconds fasterthan other markets we will payanything to get that’. That just blewme away. I think the nature of whatthey’re doing isn’t that far removedfrom other businesses, it’s aboutcompetitive edge. If you’ve got thatkind of bandwidth then you start towork in a different way, maybework a bit more efficiently and youexplore new dynamics. DG: When you get good broadbandat home you use the internet more,you get access to far moreinformation, you change your habitsand you see the possibilities. WL: Just on the property business,all our business is now on cloudcomputing and we’ve got our datasystems which are all in one placeand they’re backed up in anotherplace and all our propertyinformation is on one big systemwhich is centralised in the country. DG: Bruntwood is all entirelyinternet based and theinfrastructure has to be there.

Broadband is not just aboutcreative businesses this is givingthe whole businesses of Liverpool alift and the capacity to reallyperform. WHO IS ON YOUR WISHLIST TOLOCATE TO LIVERPOOL?SS: Realistically the days of the bignames moving in are diminishing;you’re far more likely to get arunaway success from one of thecompanies that are here. So it’sabout getting as many start-upbusinesses and making that cakebigger, and by a process ofnumbers you will get one or twothat will make it. And that’s theway you do it. WL: The thing is the big, proactivemoves in the event they do happenbut they will only come here if thereis a really good, proactive and vibrantcommunity of smaller businessesthat are developing and bringingideas. If the region invests on SMEsthat in itself will make the regionmore attractive to any big corporate.DG: That’s exactly it if you growyour own then there’s a betterattitude to coming in.

Digital Liverpool Lunch debate

“Now MediaCity, youcould see it as a hugeblack hole, absorbingeverything that couldbe coming to Liverpool.On the other hand it’screating a huge hub ofdigital activity whichthe surrounding areaof Manchester couldbenefit from.

”Our panel enjoyed anassortment of dishes in therestaurant’s stylish privatedining room, ideal for abusiness lunch. Located in amajestic building TheRestaurant Bar & Grill makesan impression as soon as youwalk in with its moderninterior and relaxedsurroundings.

For a late lunch, the panelenjoyed the Baked GoatsCheese Salad with Beetrootand Toasted Walnuts. Fromthe specials menu, one of thepanellists had the BakedSalmon with Salad, a deliciousdish. The crowning dish wasthe Malayan Chicken withSweet Potato, Coconut andLime.

The Restaurant Bar & Grill isnow taking Christmasbookings. A three-coursemenu is set at £31. There isalso a Christmas a la cartemenu.

To make a reservation visitwww.therestaurantbarandgrill.co.uk or telephone 0151 2366703.

RESTAURANT BAR & GRILLHalifax House, Brunswick Street,Liverpool L2 0UU

p31-48:p03-12 8/9/11 17:52

4 more information

A development by

[email protected]

[email protected]

www.no4stpaulssquare.com

Supported By

Liverpool's first speculativelydeveloped BREEAM‘EXCELLENT’ office buildingNew 8 storey Grade ‘A’ officebuilding (109,361 sq ft) in theheart of Liverpool's newCommercial DistrictColumn free floorplates from13,719sq ft (1,274sq m) to14,155sq ft (1,315sq m)Suites from 5,286 sq ft (491.1 sq m)Panoramic views of Liverpoolcity centreSolar control glazingVRF Heating and CoolingSystemFully accessible raised floorsSecure on-site car parking(1:1,000 sq ft)20% reduction in carbonemissions through intelligentdesignStunning double heightentrance and reception area

BREEAM “EXCELLENT”

p31-48:p03-12 8/9/11 17:52

ee

m)

1.Matt Crompton, Phil Mayall (both from Muse Developments) and Mark Worthington (CBRE). 2. Philip Shopland-Reed (CBRE), Neil Kirkham (Hitchcock Wright & Partners)

and Jonathan Lowe (GVA). 3. David Swafield (Hill Dickinson) and Robert Woods (CBRE). 4. Rt Hon Lord Heseltine with guests outside No 4 St Paul’s Square. 5. Nick Rice

(CBRE) and Chris Connor (Mason Owen). 6. String quartet provides the music. 7. Guy Wallis (DWF), David Sayer (GVA) and Stuart Keppie (Keppie Massie). 8.Members of

the Roy Castle Foundation. 9. Philip Shopland-Reed and Tim Garnett (both from CBRE). 10. Jonathan Ashcroft, Mike Homer (both from Muse Developments) and Simon

Reynolds (GVA). 11. Prina Shah (CBRE), Adam Robson (DJ Deloitte) and Siobhan Fraser (CBRE). 12.Matt Crompton (Muse Developments), Sir Michael Lyons (English Cities

Fund) and Darren Lawless (Muse Developments).

