Archive: Jul 2018

  1. Fitness start-up signs at 55 Princess Street, Manchester

    OBI has announced fitness start-up, P1 GYM is to open its first facility on the ground floor of 55 Princess Street, Manchester M2 4EW. The company has taken 3,461 sq ft a 10-year lease with a break at year five.

    Former Manchester City footballer Peter Varga has established P1 GYM having worked in personal training and fitness for nearly ten years. Peter will focus on providing an exemplary customer experience driven by friendly staff and the state of the art facility.

    Peter said: “I have long thought gyms could and should do better in terms of customer experience and the space at 55 Princess Street provides me with a fantastic platform to do just that.

    “I am thrilled to start the P1 GYM journey in the heart of Manchester City Centre and we look forward encouraging individuals to adapt to a healthier lifestyle and ultimately improve their quality of life. With major businesses, hotels and St Peter’s Square in close proximity to us, we have a great opportunity to create something special here.”

    55 Princess Street is owned by Aberdeen Standard Investments and OBI is joint leasing agent with JLL.

    Richard Lace, transactions and asset management, OBI said: “It’s great to welcome P1 GYM to 55 Princess Street and it’s a good sign of the popularity of the building. Later this year we will refurbish the 4th floor (8,746 sq ft) to provide Grade A space and we’re looking at creating some smaller suite options on the 3rd floor.”

    The news about the new gym was published on TheBusinessDesk. 

  2. Digital medical education specialists move to Booths Park, Knutsford

    OBI announced online medical education specialist Pastest has acquired 3,495 sq ft on the first floor of Building 3, Booth’s Park at Knutsford on an a ten year lease.

    Pastest provides revision materials to medical students and doctors. It uses its network of leading medical lecturers, professors and specialist doctors to ensure its materials and revision questions are of the highest quality.

    The move comes as Pastest is experiencing buoyant growth as it enters new global markets including the United States. The new office space will not only provide a great environment for current staff but will also help to attract new talent in the future.

    The relocation to Booths Park is the latest step in a journey of innovation that started in 1972 when Pastest founder Freydis Campbell published one of the first medical test prep books in the UK from her kitchen table in Hemel Hempstead.

    Pastest has ever since been at the forefront of medical test preparation, undergoing a major digital transformation in 2005. Today Pastest delivers high quality and innovative online test prep resources which help medical students and doctors in 190 countries succeed in high stakes exams.

    Philip Curzon, CEO, Pastest said: “This is a very exciting time for all at Pastest. Our goal was to create an inspiring environment that helps maximise performance and productivity while encouraging collaboration to drive new ideas. The new open-plan office at Booths Park will help foster the positive and innovative culture vital for our success at the cutting-edge of medical test prep and EdTech.  OBI’s work place consultancy team helped plan out and design our space and project managed our move like clockwork.”

    OBI represented Pastest on the deal and Bruntwood represented themselves.

    Andrew Cowell, transactions and asset management, OBI said: “Booths Park is a great location for a business like Pastest. The quality of the workspace and surrounding countryside will mean this is a great place to work for Pastest staff. It’s been great working with Pastest and we know they are really excited to be moving to Booths Park.”

    Sharon Johnson, head of regional sales, Bruntwood said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Pastest to Booths Park and hope they and their staff enjoy the quality of the space and amenities we have provided.”

    Booths Park is set in 220 acres of Cheshire countryside and offers a selection of refurbished Grade A specification commercial spaces.  On-site amenities also include a Philpotts cafe, cricket club, running trails, landscaped gardens, wellness classes, customer community events and lots of parking.

    This news story was published in TheBusinessDesk and Insider Media

  3. Factory Youth Zone becomes Manchester Youth Zone

    The Factory Youth Zone announced it is moving on to its next chapter as it becomes the Manchester Youth Zone.

    After six action-packed years as ‘The Factory’ it was decided it was time for a change.  After discussing it with their young people, receiving lots of creative names such as Cat Basket Cheeseburger and the Unicorn Station brought to the table, it was decided by all, nothing summed up the iconic yellow building standing on Rochdale Road, better than Manchester Youth Zone.

    Richard Marsh, CEO, Manchester Youth Zone said: “A big part of the rebrand is to do with how young people, particularly in North Manchester, feel isolated from the city as it continues to grow. When asked where they are from, the young people reply with the likes of Harpurhey and do not associate with being from Manchester – despite being only three miles away from the Manchester Arena – and having access to the opportunities available in the city.

