Archive: Aug 2015

  1. urbanbubble to move to Sevendale House

    Manchester based residential property management company urbanbubble has announced it has signed a ten year lease on 5,900 sq ft on the first floor of Sevendale House in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

    The firm is moving from its current location at Swan Square, Tib Street to accommodate its growing office based team which is expected to more than double from 28 to 50 in the next four years.

    Michael Howard, managing director, urbanbubble said:  “We love the North side of the city because of its character, heritage and the edge it has.  I am delighted we’ve been able to secure the space in Sevendale House.  It is a beautiful piece of Manchester heritage and the work Mark Davies and his team have done to transform it, is simply brilliant.  I am chuffed that we are only moving a few blocks from our Tib Street offices in Swan Square and urbanbubble will be calling it home from November, which is when we plan to move in.

    “Sevendale House gives us the room we need to grow and we’ll be investing in the space significantly so we make it a comfortable, inspiring and happy place to be, whether you work with urbanbubble or you’re coming to visit.  We are exceptionally grateful to Mark Cooke of WHR who represented urbanbubble in finding the right space for our move.  The speed, support and insight Mark provided at every step was not only crucial for securing the best space and deal but also took all the pressure of ourselves so we could concentrate on the day job.”

    urbanbubble was represented by Mark Cooke at WHR.  urbanbubble’s move to Sevendale House means the building is almost fully let with other tenants including Ticketmaster, Liquid Personnel and Code Computerlove.  Over five floors, there is now just 2,000 sq ft remaining.

    Mark Davies, director of Philip J Davies Holdings plc, the owners of Sevendale House, said:  “I am delighted urbanbubble has chosen Sevendale House as its new home, it is great to welcome another Norther Quarter based company to the building.  This letting takes us close to being fully occupied, with only two small suites remaining on the 5th floor, following lettings of 63,000 sq ft.  It goes to show the demand for high quality office space in the Northern Quarter is there, companies love the location but don’t want to compromise on their office environment – with Sevendale House they get the best of both worlds.”

    OBI Property represented Philip J Davies Holdings.  Emma Powell, transactions and asset management, OBI Property said:  “A lot of thought went into the design of Sevendale House from the specification of the workspace to the design of the reception and communal areas.  As a team we wanted to create a different product within the Northern Quarter that appealed to forward thinking occupiers who want to make a statement about their business via the property they occupy.  The speed that the building has let illustrates that we have achieved what we set out to do.”

    urbanbubble was set up in 2008 by Michael Howard.  Based in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, the company provides a range of services to developers, landlords and residents, with the principle aim of ensuring residential developments are managed and maintained to the highest standards.

    urbanbubble recently announced its trading results to year end March 2015 which showed a 62% rise in turnover to £1.7 million (£1.04 million to year end 2014) and operating profit increased from £110,000 (2014) to £213, 500.

    The results are underpinned by an organic pipeline of new instructions which averaged at 400 new homes a quarter between 2012 and 2014.  The company manages over 6000 homes, equating to 8500 residents, across 90 developments in Manchester and Salford.

    The move was covered by Place North West, Insider and  TheBusinessDesk

  2. Alumno teams up with Brompton Bike Hire

    London based student housing developer Alumno have today announced their partnership with Brompton Bike Hire bringing the iconic cycle to a number of developments across the country including Norwich and London.

    Alumno have been working with Brompton Bike Hire (BBH) to provide a bespoke folding cycle for use by both students and the public as part of both company’s commitment to deliver a more active lifestyle choice.

    David Campbell, managing director, Alumno Developments said:  “Brompton is recognised as a British design classic and is renowned and admired throughout the world, attracting a fanatical and committed following.  For Alumno to be associated with such an iconic brand is a fantastic opportunity and as developers shaping the community and looking to do what we can to help our student residents become more active, it offers a new dimension to our offer . We contacted Brompton about the possibility of working with them to provide cycles for our schemes and we’ve ended up designing our own bikes.

    “If it proves a success at our initial sites, we would like to roll the scheme out across all our future developments.”

    Harry Scrope, Managing Director, Brompton Bike Hire said: “We are working closely with Alumno at a number of sites providing highly affordable cycle hire using the Brompton folding bike. Alumno deliver differential within their sector in many ways and we are delighted to support that ethos.  BBH docking stations demand minimal space, are secure in the public domain, solar powered and connect into an existing national network of 1,000 bikes.  BBH allow developers to meet cycle planning requirements for a fraction of the cost of other schemes; ultimately delivering more bikes to the public realm.’’

    Brompton Bike Hire, in partnership with Alumno, will be available from September 2015:

    • Norwich – 50 All Saints Green for Norwich University of the Arts. Superb new student accommodation to include conversion of adjoining Grade II annex into yoga studio and café. BBH dock available for use by students & public.

    From Sept 2016:

    • London – Southwark Town Hall currently undergoing transformation into 155 student rooms. Facilities to include theatre, café, gallery space and artist studios. BBH dock available for exclusive student use.