St Paul’s Square Key eventsBy Dina [email protected]

Prestigious St Paul'sSquare launchSpecial guest Sir Michael Lyons, English Cities Fund chairman, and the RtHon Lord Heseltine opened the award-winning No 4 St Paul’s Square at aprestigious lunch and drinks reception on the spectacular top floor.

English Cities Fund, a joint venture between Muse Developments, Legaland General Property and the Homes and Communities Agency, invited theregion’s key business figures to the event.

The £32m commercial building, which recently won a RICS award for bestcommercial development in the North West, provides a total of 109,000 sqft of high quality Grade A office space over eight floors and is the focal pointfor Liverpool’s Central Business District.

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t’s not widely known, butLiverpool was the veryfirst host of the modernOlympic Games. Thirtyyears before the OlympicGames were revived in

Athens in 1896 the torch was -figuratively speaking – carried tothe city by an enterprising pair ofgym enthusiasts. Keen to revivethe noble pursuit of athleticperfection, on June 14 1862 atMount Vernon Parade a Mr JohnHully and Mr Charles Melly - anancestor of jazz musician George –put on the 1st Grand OlympicFestival. Featuring running, longjump, high jump, boxing, wrestling,fencing and a host of other modernGames-style disciplines, it drew in10,000 viewers and athletes.

Fast forward to 2012, exactly150 years on from theirmagnificent endeavour, and most of

the Olympic action has moved 200miles South and East.

But the North West is still poisedto snaffle gold – gold in the formof Olympic-sized business contractsand tourism opportunities.

According to the North WestDevelopment Agency (NWDA) localbusinesses have netted contractsto the value of more than £100million from the £6billion worthtendered nationwide to put on theGames, while untold millions moreare expected to flow in throughrelated tourism. And the storydoesn’t end with 2012. A studyby Lloyds TSB estimates thatBritain will bask in an OlympicGames afterglow worth £21billion, with £4.4 billion of thatpouring out into the North West.But where are the opportunitiesand who is cashing in? MoveCommercial finds out.


How is the North West cashing in on the 2012Olympic Games? Move Commercial finds out.

North WestBusinessesGo For Gold

To date some 251 companies in theNorth West have secured 421 Games-related contracts. The Olympic DeliveryAuthority (ODA), the public bodyresponsible for construction ofLondon’s Olympic Park, tendered threetypes of contract. Tier One involvedthe main contracters who providedinfrastructure, and Tier Two and Threeand beyond relate to subcontractorsand suppliers.

Businesses in the North West whohave so far scooped contracts – manyof them Tier One – are overwhelminglyconstruction-related, providing the likesof pilings, heavy plant and pre-castconcrete. But they also ran to lessobvious beneficiaries like travelagencies and economic consultants.

The ODA is cagey about givinginformation that could engender

regional comparisons over who gotwhat, but Rob Young, North West Co-ordinator for the 2012 Olympic Games,said the region had done well out of thetendering process. Indeed a map ofsuppliers on the ODA website, which isnot exact but which is proportionate,shows the region to be well representedby businesses who won contracts.

“The business response was verygood,” said Rob. who with the NWDAadvised businesses on the tenderingprocess for Olympics contracts.“Around 9,000 businesses competed,which was well over what we wereexpecting. Not everyone got thecontract but they competed.

“Compared with the ManchesterCommonwealth Games in 2002 whenjust £22 million of North West businesswas won, I think the business story is

ICOMPETITION FOR CONTRACTS

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Olympics Focus

Bolton-based Watson Steel Structureswere one of the big business winners.They won contracts to providestructural steelwork for the 80,000seater 2012 Olympic Stadium at the500-acre Olympic Park site in Stratfordand more recently for the looping, 115-metre high ArcelorMittal Orbitobservation tower at the site. Theformer was one of the biggestcontracts the company had ever signed.

