Hughes Ellard - Offices Sale - Southampton, Hampshire
Date: 09 May 2008
AN EXPANDING firm with a global reach has relocated its split-site premises under one roof at a new business park near Southampton.
Hi Spec Corporation, which has 20 staff and supplies UK companies with electronic componentry from the Far East, has just moved into unit 4 at Fulcrum 4, Solent Business Park, Whiteley.
Fulcrum 4 - part of the largest scheme of its kind between Southampton and Portsmouth - is due for phased completion later this summer following a start last December.
Seven of the 12 properties, ranging in size from 3,000 sq ft to 7,500 sq ft, are already pre-sold.
The commercial development is the second stage of a £43m speculative scheme over 14 acres by national property company Allied Developments, providing a mix of business accommodation, including purpose-built offices, hi-tech buildings for research and development and light assembly.
Hi Spec Corporation paid £570,000 freehold for a 4,308 sq ft, two-storey business unit, including storage and eight car spaces.
The company, established by owner Terry Drake 15 years ago, was previously based at two sites in The Gardens in Fareham and one at nearby Wallington.
Terry said: "The new headquarters fits the bill perfectly as we continue to expand through supplying UK firms with electronic componentry for everyday consumer use, from computer keyboards to teasmades - the iconic alarm clock and tea-making machine.
"Fulcrum 4 provided a rare opportunity to buy an excellent head office with decent storage space. Its strategic location between two of the biggest commercial centres on the south coast was also a key factor."
Southampton-to-Portsmouth commercial property specialist Hughes Ellard handled the deal.
Hughes Ellard's Russell Mogridge said: "There is a scarcity of this kind of modern, freehold, high-quality working space along the M27 corridor, so it's no wonder that seven of the 12 units have already been snapped up off-plan."
Other businesses that have signed up to Fulcrum 4 include CDI Rail, Moody Decking and Grapefruit Graphics.
The fit-outs - a number of them bespoke - are being carried out by Image, a commercial interiors specialist based near Wimborne in Dorset. Image, run by Glenn Brooks, was awarded a seven-figure contract by Allied Developments.
Fulcrum 4 is being marketed by Hughes Ellard, John Bird Associates and Lambert Smith Hampton.
(Left to Right), Zoe Harris of commercial property consultancy Hughes Ellard, Glenn Brooks of commercial interiors specialist Image, Terry Drake of Hi Spec Corporation and Russell Mogridge of Hughes Ellard
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