Tees Business Tees Business Issue 14 | Page 17

BREAK HOW MANDALE TURNED THE TABLES TO CREATE A PROPERTY GIANT “Ey up!” – Mandale estates director Joe Darragh has become well-known for his friendly greeting. Joe Darragh tells Michael McGeary how Mandale’s big break made them hot property A dramatic decline in the popularity of snooker was the cue for a change of direction that helped Mandale Group become the North-East’s largest privately- owned property developer. The Tees-based company began life as the Pool and Snooker Centre, manufacturing snooker tables in a factory off Bowesfield Lane, Stockton, to cater for the sport’s spectacular boom in the 1980s. “Former bingo halls all over the country were being converted into snooker clubs with 20 or more full-sized tables,” recalls estates director Joe Darragh. “Steve Davis was world number one for six years running and we were kept extremely busy. “But everyone wanted to see Davis get beaten and as soon as he finally lost his crown – bang! Interest in snooker started to decline dramatically.” Many of the snooker halls were turned into roller skating rinks or nightclubs and the company knew they also had to find a new direction. “We converted our factory into offices and industrial units and found we were able to let them quite easily,” recalls Joe. It was quickly clear they were onto a winner. They came up with the name Mandale because the company owned a showroom on Mandale Road in Thornaby, while the nearby Victoria Bridge in Stockton was adopted for its logo. “We built offices on Teesdale Business Park during the Teesside Development Corporation days when Margaret Thatcher took her famous walk in the wilderness, >>