move commercial 26

MOVECOMMERCIAL

February-April 2012

The north-west’s guide to property and business Issue 26

LIVERPOOL CITY REGION CHESTER MANCHESTER

Richard Bransoninterview

FROM CANNES TO CANNES DOThe need for networking

GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIPCONGRESSInternational event at ACC Liverpool

8 PAGE PULL OUTLIVERPOOL

COMMERCIAL OFFICEMARKET REVIEW 2011

Grade A mezzanine officesreleased at Mann Island

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MOVE COMMERCIAL4

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Issue twenty-sixMove Commercial

Welcome to Move Commercial

Contents

52 34

Welcome to Move Commercial’s entrepreneurs issue. Withthe Global Entrepreneurship Congress coming to Liverpool –the first time the conference has been held in Europe – thisissue celebrates the go-getters that have set the businessworld alight. We’ve got interviews with three of the GEC’s keynote speakers

– and arguably three of the biggest names in business – SirRichard Branson, Lord Michael Heseltine and Martha Lane Fox.

We provide an at-a-glance guide to the events taking placeand meet the chief executive of host venue, Liverpool’s Arenaand Convention Centre, Bob Prattey.And we look at where the next generation of entrepreneurs

will be learning their trades in our spotlight on UniversityTechnical Colleges. Plus, we profile the best in commercial space in Liverpool with

our eight-page Commercial Office Review pull-out.

move publishing ltd M

Advertising DirectorFiona Barnet Tel 0151 709 3871Account ManagerJo Tait Tel 0151 709 3871Editorial TeamDina Karim. Email: [email protected]: 0151 709 3871Christine Toner. Email: [email protected]: 0151 709 3871Jenna White. 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 14662Credits: Peter Kelly – Key Event

Copyright Move Publishing Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced copied or transmitted in any form or

by 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 for

the veracity of the claims made by advertisers.

News06 Second phase for MediaCityUK07 Biocampus puts Liverpool

on the map08 North West bids for Green

Investment Bank09 Mann Island mezzanine opens10 Alder Hey plans get green light13 Totem pole brings continuity

to Waterfront15 Kirkby to get £13 million investment16 Bruntwood complete multi-million

pound sale17 Games sector thriving at LIP

Features18 GEC Focus

At-a-glance guide to the congress20 Global Entrepreneur

Move Commercial meets the king of Virgin, Sir Richard Branson

23 Bitesize ThinkingFood for thought

25 Commercial Office ReviewAn in-depth look at commercial space across the Liverpool City Region

34 EntrepreneurDotcom champion Martha Lane Fox talks to Move Commercial

38 Founding FatherLord Michael Heseltine tells Move Commercial of his hopes for Liverpool

43 Lunch debatePeel Holding’s Ian Pollitt and Brock Carmichael’s John Cassell discuss the importance of MIPIM

46 Spotlight on UTCsA look at the investment taking place into the new dawn of schools in the North West

52 Mover and ShakerACC Liverpool chief executive Bob Prattey discusses the venue’s impact on the city

54 Ask the PanelWhat will the GEC mean for Liverpool?

Key Events36 YMPA 2011

All the glitz and glamour from the Your Move Property Awards 2011

50 GECA GEC announcement at theACC Liverpool

Appointments22 Who’s moving where

20

06

MOVE COMMERCIAL6

News Latest

THE Liverpool cruise liner terminalwill soon be able to cater forturnaround passages after the citycouncil agreed to pay back any sumdecided by a government-appointedindependent panel.

Paying back the grant cash, over anumber of years, will lift a ban oncruise journeys beginning and endingat Liverpool cruise terminal.

The announcement from councilleader Joe Anderson came days afterthe secretary of state for transportMike Pennington MP said he foundrepayment of £5.3 million of grantsby Liverpool city council was

insufficient and would be seekingindependent advice.

Liverpool city council leader,councillor Joe Anderson, commented:“I’m really excited about what will be anew era for us. I promised this wouldbe my top priority when I was electedcouncil leader. I expect Liverpool to beso popular for turnarounds we will bedeveloping a second cruise terminal inthe near future.

“We will be submitting a planningapplication next week for a temporarybaggage and customs facility atPrinces Dock.

“It’s great news for the city that

Fred Olsen have committed toreturning to Liverpool. It’s a real voteof confidence in the future ofLiverpool’s cruise industry and showsthat they share our optimism thatturnaround facilities at our cruise linerterminal will soon become a reality.

“We are grateful to the Governmentfor giving us a fair hearing on thismatter. We can now look forward tothe big ships returning to the Merseyto start and end cruises. It will be amassive boost, not only to the city’seconomy but to the region as a whole.”

Second phase forMediaCityTHE Peel Group today unveiledambitious plans over the next 20years for further phases ofMediaCityUK at Salford Quays.

Peel is seeking outline approvalfrom Salford city council for anadditional five million sq ft of

development, with the ultimate aimof creating a new town centre forSalford Quays.

The site at the heart of theapplication lies immediately to theeast of the existing MediaCityUKcomplex and is bound by South

Langworthy Road, Broadway and TheQuays, extending to a total of justover 10 hectares (24.9 acres).

Stephen Wild, managing director,MediaCityUK, said: “We see the newdevelopment playing a pivotal role insupporting what Peel has already

built in the initial phases, as well asfurthering the city council’saspiration of creating a new towncentre at Salford Quays. This is a 20-year plan and demonstrates ourcontinuing long-term commitment tothe area. We will now consult aswidely as possible in producing ourdetailed plans.”

The proposed development, which isexpected to be delivered in fourphases and will complement theexisting site, consists of offices,residential, hotel, retail, leisure, carparking and public spaces.

The aspiration is to create asustainable community which meetspeople’s social, economic andenvironmental needs, and takes aresponsible approach to energy andresource consumption.

MediaCityUK is the new home toBBC North, ITV, Coronation Street, theUniversity of Salford and a host ofcommercial occupiers, large and small.The development has been deliveredby The Peel Group, one of the leadinginfrastructure, real estate and privateinvestment enterprises in the UK. Peelhas invested £650 million inMediaCityUK.

A NEW ERA FORLIVERPOOL CRUISES

MediaCityUK

Liverpool docks

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 7

Latest News

PLANS have been submitted toLiverpool city council for the firstphase of a city centre BioCampusthat aims to give Liverpool a newglobal economic identity.

The Liverpool BioInnovationCentre is the first step towards thecreation of a city centre BioCampusthat will place Liverpool alongsideBoston and Singapore as a leadinginternational centre for the LifeSciences.

The BioCampus will create up to5,000 high tech/high value jobs andis being driven by a partnershipbetween the Royal Liverpool andBroadgreen University HospitalsNHS Trust, the University ofLiverpool and the Liverpool Schoolof Tropical Medicine and otherpartners. The project washighlighted in the recent report fromLord Heseltine and Sir Terry Leahyas the city’s number one economicdevelopment objective.

Chief executive of the Royal

Liverpool and Broadgreen UniversityHospitals NHS Trust, Tony Bell said:“The key to successful knowledgeeconomies is being able to connectacademic and specialist researchassets to emerging technologies thathave major market potential, which isthe Silicon Valley model and it’ssomething that the BioCampus hasbeen designed to emulate. Thisdevelopment can define whatLiverpool’s future economy is aboutand is key to regeneration.”

The current planning application forthe Liverpool BioInnovation Centrewill create a 70,000 sq ft buildingwith state-of-the-art commercial scalelaboratory space where new life-saving treatments and technologiescan be tested and developed for thecommercial market place

Work on The LiverpoolBioInnovation Centre couldcommence as early as mid-2012with completion expected by early2014.

Biocampus putsLiverpool on the mapCANNES DO

SELLS OUTIT’S THE biggest event in theLiverpool property calendar andthis year it’s set to be bigger andbetter than ever before asorganisers have already declaredthe Liverpool Cannes Do 2012 asell out.

Cannes Do is hosted byProfessional Liverpool each yearas an alternative to Cannes-based property conferenceMIPIM.

This year’s event will take placeat the Peel offices at 12 PrincesParade on Princes Dock on 9March.

The main sponsors include PeelHoldings, Move Commercial,Estates Gazette, Hill Dickinson,Liverpool Vision, DentonAssociates, Santander, CSFinancial, Curtins Consulting,Grant Thornton and Tweeds,part of the WYG Group.

Stuart Keppie, chairman ofProfessional Liverpool’s propertygroup and partner at KeppieMassie will act as master ofceremonies for the afternoonalong with Andrew Lovelady,trustee of Liverpool CommunityVoluntary Services.

Entertainment will be provided

by comedian Willie Miller and allmoney raised will go to Sparks, acharity which funds life-savingresearch into conditions affectingbabies, children and mums-to-be.

Stuart said: “Cannes Do wasoriginally established as analternative event for those peoplenot fortunate enough to go toCannes but it’s now grown tosuch an extent that people arecoming back from Cannes earlyto attend. It is a cheap andcheerful event and it hascertainly caught the attention ofthe property market.”

Liza Marco, property managerat Peel’s Princes Dock said: “Weare delighted to be able to hostthe annual Cannes Do. PrincesDock is a magnificent waterfrontenvironment and is alreadyhome to some of the UK’s mostprestigious occupiers. The eventis extremely popular with thebusiness community and weexpect it to continue to be a hugesuccess again this year.”

In 2011 over 400 peopleattended the Cannes Do event,raising raised £6,000for charity.

The Liverpool BioInnovation Centre

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MOVE COMMERCIAL8

News Commercial

FOUR NORTH WEST locations arevying to host the new GreenInvestment Bank (GIB) with Liverpool,Chester, Warrington and Manchesterall in the running.

The Green Investment Bank isdesigned to accelerate private sectorinvestment in the UK’s transition to agreen economy.

The bank is the world’s firstinvestment bank dedicated to greeningthe economy and promoting economicgrowth for UK business at home andabroad.

It will offer grants from over £3billion of funds before 2015 and willcreate 50 to 70 jobs in the area chosento host it.

The criteria for deciding on alocation, published by the government,state it must be able to recruit andretain the specialist staff needed to runthe organisation; enable the GIB towork closely with other parties

involved in deals as well as otherinvestment bodies, projectdevelopers and green technologyproviders and be in a locationthat provides good value formoney, to ensure that the GIB iscost effective.

Business secretary Vince Cablesaid: “There is a greatopportunity for Britishbusinesses to lead the transitionto a green economy and stake aclaim on a sector that hasmassive potential for growth. I’mpleased to see that more than 20places recognise the impact theGreen Investment Bank couldmake, and are expressing aninterest in being its home.”

The government wants thebank to be set up as soon aspossible and a decision isexpected within a matter ofweeks.

JEWELLERY GROUP David M Robinsonis celebrating after picking up a trio ofawards.

The jeweller received the ‘Mostexciting and innovative windowdisplay’ accolade from Liverpool ONEfor its Christmas window at theshopping complex.

Karl Irwin, general manager for thecompany, said: We spend a great deal oftime and resource on our windows, tocreate real interest amongst thegeneral public. We took the theme fromthe Alice in Wonderland Exhibition atThe Tate Liverpool, Mr Robinson is asupporter of The Tate and it was ourpleasure to be able to show visitors toour showroom from outside the citythe way to the exhibition itself”.

Alex Martin Wright of the LiverpoolONE showroom was honoured by theNational Association of Gemmologists,taking first place in the JewellersDiploma Course and winning thecoveted Bransom Award.

The jewellery group has also beenaccredited by the “Best Companies”Survey, which is run in conjunction withthe Sunday Times.

The survey, completed by over

200,000 employees across the UKfrom 2,300 companies, assesseslevels of engagement, managementstyle, employee well-being andcommunity involvement.

David M Robinson received “two star”status in the group deemedOutstanding Employers.

Fiona Goddard, human resourcedirector for the company, said: “We aredelighted to receive this accreditationfrom the UK’s largest independentemployee survey of its kind. It istestament entirely to the values of aproactive, modern family run businesswhich David M Robinson typifies”.

Jeweller scoops three awards CAPITAL FITOUT COMPLETEPROPERTY GROUP Downing hascompleted its work on the fit out ofThe Capital on Liverpool’s Old HallStreet.

The fit out involved 221,781 sq ft ofspace to accommodate the UKBorder Agency (UKBA) atLiverpool’s largest office building.

The company signed a record-breaking letting agreement withUKBA in December 2009. Thesubsequent fit-out programme hasenabled the government departmentto consolidate its six Liverpooloffices and bring 2,000 stafftogether under the same roof for thefirst time, at the landmark buildingon Old Hall Street.

The works also saw Downingundertake a retrospective fit-out of10,000 sq ft to incorporategovernment organisation BuyingSolutions, which has relocated fromthe Liver Building into UKBA’soffices.

George Downing Construction(GDC), the construction arm of theDowning group, carried out thelatest phase of works across TheCapital’s fourth (35,892 sq ft), fifth(31,572 sq ft) and sixth (20,566 sqft) floors.

John Clegg, head of propertymanagement at Downing, said:“This was a landmark project forDowning and GDC. The Capital hasbeen transformed under ourownership and is a real benchmarkfor highest quality, refurbishedspace across the region.

“Apart from the sheer scale of theproject, the works were particularlycomplex with unique operationalrequirements. It’s testament to ourin-house projects and managementteams that despite works beingundertaken around existing tenants,disruption was kept to a bareminimum and clients remainedhappy throughout our activity.

North West bids for GreenInvestment Bank

David MRobinson

Windowdisplay

Vince Cable

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 9

Commercial News

MANN ISLAND MEZZANINEOPENSTHE MEZZANINE FLOOR atMann Island is now on the market,offering 16,000 square feet in aprime location.

The mezzanine includes a privateentrance off the covered publicrealm and also features a dedicatedlift providing access not just to themezzanine level but also to abasement car park, which offersover 200 parking spaces.

Andrew Owen, from agent’sMason Owen, said: “This type ofoffice space does not come onto themarket very often. Situated in theheart of Liverpool’s world famousWaterfront, with the new canalbasin on the doorstep, the AlbertDock next door and Liverpool Onea step away, Mann Island truly is asingular proposal. We are expectinggreat interest in this property whichis unique in being able to offer anoccupier a 16000 sq ft office suite

on one level with the added appealof its own private entrance off thecovered public realm.”

A Starbucks has already openedon the ground floor of Mann Islandand a range of restaurants andother retail and leisure operatorsare expected to be announced indue course.

Brian Ricketts of joint agentsHitchcock Wright & Partnersadded: “Liverpool’s Waterfront isgoing from strength to strength,from the historic three graces tothe new Museum of Liverpool andFerry Terminal, and the area isbecoming one of Liverpool’s mostpopular locations. The mezzanineat Mann Island offers atremendous opportunity for acompany to occupy or own GradeA office space with its own frontdoor and one of the best views inthe City.”

A CROSBY business is offeringcompanies free health and safetycompliance audits in order to helpthem manage risk within their industry.

Coresafe Consulting specialises inconstruction, workplace and propertyhealth and safety.

Managing director Paul Jasper says:“Local business plays an important rolein the future economy. At Coresafe, wesee it as our job to make sure that ourclients don’t fall foul of the regulationsbecause they don’t understand themor weren’t aware they should be doingsomething as ignorance is no defence.

“We deal with construction, design

and management compliance,asbestos management and eventsafety as well as all of the usual healthand safety legislation to keep peoplesafe.”

Coresafe is also urging small tomedium enterprises (SMEs) to seizethe opportunities the forthcomingGlobal Entrepreneurship Congress(GEC) will present.

