The recent letting of an office and showroom unit at Lakes Business Park, St Ives, Cambridgeshire to an established family run heating and plumbing company coincides with the conclusion of the sale of all the units by Barker Storey Matthews within the park’s new-build scheme, Willow Court.
In acting for the developer as the sole agent under instruction, the Huntingdon office of Barker Storey Matthews has sold all four industrial units – two of 2,050 sq ft and two of 2,300 sq ft – to, in combination, occupiers and investors.
The final transaction at Willow Court sees family firm, M & J Abbs Ltd take a new lease on Unit 4 Willow Court, from where it is trading now and scheduled to launch a brand new Rayburn heat centre showroom early next year (2020).
M & J Abbs Ltd was established in 2010 and specialises in installing AGA Rayburns, of which its lead engineer has over 20 years experience. The company had been operating from split sites in locations nearby at Conington and Pidley. The move to Unit 4 Willow Court gives the company the space to consolidate all its back office, servicing and showroom operations in one space.
M & J Abbs Ltd had been seeking new premises for most of this year (2019) and, as Hayley Abbs, Director, explained, its property requirements were exacting.
She said, “We were finding it very difficult to source a unit that was going to work for all the component parts of the business, especially as we had been selected by Rayburn to be only one of 40 specialist ‘Heat Centres’ – and the only one in the Cambridge area.
“Units we saw just weren’t going to give us the professional first impression, so crucial when customers visit, until we saw Willow Court. It’s functional for the plumbing business and smart and with easy access – improving all the time with the A14 upgrade – for showroom customers. There’s a real feeling of community being fostered among the other occupiers at the Lakes Business Park.”
Richard Adam, of Barker Storey Matthews, led the sale instructions at Willow Court. In commenting on the final transaction, he said, “This development has proved very successful and is supporting the next phase of the Lakes Business Park’s development which is now under construction.
“The location now has a high profile business indentity with occupiers such as Vindis Bentley, Cambridgeshire Bathrooms and now M & J Abbs Ltd.”
