BE Group specialise in Commercial Property across the North West and are based in Birchwood.

Welcome to the BE Group

BE Group NEWS

BAX TO THE FUTURE

BE Group’s consultant surveyor and former England and Sale Sharks Rugby Union player Jos Baxendell, has recently been appointed as the Skills Coach for Sale Sharks.

Jos has joined the coaching team headed by Steve Diamond.  The pair previously worked together coaching the Russian national team to qualification for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Jos’ part-time role will be focussing on individual player skill development with 1^st XV and academy players.  He will also assist Head Coach Tony Hanks with the backline.

Jos has been a property consultant with BE Group for over 17 years now and will continue to service existing and new clients.

BIG DEAL, BIG DEAL, BIG DEAL, BIG DEAL

BE Group office agency has advised on four large deals in Warrington and South Manchester totalling over 100,000 sqft of offices in the last few months.

The most recent deal was the acquisition of 30,000 sqft at Pacific House in South Manchester for engineering firm Simon Carves Engineering, part of PL Engineering.  Vince Sandwell, BE Group’s Director of Agency, “This is a significant letting for the South Manchester area and will see the company establishing a new European Head Quarters close to the airport”.

Also in South Manchester BE Group acted on behalf of ANS Group Plc in acquiring 9,300 sqft on a five year lease at Synergy House at Manchester Science Park.

Scott Fletcher, Chairman and Founder of ANS Group, commented “We have doubled our floor area to accommodate our increase in staff numbers from 80 to 120 people over the last 12 months.  Jos’ property advice and knowledge have been invaluable to ANS in securing the right property on the right terms.”

BE Group have also been involved in two of the largest deals in the Birchwood Office market for some time.  BE Group acted for landlord MEPC Birchwood Park in securing a pre-let to Serco of 31,882 sqft at 305 Bridgewater Place.  In addition, 38,000 sqft was acquired by Fircroft at Lingley House on Birchwood Boulevard for landlord Applied Bio Systems who BE Group advised.

Vince Sandwell, BE Group’s Director of Agency, commented “these four deals accounted for a total of 109,182 sqft and shows that the market is not quite as doom and gloom as everyone thinks.  However, it is still a tenant’s market out there and with good advice tenants can secure favourable terms which was illustrated in both the ANS and Simon Carves deals.”

CHESHIRE AND WARRINGTON PROPERTY REPORTS

Swedish author Stig Larson did it with his trilogy of novels about Lisbeth Salander, Sir Geoff Hurst famously scored three when England won the World Cup.  

Now BE Group has delivered its own hat trick in the form of Property Reports for the three Cheshire and Warrington local authorities.  Originators, and authors, of Warrington’s Annual Property Report (now in its thirteenth edition), BE Group has produced similar reports for Cheshire East and Cheshire West & Chester.  Commissioned jointly by Marketing Cheshire and the two local authorities, BE Group has compiled analysis and commentary on all sectors of the property market covering the past twelve months.  The reports can be viewed by clicking on the links below.

Cheshire West & Chester Annual Property Report 2011

Cheshire East Annual Property Report 2011

HOW GREEN IS MY VALLEY

Together with Quantum Strategy and Technology and the University of Hull, BE Group has completed a review of the prospects for green jobs for the Yorkshire and Humber region.  Originally commissioned to prepare a report covering the Yorkshire Cities’ nine unitary authority areas, the work was extended to include every local authority area in the region.  Reports were produced at the levels of the whole region; the separate city regions/local enterprise partnerships; and each individual local authority.

In addition to defining green jobs, the study has established the existing scale and nature of green employment, as well as produce forecasts for growth over the next decade.  The study found there to be over 91,000 existing jobs in ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ green jobs – representing 3.6 percent of total employment in Yorkshire and Humber.  Five key sectors with significant growth potential were identified and a framework for policy development and action was produced covering aspects including leadership and co-ordination; information and intelligence; business support; procurement; finance; skills and employment; R&D and innovation; infrastructure; inward investment; planning and development.

CO-OP OPERATION

Along with Taylor Young, Aecom, WT Partnership, BE Group has prepared a feasibility study for the regeneration of the former Co-op store in Morecambe’s West End.  Although the Co-op retain a much reduced presence in the form of a ‘Late Shop’, the building is now owned by Lancaster City Council.  The City Council commissioned the team to examine the physical and financial viability of creating a vibrant and sustainable managed workspace facility.

Market supply and demand research was carried out, a series of options examined and supporting financial appraisals prepared.  During the research BE Group confirmed interest from both an occupier and developer.  The latter has now signed an exclusivity agreement with the Council, enabling them to work up their refurbishment proposals for the building.

SUNDERLAND 2   BE GROUP 2

Following on from producing a Visible Workspaces Development Framework for the City of Sunderland, BE Group this summer completed a second piece of work in the form of a market demand review for a hybrid managed offices and workspace scheme in Washington.  This will see a £5 million investment by the City Council in a 5200 sqm development, financed by a mix of ERDF and Working Neighbourhoods Fund.  The study identified potential sites, developers and management organisations.  The City Council is now undertaking the procurement programme.

AND…

BE Group’s regeneration and planning team:

• has recently completed a planning review for the Homes and Communities Agency of residential development proposals in South Ribble
• is finalising Shropshire County Council’s Employment Land and Premises Review (in support of the LDF Core Strategy), and 
• is part of the consultancy team working on proposals for the refurbishment and upgrading of St Fagans National History Museum near Cardiff.

Chartered Surveyors

Town Planning Consultants

Regeneration & Economic Development