The GEC will take place at theLiverpool Arena and Convention Centrefrom 9-16 March, with fringe eventsacross the city.

Jasper says that whilst the event isattracting some big names to Liverpoolit is also inspiring small businesses inthe area.

He said: “I think it’s a greatopportunity for SMEs in Liverpool tocelebrate people, passion and potentialand to find out more about the bigsuccess stories.”

Jasper is part of the North LiverpoolBusiness Forum and will be at abusiness breakfast hosted by thegroup on 15 March, which is an officialfringe event for the GEC 2012.

Coresafe offers freecompliance audit

SEFTON BUSINESS EXPANDSA GLASS COMPANY that wasnamed Business of the Year 2011 hasannounced its plans to continuerecruiting and growing the business.

Bootle Glass, which has beentrading for more than 40 years, hasalready recruited four newemployees in the last year andintends to keep expandingthroughout 2012.

The firm, based on Bank HallStreet in Bootle offers commercial,industrial and a 24-hour board upservice.

It also provides PVCu andaluminium windows and doors aswell as a large selection of glassincluding sandblasted, Pyro andcoloured.

The firm is also a PilkingtonStockist and registered Energy CarePartner.

It recently moved to its Bank HallStreet premises after outgrowing itssmaller premises on Stanley Road.

Led by owner and director MartinClarke, the team at Bootle Glass aretrained in all aspects of glass andglazing in both the commercial andthe domestic market.

Clarke says the firm stronglybelieves in establishing a personalrapport with its customers in orderto develop a better understanding oftheir needs and expectations.

Build Sefton, which named BootleGlass Business of the Year 2011, isan initiative that helps to ensurelocal businesses benefit fromconstruction work taking place inthe area.

Mann Island

Martin Clarke

Paul Jasper

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MOVE COMMERCIAL10

News Health

Olympic champion launches Wirral's events programme

Green light for new AlderHey buildingALDER HEY Hospitalhas begun to proceedtowards building a new£288 million centreafter independent NHSregulator Monitorassured the newChildren’s Health Parkis affordable.

This assurance byMonitor’s ComplianceBoard is significant as itmeans that the hospitalis in a position to nowproceed with theselection of its preferredbidder as planned nextmonth. Their assuranceconfirms that the newhospital plans areaffordable and willenable Alder Hey tocontinue to carry outthe appropriatestandards of qualityservice and patient care.

Louise Shepherd,Chief Executive, said:“We are delighted to

announce thatMonitor’s ComplianceBoard have said ‘Yes!’to our new hospital.Monitor’s assurance isfantastic news for AlderHey and its future.

“We now look forwardto the next stage of theprocess and selectingour chosen bidder. Wehave been working withtwo bidders (Acorn andBalfour BeattyHealthcare) on theirdesigns for manymonths. Both designsare really exciting andwe look forward tosharing the chosendesign in the nearfuture.”

Alder Hey plan toofficially announce theirchosen bidder in March2012. The new hospitalis set to open its doorsin 2015.

WORK has just got underwayon a £5 million newNeighbourhood Health Centrebeing built in Liverpool’s largestregeneration zone.

Situated on Edge Lane inKensington, the new centre is

being developed by LSHP Ltdon behalf of Liverpool PrimaryCare and will mark an importantmilestone in the widerregeneration of the area.

The new health centre will bethe very first building to be

constructed in theKensington area,following a majorprogramme thattook place in thearea in 2009covering a total of5,531 properties.The centre willform part of widerregeneration plansfor the area,including the£350 million EdgeLane Project thatencompasseswork to create adual carriagewayalong the fulllength of EdgeLane, with newhousing, over1,000,000 squarefeet of new and

refurbished commercial andretail floor space andcommunity facilities.

Graham Pink, chief executiveof LSHP Ltd said: “The newNeighbourhood Health Centrewill be a major landmark forKensington, as it’s the firstnew building to beconstructed following thedemolition works in the area,and we believe it will be ahuge asset to the localcommunity.”

When completed, this newstate-of-the-art developmentwill house a range of healthservices, including dental,pharmacy, childhoodimmunisations and vaccinations,and blood tests. It will alsoprovide patients with longeropening hours for GP services.

The contemporary designplans for the new centre hasbeen provided by Liverpool-based architects, Taylor Young.

It is estimated that work onKensington NeighbourhoodHealth Centre will be completedby early 2013.

THE WIRRAL Year of Coast andCountryside was launched by localOlympic gold medalist and cyclingchampion Chris Boardman MBE,who unveiled a programme ofevents including food festivals.

The programme was launched atthe new Marine Point development,where the programme was unveiledto 100 tourism businesses, with apresentation on how the £60mdevelopment is transforming thefortunes of the much loved seasideresort.

Chris Boardman MBE said: "I wasso pleased to be asked to helplaunch the Wirral Circular Trail aspart of the Year of Coast andCountryside. My family and I usethe Wirral Way regularly andalways marvel at the spectacularscenery on our doorstep andincredible views. I am sure theCircular Trail, developed by Wirral

Council, will be just as popular forboth visitors and residents alike. Iam also looking forward to the fullprogramme of walks, talks andother activities, and hope to getinvolved myself during this veryspecial year."

The programme of events includeThe Mersey Pirate Muster, TheWomen's Open Golf, Food andDrink Festivals and the Wirral KiteFestival.

Cllr Chris Meaden, cabinetmember for Culture, Tourism andLeisure said: “The Wirral Year ofCoast and Countryside has resultedfrom the findings of a visitorresearch study undertaken last year,highlighting coast and countrysideas the key consideration for visitorscoming to our special peninsula.The Year also follows the success ofWirral's tourism businesses overthe past 12 months."

Humyak House

WORK BEGINS ONMULTIMILLION CENTRE

Chris Boardman

Cllr Malcolm Kennedy, GrahamPink and Gideon Ben Tovim

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MOVE COMMERCIAL12

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 13

A NEW Totem sign has been erectedat Peel’s Princes Dock developmentin Liverpool city centre.

Peel has been guided by theLiverpool Waterfront BusinessPartnership’s signage strategy,which is supported by LiverpoolVision, to assist pedestrians anddrivers to access Liverpool’swaterfront.

The new Princes Dock signfollows the design of those alreadylocated at the entrances to AlbertDock and Kings Dock.

It is located on the edge of thePrinces Dock site, by the CrownPlaza meaning it is clearly visiblefrom The Strand and to thoseheading towards the waterfrontfrom Chapel Street.

Liza Marco, property manager atPrinces Dock said, “We were keento keep continuity with the signageat Princes Dock in line the otherwaterfront destinations in the cityand Liverpool Waterfront BusinessPartnership assisted the designprocess to achieve this. Peel has amember on the board of the

partnership as we believe itimportant to work together tocreate a better waterfrontenvironment for the city.”.

Liverpool Waterfront BusinessPartnership is a group oflandowners, developers, destinationowners and managers whoalongside public bodies cametogether in 2008 with a shared aimto promote the city centrewaterfront as an internationalvisitor destination.

A planning application has alsobeen submitted to roll out similarsigns for Pier Head which willsignpost world class attractionssuch as the Three Graces and thenewly opened Museum ofLiverpool.

Speaking on behalf of thepartnership Sue Grindrod, whorepresents Albert Dock Liverpoolsaid: “Clear, highly visible signsare a vital element of our brandingand we are delighted that thesuccessful scheme, developed atAlbert and Kings Dock, has beenadopted by Peel.”

Developments News

Signage brings continuity towaterfront

DESPITE the slow down in the economy,investment in employment sites iscontinuing in St Helens.

Northern Trust has started work on thefirst phase of its new brownfield site onCollege Street, which was purchasedfrom St Helens council following acompetitive tender.

With the assistance of EuropeanRegional Development Fund money,Northern Trust plans to develop out thesite in three phases, the first of which willcomprise 21 high quality workspaceunits totaling 30,677 sq ft of new units,ranging in size from 535 sq ft up to3,779 sq ft.

This will be the first phase of a £7.5million, 80,000 sq ft development atGerards Park.

The site renovation will also bringforward a further three acres for the

future phased development, and initialplans include the provision of a 30,000sq ft modern office building, which couldbe available on a pre-let basis. The newdevelopment, to be known as GerardsPark is located on College Street, half amile from the town centre on the mainarterial route to the A580 (EastLancashire Road).

Also on the northern side of the townthe £36 million Pilkington NSGinvestment at Cowley Hill is about tostart and a further 43 acres is beingmade available for other employmentuses.

John Quirk, business location servicemanager at St Helens council, said: “Thisshows our confidence in the product weoffer for the benefit of small to mediumenterprises and will bring forward furtherinvestment in the region.”

Councillors approveChester accommodation CHESHIRE WEST and Chestercouncillors have given planningpermission for a care housingscheme in Chester

The development will be built bythe Arena Housing Group on thecouncil’s car park in NorthgateAvenue.

The three-acre site will compriseof 131 one and two bedroomapartments for people aged over55.

Around 80 per cent will beaffordable housing, with a mixtureof rented and shared ownership.

The development will include abistro, hairdressing salon, craftroom a library and IT room. Someof the facilities will be available tothe wider community.

Ward councillors Tom Parry andAdrian Walmsley spoke in support

of the project at the council’sPlanning Committee.

Councillor Parry said: “ExtraCare Housing provides a lot ofolder people with new homes andaccess to care as they need it,providing safe and sociableenvironments and also providingcommunity facilities for the widerbenefit in the local area.”

Councillor Walmsley added: “Ifully support the application. Itdesperately helps the housing needin Chester and there are facilitieson this programme for nearbyresidents to use.”

The council rejected plans for 85student apartments in Chesterafter George Street Projectssubmitted a scheme centred on theformer careers office in GeorgeStreet.

Office investmentcontinues in St Helens

Princes Dock totem sign

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 15

Developments News

KNOWSLEY Council’s Cabinet has agreedproposals to plough £13 million ofinvestment into Kirkby as part of widerplans to regenerate the town centre.

The area is already set to receiveprivate sector investment from Tesco.

The council’s decision means council-funded developments such asimprovements to Kirkby Market, the

remodeling of the Kirkby Suite andenhancements to public space in thetown centre will now go ahead.

A new health centre is also beingdeveloped by NHS Knowsley.

Councillor Dave Lonergan, KnowsleyCouncil’s Cabinet Member forRegeneration, Economy & Skills said:“Securing significant private sector

investment in the current economicclimate is a major achievement and wehave always been committed tosupporting that with our own investmentinto public services and facilities.

“As the wider regeneration continues tomove ahead, I am pleased that we havebeen able to confirm the funding weneed to support and enhance thisregeneration initiative by improving ourown facilities in the town centre.”

Cllr Lonergan says this is a major stepforward in the plans to regenerate Kirkbyand a positive opportunity for the councilto demonstrate its commitment to thisdevelopment.

He adds: “Now that the funding isagreed, we will be asking residents toshare their views to help us shape theirtown centre in the future.”

A public consultation of Kirkby residentsconducted throughout December andJanuary revealed residents were stronglyin favour of the proposed improvements.

Kirkby to get multi-million pound investment

Speke is set to get a £50million leisure and retailcomplex after proposals byTowerbeg were approved.

Towerbeg is a subsidiary ofthe Belfast-based BenmoreGroup.

It will now build a seven-screen cinema, 18 commercialunits and a 78-bed hotel on a15-acre brownfield site nearthe New Mersey Retail Parkoff Speke Hall Road.

It has also won outlinepermission for a 120-bedhotel, another 78-bed hoteland a further three commercialunits. Benmore hopes to be onsite later this year andcomplete the scheme in late2013. It says it will create 400construction jobs and 320permanent posts.

Benmore's chief executiveDavid Burrows said: "We aredelighted to have beengranted permission for aproject which will make a realdifference to the lives ofthousands of people in southLiverpool, creating hundreds ofjobs and providing sorelyneeded family leisure facilitiesfor local people.

"We are committed toworking with all stakeholdersto ensure this project isdelivered on time and onbudget, with minimumdisruption to existingbusinesses using the site andmaximum benefit to thepeople of Speke Garston."

The proposals had beencriticised by Ford. The carmanufacturer says it isconcerned because it leasespart of the site to store up to4,000 cars for its distributionoperation.

It employs 135 peopledirectly, and supports a further54. It says these jobs would belost if it is forced to move.

THE St Andrew’s Church building onLiverpool’s Rodney Street is to beconverted into student flats, it hasbeen announced.

Middle England Developments hasbeen given the green light for theconversion, which includes aremodeling of the exterior and arebuilding of one of the Grade II-listed turrets.

Internally, 100 new studentbedrooms will be created around acourtyard.

St Andrew's Church was built forScottish Presbyterians in 1823-24and is one of the few surviving worksdesigned by architect John Foster Jr.

The building had fallen intodisrepair and Liverpool city councilspent more than £100,000 in legalfees to acquire the site in 2008. It hassince spent a further £150,000 onemergency repairs.

In August 2011 a deal was agreed bythe city council to sell the property toMiddle England developments for £1,as well as potentially providing grantsof up to £300,000 towards itsrefurbishment. The developer has

applied for around £625,000 ofexternal grants.

A restaurant is planned for the siteon Rodney Street.

Middle England Developmentsdirector Nigel Russell said by Marchthis year the firm will see an extra300 joiners, brick layers, electricians,laborers and several other buildingprofessions start work on severallarge scale projects across the city.

Nigel said: “At a time whensignificant job cuts are being made inindustry as a result of the economicdownturn, I am delighted thatMiddle England Developments isable to create employmentopportunities due to its expansion.There are vast opportunities open tous within our sector and we lookforward to recruiting new membersof staff to our business.”

Newleisurecomplexfor Speke

Historic church tobe converted

Kirkby regeneration

St Andrew’sChurch building

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MOVE COMMERCIAL16

News Sales & Lettings

BRUNTWOOD has announced thecompletion of its £42 million 1 NewYork Street, in Manchester, sale tointernational property investmentmanager Invesco Real Estate.

The announcement of the deal camea few days before Bruntwood, thefamily-owned commercial propertycompany with 101 buildings in theNorth and Midlands, filed its latest setof results for the 2011 financial yearshowing an increase in its net worth.Bruntwood has sold the building toenable further growth anddiversification in its portfolio and thissale is a key part of iys growth plans inits core cities.

Chris Oglesby, chief executive ofBruntwood said: “Bruntwood hasgrown through buying problembuildings from other companies andturning them into high qualityinvestments. The difference in pricing

between prime investment and thoseproblem buildings has never beenwider. We are actively looking atexpanding our customer base inManchester through significant newinvestment in the science andtechnology sectors, as well as seekingexpansion opportunities in Birminghamand Leeds.”

Neil Harris, European Head of AssetManagement for Invesco Real Estate,said: “One of the aspects which we arewell known for is our strong and activelocal asset management team, as wefirmly believe this is one of the keys toultimately delivering returns to ourclients. In this regard, we look forwardto working directly with the occupiersin 1 New York Street now we haveacquired the building.”

WHR Property Consultants LLP actedon behalf of IRE and Jones Lang LaSalleacted on behalf of Bruntwood.

Bruntwood multimillion-pound sale

OVER 22 thousand square feetof office space at The Plazahas come on the market afterExperto Credite, leadingproviders of debt managementservices in the UK, appointedLiverpool commercial propertyagents, Hitchcock Wright &Partners and Mason Owen tomanage the disposal of thespace at the Old Hall Streetbuilding.