Peter Emerson, the company’smanaging director, said the deal wasgood news for the firm's suppliers inBolton, across Greater Manchester andbeyond. “It's great for the company andputs us on a world stage,” he said.Professional Services also won gold.Economists at Amion Consulting, basedin Union Street in Liverpool, wererecruited to carry out a study into theregenerative impact of the Olympics onthe area round the site, the five Londonboroughs and the UK as a whole. Thestudy took around eight months tocomplete and is due to be publishedsoon. “We were commissioned by theDepartment for Communities and LocalGovernment to develop an evaluationframework and assess the regenerativelegacy of the Olympics,” said director

Graham Russell. “It considered potentialbenefits in terms of place andenvironment, skills and economy, and

sports and health.” He said theassignment helped underline the 11-year-old firm’s national credibility.

A major 2012 public art installation isunder construction at Wirral Waters onBirkenhead to aid regeneration in the area.

Column, by renowned installationartist Anthony McCall, will be a mile-high corkscrewing spire of watervapour, visible from 100km away on aclear day. It is due to be unveiled onDecember 31 this year. Choosing tocommission the £500,000 work aspart of the Cultural Olympiad, the ArtsCouncil panel commented it would“contribute to regeneration of thearea” and “attract audiences far and

wide”. It is hoped that Column, which ishigher than Blackpool Tower, will enjoya public profile as high as the Angel ofthe North.

A host of cultural events andfestivals such as and Cumbria’s four-year Lakes Alive festival are beingpartly sponsored by 2012 funds.“Around £24 million has flowed infrom major events driven through2012 like the Great North Swim onWindermere, which started with 2,000participants and at last count brought10,000 to it,” said Rob Young.

The real opportunity for the Liverpoolvisitor industry is when the OlympicTorch relay arrives in Liverpool on FridayJune 1, according to Pam Wilsher TheMersey Partnership’s Head of VisitorEconomy Development. As the Mondayimmediately following it is an extra bankholiday for the Queen’s Jubilee, tourismchiefs hope to tempt city visitors to stayfor the whole weekend.

“It will be a weekend full of celebration,”said Pam. “We are lucky enough to beone of the places having the torchovernight so in the evening there will bea torch relay show put on by thesponsors. We’ve been speaking to someof the hotels and they’re planning toreally get behind the weekend.

“The route isn’t published untilNovember but it’s certain theWaterfront will be showcased and itmay well be coming across on theFerry. It will be a photo opportunity toshow Liverpool off to the world.”

Up to 750,000 spectators are expectedto make their way to Old Trafford for thenine Olympic football games which willtake place in July, and both Liverpool andManchester will be positioningthemselves as the places to stay and beentertained in. In the run up to the Games,20 different nations are heading this wayto use the region’s 68 designated Olympictraining camp venues and 25 Paralympicsites. They include Swim Australia, basingthemselves at the Manchester Aquatic

Centre, Fiji’s swimmers training atWavertree Sports Centre’s 50-metre pool,the Romanian Paralympic tennis teampracticing at Knowsley, and the VanuatuBeach Volleyball team acclimatising inCrewe - all of whom will be adding to theregion’s coffers.

Tourism chiefs will pitch a campaign totempt London-based Games spectators tothe region during and immediately afterthe Games, and to even Londoners longingfor a break. “London is the honey pot, but

we are likely to get some internationalvisitors coming up for the weekend,” saidPam Wilsher, TMP’s Head of VisitorEconomy Development. “We are pushingforward Liverpool events into the 2012calendar and we might just about get inthe Biennial in at the end of the ParalympicGames. And we know that 22,000 nonGames accredited members of the mediaare coming to the UK who will cover alldifferent aspects of life in the UK, includingwe hope, the North West.”

TORCH OPPORTUNITIES

HOSTING SPECTATORS AND ATHLETES

CASE STUDIES: AND THE WINNERS WERE...

CULTURAL CASHvery positive.”Contracts currently out to tender

are listed on the CompeteForwebsite, an online databaseconnecting suppliers and businesses.Go to www.nwbeinspired.com forthe link.

Observation Tower

PamWilsher

Anthony McCall,'Column' Project

MOVE COMMERCIAL 37

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MOVE COMMERCIAL40

The UK has the largest creativeindustries sector in the EU, with theNorth West standing as Europe’slargest media hub. Move Commerciallooks at the gaming and digitalbusiness in the North West, and theproblems faced by the SMEs and thehubs created to help drive forwardinnovation in the area.

