A fast growing crane supplier has bought a prime commercial premises in Norwich following a deal brokered by Nottingham-based NG Chartered Surveyors and Norwich-based Brown & Co.
Crowland Cranes has acquired the site from Motus Group UK in a transaction that is a “major step forward” for the company.
The 1.23-acre premises includes fully-fitted offices and a 6,000 sq ft workshop area.
Crowland Cranes owns other sites at Crowland, its head office and main works, and a depot in Stanton, near Bury St Edmunds. After securing more work in and around Norwich, Crowland decided to rent a small site near to the city, to “test the water”.
Rob Smith at Crowland Cranes said: “We soon expanded both assets and staff and it became apparent that Norwich would work as our third depot. We have been looking for 18 months or so, for a site that worked for us, with good main road access for our cranes, together with hard standing, and ideally workshop and office space. Ticking all of these boxes has proved very difficult, and we looked to be going down the road of a green field site within a new industrial development, until we found this site.”
Rob says the acquisition is another step towards growing Crowland Cranes even further.
He added: “This is a big step forward for Crowland Cranes, gives us a secure foothold in the Norwich area – and a base to further expand both the crane hire business and potentially crane and specialised commercial vehicle repairs. The fact that this site was formerly a Truck dealership and MOT facility, can open up new exciting possibilities, which we intend to investigate.”
James Scholter, Group Head of Property at Motus Group UK, was delighted that the deal to divest the company’s investment had been completed so rapidly.
He said: “This deal has been a very positive experience for us. Working with Sunny and the NG team has meant we were able to release the property and land to the market in a quick, efficient manner, with the minimum of fuss, during an extremely testing period for all involved.
“I’d like to extend my thanks to NG Chartered Surveyors and Brown & Co for all their hard work on the deal, and wish Crowland Cranes all the best in their new Norwich home.”
Sunny Landa, director at NG Chartered Surveyors, said: “This is a perfect outcome for our client Motus and for Crowland Cranes.
“This deal was initiated during lockdown conditions and I’d like to thank all parties for completing the acquisition in what have been very difficult conditions for everyone.
“Although our heartland is the East Midlands, this important deal just goes to show that we have the knowledge and contacts to help growing businesses and those looking to divest of assets, wherever they may be based. I wish Crowland Cranes all the very best in their growth ambitions.”
Nick Dunn of joint agent Brown & Co, said: “Being locally based, we had a queue of parties that were interested in this property, as freehold opportunities with large yards are few and far between in the Norwich market. Crowland Cranes were very straight forward in their dealings and did exactly what they said they would do, which made for a very smooth transaction, which was very welcome under lockdown conditions.”
Rob added: “The joint selling team were most helpful from day one. From the very beginning, they were supplying instructive information, facts and answers to the constant questions we were asking. We wanted to move quickly to get the purchase completed, and even in these exceptional times, both agents have always been there when we needed details, information or guidance. For this, we sincerely thank them.”