Experto said it remainedcommitted to Liverpool, and willkeep a presence either in thebuilding or in the Liverpool citycentre dependent upon interestgenerated in the floor.

The Plaza has recentlyundergone an extensiverefurbishment to providetenants with a new receptionand entrance, featuring floor toceiling glazing, a customerlounge area, on-site shops andstate of the art meeting rooms.

Brian Ricketts, HitchcockWright & Partners said, “This isone of the largest office floorplates now available within thecentral business district ofLiverpool providing excellentquality grade A space suitablefor immediate occupation. ThePlaza is located at the heart ofthe newly transformed St Paul’sSquare and benefits fromconvenient access to a rangeof facilities within the area.

“We are anticipating goodinterest in the floor and arealready in discussions withseveral parties who are keen totake advantage of the termsavailable and quality ofspecification on offer.”

THE Skills Funding Agency, apartner organisation of theDepartment for Business,Innovation and Skills hasrelocated its Liverpool based staffto Princes Dock.

The Agency staff, who moved fromThe Plaza on Old Hall Street, willoccupy approximately 2,540 sq ft ofexisting government office space inNo. 12 Princes Dock, until 2015.

The Skills Funding Agency fundand regulate adult furthereducation and skills training inEngland to ensure that people andbusinesses can access the skillstraining they need to succeed inplaying their part in society and ingrowing England’s economy.

Liza Marco, property manager atPrinces Dock: “Peel are delightedto welcome the Skills FundingAgency staff to Princes Dock,situated within a stunningwaterfront setting in the heart ofLiverpool city centre. We are surethey will enjoy their place of workand the excellent facilities foroccupiers at Princes Dockincluding a coffee shop, health

club, nursery and restaurants.”Princes Dock is a hub of business

activity, and part of the proposed£6 billion redevelopment schemeof Liverpool waterfront, LiverpoolWaters. It is located adjacent tothe iconic Liver Building alongsidethe new cruise liner facility. Thenew Leeds - Liverpool canal linkextension also passes through thedevelopment.

There are over 2,500 peopleemployed within Princes Dockwith occupiers including CouttsBank, PricewaterhouseCoopersand KPMG.

In addition to three Grade-Aoffice buildings Princes Dock ishome to two high quality hotels;the Crowne Plaza and Malmaison,three luxury apartment towers anda 760 space multi storey car park.

Plaza's fifthfloor onmarket

Skills Funding Agencyrelocates to Princes Dock

Princes Dock

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 17

UK-BASED game developer, SpiralHouse has expanded its footprint atLiverpool Innovation Park followingextensive growth since its launch.

The company which developsinteractive entertainment on allleading platforms such as PC, SonyPS3/PS Vita and Nintendo Wii/DSproducing popular games such asPSP Eyepet, Alone in the Dark (PC),and Silver, has moved from itsprevious base in three small spacesto one larger 1,516 sq ft office inBaird House.

Established in 1998 by KevinOxland and Bobby Earl, SpiralHouse has grown from its early daysin one of the New BusinessIncubators to a 14-strong team allbased at the Innovation Park.

Kevin said: “It was the flexibility ofLiverpool Innovation Park thatattracted us there in the first placeand the fact we were surrounded bysimilar companies with sharedinterests.

Spiral House is currently workingwith Sony to create a game for thelaunch of its new console thePlaystation Vita in February. Kevinadded: “Being at the Park is ideal formeetings with the likes of Sony andour other partners, especially sincethe café and networking hub opened

last year. It also helps that we canoffer visitors free on-site parkingwhich is a huge plus point and one ofthe reasons we discounted officespace in the city centre.”

Dr Mark Tock, InnovationManager at Liverpool Innovation

Park said: “The Park offers the idealenvironment for technology-basedbusinesses and thanks to projectslike FibreNet, led by LIP tenantAIMES aiming to deliver super fastbroadband speeds of up to 100Mbps,the park is rapidly establishing

clusters of tech-based businessesthat complement one another.”

Space North West, a joint venturebetween Ashtenne Industrial Fundand the Homes and CommunitiesAgency, operates LiverpoolInnovation Park.

Sales & Lettings News

Games sector thriving at LIP

NATIONAL automotive parts supplier,Andrew Page Ltd has taken two units atWaters Business Park, Oil Sites Road,Ellesmere Port as part of its expansion inthe North West.

Andrew Page have leased the units,which total 6,175 sq ft for a term of 10years and will be creating a number ofnew jobs at the site.

The accessible location of WatersBusiness Park, adjacent to Junction 9 of theM53 and the high quality of accommodationwere key factors in Andrew Page decidingto locate at Waters Business Park.

Jon Swain, of Mason & Partners, said: “Thissignificant new letting to a nationaloccupier consolidates the position of WatersBusiness Park as the premier industrial/tradepark in the Ellesmere Port area.”

The Landlord, Northern OfficeInvestments Ltd were represented byagents, Mason & Partners and Legat Owen.

Striking warehouse for saleTHE VICTORIAN warehouseContemporary Urban Centre inthe heart of the Baltic Triangle inLiverpool has been put up for saleby charity People Can.

Mason Owen, North Westcommercial property specialists, ishandling the sale of the Grade II

listed building, previously ownedby stationery company Shawcrossand Dickinson, and bought by thecharity in 2000 in a sale alsohandled by Mason Owen.

The property which closed downin January is situated onGreenland Street and operated as

an arts andentertainmentvenue, hostingnumerousexhibitions,concerts andevents.

“This is asignificant anddistinctivebuilding whichis being soldwithin thecreativequarter of the

City and we are confident that itwill generate good levels ofinterest,” said Andrew Owendirector of sole selling agentsMason Owen.

The building comprises abasement, ground and five upperfloors over approximately 170,000sq ft and includes substantialoffice accommodation, conferencefacilities, various bars andrestaurants, a 120-seat cinema anda 430-capacity musicvenue/comedy club.

The property which is being soldwith full vacant possession andhas been improved by an extensiverefurbishment programme inrecent years including theinstallation of a new roof and thereplacement of all the windowsand mechanical and electricalequipment.

Ellesmere Portattracts nationalbusiness

Manchester’s new culture hub CGI

Liverpool Innovation Park

Contemporary Urban Centre

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MOVE COMMERCIAL18

2012 is the year to champion and develop entrepreneurs, thesmall and young companies which are the wealth and jobcreators that will change the current economic climate.

Global Entrepreneurship Congress

By Dina [email protected]

GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP CONGRESS - MARCH 13 2012 - UNLEASHING THE WILL TO WIN

rom March 9 to 16, the Global Entrepreneurship Congress 2012 will come to Liverpool, providing a festival forbusiness where people, passion and potential will be celebrated, inspired and accelerated. The Congress willcelebrate enterprise and inspire those with the ‘can-do’ spirit to turn their dreams into an ambitious reality.

Hosted by Liverpool Vision, Global Entrepreneurship Week and The Kauffman Foundation, the Congress will be apowerhouse of business brilliance that inspires people, excites potential and celebrates passion with the aim of“unleashing the will to win”.

On March 13, entrepreneurs and aspiring business leaders will experience an inspiring journey through sessions ofspeeches, panel discussions and debates centred on three themes that explore the concept of winning in business.

The Ideas Village, in the foyer of the Arena and Convention Centre (ACC) will offer a unique platform for ‘Best ofBritish’ businesses and organisations to network.

09.45amLAUNCH OF GEC:Max Steinberg (chief executive, Liverpool Vision) andJonathan Ortmans (chairman of the GlobalEntrepreneurship Congress)

10.05amWHO DARES WINS: SCREW IT, LET’S DO IT:Sir Richard Branson explaining his philosophy onbusiness success, with FT columnist Mike Southon

10.35amWHO DARES WINS: WHAT I WISH I’D KNOWN: Sir Richard Branson meets three entrepreneurs fromthe Virgin Media Pioneers programme in discussionabout the secrets of his success and the lessons hehas learned

10.55amTHE WINNER WITHIN: THE MINDSET OFSUCCESS: Sir Terry Leahy keynote speech aboutwhat gave him the ‘will to win’ and establishing theUK as a powerhouse of enterprise and industry

11.50amSPOTTING THE OPPORTUNITY AND GOING FORIT: Lord Heseltine tells the Haymarket Story andwhy taking risks has ensured sustainability over fourdecades of business

12.05pmTHE BEST OF THE BEST:Benno Schmidt, CEO of The Kauffman Foundation

12.20pmGLOBAL SNAPSHOT: BRILLIANT BUSINESSES:Debate chaired by Minister for Business andEnterprise, Mark Prisk MP with Sir Richard Branson,and Sir Terry Leahy

2.00pmGOING FOR IT IN 2012:Panel discussion on government policy with MarkPrisk MP, Manuel Trajtenberg (Chair of the Planningand Budgeting Committee of the Council for HigherEducation) and moderated by Bob Litan (VicePresident of Research & Policy, Ewing MarionKauffman Foundation)

2.25pmWINNING STORIES; THE FARMER, THE FOX & THE KITCHEN: How to win with the consumer - panel discussionwith Martha Lane-Fox (Lastminute.com and LuckyVoice), Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones (of The BlackFarmer) and Paul Lindley (Ella’s Kitchen)

2.50pmRACE TO THE TOP, GLOBAL START UP COMMUNITIES:

Horatio Melo (Startup Chile) and Mark Nager (Start UpWeekend)

3.20pmTHE POWER OF WE: Lara Morgan (Company Shortcuts), Emma Harrison(A4E), Will King (King of Shaves) and Martha Lane-Foxdiscuss the importance of knowledge sharing

3.40pmINVENTION; THE MOTHER OF NECESSITY:Debate centred on how to give birth to new ideas andthe significance of innovation with Steve Felice(President of Dell) IBM, Ashok Rao (Chairman TiEGlobal Board of Trustees)

4.20pmSTANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS:How to do well by doing good with Sir RichardBranson and Dr Chris Luebkeman (Arup)

4.45pmSHOW ME THE MONEY:Doug Richard chairs a discussion on access to financewith Jalak Jobanputra (New York City InvestmentFund) Paul Kedrosky (GrokSoup) and Lloyds TSB Bank

5.05pmKeynote speech to be announced

40 fringe events

2000delegates

125countries

F

Over 5,000hotel beds

filled

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 19

GEC 2012 Focus

Ticket prices for the Global Entrepreneurship Congress on March 13 start at £150. Special group discounts for all ticketsare available for bookings of 10 or more tickets. To book tickets visit www.gec2012.com or email [email protected]

STARTUP WEEKEND, CAPITAL BUILDING, OLD HALLSTREET, 9-11 MARCHAt Startup Weekend people with a startup idea can pitch itto fellow attendees. Everyone picks the idea they like bestand offers their skills to turn it from an idea into a realbusiness over the course of a weekend. Tickets: £75.www.liverpoolstartupweekend.phusemarketing.co.uk---GO-ONLINE IT’S LIVERPOOL DIGITAL CHAMPCELEBRATION, MUSEUM OF LIVERPOOL, 13 MARCH,6PM - 8.30PMLed by Martha Lane Fox, who heads the Race Online2012 campaign, the event will include speeches andannouncements, digital champion awards together withnetworking and celebrity entertainment. Tickets: By invitation only.www.liverpooldigitalchampionscelebrationevent.eventbrite.com---LGBT ENTREPRENEURS, MONIQUE’S, VICTORIASTREET, 14 MARCH, 2PM - 7PMThis event will be a celebration of LGBT culture and howthe Stanley Street Quarter can be made a more attractiveplace for investors, businesses and visitors and the roleplayed by LGBT entrepreneurs in adding value to the cityand its economy. Tickets: 70 remaining, Free.www.gec2012lgbt.eventbrite.co.uk---OWNING YOUR BUSINESS OVERSEAS - YOUR GUIDETO INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PARTNERSHIP FORLEARNING CHARITY TRAINING AND CONFERENCECENTRE, SPEKE, 14 MARCH, 3PM - 4.45PMLiverpool Chamber of Commerce host a seminar coveringthe four main areas of intellectual property (trade marks,patents, designs and copyright) and how to protectIntellectual Property rights both locally and internationally,with a focus on China. Tickets: £15.www.liverpoolchamber.org.uk---TECHNOLOGY IN HEALTH, ROYAL LIVER BUILDING,14 MARCH, 7.30am to 10amThis event is an opportunity to meet key decision makersfrom leading health organisations who embrace the notionof innovation in the health sector and recognise thegrowing significance of technology in deliveringcommunity health services. Tickets: Free, GEC website---ENTREPRENEURS, LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO THEBANK, THE BRINK, PARR STREET, 14 MARCHThe Brink, a recovery alcohol free bar social enterprise willbe hosting self care for the entrepreneur sessionsthroughout GEC week. Anyone wearing an official GEC ID

will receive a 10 per cent discount and a free 10-minutemini massage. In addition there will be a lecture dinner (7-10pm) on Laughology by psychologist StephanieDavies who is also a stand-up comedian. Tickets: 50 placesavailable. Free. email [email protected] SOFTWARE CITY INTERNATIONAL, ACCLIVERPOOL, 14 MARCHA special one-off super charged edition of the highlysuccessful Software City International will be held at theLiverpool ACC from 1pm with registration and networkingfollowed by 10 pitches by aspirant digital companies fromthe USA, Finland and the UK. IBM will give a shortpresentation on what’s hot in the industry and Simon Jack(BBC Business Correspondent) will deliver closing keynote.Tickets:www.liverpoolvision.co.uk/softwarecity2012/default.aspx---ENTREPRENEURSHIP & SCHOOLS ATTAINMENT(LJMU), LIVERPOOL INNOVATION PARK, EDGE LANE,14 MARCHThis is a CPD opportunity for school leaders and teachersto engage in a quality, interactive and enjoyable CPDexperience. It will focus on recognising and developingenterprise skills in developing school leadership both atsenior and subject level, and the development ofenterprise skills in teachers in order to embed outstandingteaching and learning in lessons. Tickets: £60/£100.www.ljmu.ac.uk/ECL/121791.htm---SHAPING SMART CITIES/CARBON NEUTRALDINNER, ACC LIVERPOOL, 14 MARCH, 6pmThis unique evening will include a carbon neutral businessdinner and talks from a panel of speakers, including Arup’sGlobal Foresight and Innovation leader Dr ChrisLuebkeman, and Peter Madden, chief executive of Forumfor the Future. Tickets: Free. [email protected] LIVERPOOL BUSINESS FORUM, LIVERPOOLFOOTBALL CLUB, 15 MARCH, 7.30AM-9.30AMBusinesses will be invited to attend a business breakfastto meet and listen to local and international Entrepreneurs.The event will focus on a debate discussing ‘Creating anEntrepreneurial City’. Tickets: Free, www.nlbf.biz ---LIVERPOOL IN CHINA BUSINESS NETWORK,MUSEUM OF LIVERPOOL, 15 MARCH, 5.45pmThis is a great opportunity to network with businessesthat are already trading with China or looking foropportunities to trade with China. Tickets: Free.www.liverpoolvision.co.uk/Support_for_your_Business/Its_Liverpool_in_China.aspx

OUR TOP FRINGE EVENTS

Fringe events are available for everyone to attend, someare subject to availability of paid and free tickets

LordHeseltine

Sir RichardBranson

Sir TerryLeahy

MarthaLaneFox

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MOVE COMMERCIAL20

By Christine [email protected]

There are not many people whocan say their business is so diverseit encompasses everything frommusic to multi-million poundbanks. Virgin boss Sir RichardBranson, though, is one of them,

The man whose name issynonymous withentrepreneurialism has one of themost varied portfolios in thebusiness world and is well knownfor trying his hand at, well,anything – including of coursepublic speaking as he is set toappear as key note speaker at the2011 Global EntrepreneurshipCongress at the Liverpool Arenaand Convention Centre. He iskeeping his cards close to his chestwhen it comes to what his speechwill focus on though, telling mesimply “I’m afraid you’ll have tocome and see me on the day.”