THE DIGITAL BUSINESSThe UK has the largest creative anddigital industries sector in the EU. Theincredible growth of the sector hasbeen hugely impressive – increasing attwice the rate of the wider UKeconomy since the mid-1990s. Thedigital industry includes a vast array ofbusinesses from companiesdeveloping cloud computing to digitalproduction companies creatingcontent for TV, online, mobile andsocial media.

Liverpool Vision is at the forefront ofhelping the digital businesses inLiverpool. It supports a number ofdigital and software developmentcompanies such as Qire, which worksin the Interactive Voice Messagingarena. The IVM software service canmake and receive phone callsinteracting with callers byunderstanding what callers say and bytalking to callers in a natural human, orhuman-like voice. Last year thecompany was offered a multi-millionpound buy-out from a US companybut turned the offer down preferringto continue their softwaredevelopment in Liverpool.

Liverpool Vision’s Digital Industrydirector Steve Smith also runsSoftware City. It is a programme whichprovides funding, networking,investment and training opportunitiesfor entrepreneurs and investment inthe digital and creative sectors whileshowcasing Liverpool and the widerregion as internationally significant inthis key sector.

Steve Smith said: “As high quality

companies come out of recession andearly stage companies look toestablish a foothold we must do all wecan to get them here, sell the city asinnovative, creative with a readysource of venture capital.”

Proof of Liverpool’s internationalimportance in the global digital sectorcomes from Google, who in its firstinitiative of this kind will kick off threemonths of free business workshopsand events across Liverpool inSeptember. The project aims to boostthe area’s online economy, with thegoal of providing face-to-face help for1,500 local businesses. A member ofGoogle’s developer relations team willalso spend two days a week inLiverpool in the new technology hub,DoES Liverpool on Hanover Street, in abid to work more closely withsoftware developers and electronicengineers across the North West.

Despite a thriving local businesscommunity, Liverpool lags behindmany rival cities in its use of theInternet for business, includingManchester, London, Leeds and Bristol.

Raja Saggi, head of small businessinitiatives at Google UK, said: “This isthe first time we have ever run aseries of events aimed at helping onecity, and we’ll be working hard with ourpartners to make a real difference toLiverpool’s internet economy over thecoming months. With Liverpool’sstrong business networks and senseof community, we believe this is thebest city to run such an initiative.”

THE GAMES BUSINESSAlthough computer games developersand companies may not be a householdname, the products they turn out are.From WipEout to MotorStormApocalypse they are on the shelves ofmost households. The UK has thebiggest developer base of computergames in Europe, with the sectorcharacterised by small businessesresponding quickly to changing

technologies and marketdevelopments. Liverpool is a focal pointfor Europe’s games industry generatinga £300 million turnover.

The biggest games developer in theNorth West by far is Sony, who ownSony Computer Entertainment’s StudioLiverpool, a video game developmenthouse based at Wavertree TechnologyPark in Liverpool, and Evolution Studiosin Runcorn.

Studio Liverpool, SCE’s Europeanheadquarters for games testing, is bestknown for the WipEout series offuturistic racing games, with the firstinstalment released on the originalPlayStation in 1995.

Sony bought Evolution Studios,founded in 1999 by a team ofsimulation specialists, in 2007. Theycreated MotorStorm for PlayStation 3in 2006, which has sold millions acrossthe world.

The city was also the home of thehugely successful video gamedeveloper Bizarre Creations, howeverdue to better tax incentives, itsparent company Activision movedoperations to Canada earlier this yearleaving over 200 people without ajob. Instead of resulting in animmediate brain drain, most of theformer employees chose to stay inLiverpool, setting up an assortment ofgames companies.

One of the companies tosuccessfully rise from the ashes isdeveloper Lucid Games, whose staffhave previously worked on GeometryWars, the Project Gotham Racingseries, Blur and James Bond 007:Blood Stone at Bizarre Creations.Based at Elevator Studios, within theBaltic Triangle, which contains a largenumber of SMEs in the creative anddigital industries, they currentlyemploy 20 people and plan to doublethat number by Christmas.

Pete Wallace, a former BizarreCreations senior manager and LucidGames managing director, said: “After

Bizarre Creations closed 250 jobs werelost and people were committed toworking in Liverpool, therefore it was


Globally the UK stands in a strong position, between Asia and the US, to become aninternational creative hub. Regionally, the North West, on the back of MediaCityUK,could easily become the ‘Silicon Valley’ of the UK attracting investment and innovationto the region. The creative and digital regional sector already contributes £16 billionto the UK economy each year.

