C
Golden opportunity
ompanies looking for large-scale
operational or storage facilities are
being offered a rare opportunity to
move into one of two modern industrial
units near Teesside’s “golden mile”.
Arkgrove Industrial Estate, on Ross Road,
just off the popular Portrack Lane shopping
area in Stockton, is being converted into
units measuring 7,300 and 15,700 sq ft.
A third unit has already been let, to the
UK’s biggest builder’s merchants, Travis
Perkins, and Joe Darragh, head of landlord
Mandale Group’s property development
department, is expecting keen interest in the
other two.
“Portrack Lane has long been nicknamed
the golden mile among businesses and
landlords and everyone wants to be here,” he
says.
“It’s a central distribution point for the
whole of the North East because it’s within a
stone’s throw of the A19, A66 and across to
the A1.”
The site was formerly owned by engineers
Hugill Forge, which closed down in the late
1970s. Mandale, one of the region’s leading
Mandale’s Joe Darragh (left)
with Kelvin Brennan outside
BL Hairdressing’s new
Stockton unit.
Why
Stockton’s
a cut above
40
Mandale's Joe Darragh has refurbished units
available at Arkgrove Industrial Estate in Stockton.
property developers, bought it and converted
it into a 23-unit industrial estate in the 1980s.
“Sites such as this have become popular
for distribution centres and we think this is
perfect for such use,” says Joe.
“We’ll be stripping everything back to
the bare steel frames, redecorating and
giving them new roofs, cladding and access
doors and creating new yards. When they’re
finished they’ll look like two brand new
units.”
Joe believes a wide variety of businesses
A
hairdressing training school with
around 400 apprentices on its books
believes a move to Stockton town centre will
help it become even more successful.
BL Hairdressing, which has five centres
across the North East, is relocating one
of them from Middlesbrough to Mandale
Group’s newly-renovated Dovecot Street
development.
Managing director Kelvin Brennan is
extremely upbeat about the move, which will
be completed during August, traditionally a
quiet month for the industry.
will want to look at the two units, including
tenants of Teesside Retail Park and other
retail areas who need storage facilities on
their doorstep.
One of the main attractions is the money
this saves them, as the units are available at a
fraction of the cost of premium retail space.
Work on the two new units, which involves
a six-figure investment from Mandale, will
begin in January and they will be available to
rent from the middle of next year. Contact Joe
on 07973 908559 for more information.
“We looked at what was available
in Stockton and Middlesbrough and
thought this was the best option for us,”
he says.
“It’s right in the centre of Stockton
with a good traffic flow. It’s also ideal
because it’s all been freshly decorated and
everything’s new.
“Mandale have been excellent. With
some places you have to do lots of
preparation first and get them up to spec,
but this was ready for us to start.”
Kelvin, who runs BL with fellow
directors Julie Ritson and Dale Dalton-
Ayres, is now aiming to build on the
80-plus apprentices currently training on
day release at the Teesside centre.
“We’re hoping it will help us train
more apprentices because there are lots
of salons in Stockton we don’t currently
work with,” he says.
Work is already underway to fit-out the
unit with new flooring and a salon and
gents’ barbers section.
BL also has training centres in
Newcastle, Sunderland, Darlington and
Durham.