Global real estate investment management firm, Blue Noble LLP, has announced plans to refurbish Eleven Brindleyplace, a 110,000 sq ft Grade A office building in Birmingham city centre. The new design will reconfigure the building’s substantial double height reception and ground floor business lounge and deliver best-in-class amenities including an
James Latham introduces Swiss Krono’s One World, a unique selection of Melamines specifically for the UK and Ireland. Yesterday, James Latham, one of the UK’s leading independent distributors of architectural materials and finishes, announces the UK and Ireland launch of Swiss Krono’s One World collection. Specially curated for James Latham,
Project will preserve iconic Brutalist landmark facade for the ‘affordable luxury for the people’ hotel Award-winning construction and fit out contractor, Gilbert-Ash, has been appointed as the main contractor to develop Ireland’s first citizenM hotel: citizenM Dublin St Patrick’s. Molyneux House on Bride Street has a long and varied past
Interior design consultancy Office Principles North, has completed the design and delivery of the new green office of Energy & Utility Skills in Solihull. Office Principles North has handed over 5,000 sq ft of CAT B office space on the first floor of Avon House off the A34 Stratford Road,
Hotel fitout specialist, Polcom Furniture by Volumetric Building Companies, has been awarded contracts worth more than £2m to provide bespoke fitted bedroom and bathroom furniture for four Premier Inn hotels and one hub by Premier Inn. Working with Whitbread’s main contractor for each scheme – Gilbert Ash, Carter Lauren and
Wigan based commercial interior design & fit out company, Truline celebrates 35 years and a record increase in year-on-year sales with a restructure to reposition within the market. Truline saw a sales increase of 35% year on year and so in its 35th year the team decided to update the
Deanestor, one of the UK’s leading education fitout specialists, has been awarded its 16th contract for Morrison Construction. The new project involves the provision of around 6,000 items of loose and fitted furniture for a primary school and community hub now under construction in Aberdeen. This contract for Greyhope School
One of the UK’s leading specialist interior fit-out contractors has reported another record financial year and has added new apprentices to its workforce. EE Smith Contracts, which marked its 125th anniversary last year, employs over 300 staff at its purpose-built headquarters in Leicester. The business has posted the highest annual
Seoul, South Korea: almost 10 million inhabitants and an extraordinary economic-financial structure that places it among the world’s strongest economies. This is home to the headquarters of some of the most famous multinationals, embedded in an incredibly high housing and demographic background. Offices, industries, trade centres, banks and financial institutions
Wates is set to grow its retail project portfolio with the appointment to deliver three large-scale fit-out contracts on behalf of Marks and Spencer (M&S) in Dundee, Uckfield, and Guildford. With a combined area of over 80,000 sq ft, the three contracts form part of M&S’s major investment to transform
Global real estate investment management firm, Blue Noble LLP, has announced plans to refurbish Eleven Brindleyplace, a 110,000 sq ft Grade A office building in Birmingham city centre. The new design will reconfigure the building’s substantial double height reception and ground floor business lounge and deliver best-in-class amenities including an on-site café and a client event space. With strong focus on ESG, the scheme also includes an upgrade to ‘end of journey’ facilities, comprising secure bicycle storage and repair station, fully equipped showers and lockers. Interior design consultancy Office Principles North, has been awarded the refurbishment contract and the project is due to complete in October 2023. Nicole Steed, director of asset management at Blue Noble, said: “We’re excited to progress our plans to further enhance the facilities at Eleven Brindleyplace. We are proud to be delivering this scheme to an already impressive building, creating outstanding and well configured on-site amenities that provide the space and experience modern occupiers want.” Eleven Brindleyplace boasts floor-to-ceiling glazing on all 12 floors, with 24-hour access and on-site parking. Carter Jonas and Fisher German are leasing agents marketing 38,000 sq ft of available office space at the building. Alex Tross, partner and head of office agency Midlands at Carter Jonas, said: “The high-quality, affordable office space and range of amenities make Eleven Brindleyplace an ideal base for businesses looking to establish a presence in Birmingham’s thriving business community. The building offers convenient access to the city centre and benefits from both secure parking and close proximity to local transportation links, including the West Midlands Metro.” Charles Warrack, partner at Fisher German, said: “Eleven Brindleyplace is an ideal opportunity for occupiers to secure some of the best office space in Birmingham, as the market bounces back and occupiers seek a flight to quality accommodation.” For more information on availability at Eleven Brindleyplace, please contact Alex Tross at Carter Jonas on 0121 306 0401 and Charles Warrack at Fisher German on 0121 561 7885, or visit https://www.elevenbrindleyplace.co.uk/. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