The UK's Silicon Valley

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 41

Gaming Industry Update

n

appropriate to keep the same location.We’ve received some financial supportfrom Liverpool Vision’s Steve Smith(Digital Industry Director) which wasessential.”

Lucid Games have recently beenworking with OnLive, based in PaoloAlto, California, on small technicalprojects such as porting games. Thisis when games are made usable indifferent devices such as convertingan arcade version for use on console.

Another company set up afterworking for the big players is CatalystOutsourcing, based at LiverpoolInnovation Park. Headed up by gamesveteran Ivan Davies, who's worked forthe likes of Infogrames, Warthog andSony, Catalyst manages theoutsourcing requirements of some ofthe highest profile games released.

Games from their wide-rangingportfolio include Brink, Blur, JamesBond 007: Bloodstone and Driver: SanFrancisco.

Ivan Davies, production director,commented: “Liverpool is our hometown and has a long history of videogame development and publishing. Wedecided to set up here to keep thistradition going and support newtalent in the city and the North Westarea. And besides, there aren't manyplaces where you can go and see fiveEuropean Cups in your lunchtime.”

The industry is such a big moneygenerator high profile business peoplehave joined forces with the fledglinggames companies. Social gamespublisher We R Interactive is just oneto benefit from this relationship; theyrecently announced the appointment

of Christian Purslow, former managingdirector of Liverpool FC, to the role ofnon-executive independent director.

“We R Interactive is taking socialgaming to another level with a freshand truly innovative user experience,”he said. “Its first game, I AM PLAYR,allowing you to experience the life ofa footballer through the eyes of afootballer, is proving to be a massivesuccess already and I’m thrilled to begetting involved with We R Interactiveas this now proven model is rolled outto new product genres.”

THE POLITICSTIGA, the trade associationrepresenting the UK games industry,said this month that UK hightechnology businesses were at risk ofa brain drain and skill shortages,

compounded by the existence of taxbreaks in other countries. This followsa report by Zurich Insurance, whichrevealed that 57 per cent of the UK’smid-sized technology companies feelthat they are at risk from losing skilledemployees.

Richard Wilson, TIGA CEO, said: “TheUK video games industry is sufferingfrom a brain drain fuelled in part byCanadian tax breaks. The UK gamesindustry is at a competitivedisadvantage. Canada and other keycompetitors have tax breaks forgames production while the UK doesnot. The Coalition Government mustwake from its slumber. If the CoalitionGovernment wants to see a thrivingvideo games sector then it must lookagain at TIGA's proposal for a taxbreak for games production.”

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MOVE COMMERCIAL42

Gaming Industry Update

THE HUBSThe North West is home to a number ofcreative and digital industry innovationhubs, promoting excellence in researchand development as well as top of therange technical capabilities.

MediaCityUK

MediaCityUK at Salford Quays is one ofonly a handful of new media cities inthe world and is considered by manythe catalyst in establishing the NorthWest as a global player in the digitalindustry and expected to generate £1billion to the UK economy in the nextfive years.

The high capacity network has beendeveloped to cater for the bandwidth-hungry requirements of the mediaindustry, offering some of the UK’sfastest data and file transfer speedsand capable of delivering speeds of upto 10 Gb. Its ‘future-proofed’ systemensures that it is prepared for growth intraditional and new media content. Italso ensures that MediaCityUK isgeared up to attract a wide range ofdigital and creative businesses, acrossthe media spectrum.

Within MediaCityUK is The Piefactory, a thriving production base,and the Greenhouse. Offering flexibleoffice space for small creativebusinesses, The Greenhouse is spacedover three floors and is neighbour toThe Pie Factory and the University ofSalford.

Creative visual communicationsconsultancy Andrassy Media is thelatest new media business to relocateto The Greenhouse.

David Andrassy, director of AndrassyMedia, said: "We decided to move toMediaCityUK as it promises to becomea regional hub for creative activity anda great place to develop stimulatingpartnerships. Our clients come to usbecause we enable them tocommunicate persuasively andeffectively with their audience."