    From Aug 2017:

    • London – Stratford High Street. Landmark student tower block, Three Mills West, to complete August 2017. BBH docking station for use by students & public.

    Alumno Developments, established in 2006, partner with universities, colleges and other stakeholders to provide high quality living space for over 2,000 students in London, Birmingham and Bristol.  Alumno deliver distinct and sensitive designs, carefully engaging local residents to integrate their developments for the benefit of the existing community.

  3. Advam expands its UK operations

    OBI Property has announced Advam, regarded as the world leader in developing custom reservation and parking solutions has relocated its Manchester office into 5,625 sq ft at 15 Jutland Street in the Northern Quarter, on a five year lease.

    Advam is the leading provider of reservation and payment solutions within the parking and transportation, local government and airport sectors.  The company acquired Inventive IT, another leading reservation and payment company, in October 2014.  The significant growth and expansion of Advam has created the need for larger office space.

    Daren Rendle, Commercial Manager, Advam said:  “We’re thrilled to being moving our whole team into one place, and Manchester is the perfect location for us – it has a growing reputation as a leading hub for digital technology businesses and it means we can attract the best, and most talented people to join us.”

    “The office at 15 Jutland Street is in a great location, its waterside front with lots of natural light provides an excellent working environment and is close to Piccadilly Station.  It also provides us with space to grow as we continue our expansion plans.”

    OBI Property represented the landlord Code Computerlove on the transaction.  Emma Powell, OBI Property said:  “Advam are the right fit for 15 Jutland Street as it is a stunning space in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. It is the perfect environment to attract and retain a highly talented workforce that will help deliver Advams expansion plans.”

    Wini Tse, co-founder of Code Computerlove, said:  “We have built up a strong relationship with OBI who worked hard to lease our space and we look forward to relocating to our new home at Sevendale House in the near future.”

    Advam were unrepresented and were previously located in 1 Portland Street and Advam employs 40 people.

    The news received press coverage in Manchester Evening News, Insider and TheBusinessDesk.

  4. Tim Groom Architects adds to team

    Tim Groom Architects announced David Machell has joined the Manchester based practice as an architectural assistant.

    David is a graduate of the University of Liverpool where he received a First Class Master of Architecture degree and was presented with the Hays Practice Design Prize.  He joins the team having recently returned from travelling around New Zealand, Japan and Vietnam.

    David will be working on a variety of projects including a housing development in Cheshire and a newly commissioned £30M mixed use development in Liverpool.

    The new appointment follows a busy year for the practice which has seen recent planning approvals for a boutique hotel at Bruntwood Hall in Cheshire and a 121 studio apartment development for students at Trafford Street in Chester.  Tim Groom Architects is also working on a number of residential commissions in Manchester City Centre including a 14 storey PRS scheme for Mulbury Homes on Great Ancoats Street.

    Tim Groom said: “We met David just before he embarked upon his travels and after keeping in touch over the last few months I’m pleased to now have him joining the team. Our order book is continuing to expand and it’s great to have someone of his calibre to assist us in delivering the exciting projects we are working on.”

    David’s appointment follows three new starters who joined Tim Groom Architects in April this year, taking the number of people employed by the company to 11.

    The story featured in Place North West.

  5. The LADbible expands its Manchester office

    OBI Property has announced it has advised 65twenty, publisher of TheLADbible, on the expansion of its Manchester office located on Dale Street.

    65twenty is one of the fastest-growing social media publishers in the UK, with flagship brands including TheLADbible, TheSPORTbible, The ODDSbible and Pretty52. Described by the Financial Times as “a journalistic Jagerbomb,” it has become a digital publishing phenomena in under four years, providing news, entertainment and humour, reaching more than 150 million people a month.

    The business, launched by Alex Solomou and Arian Kalantari, needed more space to accommodate a new studio as the business continues to grow.  OBI Property negotiated the deal to take additional space in their current building in the Northern Quarter instead of the business having to completely relocate.

    OBI Property also advised the company on finding and securing its Shoreditch office on Jacks Place, Aldgate in the capital with the legals completed by Cheshire based law firm Myerson.

    Arian Kalantari co-founder of The Lad Bible said:  “Having had a great experience working with OBI Property for our London office search, it was the natural choice to appoint the team for our Manchester requirement. Adding new studio space to our editorial office is a step-change for our business. The investment will allow us to work with, and support, the Manchester creative community in a completely new way.

    He continued: “We are delighted that we were able to expand within our existing premises and the OBI team made the negotiation process straight forward and hassle free”.

    Andrew Cowell, transactions and asset management, OBI Property said: “Working with The Lad Bible on both London and Manchester transactions has been a great experience.  It’s fantastic to see a Manchester tech business thriving and growing.  The fact we’ve been able to turn both deals around quickly shows how OBI delivers quickly and effectively to this incredibly fast moving and growing sector.”

    The news was featured in the Manchester Evening News and Prolific North.