The story of how Sir Richardcreated an empire worth £5bnfrom the humble beginnings of amail order record store and astudent rag (which he set up in1970) is well known. But I’minterested to know if he thinkstoday’s economic climate lendsitself to that sort ofentrepreneurialism.

“Today’s economic climate isfragile and the global marketmakes it very competitive,” hesays. ”However, businesses withthe right product and service canthrive and the rewards for gettingit right can be much higher thanthey were back in the 1970’s.”

Of course Sir Richard hasworked through a couple ofprevious recessions in the 1970sand late 1980s.

“In each case I learnt that there aremany business opportunities amidstthe gloom and doom,” he adds.“Remember rent is cheaper, thereare more people looking for workand the big players are often very

preoccupied. We started very muchfocused on the UK. Today, thanks tothe Internet, one could launch aninternational business from theirbedroom. Mark Zuckerberg(Facebook founder) did.”

Richard’s enthusiasm for allthings business is infectious. It’snot surprising then that even now,after achieving so much he’s still

constantly looking for newventures. What drives him to keeplooking for new opportunities?

“I have always been driven bythe opportunity to learn newthings and tackle new challengesand ventures,” he says. “At Virginwe look for opportunities wherewe can make a difference topeople’s lives and that we canenjoy building and working on. Ibelieve you must be passionateabout what you do to be ableprovide your customers with aquality service.”

Over the years Virgin hasreinvented itself many times frommusic to transport to mobiletelephones, financial services andnow space.

“I enjoy what I do and that senseof enthusiasm and inquisitivenesskeeps us going,” he says.

When asked what advice hewould give to buddingentrepreneurs Sir Richard says themost important thing is not to bescared of failure.

“Don’t be afraid to take that leapinto the unknown,” he says. “It ishow you react to setbacks that aremost important. I’ve taken manyknocks over the years but it hasonly made me stronger and moredetermined to get it right the nexttime. I always say ‘The brave maynot live forever - but the cautiousdo not live at all.”

The ‘brave’ amongst us, it wouldseem, are needed more now thanever. Prime Minister David

Cameron has said on severaloccasions that entrepreneurs andgo-getters will save the economy.Something Sir Richard Bransonclearly agrees with.

“A healthy economy is onedriven by the growth of inventive,fast moving small and mediumsized companies,” he says. “Theseare the ones that create jobs andprosperity for a country. These arealso usually the most innovativeand help to draw investment intolocal economies. The economiccrisis which has beset Europe ismaking life tough for everyone,but I do believe the downturn canprovide entrepreneurs with greatopportunities.”

To seize those opportunities, saysSir Richard takes conviction andperseverance. “But we must alsomake sure there are the rightconditions for young businesses toflourish and that includes strongbank lending and less red tape totie people down. I would love to seethe government offer loans toyoung entrepreneurs the same waythey do with students who studybusiness studies,” he adds. “Wehave to remember that many youngpeople have an entrepreneurialspirit in them and they displayexceptional drive, they just need alittle support along the way.”

Events like the GEC aim to offersuch support, giving young peoplethe chance to hear from seasonedentrepreneurs, meet other buddingentrepreneurs and potentially meet

He is one of the world’s most famous entrepreneurs and is setto tell would-be business leaders the secrets to his success atthe Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Liverpool. MoveCommercial caught up with Sir Richard Branson to discussentrepreneurialism in today’s world.

The Virgin King

The bravemay not live forever - but thecautious donot live at all

““

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Sir Richard Branson Global Entrepreneur

backers or partners.“These events are great at

sparking ideas and providing thefinal push for someone to take thatimportant leap,” says Sir Richard.“It may well have helped me withStudent magazine (my first realbusiness) as I am sure we couldhave got some great interviewswith the speakers and also some

sponsorship from the organizers.”Sir Richard regularly says “we”

rather than “I” throughout ourinterview, obviously seeingVirgin’s success as a team effort.Recently Jonathan Kaufman,chairman of the GEC spoke of theimportance of teams, claiming theidea of the one-man bandentrepreneur is changing.

“To be successful your businessneeds to grow in differentdirections with trusted peoplearound you who are passionatejust as much as you are - whichwill increase your chance ofsuccess,” agrees Sir Richard. “Idon’t believe I have ever been aone man band – every greatjourney should be shared.”

Branson FileDOB:18 July 1950

Education:Scaitcliffe School in Surrey andStowe School in Buckinghamshire.

Career:Set up a mail order record businessunder the name Virgin in 1970.Went on to grow the company intoa £5 billion enterprise and expandinto areas such as finance, traveland mobile technology.

p15-32_Q7_Q77:p03-12 21/2/12 15:08

MOVE COMMERCIAL22

PAULCROWLEY& CO

SOL IC ITORS

Call John Roberts0151 264 7363

www.paulcrowley.co.uk

Need aCommercial

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Liverpool’s Local Lawyers

Paul Crowley & CoSolicitors can offer you

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services including;

Company LawSales & Acquisitions

InsolvencyEmployment Law

Commercial PropertyCommercial Mortgages

Appointments

CBRE strengthensNorth West team

CBRE has further strengthenedits North West team byappointing Colin Thomasson tohead its Capital Markets teamand Alex Russell as associatedirector of Office Agency.

In addition, Will Kennon will bejoining CBRE Capital Marketsutilising his extensive experiencewithin CBRE’s agency team toreinforce the firm’s North Westinvestment offering.

John Ogden, managing directorof CBRE Manchester, said: “2011was a strong year for our NorthWest office agency team. Withthe team strengthened evenfurther we look forward to aneven better 2012”.

DTZ adds to Portfolio ActiveManagement team

DTZ in Manchester has appointedLauren Hanson to work within thePortfolio Active Management team.

Having worked in previous roles atMCR Property Group and HurstwoodDevelopments, Lauren brings directknowledge and understanding ofthe needs and drivers of investorsto her new role at DTZ.

Lauren, who will be responsible forproviding property managementservices to a variety of clients, said:“I look forward to the opportunity towork with the firm’s portfolio ofhigh-profile clients, as well asestablish new client relationships.”

Nightingale’s science pushNightingale Associates architecturepractice has recruited ChrisBrightman-White as science sectorlead in its Liverpool Studio. Prior to joining Nightingale,Brightman-White worked forAmec and Fairhurst Design Groupand went on to have his ownpractice based in Stratford-upon-Avon for five years.

At Nightingale, Brightman-Whitewill work with science practicelead, Adrian Gainer on a variety ofschemes.

Nightingale is currently involvedin the ‘four labs, four cities’ project,which is comparative analysis oflaboratories in Oxford, Toronto,New York and Vancouver.

New RIBA North West directorRIBA North West has appointedAndrew Ruffler as the new regionaldirector of the architectsorganisation, taking over fromBelinda Irlam-Mowbray who hasbeen promoted to assistant directornations and regions.

Ruffler previously worked for TheMersey Partnership, the Liverpool cityregion economic development agency,as sector manager for low carbonsince he joined TMP in late 2008.

Prior to TMP he spent two yearsworking for the inward investmentagency in Manchester, Midas, wherehe was responsible for the food anddrink, manufacturing and clean-technology sectors.

AndrewRuffler

Chris Brightman-White

LaurenHanson

AlexRussell

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 23

Move Commercial Bitesize thinking

If only I’d known….

CHRIS MUSSON

‘Blame-storming’BuzzwordMeaning:There’s nothing like a goodbrainstorming session is there?Getting together with your peersand just bashing out a few geniusideas, all clambering to have thebest one. Well, flip that on its headand you get the newest word on thebusiness block – blame-storming.Yes, not so much competing overwho has the best idea but ratherdeciding who should take the blame

when the proverbial hits the fan. Blame-storming involves a group

of colleagues getting together to passthe baton of responsibility for thelatest blunder.

It first made an appearance in theworld of office-speak around 2008according to recruitmentconsultancy Office Angels, alongwith the phrase “boss-spasming” –meaning pretending to look busy assoon as the boss arrives in the office.

The number of overseas visitors expected to visit the UK in2012. With the Queen’s Jubilee and, of course, the Olympicstaking place this year VisitBritain estimate a massive£17.6billion will be spent in the UK by tourists.

The Queen’s Jubilee celebration takes place during thefirst weekend of June while the Olympics run from 27 Julyto 12 August.

30.7mVitalstatistics

The Science Park’s creators had the foresight to recognise the importance of flexiblefacilities located in close proximity to the universities to drive the future developmentof the city’s knowledge economy. However, if they’d known how the market woulddevelop and the level of importance that the government would place on key highvalue sectors to help grow the economy, I’m sure they would have sought to providefrom the outset the commercial laboratories we are putting in our existing secondbuilding and in our planned third building.

With caution being the watchwordfor many companies as they try tostay solvent and flexible, thosewho can provide accommodationto meet this evolving behaviourwill prosper. Many companies arenow trying to do more with thespace they have, to expand in situ,or indeed to have asymmetricadditional space added to themain lease, to respond to newcontract wins. Space providerswho can accommodate this levelof flexibility will have a keyadvantage. Those who can alsothen convert these piecemealdeals into longer-term contractsonce the green shoots of recoveryemerge to give those sametenants the certainty they willthen require, will also be wellpositioned.

In mycrystal ball…

chief executive of Liverpool Science Park

"For me, it has to be LiverpoolCathedral. Not only is it an iconiccreation recognised all over the world,but it holds some sentimental

memories for me too. I had myuniversity graduation there and it wasan occasion I'll never forget. The otherreason I hold it dear to my heart is

because on the night myyoungest daughterMegan was born, thecathedral wascelebrating thecentenary of the layingof the first stoneand me, my wife anddaughterHannah watched thefirework display fromthe hospital with ournewborn."

For his favourite buildingabroad, Paul chose LaSagrada Familia or theRoman Catholic Basilicain Barcelona.

"It's a truly amazingstructure which I firstsaw when my wife and Ivisited Barcelona on ourhoneymoon. I havehappy memories ofclimbing up the inside ofthe spires for abreathtaking view of thecity."

&HomeAway

Liverpool Cathedral

La SagradaFamilia

Paul Jasper, managing director of Coresafe

FAVOURITE BUILDINGS

p15-32_Q7_Q77:p03-12 21/2/12 14:16

p15-32_Q7_Q77:p03-12 21/2/12 14:17

LIVERPOOLCOMMERCIAL

OFFICE MARKET

REVIEW 2011

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Combining the Central Business District and the city fringe and out-of-town marketsreveals total Liverpool City Region office market take-up in 2011 of 382,592 sq ft.

Total city centre office take-up in 2011 was 268,298 sq ft, up 29.3 per cent on 2010.

2011 saw professional firms return in force to the city centre’s occupational office market.They accounted for 47.8 per cent of all floorspace let in the Central Business District.

The combined professional and financial share of Central Business District take-up was60.4 per cent (162,060 sq ft) compered to 47.5% for the region.

The cautious return of the middle market to Liverpool’s Central Business District, begun in2010, continued in 2011.

Training firms were increasingly active in the both the city centre and out-of-town officemarkets in 2011, a sign of grassroots economic recovery. One in every six sq ft of officefloorspace let in 2011 was taken by the training sector.

Once again the Wavertree area proved itself the most resilient out-of-town marketstaging a recovery for the second year in a row. Take-up in 2011 was 19,504 sq ft, anincrease of 46.9 per cent compared to 2010.

St Helens had the busiest out-of-town office market with 22,312 sq ft let in 2011. It alsohas the lowest supply of office space, compared to annual take-up.

A total of 257,283 sq ft of Grade A office space is empty and ready for occupation inLiverpool’s CBD. The completion of 4 St Paul’s Square has contributed to an increase on173,178 sq ft reported in 2010.

Grade B floorspace accounted for 84.6 per cent of Central Business District take-up.

Half of all available Central Business District office space is in unlettable Grade D orlargely unwanted Grade C office space (944,549 sq ft, or 49.7 per cent).

Prime office investment sale showing 7.7% at St Paul’s Square. First significant sale sinceearly 2009.

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p15-32_Q7_Q77:p03-12 21/2/12 14:17

...to the Commercial Office Market Review for 2011produced by Professional Liverpool with support of LiverpoolVision and, for the first time, the Commercial District BID.

This annual review, now in its seventh year, has beenproduced to provide you with an accurate impartialoverview of the commercial office market in Liverpool.

Last year’s review not surprisingly referred to a “challenging year” andLiverpool’s take up, like that of other cities, reflected the tough economicconditions. It is therefore encouraging to see the clear signs of recovery hopedfor in 2010 emerging in this year’s review. Total city centre take up improved byalmost 30% and the return of a very significant presence of professional andfinancial services firms is a particularly welcome sign for the market. Despitethis positive development you will see from the research that there is still a lot ofwork to do if we are to maximise the potential of our city’s assets andencourage new development.

This year the review has been extended to include St Helens as well as Bootleand Waterloo to provide more comprehensive coverage of the market. We would like to thank all those involved in the production of the review for theirhard work for what has now become a valuable source of reference, andcomparative measure, for the office market for Liverpool and its region.

We hope you find it informative.

WELCOME...

STUART KEPPIEChairman, ProfessionalLiverpool Property Group

MAX STEINBERGChief Executive,Liverpool Vision

DAVID GUESTChair, The CommercialDistrict BID

property group

p15-32_Q7_Q77:p03-12 21/2/12 14:17

OFFICE TAKE-UP IN THE CENTRAL BUSINESSDISTRICT FOR 2011Total Central Business District (CBD) office take-up in 2011 was 268,298 sq ft, up from 207,515 sqft in 2010, an increase of 29.3 per cent.

The figure represents clear evidence thatLiverpool’s office market is recovering after therecession. As well as outperforming 2010, CBDtake-up in 2011 was higher than in 2008 (245,000sq ft) and would have been comfortably above the

take-up in 2009 if the distortion of that year’s figuresby two large pre-election public sector requirementsis excluded (2009 take-up would have been159,274 sq ft).

Each year there are a handful of larger transactions.In 2011 the city saw a 94,000 sq ft letting tosolicitors Weightmans. By comparison, in 2010 thelargest single letting was for just 29,000 sq ft.

OFFICE TAKE-UP OVERALL Combining the Central Business District and theout-of-town markets reveals total Liverpool CityRegion office market take-up in 2011 of 382,592sq ft, broadly stable compared to the 2010 totalof 393,441 sq ft.

The resilience of the city centre office market, theeffective withdrawal from the market of the publicsector - and a continued dearth of transactionsabove 20,000 sq ft - provide the background to the“new normal” Liverpool City Region office scene.

OFFICE TAKE-UP FOR 2011 IN THE CITY FRINGETotal city fringe office take-up in 2011 was50,610 sq ft.

The network of historic terraces and modernconversions close to the city centre has faced thetwin challenge of discounted rents in the nearby citycentre, and a sharp slow down in growth in thecreative, media and digital industries which have, untilnow, provided as much as one-third of its lettings.

The result has been a steady drop in take up, withthe 2011 figure down from 53,846 sq ft in 2010, and

the peak of 70,695 sq ft recorded in 2008.