Liverpool Innovation Park (LIP)LIP, based off Edge Lane, is a significanthub in the city region’s knowledgeeconomy as it offers essentialexpansion space for knowledge-intensive companies. Currently home toover 80 businesses, LIP offerscompanies access to high quality digital

infrastructure, significant poweravailability, local research excellenceand human capital, extensive links tobusiness and innovation support and asecure environment with excellent

transport links.Well-established games company

Spiral House moved into LiverpoolInnovation Park three years ago andhas recently taken an additional 30 percent office space.

Kevin Oxland, managing director ofSpiral House, said: “Liverpool InnovationPark has all of the necessaryingredients to support a 21st centurycompany; cutting-edge digitalinfrastructure, a professionalenvironment, the flexibility and spaceto expand, good transport links, andwhat’s more there’s a great communitywhere businesses can collaborate andsupport each other.”

LIP is owned and operated by SpaceNorth West, a joint venture betweenAshtenne Industrial Fund and the NorthWest Development Agency.

In April, the national TechnologyStrategy Board gave its backing to the £1million FibreNet project to kick-start thetransformation of Liverpool's digitalinfrastructure. Led by AIMES Grid Servicesand supported by 2020 Liverpool, VirginMedia Business and Global Crossing,the FibreNet project will link strategicsites across the city, providingbusinesses with high speed internetconnectivity and creating a ‘digitaltestbed’ which will enable companiesto trial new applications and services.FibreNet will connect businesses tonew data centre resources at LiverpoolInnovation Park and eventually pavethe way for the creation of a newinternet exchange point.

Liverpool Science Park (LSP)Liverpool Science Park, based on MountPleasant, has been a success since itslaunch in January 2006 demonstratingthe city's potential as a world-class centrefor knowledge enterprise and confirmsLSP’s role in redeveloping the city'swealth and knowledge based economy.The purpose of LSP is to provide a homefor developing science and knowledgebased companies by offering a combinedpackage of first-class accommodation,business support, and links to the region'sspecialist experts.

Forensic investigation practice AfentisForensics is the latest company to takeup residence at LSP. Afentis Forensics isa leading forensic investigation practicewhose services have been used innumerous high profile and nationallysignificant cases. The firm offers abroad range of services includingcomputer and telecommunicationanalysis, audio-visual exhibitassessments, DNA profiling and firearmstudies, and is the only forensicprovider that makes its own software.

Afentis' managing director Ross Patelsaid: “Innovation is at the heart ofmodern forensics - engineering uniquesolutions to complex evidence. Our moveto the innovation centre shows ourcontinued commitment to excellence inthe Criminal Justice System.”

Daresbury Science andInnovation Campus Daresbury SIC occupies a strategicposition between the major economiesof the Liverpool and Manchester CityRegions and North Wales. A regulardestination for internationaldelegations as well as UK visitors, thecampus is a significant gateway, whichbrings UK and international knowledge,skills and ideas into the city regionwhilst enabling excellence to beexported across the UK and beyond.The campus is of major significance not

only to the knowledge economy in thecity region, but also to the UK’sinternational competitiveness.

Daresbury Science & InnovationCampus is one of only two nationalscience research facilities in thecountry, and is home to the DaresburyLaboratory and Daresbury Science andInnovation Centre, where more than100 high tech firms are already based.

The recent announcement ofDaresbury SIC being appointed anEnterprise Zone will provide a platformto bring "world class science" to theCheshire facility, according to JohnDownes, chairman of Daresbury SIC. Theproposal promises to reinvest businessrates to deliver new specialist office,laboratory and technical space, with thepotential to create as many as 10,000skilled jobs and leverage more than£150m in private sector investment.

John Downes, who is also managingdirector of Langtree, said: “Thefinancial and commercial impact ofEnterprise Zone status gives us aunique opportunity to press aheadwith improving the infrastructure ofthe campus and bringing world classscience and successful businessgrowth together in one location.”

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 43

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In the centre of arguably Liverpool’smost prominent address, CastleStreet, with the Town Hall on oneend and Liverpool ONE on theother, behind the glass doors of theconspicuous Number 43, ischartered surveyors HitchcockWright & Partners. Ticking away onthe first floor, after almost 20 yearsat the same address, the team ofsurveyors play their part inchanging the Liverpool and nationalcityscape, negotiating with buyersand sellers, renewing leases,conducting property rate appealsand conducting valuations.

