Leading property industry web site EGI has for the third year in succession awarded Legat Owen the EGI Deals Winner Award for Cheshire & North Wales. The award recognises the most active regional agent in Cheshire & North Wales over the previous 12 month period. Legat Owen previously won the award in 2008 and 2009.

Legat Owen were also awarded the title of Most Active Industrial Agent in the whole of Wales for 2010.

Legat Owen Senior Partner, Peter Owen commented, “It is gratifying to have independent recognition for the achievements of the team in delivering a record number of deals in what have been extremely challenging market conditions. You can rest assured that we are working hard to make sure that we retain the title in 2011!

Highlights in 2010 included the sale of the 82,000 sq ft HQ offices for Liberty Properties to Cheshire West & Chester Council, the acquisition of the former County Hall for the University of Chester, the sale of Phase 1 of the Holyhead Retail Park to Threadneedle, and the acquisition of a new 180,000 sq ft high bay warehouse in Oldham for Great Bear Distribution.”

Legat Owen recently announced a new lease to Costa Coffee at the new The Rock Shopping Centre in Bury. The duration of the lease is 10 years at an annual rental of £65,000 per annum.

The Rock is the largest retail and leisure destination to open in 2010 and accommodates 60 stores.

Dan Oliver, a retail agent at Legat Owen commented This provides Costa with a high profile store in one of the main new shopping centres this year. We look forward to continuing our acquisition works with Costa into 2011 where we are instructed to locate stores across the North and Midlands”.

Legat Owen recently announced a new letting to The White Company of 19 Northgate Street, Chester on a 10 year lease at a rental of £140,000 per annum.

The White Company currently have twenty UK stores, two UK outlet stores, four UK concessions plus thirteen franchises.

Llyr Emanuel, a director at Legat Owen commented “we are delighted to secure this quality retailer for this historic building in Chester. The White Company will fully refurbish the building and will trade part first floor”

Eric Wright Group have recently exchanged an Agreement to Lease with Cheshire & Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust for them to occupy 5,000 sq ft of office space at Sycamore House on the Cheshire Oaks Business Park in Ellesmere Port.

The Cheshire & Wirral Partnership NHS Trust will use the facility primarily to train Trust staff but will also develop the delivery of training programmes for other organisations.

Legat Owen acted for Eric Wright Group Limited in the letting and Director of Business Space, Stephen Wade commented “The Trusts’ decision to move to Cheshire Oaks was driven by a number of factors including the location, the quality of the accommodation and the landlord’s willingness to provide a turnkey solution.

Legat Owen has recently announced the sale of the former TDG Distribution Depot in Alltami, Flintshire. The depot which extends to 70,000 sq ft on 11 acres has been acquired by Wirral based D Morgan PLC for an undisclosed amount.

D Morgan PLC is one of the UK’s leading contractors in ground remediation, earth works, demolition and recycling.

Legat Owen were instructed be Celtic Asset Management who are providing strategic asset management advice to TDG across the UK and Europe.

Working alongside clients WR Estates Ltd, Legat Owen has bucked the economic gloom by securing two major lettings at its Sandycroft trading estate, Engineer Park.

International parcel delivery firm Fedex (UK) Ltd has taken additional space to expand its depot to over 20,000 sq ft, whilst a newcomer to the estate, North Wales Aero Forms Ltd, has signed up for just under 9,000 sq ft.  Please contact Mark Diaper 01244 408236 for current availability.

Authentic Italian food company Carluccio's have acquired the former Yorkshire Bank premises on Bridge Street in Chester. Carluccio's who have some 45 restaurants in the UK have taken a new 25 year lease at a rent of £95,000 per annum from the Grosvenor Estate.

Llyr Emanuel, head of the Retail Department at Legat Owen who represented Carluccio's in the transaction, commented ‘this is good news for Chester and an excellent brand to have on Bridge Street. 38 Bridge Street is a substantial and attractive property and will provide an excellent home for Carluccio's’.

Acting on behalf of Standard Life, Legat Owen have let the former USC on Eastgate Street to DSG Retail Limited who will trade the store as a Currys Digital. DSG have taken a new 10 year lease at a rent of £230,000 per annum.  Llyr Emanuel, Head of Legat Owen Retail Department is delighted with the deal and comments “This letting proves there is active demand for prime retail space in Chester from the leading national multiple retailers. This is great news for Eastgate Street and it was interesting to note there were two under bidders!”

We are pleased to confirm that on behalf of Welsh Health Estates and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board Legat Owen have completed the sale of Brynseiont Hospital, Caernarfon to the Pendine Park Care Organisation.

