| - |
|
Top story
|
Plans laid for £450m transformation of Birmingham's Eastside Locks
Eastside Locks, the £450m mixed-use regeneration scheme in Birmingham city centre, moved a step closer today with an application for outline planning. Arlington Business Parks Partnership fund, managed by property group Goodman, and Advantage West Midlands (AWM) submitted the plans for the 13-acre site. When completed, Eastside Locks, formerly Ventureast, will be 1.4 million sq ft of offices, city living flats, a hotel, shops and leisure space. Jim Johnston, Goodman's managing director for UK Business Parks, said: "These plans demonstrate how much work has been undertaken to make Eastside Locks a unique and vibrant environment. We're confident the foundations are in place to make it an exceptional sustainable scheme for businesses, strengthening Birmingham as a global city." Mick Laverty, AWM chief executive, added: "There's no doubt Eastside Locks ranks as one of the most exciting and important city centre regeneration programmes anywhere in Europe. The planning process will represent a major step forward."
|
Tata to seal deal next week
Indian giant Tata will complete the £1.15bn takeover of Land Rover and Jaguar next week, according to reports. Top-ranking executives from Tata, including Ravi Kant, managing director of Tata Motors, will travel to the Midlands for a joint signing ceremony with bosses of Ford, which owns the Land Rover and Jaguar marques. It is expected the formal handover will come in June. News of next week's signing comes as Ford plans to cut its US workforce by 12 per cent after huge losses as a result of record oil prices. 
Defence is best form of attack for Qinetiq
Profits at defence technology company Qinetiq Group, which has a major operation in Malvern, have risen 20 per cent thanks to a strong performance in the US. The company also raised its operating margin target and said it was looking to expand into new markets. Qinetiq's underlying operating profit rose to £127m in the year ended 31 March from £106m in 2007. The company, which develops technologies for aircraft, airports and the defence and security sectors, also raised its medium-term operating margin target to 11 per cent from 10 per cent.
|
Cooks completes deals on 120 stores
Cooks The Bakery has acquired 120 leasehold stores of Three Cooks, the rival chain that went into administration. The business and trade was acquired by Solihull-based Cooks from the administrator two years ago and, since then, the corporate solutions team at Colliers CRE in Birmingham has advised on the leases of all the properties from which trading is carried out. The work included negotiations with property landlords over changes to lease arrangements and the assignment of leases.
High hopes for Silver Lining
Two venture capital firms have backed software company Silver Lining Solutions. The Birmingham office of Catapult Venture Managers has put half of a £500,000 funding round into Rugby-based Silver Lining via the Advantage Enterprise and Innovation Fund. Meanwhile, the Advantage Growth Fund, managed by Midven, has invested another £125,000, to bring its total investment to £500,000, matched by £125,000 from business angels and the management team. Caroline Green, investment director with Catapult, said: "The funding will be used for a sales and marketing push and to enable the development of the software." The demand for call centre technology is burgeoning and the market is estimated to be worth £2.5bn.
|
UBC-Gladman partnership creates new Stafford business centre
United Business Centres (UBC) has announced Parker Court in Stafford Technology Park as the location for the second business centre to be set up after its recent partnership with Cheshire-based Gladman Developments. UBC will create business centres in Gladman's G10K buildings, each with a set floor space of 10,070 sq ft. Fit- out of the new Stafford business centre is scheduled to begin soon and it is expected to open for business in a few weeks.
Willmott Dixon goes back to college
Willmott Dixon has completed the first phase of building work on the £21m design and build project to transform Hereford College of Technology and revitalise the campus. A learning resource centre, business development centre and a workshop was constructed for phase one, which will cater for students studying vocational courses including construction, engineering and IT. Students and teaching staff are now relocating to the new buildings before work on phase two and the construction of a new general teaching block commences.
Expansion on tap
A plumbing equipment manufacturer has announced a £6m investment to more than double the size of its facilities in Staffordshire. Rugeley-based Altecnic will move from its premises at Hixon in Staffordshire to a purpose built 80,000 sq ft facility at Mustang Drive in Stafford, creating jobs in the process. The move is planned towards the end of 2008.
Two more for WMDA
The West Midlands Developers Alliance (WMDA) has signed up two major international organisations as members. Goodman, the integrated global property group, owns, develops and manages industrial and office space including Birmingham Business Park, while retail property group Westfield is the owner of Merry Hill shopping centre in Brierley Hill. They bring the number of Midland developers represented by the WMDA to more than 30.
|
Cobbetts strengthens Midlands banking litigation team
Law firm Cobbetts has appointed Sara Pinder as a director into the banking and finance litigation team in Birmingham. She joins from HSBC Invoice Finance where she was the in-house legal team manager.
Dains bring corporate finance specialist to Birmingham
Dains, the Midlands firm of chartered accountants, has appointed Sally Anderson as manager in its Birmingham office. Anderson will be based at Dains' Fort Dunlop office and will join Spencer Wright, corporate finance partner, in expanding the corporate finance department.
Property management boost for Curry & Partners
Karen Combellack has been promoted to departmental manager at the Birmingham office of property consultancy firm Curry & Partners. A member of the Institute of Residential Property Management, she will be responsible for overseeing the flat and service charge management division, which has moved into the newly expanded office space at Summer Row in Birmingham.
|
|
Contact Us
Insider Weekly
Canterbury House
85 Newhall Street
Birmingham
B3 1LH
Telephone: +44 (0)121 232 0980
Email:
editor.mids@newsco.com
|
|
Subscribe
To subscribe to the eBulletin,
click here.
|
|
-
|