Creative, media and digital industries now accountfor 7.3 per cent of the city fringe office take-up,down from 20 per cent in 2010.

Professional services are the largest single occupiergroup claiming deals totalling 13,621 sq ft (26.9 percent of take-up) in 2011. This is nearly double theprofessional sector’s take-up in 2010 (7,058 sq ft)and is consistent with the surge in professionalservices activity throughout the city.

OFFICE TAKE-UP OUT-OF-TOWN IN 2011Demand for suites in Liverpool’s out of townoffice markets fell sharply in 2011.

Office take-up in the business parks of North andSouth Liverpool, Wavertree, and Knowsley, and inthe more mixed markets of St Helens andBootle/Waterloo, totalled 63,684 sq ft. Thiscontrasts with 132,080 sq ft in 2010, barelychanged from 131,220 sq ft in 2009.

Once again the Wavertree sub market proved itselfthe most resilient, staging a modest recovery for thesecond year in a row. Take-up in 2011 was 19,504sq ft, an increase of 46.9 per cent on the 13,274recorded in 2010.

Unique additional research into the St Helens andBootle/Waterloo office markets revealed strengthsand opportunities. St Helens recorded office take-upof 22,312 sq ft, making it the largest of the out-of-town sub-markets by total floorspace let. With just129,496 sq ft of office space available and ready foroccupation, this market deserves investor anddeveloper interest.

Bootle/Waterloo has the highest level of availability ofany of the out-of-town sub markets (382,534 sq ft).Take-up is 16,638 sq ft.

We will return to the St Helens and Bootle/Waterloosub markets in next year’s report.

300,000

225,000

150,000

75,000

0

2010

2011

SQ FT

YEAR

29.3%RISE

207,

515

268,

298

400,000

300,000

200,000

100,000

0

2010

2011

SQ FT

YEAR

393,

441

382,

592

WavertreeSouth LiverpoolKnowsleyBootle / WaterlooCity FringeSt Helens

17%1%3%

15%44%20%

OFFICE TAKE-UP (%)

44%

20%

17%

15%3%1%

ProfessionalTraining

27%7%

TOTAL TAKE-UP (%)CreativeOther

7%48%

48%

27%

7%

7%

p15-32_Q7_Q77:p03-12 21/2/12 14:17

TAKE-UP BY SECTOR PROFESSIONAL AND FINANCIAL SECTOR Professional and financial services occupiersmade an eye-catching return to the Liverpool citycentre office market in 2011, accounting for 60.4per cent of take-up.

This represents a remarkable turnaround.Professional and financial services businesseswithdrew from the Liverpool city centre office marketin September 2008 at the time of the LehmanBrothers collapse, but are now back in force.

Professional occupiers accounted for 47.8 per centof Central Business District take-up (128,261 sq ft),whilst financial services occupiers claimed 12.6 percent (33,799 sq ft). The combined professionaland financial share of CBD take-up was 60.4 percent (162,060 sq ft).

Compare this powerful performance with the 27.4per cent combined share in 2010, or the 15.2 percent reported in 2009, and the extend of thechange is apparent.

Even allowing for the distorting effects of the singlelarge letting by Weightmans Solicitors (94,829 sq ft),professional and financial services comfortably out-performed 2010. Excluding the Weightmans dealcombined take-up in 2011 in the Central BusinessDistrict was 67,231 sq ft, compared to 56,898 sq ftin 2010.

The same encouraging story of growth is apparentin the out-of-town markets: for instance, in the CityFringe area take-up from professional servicesfirms increased by 92.9 per cent. This was theresult of fewer deals than in 2010 (three deals in2011, six in 2010) but each deal was considerablylarger (2010: 1,176 sq ft, 2011: 6,810 sq ft).

Across the out-of-town markets professionalservices accounted for 16.4 per cent of take up(18,738 sq ft). Combining the city centre and out-of-town markets to produce a Liverpool CityRegion figure suggests professional and financialservices together account for 47.5 per cent of takeup (181,769 sq ft).

OFFICE TAKE-UP TRENDS IN THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT2011’s strong improved office take-up figuresillustrate a return to stability - historically thehallmark of the Liverpool office market.

Total city centre office take-up in 2011 was 268,298sq ft, up 29.3 per cent on 2010. This compares to afive year average of 340,000 sq ft. Although the2011 figures clearly do not represent a return topre-recession levels of take-up they demonstratesteady improvement, with demand almost entirelygenerated by indigenous businesses. This is theconsequence of an increasingly self-reliant localeconomy.

2011 saw a return to stability after several years offluctuating take-up. Long term trends make the pointclearly. In the nine years from 1999 to 2008 theperformance gap between the best and the worstyears settled at around 170,000 sq ft yet in 2009 thegap widened dramatically to 311,000 sq ft. In contrast2011 saw performance move back well within thenormal range of variation. The gap between take-up

and the five-year average was just 72,000 sq ft.Analysis of underlying demand suggests the creationof a “new normal” in the Liverpool office market.Excluding the distorting effect of deals over 40,000 sqft shows underlying demand of 159,274 sq ft in 2009,of 207,515 sq ft in 2010 and 173,469 sq ft in 2011.

It is a sign of the fragility of the UK economy thatdomestic concerns in the first quarter of 2011, andthe Eurozone crisis in the fourth quarter, provedpowerful deterrents for many occupiers. Theypreferred to stay out of the office market until theeconomic future became more certain, resulting ina fall in the number of CBD office transactions. In2011 we recorded 44 transactions, down from 56 in2010, 49 in 2009 and 66 in 2008.

The ups and downs of the European economy werereflected in the pace of deal-making. Just six dealswere concluded between January and April 2011,and after a busy summer, the market slowed again inthe autumn/winter quarter.

Public SectorProfessionalFinancial / BankingTrainingCreative / IT / MediaOther

8%48%13%15%2%

14%

DEALS BY SECTOR (%)

8%

48%

13%

15%

2%14%

Port of Liverpool.Letting to Rathbones

The Plaza. Weightman’s largest letting in CBD

Mere Grange. St Helens Grade Ahighest take-up out of town

600,000

500,000

400,000

300,000

200,000

100,000

0

2011

2010

2009

2008

SQ FT

YEAR

268,

298

207,

515

519,

274

245,

289

p15-32_Q7_Q77:p03-12 21/2/12 14:18

OFFICE SUPPLY IN THE CITY CENTRE Vacancy rates in the Central Business Districthave remained stable for several years.

In November 2011 a total of 7.15m sq ft of officespace of all ages and qualities was recorded in theCentral Business District, a figure virtuallyunchanged since 2007. Of this total our censusshows 1.96m sq ft available and ready foroccupation, an increase of 67,938 sq ft (3.6 percent) on the figure recorded in November 2010.

A total of 257,283 sq ft of Grade A office space isempty and ready for occupation in Liverpool’s CBD,an increase compared to 173,178 sq ft in 2010. Thelong-anticipated completion of the 109,000 sq ftspeculative development at 4 St Paul’s Square hascontributed to the increase.

The largest single source of supply in Grade B officespace: this year's total of 759,067 sq ft represents a10 per cent fall on Grade B supply in 2010.

Liverpool’s vast legacy of historic buildings makesthe raw data an unreliable guide to the realvacancy rate. Around half of the available officespace is in buildings that pre-date the 1960s - mostof it (46.7 per cent, 914,668 sq ft). Expressed

another way, 49.7 per cent of available office spaceis either unlettable Grade D space, or largelyunwanted Grade C.

The centre-ground of the Liverpool CBD office markethas been good quality recently refurbished Grade Boffice space. Around two-fifths of available officespace is classified as Grade A, and this has remainedconstant for several years (38.6 per cent in 2011).

If Grade D office space (274,949 sq ft for whichthere is effectively no market) is excluded from ouranalysis then the “wide” measure of the CBDvacancy rate is 23.5 per cent (2010: 23.4 per cent).

Alternatively, the “narrow” measure of the CBDvacancy rate (which also excludes 669,600 sq ft ofGrade C office stock) produces a vacancy rate of 14.2per cent (2010: 14.4 per cent). Before the recessionbegan to bite in 2008 the figure was 12.6 per cent.

Vacant Grade A stock accounts for 15.3 per cent ofall vacant office space in the Central BusinessDistrict on our “wide” measure (2010: 10.5 percent). On the narrow measure it represents 27.1 percent (2010: 17.1 per cent).

TRAINING AND RECRUITMENTTraining and recruitment firms were increasinglyactive in the both the city centre and out-of-townoffice markets in 2011, a sign of grassrootseconomic recovery.

We calculate that 63,142 sq ft was let to this sector,meaning one in every six sq ft of office floorspace letin 2011 was taken by training or recruitment firms.

In the Central Business District a total of 33,799 sq ftwas let to five training providers, equivalent to 14.9per cent of total take-up in 2011, up from 13 percent in 2010. In the city fringe and out-of-townmarkets the strength of the training sector is evenmore striking. A total of 20,377 sq ft was let totraining operators in 2011 accounting for 17.8 percent of all out-of-town floorspace let.

Training firms alone accounted for lettings totalling58,825 sq ft across the combined city centre andout-of-town markets.

PUBLIC SECTOR It is now impossible to claim that Liverpool’s officemarket is dominated by public sector take-up.

The trend has been unmistakable. In the 1990s thepublic sector accounted for half the take-up in theLiverpool’s city centre office market. During theboom years 2004-2008 the city‘s increasingly strongprivate sector forced the proportion down to aroundone-third. Today the public sector has now all butwithdrawn from the UK office property market. Total

public sector take-up in the Central Business Districtamounted to just 22,108 sq ft (8.2 per cent) in 2011.

The 2011 figures represent an increase on thefloorspace absorbed by the public sector in 2010(11,870 sq ft). However, this represents only amodest proportionate rise compared to 2010 (5.9per cent) and is merely a fraction of the medium-term trend (an average of 27.5 per cent of citycentre floorspace absorbed by the public sector2006-2010).

CREATIVE AND MEDIA OCCUPIERS The creative, media and digital sector has nowestablished itself as one of Liverpool’s mostimportant. After four years of steady expansion,the pace of growth has inevitably slowed as theindustry matures.

In 2011 creative, media and digital occupiersaccounted for 2.7 per cent of Central BusinessDistrict office floorspace let during the year (5,827sq ft). This is comparable with the 2.8 per centreported in 2009.

Outside the Central Business District the Wavertreearea remained a strong attraction for creativebusinesses and secured deals totalling 5,211 sq ft.

Combining the city centre, city fringes and out-of-town locations shows total creative, media anddigital take-up of 22,703 sq ft, amounting to 5.9 percent of total office take-up.

Grade AGrade BGrade CGrade D

13%39%34%14%

GRADES A-D (%)

14%

39%

34%

13%

p15-32_Q7_Q77:p03-12 21/2/12 14:18

TAKE-UP BY GRADE OF OFFICE Liverpool’s city centre office market has long beendominated by the appeal to cost-conscioustenants of good refurbished office space.

In the Central Business District take up of Grade Boffice space - defined as refurbished office spaceover 5 years old - accounted for 84.6 per cent of allfloorspace let during 2011 (227,089 sq ft). This is asteep rise from the 58 per cent recorded in 2010.This is a testament to the greater appeal of GradeB space, improved by a decade of refurbishment.

The dominance of Grade B office space is by nomeans unusual. In 2008 in the Central BusinessDistrict lettings of Grade B office space accountedfor 95 per cent of all floorspace let; in 2009 theproportion was 65.3 per cent amounting to

338,869 sq ft.The modest revival in the appeal oflow-priced Grade C office space - apparent at thelowest point of the recession - seems to be over.Grade C floorspace accounted for just 5.3 per centof all Central Business District floorspace let in2011 (14,212 sq ft). This compares with 17 percent in 2010, and seems more in line with the 2.6per cent (13,633 sq ft) recorded in 2009.

The take-up of Grade A space has fluctuatedwildly in what has traditionally been a supply-ledmarket. Grade A accommodation accounted for14.3 per cent of take-up in the Central BusinessDistrict in 2011, down from 25 per cent in 2010.Performance in this market is extremely variableranging from a dominant 32.1 per cent in 2009 toa barely noticeable 3 per cent in 2008.

TAKE-UP BY SIZE OF OCCUPIERThe cautious return of the middle market toLiverpool’s Central Business District, begun in2010, continued in 2011.

The strengthening is most apparent in the marketfor smaller suites where there has been a sharpimprovement in activity. In 2010 we reported that 65per cent of all transactions were for suites under2,500 sq ft. In 2011 the figure is 47 per cent.

Simultaneously Liverpool city centre saw a

substantial increase in the number of individualdeals between 2500-5000 sq ft - and anappreciable increase in the floorspace occupied asa result. In total 27 per cent of the number of all citycentre deals fell into this category (up from 12.5 percent in 2010), accounting for 39,398 sq ft (up from22,517 sq ft in 2010).

Just as in 2010, during 2011 the city centre saw sixdeals above 10,000 sq ft. This compares with threein 2009, and 10 in the boom year of 2007.

OFFICE SUPPLY: CITY FRINGE AND OUT-OF-TOWN The City Fringe market saw a marked decline inthe supply of office space available and readyfor occupation.

In November 2011 we recorded total City Fringeavailability at 318,906 sq ft, a fall of 14.4 per centon the 372,324 sq ft reported in 2010, and a returnthe trend which saw 326,665 sq ft available in 2009.

Historic town houses are being returned todomestic use, whilst other office space is nowoccupied by leisure users, and this is likely toaccount for the fall in supply.

Elsewhere, an increase in the supply of out-of-townoffice space confirms the picture painted by thetake-up figures: the business parks of North andSouth Liverpool, Wavertree and Knowsley arecontinuing to experience difficult trading.

The November 2011 census of office availability shows907,128 sq ft of office space available and ready foroccupation compared with 843,380 sq ft in November2010, an increase of 7.6 per cent. This is the secondyear in which supply has increased following lastyear’s rise of 17.3 per cent, up on the 719,180 sq ft ofrecorded in November 2009. The rate of growth istherefore slowing - a potentially encouraging sign.

We calculate that 431,950 sq ft of Grade A officespace is available and ready for occupation in theout-of-town and city fringe markets, representing24.9 per cent of supply. However, this figure concealswide variations: South Liverpool saw ambitiousspeculative development during the economicboom, and its 223,083 sq ft of vacant Grade A officespace amounts to more than half the total availableoutside the city centre. At the other extreme, there isno grade A office space vacant in Wavertree.

INVESTMENTSince 2009 there have been no office investmenttransactions in the city.

This has changed with the sale of 1 St Paul’sSquare by Sigma Capital to a private Israeli investor

for almost £30 million reflecting a net initial yield of7.7%. The principal tenant is Hill Dickinson with a 10 year unexpired lease. This should provide astimulus for other investors into 2012.

Grade AGrade BGrade C

10%85%5%

DEALS BY GRADE OF BUILDING (%)

CBD

85%

10%5%

51%

13%

12%

15% 6%3%

0-10001001-25002501-5000

3%6%

15%

2011 DEALS BY AREA IN SQ FT (%)5001-10,00010,001-20,00020,000

12%13%51%

WavertreeSouth LiverpoolKnowsleyNorth LiverpoolBootle / WaterlooCity FringeSt Helens

22%16%10%5%

22%18%7%

AREA (%)

22%

16%

10%5%

22%

18%

7%

p15-32_Q7_Q77:p03-12 21/2/12 14:18

Words by David Thame.Designed and produced by Move Publishing Ltd.