It is Eric Wright who I meet, onehalf of the founding fathers of thebusiness, a man so respected in histrade he sits as ‘judge’ on the RoyalInstitute of Chartered Surveyors’panel of Independent Experts andArbitrators North division. RICS isthe world's leading professionalbody for qualifications andstandards in land, property andconstruction; one of their duties isto provide expert judgement whentwo parties can’t agree on, forexample, rent reviews on leasesthen the dispute resolution is toapply to the RICS.

“It is an acknowledgement byyour peers that what you have inexpertise is competency, whichthey respect. It is recognition in thebusiness that you are good at whatyou do,” says Eric, as we meet atthe company’s remodelled offices.It is a recognition well deserved fora man successfully serving the city

for almost four decades, who notonly acts as judge using hisexpertise but also sits in front ofjudges giving his expert opinion. Ata recent high profile case of MissSixty, which had gone intoreceivership, versus Metquarter hewas called upon as an expertwitness on behalf of the shoppingcentre. A case they eventually won.

Undoubtedly, one of HitchcockWright & Partners’ biggestprojects at this time is StModwen’s Project Jennifer, onGreat Homer Street, where they’vebeen appointed the agents to letthe proposed retail space of theshopping centre neighbouring thenew Sainsbury’s development.Project Jennifer is a massiveregeneration scheme for Everton,completing transforming one ofLiverpool’s city centre entrancesas well as its downtownsupermarket offering. Recentlysettling the Tesco High Courtdispute, St Modwen are now in themiddle of acquiring the lastpockets of land throughCompulsory Purchase Orders(CPO) before the scheme can getunderway.

“This will take our business fullcircle; when we first started wewere involved in CPOs in Barrow-In-Furness, which was one of thefirst jobs we did for the town centrethere. Great Homer Street is aninteresting site because if you are inthe city centre and want to go to abig supermarket you have to go a

long way. This is a great sign forSainsbury’s, you could even walk tothe supermarket. It’s very easy forpeople who are going over to theWirral to go to Sainsbury’s justbefore turning into the tunnel.Once you get out to Bootle there’splenty of supermarkets but therearen’t any in the city centre, so it’san interesting site. It’s an

important site for us and a strategicsite for Liverpool.”

It is not the first majorregeneration development Eric hasseen: situated in the heart of thecommercial district, the businesshas witnessed the transformation

of Liverpool through the years. Eric first arrived to the city in

1967 to study Estate Managementat London College (now LJMU), inthe midst of a city going through acultural revolution with The Beatlesspearheading the movement.

“If I go back to the early 70sLiverpool has changed enormouslyin that time. During my businesscareer, there never has been aboom in Liverpool, but I think inthe last 10 to 15 years there’s beena gradual change of Liverpoolfrom the inside with peopleinvesting in the infrastructure,investing in the town.”

Following his degree, he joined HH & J Robinson based at 42 CastleStreet where he quickly progressedto partner at the firm heading up theretail department. Working at thesame firm as Peter Hitchcock, bothwere promoted on the same day.After the company was bought byHalifax, in 1987, Eric and Peter feltthe new working environment at thecompany as unsuitable for them.Five years later, in 1992, they bothleft together to set up HitchcockWright & Partners. “I couldn’t thinkof anyone else to do it with becausewe knew each other inside out andalso he did business space, officesand industrial space, and I did retail- it was a perfect match.

“We had the same values ofintegrity, doing a good day’s workand a strong work ethic, so it wasfantastic for me that he wanted to dosomething together. We started on

It’s hard not to miss the ubiquitous red and blue Hitchcock Wright &Partners signs draped on buildings across Liverpool, a symbol of regenerationwith commercial and retail space changing hands, the badge of a healthy city.

THE REDAND BLUE FLAG


“There’s alwaysa lot of changebut in Liverpoolit’s been a verypositive change,and the icing onthe cake hasbeen LiverpoolONE.

”MOVE COMMERCIAL44

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the third floor of this same building,with one secretary and the two of usand it was interesting and exciting.

“Castle Street has always beenchanging; it’s always being dugup. So there’s always a lot ofchange but in Liverpool it’s been avery positive change, and the icingon the cake has been LiverpoolONE. A client of mine, jewellerDavid M Robinson, was originallyon North John Street, but thestore was missing out on footfall.So we moved the shop to thecorner of Mathew Street andNorth John Street toaccommodate the changing habitsof shoppers. Then Liverpool ONEopened and the pattern changedagain so we moved the store intowhere it is now opposite WHSmith by Debenhams. This is nowtheir flagship store in the citycentre.”

