FEATURE
Above - director John Taylor ( centre ) leads a Parker Barras meeting at the firm ' s Middlesbrough HQ ( pictured right ).
relocate , set up a distribution base in the North-East and bring goods in via the port .
“ It ’ s very encouraging that so early on , we ’ re seeing inquiries of that type .”
Parker Barras prides itself on a strong work ethic , which John feels can be traced back to his days at Acklam Grange School in Middlesbrough .
He said : “ When I was 14 , I worked in pizza shops for guys predominantly from Iraq and Iran . One of them used to buy properties and because his English wasn ’ t great , I used to help him .
“ By the age of 16 , and helped by my dad , I was already building up a sizeable portfolio . Then when I was 17 , I opened up a pizza shop – Romano ’ s on Roman Road in Middlesbrough .
“ My friends were always going out on the weekends but I was working all the time . The work ethic was instilled into me from an early age .”
Six years after launching Parker Barras , John won awards in 2014 and 2015 for being the most active dealmaker in the North-East . “ I ’ d get approached by businesses on Teesside who wanted me to help them with their commercial properties , so we went on the acquisition trail on their behalf .
“ We ’ d handle the whole thing – we ’ d source and secure the property , we ’ d go to the client and say , ‘ We ’ ve got this property here ’, we ’ d liaise with the solicitor and we ’ d work on the exit strategy … basically , we ’ d do the donkey work and the client could sit back .”
Experts in sales and lettings of all types of commercial property , including industrial , retail , hospitality and office space , Parker Barras also offers business rate and licensing advice .
John explained : “ Recently a client applied for a licence for a pub in Stockton and was refused , but we took over the application and got it passed successfully . We can also advise and help struggling social clubs to survive and thrive .”
And his optimism for Parker Barras for 2021 seems well-founded , with the commercial property market “ thriving ” – a look at the firm ’ s website shows the range of sales and lettings on the books – and several exciting projects under way .
John explained : “ We ’ ve just acquired three buildings in the last month totalling more than 140,000 sq ft of office space .
“ We ’ ve also dealt with a new industrial estate in Lagonda Road , Billingham , on behalf of a client who has built in excess of 23 industrial units and we let over 50 per cent before completion .
“ And in Middlesbrough , the council has a great vision for the Middlehaven area and the town centre .
“ But we already have involvement , with one of our clients having Centre North East , the tallest building in Middlesbrough , and we ’ re working on plans for that .”
Since 2015 , “ home ” for Parker Barras has been the quirky Qube building at Middlehaven , giving the seven-strong team easy access to Middlesbrough town centre and the A66 .
And if there ’ s a family “ feel ” to things it ’ s not surprising , given that John ’ s dad David and brother James are both partners in the firm .
John said : “ We have very different roles but it ’ s good because we ’ ve all got our own strengths and can collaborate really well on a project and push it through
“ And when we ’ re acting for a client , we have a very personal approach . We look at it as if it was our project and it ’ s our money we ’ re spending or investing .
“ That personal , proactive approach enables us to act efficiently on the sale and letting of all types of commercial property , as well as advising and assisting in development acquisitions , investment portfolios , planning and licensing issues .”
With head of operations Paul Richardson bringing a wealth of experience to the table , there ’ s an increasing focus on the leisure and hospitality sector . Parker Barras also offers a no-obligation market appraisal service .
John added : “ Working proactively and using innovative ideas , our aim is to increase clients ’ wealth by increasing revenue and saving money .
“ The fact we have long-standing relationships with our clients and the fact they are happy to refer Parker Barras is testimony to the work we do .”
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