NOTE ON TERMINOLOGYFor the purposes of this research, Grade A space was defined as officespace completed since 1st January 2006; Grade B space as office spacecompleted before 1st January 2006 or other accommodation recentlyrefurbished or due to be refurbished Grade C as unrefurbished but ready foroccupation. Grade D is office space which could not be occupied withoutsubstantial refurbishment, and that no plans exist for such refurbishment.

ACCREDITATIONThis report has been compiled by members of the Property Group ofProfessional Liverpool with assistance from Liverpool Vision and theCommercial District BID.

Our special thanks go to:

CONTACT INFORMATIONProfessional LiverpoolTel: 0151 224 1855. Email: [email protected]

Liverpool VisionTel: 0151 600 2900. Email: [email protected]

Commercial District BIDTel: 0151 600 2984. Email: [email protected]

4 St Paul’s Square. Largest CBD Grade A availability 1 St Paul’s Square - Prime investment sale

p15-32_Q7_Q77:p03-12 21/2/12 14:19

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p33-45_Q7:p03-12 21/2/12 16:24

MOVE COMMERCIAL34

Martha Lane Fox is ideally suited totalk about how just having a greatidea, and a lot of luck, can launch acompany internationally.Lastminute.com is a sign of how wella digital company can do againstmore traditional companies - whenfloated on the London StockExchange the share price rose on thefirst day of trading to 511p, giving avaluation of £768m. Although nolonger managing director of thecompany, she stepped down in 2003following a car crash, she continues towork in the digital industry as anadvocate for getting people online.Talking to Martha aboutLastminute.com, who she set up in1998 with Brent Hoberman, I ask herabout the strengths it takes to buildsuch a successful company. “I thinkthe first thing is a huge dose of luck,”she said. “But that is not enough initself, you have to go out there and getstuff done. Beyond that I think thatlike every new business you have tobe tenacious, be bold, don’t take nofor an answer. I think we called someof the airlines that first gave us theseats to sell probably about 20 timeswhen we were trying to get them towork with us; you have to just be a bitrelentless. Never lose touch with what

your customers are saying about yourproduct. Brent and I were our firstcustomers on Lastminute.com andwe use the site all the time. If youaren’t completely obsessed abouttesting the product I don’t think you’llever build a truly great businessbecause loads of people will make itlive or die.”

Since the massive success ofLastminute.com, Martha hasn’tstopped thinking outside the box andbuilding business. She has since co-founded Lucky Voice and Antigone,and is also a non-exec director atMarks and Spencer, Channel 4 andMydeco.com. The quirky Lucky

Voice, or as the website says ‘themost liberating, heart-racing, life-affirming private karaoke experienceon earth,’, was started as a tiny bar inSoho and now has eight barscountrywide, as well as beingavailable to use online and as an app.As a strong and vocal advocate onsocial justice, through the grant-

making trust Antigone she set up,Martha works with a number ofcharities each year, learning moreabout the needs of socially excludedpeople to help promote theirsuccesses to ministers and the press.Grants are made to causes wheretechnology can make a difference -

“I’m particularly interested in helpingthem think about how technologymight help do things more cheaply orreach more people or even be a bettersolution for some of the problemsthat they’re trying to solve,” she says.

In 2009, she was appointed theUK Digital Inclusion Champion tohead a two year campaign to makethe British public more 'tech savvy'.This role was extended in 2010,when David Cameron asked Marthato expand her role advising howonline public services delivery canhelp to provide better, and moreefficient services as well as gettingmore people online. Under theproject, she has started an initiativein Liverpool to encourage 100,000people in the city who had neverbeen online to get online. Lead bythe council and lots of differentpartners across the city, from thelibraries to the post office andMersey Travel, they’ve been gettingpeople online. “The North has somereal digital talent. So I’m reallyexcited by the potential, althoughthere are some tougher parts ofLiverpool, places where it’s virtuallydeprived I really do think thattechnology has the opportunity tohelp people; the social problems as

Martha Lane Fox is certainly a legend in the digital world, if not on thesame level as Mark Zuckerberg, then maybe the British version of the

internet mogul. Starting Lastminute.com, the online travel and leisure retailer,it quickly became an icon of the UK internet boom. She is now, as appointedby David Cameron, the UK’s Digital Champion racing to get the nine million

people who have never used the internet online.

Dotcomchampion

Like every new business youhave to be tenacious, be bold,don’t take no for an answer.““


p33-45_Q7:p03-12 21/2/12 12:44

MOVE COMMERCIAL 35

well as helping businesses in thefuture.”

As one of the keynote speakers atthe Global EntrepreneurshipCongress, being held in Liverpool inMarch, she filled me in on what toexpect of her speech. “I will be talkingabout some of the things that I care

most for: the importance of start-upsand entrepreneurships in restartingthe economy, which is keeping theeconomy going,” she said. “How itdoesn’t just have to be about beingthe next Virgin or the next Google, orthe next Lastminute.com, but it canalso be just about people starting

their own business and having a bitmore freedom and ability to have adifferent kind of life. I think the UKhas still got a huge amount going forit and particularly Liverpool.”

Not only a dotcom pioneer, herstrength at riding out the dotcomcrash, then recuperating from her

own car crash and now as achampion for digital literacy, meanshe is ideally placed to inspire a newgeneration of entrepreneurs. “Youhave to be quite a strange characterto be an entrepreneur; you have tobe kind of egotistical on one levelslightly a bit of a megalomaniac,probably a bit infuriating to workwith because you’re probablyobsessed with what you’re doing,”she said. “So I think the importantthing is to encourage people to takethat step if they seriously arethinking about starting a businessand to make sure that if they do sothat they’ve got all of the skillsaround them. But I get reallydepressed when I hear of brightyoung people who are leavinguniversity and going to work in a bigbank or for big accounting company,and aren’t thinking about going todo more interesting things andgoing to smaller businesses becauseI think that’s where they’ll beencouraging people.

“Britain is not growing in itsdominance on the world stage, quitethe opposite, so we need to keepinventing and for people to keepcoming up with the next big ideaand that will happen predominantlyout of small businesses.”

LaneFox fileDOB:10 February 1973

Education:Oxford High School, Westminster School andMagdalen College, Oxford

Career:Co founded Lastminute.com in1998, joined the board of Marks& Spencer as a non-executivedirector in 2007, as well asChannel 4 and furniture websiteMydeco.com. She was appointedthe UK Government's DigitalInclusion Champion in 2009,setting up a new Digital PublicServices Unit within the CabinetOffice in 2010.

Martha Lane Fox Entrepreneur

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1. Denizen Contracts, Construction company of the Year, with Lesley Martin-Wright (Chief Executive of Knowsley Chamber). 2. Stuart Keppie, Keppie Massie (far right),

mingles with guests. 3. The awards get underway. 4. Presenter Nigel Jay. 5.Matthew Kerrigan (Hitchcock Wright) and wife Sam. 6. Champagne reception. 7.Winners

of Best Law Firm, Paul Crowley Solicitors. 8. Peter Wong and team (Wongs Jewellers).

Your Move PropertyAwards 2011As 2011 drew to a close the biggest names in property and businesscame together to celebrate a fantastic year for Liverpool property.Commercial categories included Best Student Accommodation (TJ Thomas Estates) and Best Commercial Scheme (No.1 Mann Island).

Key events Your Move Property Awards

1

7

2

45

86

3

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9. Peter Wong (Wongs Jewellers) with Steve Parry (Neptune), Best Commercial Scheme, No.1 Mann Island. 10. The awards. 11. Jazz Con Fusion. 12. Knowsley Chamber

of Commerce. 13. Eric Mahoney (TJ Thomas Estates), John Blythe (Accommod8) and David Mahoney (TJ Thomas Estates). 14. Emma Griffiths and Helen Jones (The

Design Foundry). 15. A stary night. 16. Stuart Keppie with Ged Massie (Keppie Massie). 17. The Riverside Home Ownership table. 18. David Mahoney (TJ Thomas

Estates) wins. 19. Lesley Martin-Wright (Chief Executive of Knowsley Chamber) and guests.

9

10 11

12 13

14

15

17 18 19

16

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MOVE COMMERCIAL38

As council leader Joe Andersonsaid: “Lord Heseltine has been agreat friend of Liverpool for manyyears. The renaissance of the citystarted with the transformation ofthe Albert Dock and theInternational Garden Festival,which he was largely responsible forbringing about as Minister forMerseyside. He has worked with meto push the government hard to winnew powers and substantial extrainvestment for our futureregeneration plans which are nowset to transform the face ofLiverpool.”

It is statements such as this,which makes Lord MichaelHeseltine such an esteemed figurein the city. As the city gears up towelcome thousands of delegatesfrom around the world for thefestival celebrating business, theGlobal Entrepreneurship Congress(GEC) in March, I talk with LordMichael Heseltine on his impacton the city as well as hiscontinuing advocacy, and ofcourse his global multimillioncompany Haymarket MediaGroup. Ahead of the conference hegave us a sneak peak of what hisspeech at the GEC will be: “I willbe talking about the enormousopportunities that are now onoffer to Liverpool and Merseyside,and also something of the

background as to how all this hascome about and thirdly the vitalrole of individuals in the process.”Being an entrepreneur issomething of which LordHeseltine knows well, as he was abusinessman first before he everbecame a politician. Originallyfounding the company,Cornmarket Press, with friendClive Labovitch, followinginvestment by Hazell Watson &Viney, and Labovitch’s departure,Haymarket was formed in 1964.Publishing a number of businessand consumer magazines such asWhat Car? and Gramophone?, aschairman of the group LordHeseltine remains involved withthe growth of the company, whichreported a pre-tax profit of £5.1min 2010. His top tips forentrepreneurs are: “Spotting theluck, hard work, quality ofcolleagues, and weathering thestorm.”

It is his work in government,however, that has thrust him in thelimelight, first with his exhaustivework getting Liverpool back ontrack in the 80s - he was pivotal inthe regeneration of Liverpool in thewake of the Toxteth riots in 1981 -and now as an advisor to DavidCameron, still championing thecause of Liverpool. “The outgoinglabour secretary of state Peter Shore

had obtained a sum of money to helpurban areas with particular problemsand he personally associated the useof that money in Liverpool,” LordHeseltine commented whenrecounting his past. “I wanted todevelop urban developmentcorporations and Liverpool had oneof the first two and then the gardenfestivals, again Liverpool had thefirst of the garden festivals so therelationship developed from day onein my period of government. The bigdecisions I took early on, I did makeone change which I think wasfundamental and that was to say thatthe fund would only be available to alocal authority if they showed thatthey had a private sector use for theland that they reclaimed and whatthis did was create public privatesector partnerships.”

Although, the physical changes ofthe redevelopment of the citycentres, including the docks, isimmensely important the moreimportant change is in the attitudeof the people. In regenerating thecity, it has created and inspired ageneration of people with energy,talent, ambition anddetermination.

Under the David Camerongovernment, Lord Heseltine hasbreathed new life back into thecity, by laboriously promoting theintroduction of an elected mayor

and working on a report last yearwith Sir Terry Leahy promotingMerseyside’s economic growth.The Rebalancing Britain: Policy orSlogan? report proposeddeveloping the Liverpool NorthDocks as well as supporting thecity’s expanding CommercialDistrict. He said: “There’s a greatfuture of optimism in my view onMerseyside. I think that cities todayare fighting in a global world fortheir share of the economicopportunity and Liverpool has beenvery far sighted, particularly inbuilding relationships with China.It’s all good to say were going torebalance Britain but you’ve got todo things and I’m encouraged that

As a champion for Liverpool’s regeneration, LordMichael Heseltine has been at the forefront of thecity’s transformation for over 30 years and wasrecently honoured with the Freedom of Liverpool inrecognition for his service to the city.

Liverpool'schampion


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MOVE COMMERCIAL 39

now we have a Minister for Cities,the Rt Hon Greg Clarke, who’sdiscussing localised agenda withindividual cities, so the process isbeginning.”

One of the most recognisable andrespected British figures of the last40 years, Lord Heseltine served for34 years as a Conservative MP,during which time he assumed boththe roles of Cabinet Minister andDeputy Prime Minister. Hecontinues to endorse the city byacting as its spokesperson - at theInvest in Liverpool event in Londonhe spoke about Liverpool’s mediumto longer-term prospects for futureinvestment remaining strong, as oneof the UK’s fastest growing economy

outside London. Much of his visionfor Liverpool has alreadymaterialised, in particular thedevolution of powers from centralgovernment through theappointment of a directly electedmayor, elections to be held in May,which will also accompany a much-needed £130 million pot of cash.

To understand his achievement, wemust also remember the man behindthe name; from spending his leisuretime as a keen arboriculturalist, hisarboretum was actually featured in aBBC documentary and he specificallyhopes it is as a lover of trees that heis remembered for, to looking backfondly on his time in Liverpool inthe 80s. “I come from Swansea and

there are similarities about theproblems of Swansea and theproblems of Liverpool, that they’veboth seen a major decline in theirtraditional wealth,” he says. “Thereis a charm about Liverpudlians;they’re very witty and I became veryfond of them. The kids were hugefun, they used to follow me aroundlike a pied piper always wanting myautograph, and it was veryflattering, until I discovered theywere immediately flogging it for50p to their mates. It was a greatentrepreneurial venture, I thought.”

It looks like no matter under whatcircumstance Lord Heseltine willalways promote entrepreneurshipand Liverpool.

Lord Heseltine Founding Father

LordHeseltine FileDOB:21 March 1933

Education:Shrewsbury School, PembrokeCollege, Oxford.

Career:Started Cornmarket Press in 1957at the young age of 24 years old,which eventually becameHaymarket in 1964. As aConservative he was elected toMember of Parliament for Tavistockin 1966, until 1974. In 1983 hebecame the Secretary of State forDefense, under Margaret Thatcher,then Prime Minister, although it wasduring his first period as Secretaryof State for the Environment from1979 to 1983 that he is mainlyremembered. After a brief lull inparliament, he was appointedDeputy Prime Minister and FirstSecretary of State from 1995 to1997. Heseltine resigned hisHenley-on-Thames constituency atthe 2001 election. He now acts asadvisor to David Cameron, andremains chairman of HaymarketMedia Group.

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MOVE COMMERCIAL42

Your Move was one of a greatmany organisations to be saddenedto hear of the death LiverpoolCommercial Partnership’s ChiefExecutive Paul Rice who passedaway on Saturday 21 January 2012.

The Metropolitan Cathedral ofChrist the King was packed withmourners from all walks of life forthe Requiem Funeral Mass whichtook place on 1 February.

Paul was appointed as chief executive of the LiverpoolCommercial District Partnership in 2006. He was diagnosedwith MDS 18 months ago (a form of blood cancer similar toLeukemia). Throughout this time he battled with courses ofchemotherapy and underwent a bone marrow transplant in theRoyal Liverpool University Hospital in January last year.

Despite the intensive, invasive and gruelling nature of histreatment he continued to work seemingly tirelesslysuccessfully campaigning to secure a ‘yes’ vote in the ballot lastyear to achieve Business Improvement District (BID) status.

Paul was highly regarded in the business community and hispassion, commitment and energy was appreciated by everyonewho had the privilege to work with him.

A devoted Liverpool supporter, Paul chaired the inauguralmeeting of the Spirit of Shankly (SOS) Supporters' Unionbefore being elected as Chair and then Vice Chair and LifetimeVice President in recognition of his work for the organisation.