However, in this economy even acompany standing strong for twodecades is faced with challenges,with its dependency on the fluidmovement of the retail andcommercial market.

“Running a business isparticularly challenging at a timewhere the commercial propertysector is very sensitive. Now we’rein the process of changing; wehad larger offices and because ofthe challenges we face we havenow shrunk ourselves into almostthe same size of when we started20 years ago. And that’s because like everybody we arewatching our overheads andtightening our belts and doingeverything we can to keep thebusiness afloat in challengingtimes. The market for commercialproperty has been very slow; weneed change, we need people tobe moving, we need them to bebuying and selling.”

If it means shrinking an office tokeep a company healthy and avoidjob cuts, then Hitchcock Wright &Partners look to be navigating thecompany into a strong positiononce the market picks up.However, even with a slowermarket than say a decade ago, thecity (and company) is doing well.Their recent deal with thebuilding on the corner ofExchange Street East andTithebarn Street is testament.They transformed it fromdeserted offices to a bustling newTravelodge and bringing a newlease of life to the area.

Wright FileDOB:19 October, 1948.

Education:Bachelor of Science degree inEstate Management at LiverpoolJohn Moores University.

Career:Partner at H H & J Robinson,Partner at Hitchock Wright &Partners.

Eric Wright Founding Father

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MOVE COMMERCIAL46

Expert views Ask the panel

Are Private Finance Initiatives(PFIs) a good idea?

“While there are doubts thatPFIs are always the best wayof funding projects, thereality is that the city needs anew hospital and at themoment this seems to be theonly way that we are going toachieve that. It might not bethe most ideal situation butwe have to be pragmatic. ”

Jack Stopforth, chiefexecutive officer ofLiverpool Chamber ofCommerce

“The current Royal LiverpoolHospital is way past its sell bydate and is literally crumblingaway. The city desperatelyneeds a new hospital fit forthe 21st century in order tomake sure that our residentsget the best possible healthcare. Without PFIs there will beno Royal Liverpool Hospitaland it’s the only mechanismwe can use for funding. It’s theonly way new hospitals arebeing funded now.”

Liverpool City CouncilLeader Joe Anderson

“Many PFI contracts are drawnin a way that makes theongoing maintenance ofbuildings very expensive.

”

“The use of private finance to fund majorpublic building projects has generallyreceived bad press. It is recognised thatraising funding privately is more expensivethan the government taking its ownborrowings. As the recent Report of theHouse of Commons Public AccountsCommittee has stated, very few projectsseem to have achieved a genuine transferof risk. Furthermore, the long term nature ofcontracts makes it very difficult to adaptbuildings as the services housed withinthem develop. Many PFI contracts aredrawn in a way that makes the ongoingmaintenance of buildings very expensive.

Despite the criticisms of PFI, thegovernment is considering PFI forinvestment in school buildings and for theCrossRail project. It seems to be arguingthat lessons have been learnt and contractssigned will be much more favourable to thetaxpayer. Only time will tell.”

John Keyes, DTZ’s director of corporatereal estate consulting in Manchester

The House of Commons spending watchdog has claimed the PFI behind theredevelopment of the Royal Liverpool Hospital offers taxpayers poor value for money,potentially jeopardising the future of the redevelopment of the hospital. We askedour panel of experts for their opinion.

“It’s pretty widely acknowledged that massive futureproblems have been created by the explosion in PFIprojects that took place under the last government.There are serious issues with high costs, poorlynegotiated (only from the taxpayers point of view!)contracts and huge off balance sheet liabilities. Havingsaid all that, if the accounting could be made moretransparent, and the risk/reward equation balanced, Idon’t believe that there is a problem in principle withthis method of funding, especially with public financesas tight as they are. The private sector begantightening its belt two years ago, and renegotiatingpublic contracts may be difficult in the short term, butwill benefit us all in the longer term.”

Julia Casimo, partner at John Kerr Chartered Accountants

“I’m not an advocate of PFIs, I preferpublic funding, but my but my majorconcern is to ensure the new hospitalgoes ahead. Any delay at all couldincrease the project being cut in thenew spending cuts. The hospital iscrumbling and people in Liverpooldeserve top class facilities. The hospitalis essential to improve the quality ofhealth care for the people of Liverpool.”

Louise Ellman MP for Liverpool Riverside

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p31-48:p03-12 9/9/11 09:26

Move Commercial 24

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