    “By rebranding to the ‘Manchester Youth Zone’, we hope it will make young people see they are a part of the city and help to raise their aspirations, inspiring them to get involved. Simultaneously, we hope that it will also encourage the city to embrace Harpurhey and the rest of North Manchester, and continue to support the work we are doing with our young people, investing in their futures and inspiring a generation.”

    The design of the rebrand was completed by Clear Marketing.  The company owner Jim Smith is on the board and development committee of the Manchester Youth Zone.

    Manchester Youth Zone, located on Rochdale Road, Manchester provides a unique safe place for young people aged from 6 – 19, up to 25 with additional needs, from across Manchester. With a wealth of sport and creative activities, MYZ currently welcomes almost 1,000 young people each week and it works to raise its members aspirations and equip them with the tools to increase their confidence, build positive relationships and add something back to their own community.

  4. Business boost as co-working space to open in Widnes Business Park

    Thrive has announced it has started building work to convert Foundry House, Foundry Lane, Widnes Business Park, into a new co-working space, which will feature 36 office suites and will open in autumn this year.

    The renovation will see the 19,000 sq ft building transformed into 11,245 sq ft of modern, stylish office space, complemented by excellent facilities, including meeting rooms equipped with the latest technology, break-out areas and a garden area with external Wi-Fi.

    Foundry House is the former estate headquarters of Widnes Business Park, a well-established commercial centre, which is home to over 50 businesses and has an on-site management team and 24-hour security.

    Halton Borough Council Leader, Cllr Rob Polhill, said: “It’s fantastic to welcome Thrive to Widnes. The Mersey Gateway Bridge and road network improvements have transformed the borough and are providing much quicker and easier travel through Halton to the Liverpool City Region and the wider North West – it’s such an exciting time for the town and its small businesses.”

    Foundry House is located within 1.5 miles of the A557 Expressway, giving access to the M62 and M56 motorways, and close to the recently opened Mersey Gateway Bridge and several train stations. Liverpool John Lennon Airport is also just five miles away, providing connections to destinations all over Europe.

    The new office space will form part of the Thrive network, which currently has operations in Warrington, Newton-le-Willows and Wigan.

    Matthew Settle, managing director, Thrive said: “Foundry House will not only offer great office suites to small businesses in Widnes and the surrounding areas, but it will also provide stunning communal areas and facilities, along with excellent connectivity across the North West.

    “Our occupiers benefit from automatic membership to Club Thrive, which allows them to use our facilities at other locations as well as connecting them to other Club Thrive members. We aim to grow Thrive considerably over the next six months; in addition to Foundry House, we have plans to open in Burnley, Blackburn, Oldham, Cheadle and Farnworth as well as having operations in Blackpool, South Yorkshire and the North East in the pipeline.”

    Office suites at Foundry House will range from 154 sq ft for 2-3 people to 795 sq ft for up to 15 people. Prices start at just £525+VAT PCM for a 2-3 person suite, including access to all communal areas and facilities, free high-speed fibre broadband and Wi-Fi, cleaning and a concierge service.

    A sales suite will be open in August and anyone interested in seeing the space should email hello@thriveofficespace.co.uk

    This news story was featured in; hbcnewsroom and TheBusinessDesk

  5. Patrick Kennedy joins OBI

    OBI announced Patrick Kennedy has joined the team to bolster the quality of service and skillsets OBI offers its clients. He will also work on building relationships with Manchester’s growing IT, professional, healthcare and recruitment sectors.

    Patrick, who was part of the business development team at Morson Group for 18 months, has a BA (Hons) degree in Business Studies & Human Resource Management from Leeds Metropolitan University.

    Joe Averill, transactions and asset management, OBI said: “It’s fantastic to welcome Patrick to the OBI team. We’re always looking at new and fresh approaches to business generation and strengthening our relationships with Manchester’s diverse business community.”

    Patrick said: “I am relishing the opportunity to join OBI, its reputation is second none. I am looking forward to working across the business to make sure we are using the best tools and tech to market our clients and their assets, as well as helping to promote our workplace consultancy team who have recently delivered some incredibly designed spaces for the likes of NCC Group, AO.com and Playdemic.”