Tributes flooded in from across the city and around theworld from those who knew Paul.

Liverpool FC managing director Ian Ayre said: "I wasfortunate to have known Paul personally and he was a true fanand also an excellent businessman.” Peter Hooton of The Farmdescribed him as ‘inspirational.’

Chairman of the Commercial District Partnership DavidGuest said: “There are no words that can do justice to such aninspirational character. Both professionally and personally Ihad the utmost respect and affection for a much loved manwho was genuinely committed to Liverpool and whoseachievements for the city will leave a lasting legacy. Paul’sunique personality shone with his sense of humour, warmthand likeability. He had the ability to relate to anyone whatevertheir status or walk of life and always made an impact onpeople. He will be sorely missed but never forgotten.”

Paul was cared for by staff in wards 7y and 10z at theRoyal University Hospital Liverpool and throughout hisillness he described both teams as incredible. Before hedied Paul decided to set up SPLOSH (Staff, Patients andLoved Ones Supporting Heamatology). Donationsreceived will be directed to the Haematology Dept at theRoyal who will use it for the benefit patients and theirfamilies and support the invaluable work their dedicatedstaff do.www.lindamccartney.workwithus.org/fundraising/Donate.aspx?mode=edit&page=7072

TRIBUTE TOPAUL RICE

OBITUARY

•1,200 sq ft (111.5 sq m)

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• Character building with exposedbeams and brickwork

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OFFICE TO LET36 HENRY STREET, ROPE WALKS, LIVERPOOL 1

CONTACTBrian Ricketts at Hitchcock Wright and Partners on 0151 227 3400

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Trading places

John CassellBrock Carmichael Architects

The value of MIPIM Lunch debateBy Dina [email protected]

Ian PollittDevelopment investment surveyor at Peel Holdings

With MIPIM, one of the biggest annual international trade shows, about to start inMarch in Cannes, we ask why it remains the must-attend event for anyone in the

commercial property industry. Ian Pollitt, development investment surveyor at PeelHoldings, which is behind the Liverpool Waters scheme, joined John Cassell, of Brock

Carmichael Architects, which acted as executive architects on Liverpool ONE’s One ParkWest building, to discuss the value of MIPIM. The experts sat down for lunch at Gusto

restaurant, in the Albert Dock, debating Liverpool’s presence as a city at the event, howimportant alternative (and cheaper) events like Cannes Do are, and the foreign

investment market.

What is MIPIM all about?Ian: Last year I did not attendMIPIM as part of a Peel delegation,I went as a guest of GDF Suez.They had showed interest in theLiverpool and Wirral Watersprojects either side of the RiverMersey and had invited me over tomeet their Executive Vice-President Wilfrid Petrie.Over dinnerWilfrid

informedme that in 1901his grandfather was the LordMayor of Liverpool and we thenmanaged to get him to visitLiverpool a few months later. GDFSuez is now actively involved withthe Liverpool Smart city board andis keen to be involved withLiverpool. That is what is greatabout MIPIM a potential investorto Liverpool Waters and theLiverpool City region was found bymaking the trip over the Cannes.John: Ian has made a point there.If you’ve never been to MIPIM,there’s a common view that it’sjust a bit of a big jolly in the sun.And that’s the problem, I think oneof the beauties of MIPIM is that itis so relaxed, you have thesechance encounters as Ian hasdescribed. I met our Bruntwoodclient not in a seminar or at aformal meal, but in the bar quite

late on the Thursday night and wejust hit it off and there was noway we would have had that levelof contact if I’d done a cold calland that’s what it is all about. Iwent originally to promote thecity, with Brock Carmichael as amajor firm in architecture. Thenthere’s the educational angle

because, although it nevergets mentioned, if

you buy aticket as

well

as allthe

exhibits thereare lectures. I went

to one lecture where you hadRichard Rodgers in the morningand Norman Foster in theafternoon, the best architects inthe world together in one day.That was just unbelievable. Does Liverpool still have astrong presence at MIPIM, andare other trade expos like theShanghai Expo in 2010 just asimportant?Ian: Peel has taken a stand atMIPIM for many years and inrecent times we have beenpromoting are Waters projects andMedia City. It is important tosupport Liverpool at any largeexhibition event and we workclosely with the City Council,Liverpool Vision and The MerseyPartnership. Peel was proud to bethe main sponsor of the Liverpoolstand at the Shanghai Expo in

2010 and used the event tofurther strengthen our alreadystrong links with China. Peel willprobably return to MIPIM next yearas we look to promote Liverpooland Wirral Waters to the world.John: I think to go to MIPIM as aconsultant, like ourselves, andmeet some Swiss investor that’sgoing to gain us a multi-millionpound project is just not going tohappen. It allows you to reinforceyour relationships with people youalready know and it allows chancemeetings to meet new people, butit also gives you time out toreview where you are. We went to

Shanghai and out of that we’venow got a Hong Kong office.

Without going to Shanghaiwe would never have dreamtof opening a Hong Kongoffice and now we’ve gotfour projects in China.Ian: Peel also attend theretail focused MAPICevent also at Cannes.Sadly we will not beattending MIPIM thisyear as it clashes withthe Planning Committeedate for LiverpoolWaters.John: Those that don’t go

find it quite hard tostomach, saying I want to

go to the Mediterranean forfive days, and I’ll be eating in

four star restaurants everynight, it’s a hard sell. But I think if

you take a sensible approach to it,you’ve got to do your homeworkand groundwork and already planwhat you’re going to do.What do you think is the mostimportant way to exhibit atMIPIM, as a public presencepromoting the city council or asa member of the private sector?

John: We all went as individualsround the exhibition and roundthe events meeting our clients, wewere all Liverpool and we were allbranded Liverpool, with Liverpoolbadges so you’re selling yourselfand you’re selling the city.Ian: Even though Peel had theirown stand, we made sure theLiverpool Waters team attendedall events on the Liverpool standand regularly took interestedparties between the two stands.It’s about all working together topromote Liverpool, if Liverpooldoes well, we all do well.Cannes Do will be held at Peel’sPrinces Dock development inMarch, what are your thoughtson the property event?John: We’re hosting a table.Cannes Do is from ProfessionalLiverpool, I like the idea ofProfessional Liverpool because it’snot a networking organisation,there’s too many of those, it’sactually about talking about thebusiness and it strays outside theproperty sector into legal andcommercial sectors as well. Lastyear, when I went for the firsttime, was a massive eye opener ofhow big the event was. It wastotally relaxed, totally tongue incheek with the review by StuartKeppie, it’s just a great marketingevent to some extent butnetworking too and a thank you toyour clients, and beingLiverpudlian there’s a great bondin that room.Ian: This is a fantastic opportunityfor Peel to promote the vacantspace at No.12 Princes Parade.The event always attracts a widerange of companies from theLiverpool business community andto have them within one of Peel’sproperties is great. They will alsobe able to walk around PrincesDock and see all the greatfacilities we have on hand.Manchester’s got a massivepresence at MIPIM, how do youthink it compares to Liverpool’sstand?John: When you go to MIPIM thecities in the UK that promotethemselves are the Yorkshiregroup, Sheffield, Leeds, Bradfordall team up together, Birminghamhas a presence, London has amagnificent presence, it has amarquee and with the Olympicsit’s going to be even bigger,Birmingham and Glasgow andLiverpool. Liverpool’s presence isan important thing, Manchesteralways has a room next to theentrance and they do it more low

“A potentialinvestor toLiverpool Watersand the LiverpoolCity region wasfound by makingthe trip over theCannes.

”

key but are very permanent. Thatroom is always Manchester’s so ithas a bigger presence because it’spermanent. Manchester does itvery well.Ian: In previous years Liverpoolhas had a strong presence atMIPIM, a decision has been madeby the City council, not to attend

this year , but I am sure Liverpoolwill still be well represented at theevent.John: The later years when wewent, they had a Liverpool nighton a Thursday in Mulligan’s Barand they closed the street. Theyhad Beatles tributes and Liverpoolacts, the whole of MIPIM wasLiverpool focused and Manchesterjust went along with it as well,and again that was massive.What does Liverpool have tooffer for foreign delegatesvisiting MIPIM?John: I don’t think the public areaware of the potential Liverpoolhas. I go to talk about one of myprojects like LIPA, which is a verysuccessful international university,discussing in detail a phase two,the new dance facility, other citiesdon’t have LIPA. The number ofhotels, the fantastic arena, theexhibition hall being planned.Liverpool could be a conferencecity for the country because wehave all the facilities, which arethe best because we’re thenewest. Once you brand yourself

as convention city no one can takethat away from you.Ian: Liverpool is a fantastic Cityand has a lot to offer foreigndelegates, the range of hotels,restaurants and bars is second tonone. Then there is the culturaloffer which delegates will bespoilt for choice.MIPIM is a great way to connectwith foreign markets; whatforeign investment markets areyou looking at?Ian: It’s the obvious ones, China,South Korea and India, but thatdoes not mean we will notconsider other markets. Peel’sattendance at the ShanghaiExpo and UKTI’s support hashelped reinforce relationships withChina.How do you see the investmentin the city right now, to what itcould be in five years?Ian: I think the positive effects of2008 and a decade ofdevelopment in the Cityculminating in the completion ofLiverpool One , has helped cushionLiverpool better than most othercities in the UK.

With Liverpool Waters and theexciting proposals beingdiscussed by Joe Anderson for theCity, on the back of the mayoralelections which will see newschools, houses and Cruise Linerterminal built, not to mention thenew Royal Liverpool Hospital andAlder Hey, the future is starting tolook a lot brighter. What about outward investment,globalising your companies? Ian: The benefits of being such adiverse company means that weare also attractive to foreignbusinesses selling products intothe UK. It therefore works bothways, we are looking for inwardinvestment / partners and theyare looking to sell their productsto Peel, whether that beequipment for our Airports andPorts or Peel Energy.John: If we had not gone theShanghai Expo we wouldn’t haveoffices in Hong Kong; going toShanghai and taking that time outwe met like minded people, we sawthe opportunity, did a lot ofobservation and that led to usworking there. Since being outthere, we’ve been introduced to theOval Partnership who we now workwith in the UK and when we've gotwork in China we work with them.Events like the Expo and MIPIMenable you to move out of yournormal zone of working and openyour eyes to opportunities.

All events could be improvedupon, where do you think MIPIMcould do better?John: The fight foraccommodation, the price of airtickets. If you go to Cannesoutside of MIPIM week its £45/50return, if you go during it it's £500return. One year a few guys and Iflew to Paris from Manchester, wethen got the train to Cannes whichwas fantastic, to go through themiddle of France with all thecountry side having a nice bottleof wine. When you get theregetting accommodation is hard, ifyou think about it 19,000delegates descend upon Cannes inone week and you’ve got 4000exhibitors. MIPIM is bigger thanthe Cannes Film Festival. It’s thebiggest event Cannes lays on. Youfind people sharing rooms, sharingbeds, it’s mad.Ian: I think MIPIM is great and willcontinue to grow as the economypicks up, I must agree with Johnthat the cost of accommodationand travel is the biggest negative.

The article above has been amended as aresult of inaccuracies in the original piece.

The value of MIPIM Lunch debate

The panel enjoyed a lovelytaster lunch at thiscontemporary Italianrestaurant overlooking theTate Gallery and nestling inone of Europe's finestheritage sites. The menufocuses on freshly preparedclassic and contemporaryItalian dishes featuring anexcellent range of pizza,pasta, seafood and meats.The panel enjoyed a lunch ofvarious starters from the a lacarte menu, including thefantastic Baked Avocadowith Baby Scallops, therefreshing Romesco chickensalad with goats’ cheese andappetizing Roasted GarlicMushrooms in a cream saucewith Prosciutto.To make a reservation

telephone 0151 708 6969or visitwww.gustorestaurants.uk.com.

GUSTOEdward Pavilion, Albert Dock,Liverpool, L3 4AF

“I don’t thinkthe public areaware of thepotentialLiverpool has.

”

MOVE COMMERCIAL46

As the hangover from the creditcrunch lingers on manydevelopment projects that offeredsuch promise have ground to ahalt. However, there is one area inwhich investment is still beingmade and that is the educationsector.

Whilst the Building Schools forthe Future scheme may have beendropped other sources of fundingare still accessible for the rightprojects – namely to create adifferent kind of school.

According to a recent report byIMC (UK) Learning, 54 per cent ofBritish employers believe theBritish education system is failingto equip young people with theskills they need for employment. Anew breed of schools is attemptingto fill that void by equippingstudents with practical, sector-specific skills, which will preparethem for the working world.

University Technical Collegesoffer 14-19 year olds theopportunity to take a ‘highlyregarded full time technically-oriented course of study’ and DavidCameron calls them "The nextgreat poverty-busting structuralchange we need – offering first-

class technical skills to thoseturned off by purely academicstudy”.

The involvement of employers,from key industries for the area,harks back to the days ofapprenticeships. Something thecountry is crying out for.

At the Labour conference inLiverpool last year, shadoweducation secretary Andy Burnhamtold delegates: “As a country, wehaven't focused anything likeenough on the opportunities forthe 50% or more of kids who don'tplan to go to university. Youngpeople who want to head towardswork or an apprenticeship are leftto fend for themselves."

Susan Higgins is a spokespersonfor The Baker Dearing EducationalTrust, which is promoting thedevelopment of UTCs.

“The colleges allow students tospecialise in a subject they'reinterested in by combining practicaland academic studies, as well asoffering opportunities to work withlocal employers,” she says.

Each UTC will have sponsors (keypartners often an employer and auniversity) and other partnerswhich will act as supporters.


With two University Technical Colleges in the region alreadygiven the green light, another awaiting confirmation andfurther school development projects going ahead, Move

Commercial takes a look at the new breed of school making itsmark on the North West education landscape.

Investing in the newdawn of education

What: The Baker Dearing Trust saysthe college will create the nextgeneration of scientists, healthcarepractitioners, engineers andentrepreneurs. Its aim is “to transformlife opportunities for young people bydeveloping technical employability skillsfor the Life Sciences and Health CareSector in the Liverpool City Region”.

Its sponsors are the University ofLiverpool, Royal Liverpool andBroadgreen Hospital Trust and NorthLiverpool Academy. Local Partnersinclude Bristol Myers Sqibb, Unilever, Novartis, RedXPharma andProvexis.

When: The Baker Dearing Trust claims

it will open in 2012, although reportssuggest 2013 is more accurate.

Where: A site has yet to be chosen,casting doubt on the Trust’s aim toopen the college this year.

What the sponsors say: ''As aventure which will respond to demandfrom industry whilst broadeningeconomic opportunities to new areasof the city in a sector which is criticalto the city's future economy, theUniversity is very pleased to supportthe application to establish the LifeSciences UTC,” says Professor SirHoward Newby, vice-chancellor,University of Liverpool

NORTH LIVERPOOL LIFE SCIENCES UTC

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 47

Educational developments Review

What: With the Life Sciences UTCalready being given the go ahead thereare calls for a second UTC to be createdin the city, namely from prospectivesponsors Liverpool Community Collegeand Liverpool John Moores University.Its specialisms would be engineering,green industries and logistics. Therewill be approximately 20 employer andbusiness partners including Peel Ports,Balfour Beatty and Mersey Travel.

When: If given the go ahead it willopen in 2013.

