Commercial property experts Mandale have signed up two
businesses from opposite ends of the spectrum to fill high
quality industrial space in Stockton
WOR D S: ST UA RT A RN O L D
P I C T U R E S: M A RT I N WAL KE R
This is IT!
Businesses are flocking
to Arkgrove Industrial
Estate, off Portrack Lane
in Stockton, which has
been rejuvenated with a
£1m makeover.
Mandale find perfect
base for ComplyIT
F
or most of us Europe’s General Data
Protection Regulation (GDPR), which
became law in May, is just that thing
that causes any company you’ve interacted
with online to clog your e-mail inbox to let
you know their privacy policy has changed.
But for businesses such as ComplyIT
– which recycles laptops, PCs, servers,
printers, photocopiers, mobile phones and
other peripheral office equipment – it’s
absolutely central to what they do.
“GDPR is a big thing,” says ComplyIT
managing director Chris Allen. “And being
GDPR compliant is so important for any
company, especially when you consider the
level of fines.
“We securely wipe any personal data on
the hard drives of any items we receive,
which makes them re-saleable.
“In selling the product back on through
brokers, we can give a revenue share to
the customer. That can potentially then go
towards buying new kit or whatever they
see fit.”
Chris, a married dad-of-two from
Hemlington, Middlesbrough, had been in
the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic
Equipment) industry for 15 years when an
28
ComplyIT managing director Chris Allen
(left) with Mandale property specialist
Joe Darragh.
opportunity came up through investors who
approached him with the idea he should set
up his own company.
“Within a couple of months we've got to
where we are now and are looking forward to
getting new customers on board,” he says.
His firm secured a lease on a 2,500-sq ft
unit from commercial property specialists
Mandale on the Arkgrove Industrial Estate in
Ross Road, near Portrack Lane in Stockton.
The unit is one of several adjoining units
recently renovated by Mandale at a cost of
around £1m. Brickwork was replaced and
new concrete flooring laid. New roofing,
electrics, toilet facilities and parking facilities
completed the makeover.
“We'll be predominately focused on the
North-East, but we’ll collect from customers
all over the UK,” continues Chris.
“We’re looking as a company to have a
no-landfill policy with any redundant items,
but a lot of the material we will pick up has a
monetary value to it, either as scrap or spare
parts.
“With GDPR, the customer is now the
controller of the waste and if they say you
can't re-use any of our kit, we will pick it up
and dispose of it for them.
“But nine times out of ten, if you can tell
them there is a monetary value opportunity
on it, they are more likely to say you can wipe
the equipment and re-use it.
“We give them all the relevant
documentation, a hazardous waste
consignment note, a re-use note, an asset
management report and so on, so they have
the peace of mind and the duty of care in
terms of what has happened to their material.”
Chris says he couldn't have picked a better
location for ComplyIT’s new premises, with
the A19 nearby, linking to the A66 and the
A1(M) corridor.
“Mandale showed us a few properties, but
as soon as we saw Arkgrove – with all its new
modern features, 24-hour security and lots of
parking – we were hooked,” he adds.
For further information about Mandale’s
units at Arkgrove Industrial Estate, contact
Joe Darragh on 07973 908599 or email joe@
mandale.com