James Latham introduces Swiss Krono’s One World, a unique selection of Melamines specifically for the UK and Ireland. Yesterday, James Latham, one of the UK’s leading independent distributors of architectural materials and finishes, announces the UK and Ireland launch of Swiss Krono’s One World collection. Specially curated for James Latham, One World brings together 37 of Swiss Krono’s highly sought-after, premium melamines in one place. Offering a near-unrivalled variety of patterns and textures, One World covers all the bases, including monotone, woodgrain, material reproduction and design surfaces. Unlocking creativity, One World’s surfaces can be continually combined in new and interesting ways, opening up a diverse range of design possibilities and firing the imagination of any specifier, daring them to mix, match and experiment. A cornucopia of decors Available across all James Latham’s 14 UK and Ireland depots, the distributor possesses a full stock holding of black, white and standard carcass decors, with three distinct collections: UNI, Woodgrain and Camustyle TX. Taking a closer look: UNI: From subtle to bold, and beautiful in their simplicity, this collection comprises a wide variety of on-trend colours, updated on a regular basis to ensure everything ‘in fashion’ is always available. Woodgrain: features realistic oak, elm, chestnut and walnut finishes with a timeless and elegant finish that will enhance any style. Camustyle TX: Inspired by limestone and textile surfaces, these sophisticated decors feature an impressive vintage look and a rugged texture, offering massive creative potential for furnishings and interior design at an affordable price point. Form and Function The quality of the One World range is not just skin deep. Lightweight and simple to fabricate and install, it’s suitable for a variety of commercial and residential internal surfacing applications, from furniture and shop-fittings to kitchens, bedrooms, hotels, and offices. PEFC™ certified, the range meets the new low-emission class of ED2020 (E0.5), halving the formaldehyde content of E1 melamines. Available in the UK and Ireland from James Latham, One World comes as 2800 x 2070 x 18mm sheets. For more information on the One World Collection, click here. For more information on James Latham’s award-winning distribution services, click here. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Project will preserve iconic Brutalist landmark facade for the ‘affordable luxury for the people’ hotel Award-winning construction and fit out contractor, Gilbert-Ash, has been appointed as the main contractor to develop Ireland’s first citizenM hotel: citizenM Dublin St Patrick’s. Molyneux House on Bride Street has a long and varied past including spells as a Huguenot Church, a bird market and the offices of well-known Irish architect, Sam Stephenson. The distinctive façade of the building, originally designed by Stephenson, is set to be retained as Gilbert-Ash transforms the site into a 245-room, nine-storey hotel featuring citizenM’s signature bedrooms, inspiring workspaces, a living room filled with art, designer furniture and a 24/7 canteenM serving breakfast, coffee, cocktails, and grab-and-go food. It will also feature a double-height open air art gallery accessible from the ground floor, a terrace courtyard, and four societyM rooms – citizenM’s take on meeting rooms but with a twist. All of these spaces will be open to the public, with societyM rooms available to book for full- or half-day use. The project, designed by citizenM’s long-standing architecture firm partner concrete Amsterdam, will get underway in August 2023 with completion set for early 2025. Known for its hybrid hotel concept that answers to the common frustrations of modern travellers by not only providing a great place to sleep but also to work and play, citizenM currently has 31 hotels across the UK, North America, Europe and Asia. The new Bride Street project next to St Patrick’s Park marks the brand’s first venture into Ireland, although it is actively seeking further opportunities in Dublin city centre. citizenM Dublin St Patrick’s will be Gilbert-Ash’s second project with citizenM, having last year completed the fully modular construction of its London Victoria Station hotel. Gilbert-Ash Managing Director, Ray Hutchinson, said the company is pleased to be continuing its excellent working relationship with the hotel brand. He said: “citizenM is known for disrupting the traditional hotel model with a real focus on lifestyle, guest-centric technology, efficiency, value and genuinely great customer service. “Gilbert-Ash takes on a lot of niche projects which require innovation to succeed, and we share a lot of the same values as citizenM, therefore, we feel there is a real synergy between our companies. We are excited to be working with citizenM once again and we are delighted to be taking on another project in the heart of Dublin.” Klaas Van Lookeren Campagne, CEO of citizenM, says: “Dublin has been high on our list of target cities for some time, and we are thrilled to have secured this location as our first entry into the Irish market. We believe our affordable luxury concept is a great fit for the city, appealing to both visitors and locals alike, and look forward to connecting with this vibrant community.” Gilbert-Ash has a unique approach to construction, fit out and refurbishment based on the belief that great buildings come about through hard work, inspired innovation and genuine collaboration. Sustainability is a key focus for Gilbert-Ash with a number of initiatives underway to help the company to drive down its carbon footprint. To find out more about Gilbert-Ash visit www.gilbert-ash.com, and for more about citizenM visit www.citizenM.com. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Interior design consultancy Office Principles North, has completed the design and delivery of the new green office of Energy & Utility Skills in Solihull. Office Principles North has handed over 5,000 sq ft of CAT B office space on the first floor of Avon House off the A34 Stratford Road, near Shirley. Its design facilitates hybrid working for up to 70 employees, offering a combination of modern, open plan office space, with hot desking, meeting rooms and collaboration and breakout areas. Sustainability is a key feature of the fit out, in line with Energy & Utility Skills’ vision of ‘skills for a greener world’, and boasts a range of environmentally friendly features such as biophilia, planting and a moss wall. The scheme has been independently assessed as having surpassed sustainability good practice criteria and is one of only a handful of UK office fit out projects to have achieved Ska gold certification. Energy & Utility Skills has signed a ten-year lease at Avon House and has relocated to the building from Blythe Valley Business Park. Katie Jarvis, account manager at Office Principles North, said that Energy & Utility Skills is one of many employers that have chosen to redesign office space to support hybrid working.She said: “The role of the office continues to evolve from solely being a place where work is carried out, to a destination that promotes collaboration and brings people together. “Energy & Utility Skills is committed to providing an inspiring and inclusive workplace for its employees and clients. We have delivered a flexible space where people have the freedom to move around and work in different ways, giving them a great experience. “As a business that operates in the energy and utilities sector, the environment is hugely important to Energy & Utility Skills, so we used the Ska rating method to ensure that the project followed sustainability good practice criteria.” The fit out is the latest project awarded to Office Principles North in the West Midlands. The firm has previously completed the design and refurbishment of 148 and 154 Great Charles Street in Birmingham city centre on behalf of Ergo Real Estate, the creation of 24,000 sq ft of Grade A office space at nearby Summer Row for Aegon Asset Management, and the Solihull headquarters of fast-growing underwear and apparel brand, Lounge. More recently it delivered more than 23,000 sq ft of CAT A office accommodation on level 14 of Birmingham’s The Cube, and the new Birmingham home of law firm Shoosmiths at 103 Colmore Row. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Hotel fitout specialist, Polcom Furniture by Volumetric Building Companies, has been awarded contracts worth more than £2m to provide bespoke fitted bedroom and bathroom furniture for four Premier Inn hotels and one hub by Premier Inn. Working with Whitbread’s main contractor for each scheme – Gilbert Ash, Carter Lauren and CLC Group – Polcom is manufacturing furniture for nearly 1,400 guest rooms for new hotels in Swindon, Cardiff, and London Paddington and for hotels undergoing refurbishment in Belfast and Dublin. Two other furniture projects for Whitbread have recently been handed over to Gilbert Ash – hubs by Premier Inn at Clerkenwell and London Camden. Polcom is manufacturing and installing a range of bespoke fitted furniture for the bedrooms, including a closet with mirror, desk, bedside tables, headboards, coat panels, coffee tables, and pelmets. A vanity unit for the ensuite bathrooms will also be provided by Polcom for each scheme, as well as bath panels for the Premier Inn projects. Commenting on Polcom’s partnership with Whitbread, Wojciech Chyrek, Commercial Director – Hotels at Volumetric Building Companies Europe, said, “We have a longstanding relationship with Whitbread and their contractors for the hub by Premier Inn hotels brand. Our team’s performance overall and interaction with Whitbread has been consistently good. We provide valuable input to our hotel clients on how we can continually improve efficiency in cost and installation such as looking at weights and loadings, and how we can adapt non-standard rooms to optimise the space available.” “We have developed a genuine partnership with Whitbread and our approach is one of close collaboration on every project. We have manufactured and installed the furniture on every hub hotel project since 2014 in addition to our fitout work on other Whitbread hotel schemes and it is great to be working on this latest batch of projects.” Joanna Szwochert, Furniture Director at Polcom Furniture, said, “We have been manufacturing furniture for Whitbread for more than a decade, working on both new build and refurbishment projects across the UK and as far afield as Doha and Dubai.” “We are really proud to have furnished well over 10,000 guest rooms for Whitbread to date. This level of repeat business is testament to the high level of service we offer – from the preparation of technical drawings by our in-house technologists, to the quality of our furniture manufacturing and strong aftersales service for maintenance or product replacement when needed.” Acquired by Volumetric Building Companies in 2022, Polcom Furniture