Where: The college will be located atthe Eldonian Village on Vauxhall Road

What the sponsors say: “Thespecialisms are aligned to two of theregion's transformational drivers – lowcarbon industry and the SuperPort. Thebid has the backing of South Seftongiven that the SuperPort sits across

both areas. In terms of the otherLiverpool UTC it’s important toremember the UTCs are very differentand this is all about generating theskills needed to future proof businessin the region and to create a future forthe young people of Merseyside,” saysDavid Scanlan, marketing manager atLiverpool Community College.

“The idea behind this UTC reallyappeals to us. We’ve been to the talksand we’ve worked with LiverpoolCommunity College and the EldonianVillage in putting the bid together. Ibelieve we have a very strong case. AtPeel, we have the Liverpool Watersproject and the Deep Sea Berth projectin Seacombe – these projects are reallyinspiring for the pupils who wouldattend this college. It makes so muchsense for this to happen and it can onlybe a good thing,” says Ian Pollitt,development investment surveyor, PeelLand and Property.

What: The Wigan UTC will specialise in atechnical curriculum of manufacturingengineering, food production and thegreen economy, environmentaltechnology, and providing academicqualifications.

It’s sponsors will be the University ofSalford, Wigan and Leigh College andAinscough Group of Companieswhile its local Partners are Heinz,Blakely's Waste Management Ltd andPeel Energy.

When: It is set to open in 2012

Where: Rushton’s Mill Building, Wigan

What the sponsors say: "I am keen towork with the local and regionalcommunity by ensuring that thestudents at the UTC develop theentrepreneurial skills needed foremployment," says Martin Ainscough,chair of the Ainscough Group.

"The specialist subjects proposed inthis University Technical College fit wellwith our teaching and research disciplinesand also support future areas of businessgrowth in the region. I write to endorsethe proposed UTC in Wigan which Ibelieve will become a significant asset tothe region," says Professor Martin HallVice Chancellor University of Salford.

What: The Enterprise South LiverpoolAcademy, although not a UTC, has asimilar offering including a group ofsponsors with experience across businessand education. These are Enterprise,Liverpool City Council, University ofLiverpool, Diocese of Liverpool andArchdiocese of Liverpool.Its specialisms include enterprise,business and languages for business andthe new site being developed for theacademy is set to be impressive. The new‘Learning Park’ site is an 8.5-acre outdoorlearning space allows its curriculum to betaken outdoors. It will have amongstother things: a forest school (classroomenvironment in a clearing under the trees)science and languages gardens(containing plants used in medicine andfrom around the world) an amphitheatrefor group work, a fitness trail with piecesof challenging exercise equipment atintervals around the site, student andcommunity allotments (to grow, harvest,cook, sell produce from) apiaries (total of 4

bee hives, to study, harvest and retailhoney etc) and pods (an outward facingcurriculum model that will see itsstudents learning hairdressing and beautyand childcare in a realenvironment whilstremaining on sitethroughout).

When: The site is due toopen early 2013 withconstruction partnersLend Lease (previouslyBovis) and architects BDPArchitects making goodprogress since July 2011.

Where: Horrocks Avenue,Liverpool 19.

What the sponsors say: “The sponsors vision wasto create a trulytransformational schemethat would deliver real

improvements to the educationaloutcomes for our students, whilst helpingto regenerate the wider South Liverpoolcommunity. The innovative new building

and associated learning park will certainlycontribute to that vision,” says BarryMcBrion, lead sponsor representative andsupport services manager Enterprise Plc.

WIGAN UTC – OPENING 2012

ENTERPRISE SOUTH LIVERPOOL ACADEMY

LIVERPOOL LOW CARBON AND SUPERPORT UTC

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MOVE COMMERCIAL48

p46-56_Q7:p03-12 21/2/12 15:00

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.

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p46-56_Q7:p03-12 21/2/12 15:01

1. Sir Richard Branson to be keynote speaker at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress. 2. Bob Prattey, ACCC, Max Steinberg, Jeanette Kehoe -Perkinson and Mike Taylor, all

Liverpool Vision. 3.Mike Southon, Financial Times, Bryan Adams, Ph. Creative and Kirsty Hewitt EN Magazine. 4. Victoria Symes and Karen Brady, University of Liverpool.

5. Lynn McCann, Liverpool City Council, Sylvia Pearson School for Social Entrepreneurs and Deb Leary, British Association of Women Entrepreneurs. 6. Roger Philips, Radio

Merseyside, Ken Pye , Discover Liverpool and Chris Burgess, Alterity. 7. Jonathan Ortmans, Kauffman Foundation and Max Steinberg, Liverpool Vision. 8. Darrell Matthews

Institute of Directors, Tony Wilson, Hill Dickinson. 9. Jonathan Ortmans, Kauffman Foundation. 10. Paul Amman, Stanley Street Quarter, Andy Snell, Liverpool Vision and

Bethany Hockey, Bay TV. 11. Carol Crosby, Liverpool Chamber of Commerce and Charlotte Hastings, Seven Hills.

BT Convention Centre Key events

GEC AnnouncementBT Convention Centre

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The great and the good of the Liverpool business world came together at the BTConvention Centre to hear the exciting news that Sir Richard Branson would be akeynote speaker at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress. The GEC, which will takeplace from the 9 to the 16 March, will see some of the biggest names in businessdescend upon the city. Liverpool Vision’s Max Steinberg revealed to guests fromacross the country that entrepreneurial great Sir Richard Branson would be amongstthe speakers at the event, along with Michael Heseltine, Martha Lane Fox andplenty of others.

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MOVE COMMERCIAL52

Ask Birmingham born Bob Pratteyhow he’d describe his time inLiverpool so far and he’ll sum it upin one word - phenomenal. It’s aword he’ll use several times whilewe discuss his role as chief executiveof ACC Liverpool and it’s notsurprising. As the ACC celebratesit’s fourth birthday, looking back it’sclear to see its success has beennothing short of, well, phenomenal.

Before the ACC had even opened,projections forecast it would beturning over £6m by 2010/11. Whenthose results were published (thelatest figures on offer) the turnoverwas revealed as being over £14m –more than double the target.

“To some degree there was a lowlevel of expectation”, explains Bob.“In the UK that goes back tostereotypical images of whatLiverpool is about and where it’scome from. But research has shownpeople think Liverpool is improvingquicker than any other city.”

Bob is modest about the part theACC is playing in Liverpool’s revival.

“I think we’re playing a small partin the overall scheme of things”, hesays. “People are sitting at homewatching events like the LabourParty Conference and they’re takingnotice. They’re beginning to ask‘What’s going on in Liverpool?’”

Sat in one of the VIP boxes insidethe arena as we discuss not just theACC’s hugely successful four yearsbut what’s in store for it next, Bobtalks with all the excitement andenthusiasm of someone still in lovewith his job, impressive for someonewho has been in the events industryfor over two decades.

A business studies graduate, Bobbegan his career as a salesman for anumber of engineering firms in theWest Midlands before he “saw thewriting on the wall for themanufacturing industry and decidedto go with the flow and move intothe service sector” – taking a job atthe Birmingham NEC as assistantevents manager.

He stayed at the NEC Group foralmost 20 years, eventuallybecoming managing director of thegroup before he was approached byLiverpool city council to head up theat the time yet-to-be-built ACC.

“I’d been there an awful long timeand this gave me the opportunity tostart from scratch,” he says. “I couldactually create my own team ofpeople who were going to approachthe business in the way I wanted itto be approached.”

The ACC has 120 full time staff buton a busy day could have as many as500 staff on site. It adopts anoutsource business model,contracting out the likes of catering,stewarding and cleaning.

“We were opening a new businessand we didn’t know how successfulor not it was going to be so we didn’twant to have all the overheadsassociated with taking on 500 staff,”says Bob.

As we speak, in the arena belowour box a group of BBC executivesare perusing the venue ahead of theBBC Showcase in February – theBeeb’s annual event during which itsprogrammes are sold to delegates allover the world.

“To the BBC it’s the biggest singlething they do in the year,” says Bob.

“It’s been down in Brighton forabout 25 years and has never movedbut we convinced the BBC to bring ithere. This is the first time it hastaken place outside of Brighton.”

The arena of course is no strangerto big events. In its first year itplayed host to the MTV EuropeMusic Awards and SportsPersonality of the Year.

“It’s no coincidence that we hostedevents which had TV coverage,” says

Bob. “We wanted the world to knowwe had this amazing arena and thatpublicity, in those first few months,we couldn’t have purchased it. Wecertainly didn’t have the advertisingbudget to,” says Bob.

Bob attributes much of thesuccess of the events the ACC hosts

to something he calls the ‘Liverpoolwelcome’.

“It comes across in spades,” hesays. “Conde Nast magazine votedLiverpool as the friendliest city tovisit. We find that with thedelegates, we do a lot of delegateresearch post events and they allcomment upon it”.

But is the Liverpool welcomeenough to help the ACC competewith more established venues in theNorth West such as the ManchesterArena? Bob says he is thinkingbigger than that.

“We’ve had to compete to a degreebut I think our competitive palette ismuch wider than that and some ofthese events we’re attracting are ona national and international basis,”he says.

Indeed the GEC, as its namesuggests, is an event of internationalimportance.

“It’s a premier league, worldconference,” says Bob. “Just look atthe quality of the speakers (includingSir Richard Branson and LordMichael Heseltine) - those speakerswill attract entrepreneurs andinvestors from around the world sowe expect a major audience.”

While the Arena may deliver morehigh-profile events for ACC Liverpool,it is the events that are held at theConvention Centre that deliver moreeconomic benefit to the city.

“It’s the hotel spend and thedelegate spend in restaurants andbars,” he explains. “That’s what we’rehere to generate, to give a return towhat the city has invested and whatthe city will continue to invest. We’vegot ourselves now so established that

As the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) descendsupon the Liverpool Arena and Conference Centre (ACC), MoveCommercial meets with chief executive of the venue to findout what’s next for one of the city’s biggest success stories.

Built for Success

Research hasshown peoplethinkLiverpool isimprovingquicker thanany other city.

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 53

Mover & Shaker

hoteliers will ring us up and say“We’ve got a quiet February, whatare you doing about it?”.

But Bob and his team are notresting on their laurels. The nextstage of development of the ACC is a£35m exhibition centre, which Bobsays is “the last piece of the jigsawpuzzle creating the new three graces”.

“The exhibition hall willcompliment the facilities we havehere,” he says. “It’s called anexhibition hall and it will stageexhibitions but we’re future proofingthe designs so it can do concerts andevents. In the arena we can only dostand up concerts for about threeand a half thousand people. There’sa market for concerts that want10,000 stand ups.”

The building will consist of threehalls, each of 2,700 square metreseach that can be brought together tohold 10,000 standing guests.

“We’re designing it to make it asflexible as possible because themarket is constantly changing,” saysBob. “We don’t just want the ACC tobe right for now, we want it right for2020 and beyond. We’re not going toget complacent, we know we’re onlyas good as our last event,” says Bob.

As we speak the last event was infact a concert by new boyband OneDirection, which sold out on thesame morning tickets went on saleand saw thousands of screaminggirls descend on the arena. By it’sown measure then the ACC isdoing pretty good. Or, you mightsay, phenomenally.

Prattey FileDOB:29.01.1955

Education:Kings Heath Grammar, CoventryUniversity, Institute of Marketing

Career:Spent the greater part of his careerwith Birmingham’s NEC Group. Asmanaging director of groupvenues, he was responsible for theInternational Convention Centre,Symphony Hall and both the NECArena and the National IndoorArena. Became chief executive ofACC Liverpool in 2005.

Bob Prattey

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Expert views Ask the panel

What is the value of the GlobalEntrepreneurship Congress to the region?

“Liverpool will be the focus of thebusiness world. A wonderfulopportunity to showcase this greatcity, our conference and culturalfacilities and to ensure that theenthusiasm and confidence of thebusiness leaders to act uponthe messages delivered and ideasspawned out of the GEC leave atangible legacy of businessorigination and growth. I firmly believethat we are up to the task and ableto use the GEC as a springboard forfurther economic prosperity in thecity region.

SME's are the lifeblood of a region'seconomy. Currently, Liverpool lagsbehind other cities in the UK andneeds to create a climate whichsays: ‘we are open for business’. Ibelieve this is happening generallyand particularly in sectors such as biosciences and creative and digital. Tobuild upon the spirit ofentrepreneurship that exists in thiscreative city, we need greater supportfrom banks and other institutionallenders, and business angels, to turnideas and dreams into reality. Thereis a growing confidence in Liverpoolwhich I believe is not misplaced andwhich can help create a significantnumber of SMEs over the next fewyears in order to boost our economy.”

John Hall, Professional Liverpool

“The Global Entrepreneurs Congress isextremely significant and Liverpool Visionshould be congratulated on securing it forthe city. The event ticks so manyimportant boxes. In terms of profile, it putsLiverpool in the same bracket as Shanghaiand Dubai, both of which have hosted theCongress in recent years. It brings majorinternational business speakers andpolitical leaders to the city with all themedia attention that naturally generatesand it is a superb showcase for the Arenaand Convention Centre. But mostimportantly of all, the event raises thesubjective of entrepreneurship at everylevel – in big firms, SMEs, public agencies,

schools and the voluntary sector.Entrepreneurship is about calculated risk-taking and while it most often applies toindividuals in new and small businesses, itcan be equally important to biggercompanies and the public sector.

SMEs have never been more importantto Liverpool. It is going to be new and smallbusinesses that generate jobs andopportunities for apprenticeships andLiverpool has spawned more newbusinesses in the past five or six yearsthan at any time in its recent history.”

Jack Stopforth, Liverpool Chamber of Commerce

“Liverpool will be the first city inEurope to host the event; this isextremely high profile and, ofcourse, speaks volumes about thecity and the region. Diversity isoften the hallmark ofentrepreneurship, and for our SMEbusiness community this presentsan opportunity to be recognised, tobe involved and, more importantly tocontribute through the events andworkshops.”

Lesley Martin-Wright, KnowsleyChamber of Commerce

What is your opinion on small to medium enterprisesand the opportunities available to them in Liverpool?

“Hosting the GEC in Liverpoolprovides two importantopportunities. Firstly, it willgenerate significant national andinternational press coverage of thecity and our renaissancemaintaining the momentumestablished by Capital of Cultureand our presence at the World Expoin 2010.

Secondly, and most importantlythe GEC must act as a catalyst anda platform to support and sparkentrepreneurial activity andthinking across the region.

The target for growth is SME’s,the life blood of the UK economyrepresenting 99% of all businesses,60% of employment and almosthalf of private sector turnovernationally. In Liverpool we are nodifferent with the majority ofpeople in our 14,000 firms beingemployed by smaller rather thanlarger firms.

One of our advantages is that thepeople of Liverpool are recognisedas some of the country's mostinnovative and creative thinkers andusing the GEC to harness this innatetalent and channel it into business,perhaps through Liverpool inLondon, will benefit everyone. .”

Mark Chadwick, chief executive, Liverpool City Region

“The GEC is fantastic and it will bring a lot ofbusinesses to the city, as well as, like we sawlast year with the Labour Party Conference,provide Liverpool with a great publicityplatform. It’s going to put us on the map, itwill encourage entrepreneurs in the city and itwill be excellent for the local economy.Having Sir Richard Branson as the keynotespeaker is a great coup for the city. I do thinkSMEs could be better supported, there isnowhere near enough support out there.We’re a leading networking organisation forthe construction industries, we help ournetwork build contacts and develop effectiverelationships and business opportunities.”

Roy Gronow, vice chairman of Forumfor the Built Environment (fbe)

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