With lettings at Birmingham’s iconic Fort Dunlop going at break neck speed, the landmark’s developer, Urban Splash, today announced it has just completed 30,000 sqft of lettings over just a three-day period.
Located at the gateway to Birmingham, the former tyre warehouse has been transformed into a design-led office, retail and leisure space by the award-winning developer.
International manufacturing technologies company, MAG, is taking 20,000 sq ft of space, whilst quantity surveying and project management consultancy, Cyril Sweett, is occupying 10,000 sqft of space. Both world leaders in their fields, the companies are taking office units on the 4th floor.
Nathan Cornish is managing director of Urban Splash Midlands, “Both deals were signed within three days of each other and are symptomatic of the speed with which companies are clamouring for their own slice of Fort Dunlop. When we started letting Fort Dunlop’s 350,000 sqft of quality commercial space last year, we estimated that we would be fully let within three years. The demand has been so high that we’ve dramatically reduced this timescale, bringing many of the floors to market early.”
Location and design were the deal clinchers for MAG Industrial Automation Systems' move to Fort Dunlop. Alan Ruddock is MAG UK's Managing Director: "Fort Dunlop provides a key location and a modern, state of the art environment for our high technology business.
"We'll relocate 100 of our office staff to our new UK headquarters at Fort Dunlop in the late July this year. Our sales and marketing, product design, project management, maintenance technologies and administration group will be based within the new facility. The fact that Fort Dunlop offers floor plates up to 50,000 sq ft means that sizeable companies like ours can move there and enjoy the benefit of truly working together."
Cyril Sweett recently gave the go-ahead for the relocation and integration of the company’s Birmingham and Lichfield offices to Fort Dunlop. Currently programmed for September, the moves will bring together the 60 staff from the two offices into a single open-plan space.
Ian Pocock, regional director of Cyril Sweett in Birmingham, says that it was the combination of a rejuvenated iconic office location at a great value rental level that attracted Cyril Sweett to Fort Dunlop: “In my view, Urban Splash has got it just right in providing tenants with an excellent mix of both essential and desirable daily amenities such as a coffee shop, salad bar, convenience store, restaurant, wine bar, and a children’s day nursery, to name but a few.”
Pocock added, “My colleagues and I are excited about our move to Fort Dunlop. We believe it fits perfectly with our own company image of an historic, iconic industry name that is moving rapidly with the times.”
As commercial agency manager for Urban Splash, Emily Jones has been responsible for lettings at Fort Dunlop, “What the MAG and Cyril Sweett deals say to the market is that Fort Dunlop is a serious candidate for leading global companies that are looking for sizeable, grade A specification office space in Birmingham or the city fringe.”
Demand for the high specification space showing no signs of abating, Fort Dunlop was close to rivaling the Birmingham city centre market in the first quarter of the year, with the landmark having nearly equalled the office space let in the entire city centre.
From January to March 2007, a total of 108,000 sqft had been let at Fort Dunlop, compared to just 129,000 sqft1 let in the city centre as a whole. In addition to this and the recent 30,000 sq ft lettings, Urban Splash also has a further 122,237 sqft under offer.
Emily Jones adds, “Large and small, Fort Dunlop’s tenants span the professional and public spectrum, from architects to designers, accountants to regeneration companies. It’s unusual to see such a wide range of sectors all located within one ‘vertical business park’, and is testament to Fort Dunlop’s many selling points,”
Nathan Cornish is clear on Fort Dunlop’s selling points, “With space available in units from 1,000 to 50,000 sq ft, Fort Dunlop offers unbeatable flexibility. Unifying all of the tenants is the building’s iconic appeal, along with a gateway location, more than 1,100 car parking spaces and rent of just £10.”
“The final piece of the Fort Dunlop jigsaw is the retail and lifestyle offer that caters for the needs of the 2,000 plus future office tenants at Fort Dunlop. A sizeable cluster of independent retailers on site already offers office tenants a range of places to eat, drink and unwind on their doorstep.“
More details on Fort Dunlop can be found at www.fortdunlop.com. More details on Urban Splash can be found at www.urbansplash.co.uk. Lettings are being managed by GVA Grimley on 0121 236 8236, DTZ Debenham Tie Leung on 0121 200 2050, GBR on 0121 616 0500 and Urban Splash on 07000 70 40 40.
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