has more than 20 years’ experience in the hotel sector and has delivered bespoke furniture and fitout contracts across the globe for a wide range of hospitality brands including Premier Inn, Holiday Inn, citizenM, and Marriott International. Polcom offers high quality and flexible furniture solutions for bedrooms and ensuites which are manufactured in Europe and can meet any brand specification for hotel customers across the globe. This gives operators in the hospitality space the benefits of shorter lead times, greater certainty of supply, and stringent quality standards – from materials sourcing to production and installation. Polcom Furniture also has strong logistics and project management to meet contractors’ scheduling and programmes, particularly on constrained city centre sites. For further information, visit www.vbc.co/polcomfurniture. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Wigan based commercial interior design & fit out company, Truline celebrates 35 years and a record increase in year-on-year sales with a restructure to reposition within the market. Truline saw a sales increase of 35% year on year and so in its 35th year the team decided to update the business to branch out into new sectors and build on existing strong client relationships. Following an internal restructure of the business, Truline recruited an interior design team to provide a full design and build service. This team is headed up by Martha Lorains who was recruited to lead change within the team and secure more design-led schemes. Recent design-focussed projects include education & collaboration spaces at Hugh Baird College in Liverpool, redesign and fit out of AJ Barr’s head office. Truline has also provided a full solution with design and fit out at a large Blue Chip manufacturing plant. Truline has also recently completed multi-million-pound education projects which have seen a variety of refurbishments including spaces within Grade II listed buildings. The company as principal contractor has also seen a growth in the Healthcare sector, with projects delivered at Hospitals, Mental Health & Medical centres across the North-West region. The business has also invested six figures in a rebrand which comprises a new website, logo, colourways, uniform & head office refurbishment Mike Hyde, MD at Truline, added “Our business is at a pivotal point as we’re seeing the results of the last few years of hard work and relationship building start to truly deliver. It is the perfect time to refresh our look and internal structure to ensure that we’re in the best possible position correctly to drive further growth of the business. The enhanced services provided by our design team has a dual benefit as it offers added value service to support traditional contracts with consultants and also provide a full turn key solution for direct clients. “We are confident in the future of the business as the property industry in Manchester is now growing faster than London and with the fact we have our own interior design team, bespoke joinery workshop and multi skilled in-house operatives means we’re in a strong position to grow and expand into new & existing sectors.” Martha Lorains, head of design and business relationships, added: “It’s a hugely exciting time to join Truline. The team already has a reputation for delivering high quality construction and fit out services and we want this to extend into offering high quality, bespoke design. I directed the rebrand of the business to feel more design-led and move forward into a broader service offering for clients.” Truline is a leading commercial interior design and construction provider that employs over 50 people in Wigan and is a living wage employer. For more information, please visit https://truline-cis.co.uk/
Deanestor, one of the UK’s leading education fitout specialists, has been awarded its 16th contract for Morrison Construction. The new project involves the provision of around 6,000 items of loose and fitted furniture for a primary school and community hub now under construction in Aberdeen. This contract for Greyhope School and Community Hub follows the successful completion of Countesswells Primary School – Deanestor’s latest school fitout to be delivered for the same project team. Both projects are for Aberdeen City Council, and are with main contractor Morrison and delivery authority Hub North Scotland. The architects are Halliday Fraser Munro. The new £18m Countesswells Primary School was handed over a month ahead of programme. This will serve the growing local community, catering for up to 434 pupils with an additional 60 early learning and childcare places. Deanestor fitted out 74 rooms across the two-storey school, providing nearly 5,000 items of fitted and loose furniture. These included curved shelving, bag and shoe storage, learning walls, changing benches, seating, and storage solutions. Michael Black, Construction Manager at Morrison Construction, said, “Deanestor contributed to a very successful project at Countesswells. This new two-stream school was handed over defect-free four weeks early, which was a considerable achievement.” “The fitout went very well – from the technical drawings produced by Deanestor at the early stages to the high standard of workmanship in the factory and on site. They are part of our established supply chain, and we are looking forward to working with their team on the Greyhope School project, which is now underway.” Martin Greig, Councillor and Education and Children’s