The site comprised a former Community Hospital set within a landscaped environment on the outskirts of Caernarfon. The property extended to 22,500 sq ft on a site of 4.76 acres.

The transaction, structured by Peter Johnston, head of the firm’s business space, involved selling, for some £19M, 82,000 sq ft of new high quality offices within HQ to Chester West & Chester Council, whilst also arranging the purchase of the Local Authority’s 240,000 sq ft County Hall and Court by Chester University.
 
HQ, developed by Liberty, stands on the site of the old Police Headquarters, and now provides one of Chester’s most prestigious multi-use developments.

Acting on behalf of Redrow, Legat Owen has let 10,000 sq ft of modern offices at Priory Court, Preston Brook, Runcorn to Projen PLC ( www.projen.co.uk ). The letting was secured within six months of being instructed at a headline rental of £14.00 psf.  Legat Owen are now instructed to sell the investment.  Further information is available from Will Sadler.

Acting on behalf of Atmore Developments Limited, Legat Owen have recently acquired this investment at Charon Way, Gemini Retail Park, Warrington for a sum approaching £4.7M, reflecting an initial yield of 7%.

The showroom is let to Volkswagen Group UK Limited for a term of eighteen and a half years remaining. The current rent of £347,800 per annum is subject to a minimum uplift on the first review in August 2012.  For further information contact Peter Owen.

The Company is very pleased to announce that James has completed his training for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and is now fully qualified. James works in retail agency and has advanced through the Company's graduate training programme, returning to Legat Owen after first joining as a sandwich student.

Quality Hydraulic Power Limited have recently completed the lease of Taylor House in Minerva Avenue on the Chester West Employment Park.  The building, which comprises a modern manufacturing facility with two storey offices, extends to 38,000 sq ft.  QHP specialise in the manufacturing of Accumulators and Coolers used in a wide range of commercial uses.  Legat Owen’s business space team advised the landlord in relation to the letting.

The fashionable university retailer has acquired the former Evans unit at 22/24 Eastgate Street taking a 15 year lease at £285,000pa. Acting on behalf of Royal London Llyr Emanuel , head of the firm's retail team, achieved the letting after securing the surrender of Evans' lease . The rent agreed will show a new Zone A level for Eastgate Street of around £220 per sq ft.

Legat Owen is very pleased to have won the Estates Gazette's Most Active Regional Agent Award for the number of deals it has transacted over the last 12 months. Despite the uncertainties of the marketplace the firm's investment, retail, industrial and office agency teams have been busy with both disposals and acquisitions. 

Acting on behalf of a private trust client Ian Davies has recently completed this investment acquisition for a price of £4m, reflecting a yield in the order of 6%.  The property occupies a prime location next to the Broadmarsh Shopping Centre and comprises two shops let to Bradford & Bingley and Fonehouse.

Legat Owen are pleased to announce that Mark Diaper recently completed his Assessment of Professional Competence and is now a fully fledged Chartered Surveyor.

Mark joined the company as a trainee and is now part of the Industrial Agency team, dealing with the Deeside and Wrexham Industrial Estates, and acquiring units on behalf of Plumbase.

Legat Owen is very pleased to launch it's new website. It has a great visual impact and gives visitors easy and rapid access to search for all types of property, as well as providing details of the company and the services it offers.

It was imaginatively designed and installed by CoCreate

Congratulations to Chester Rugby Club who recently won the EDF Energy Intermediate Cup at Twickenham.  Sponsored by Legat Owen, the team won the final with a 21-18 victory over local rivals Birkenhead Park.  This caps off what has been a fantastic season for the Club, winning the League as well, resulting in promotion back to North 1.

After an absence of some 23 years, Legat Owen took part in this year's Richmond 7's on Sunday 11 May.  James Lutton (Retail Agency) organised our combined entry (with Mason Owen) and on the left is a picture of James with other Legat Owen team mates including Llyr Emanuel, Patrick Hughes, Mark Diaper and Eoghan Turner.

Mark Atherton has joined the company from Spencer Holdings to lead the building surveying team.

Mark has practical experience in dealing with general building surveying duties including construction and general management of works, statutory compliance issues, defect analysis and reporting, together with professional work on preparation on schedules of condition / dilapidation, party wall and neighbour dispute issues and establishment/supervision of PPM systems.
 
Additionally, Mark is a qualified asbestos surveyor and able to formulate appropriate identification reports and implement systems for control and management of asbestos under current legislation.