A prominent office near Southampton has been acquired by a regional photocopier dealership through commercial property consultancy Hughes Ellard.
Condor Office Solutions bought three-storey Cando House at Chandler’s Ford for an undisclosed freehold sum.
The 951 sq m (10,239 sq ft) detached premises on Bournemouth Road is close to Tollgate Business Park, Chandler’s Ford Industrial Estate, and previously served as offices for DIY chain B&Q.
Cando House, directly opposite the front of hypermarket Asda, will be extensively refurbished throughout this year.
A third of the building, which dates back to the 1950s, is expected to be let to generate rental income.
Russell Mogridge, the business space director at Hughes Ellard, which has offices in Southampton and Fareham, acted for Condor.
Emma Lockey, CBRE Agency Associate Director, acted on behalf of seller B&Q.
Condor, a print fleet management specialist, an advanced solutions partner with photocopiers manufacturer Canon and employing 40 people, will relocate from its current headquarters 5.5 miles away at Lodge Road, Southampton.
Russell said: “Our search-and-acquisition team was instructed by Condor nearly five years ago to find the ideal location for the business but there was little suitable stock that fitted the firm’s particular requirements, including proximity to the gateway M3.
“Cando House came on the market for some time and immediately found favour with Condor. We understand that Condor may look to let, through us, around 279 sq m (3,000 sq ft) within the building as a rental stream.”
Condor’s managing director, David Bayles, said: “Our marketing strapline is ‘Condor – Can Do’, so it is a happy coincidence that we will be moving into a new headquarters called Cando House.
“We have enjoyed steady growth over the last decade and for the last five we have been operating out of cramped offices.
“We have fantastic staff and we’re delighted to be providing the space and facilities they deserve.
“Delivering great customer service is critical to our success and having tailor-made premises, and ideally located, will only help us deliver this.
“We’re grateful to Hughes Ellard for looking out for us and we look forward to moving in next year.”
Condor, a member of Southampton’s Chamber of Commerce, will either sell or let its existing premises, relocating to Cando House sometime in 2014.
CBRE’s Emma Lockey said: “With its ease of access to the motorway, Chandler’s Ford remains a popular location. Cando House became surplus to B&Q’s requirements after it relocated into its new purpose-built headquarters on Chestnut Avenue locally.
“CBRE was instructed to sell and had a good level of interest from a number of owner occupiers who saw this as a great opportunity to purchase their own office.”