Services Convener at Aberdeen City Council, said, “Deanestor has a great willingness to work collaboratively with us to inform the design process from both a cost-centred perspective and to ensure the required technical performance. Their team’s use of 3D technology, participation in workshops, and flexible approach allow us to fine tune the specification of the furniture very easily to meet our stakeholders’ requirements. The furniture is robust and will be easy to maintain.” “At Countesswells, we chose neutral colours for the walls and flooring, and grey, white, and grey wood-effect finishes for the fitted furniture to create a calming environment. Bright pops of colour are then highlighted to enliven the spaces and create identities for different zones and year groups. These colours provide an element of fun and are picked out in some of the fittings. Following the success of this project, Greyhope School will follow an identical design theme.” A spokesperson for the Aberdeen City Council Client Team working on the Greyhope School and Community Hub Project said, “Deanestor has been easy to work with and went the extra mile to achieve client results in creating excellent collaborative, interesting and functional spaces for the school and the community – and in particular, the school classrooms, community library/cafe and the community general office space. We are looking forward to working with the Deanestor team once again.” Ramsay McDonald, Managing Director for Deanestor in Scotland said, “We are delighted to be working on another school project with this award-winning construction team. It will create a truly inspirational learning environment for local children and invaluable community facilities. Our team did a fantastic job of delivering our contract and contributing to the early handover.” Greyhope School and Community Hub represents a £28m investment by Aberdeen City Council to provide a new primary school and a range of amenities for the local community including a café, library, performance facilities and housing office. The school will accommodate 434 pupils and a further 100 children in an early years centre. Deanestor’s contract at Greyhope School is for the fitted furniture for 117 rooms which will be finished in graphite grey and white, and loose items supplied in a palette of bright colours – lime green, yellow, powder blue, parrot green and tangerine. Items manufactured by Deanestor will include a trophy cabinet, tilt-top tables, worktops, desks, storage solutions, lockers, and teaching walls. Deanestor manufactures and installs robust and flexible loose and fixed furniture solutions for early years, primary, SEN, and secondary education, fitting out areas such as classrooms, science laboratories, ICT, design and technology, atria, social dining spaces, break-out areas, sports facilities, and changing rooms. For further information, visit www.deanestor.co.uk/education, call 01623 420041 or email enquiries@deanestor.com. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
One of the UK’s leading specialist interior fit-out contractors has reported another record financial year and has added new apprentices to its workforce. EE Smith Contracts, which marked its 125th anniversary last year, employs over 300 staff at its purpose-built headquarters in Leicester. The business has posted the highest annual revenues in its history for a second successive year – £75.1 million to the year ending March 31, 2023. This record-breaking activity includes working on multiple prestigious developments, particularly the luxurious Peninsula London hotel alongside Hyde Park Corner and Wellington Arch, and the completion of two super-prime London residences. EE Smith Contracts has added 18 new apprentices during the last financial year to build on its long-established apprenticeship programme, which has just achieved a fourth consecutive placing in the prestigious annual top 100 UK Apprenticeship Employers. The business has reduced carbon emissions by 30 per cent over the last two years despite a material growth in activity and is aiming to further reduce its carbon consumption in the next 12 months. Neil Bottrill, Managing Director of EE Smith Contracts, said profits have returned to pre Covid-19 levels despite the business absorbing significant building products inflation in the year due to, now completed, fixed price contracts. He said: “When viewed against the continuing headwinds of material and labour inflation, as well as huge increases in energy costs, this last 12 months has been a financial success and one to be very proud of. “We have had the pleasure, and challenge, of carrying out work in what can only be described as the very pinnacle of the super-prime fit-out market, both in the residential and hotel sector in London. “This underlines the fact that our skillset, drive and attention to detail continues to attract the elite of the fantastic industry that we are in. “Our apprentice programmes continue to prosper and are producing excellent results. We are actively producing our next generation of highly skilled joiners, supervisors and managers. Our schemes continue our underlying philosophy to ‘train and retain’ our skill base because our workforce will always be our greatest asset. “We have a promising year ahead with the excitement of handing over the largest project in our history at The Peninsula London hotel this summer, and we will also be starting work on some phenomenal new schemes which complement our existing portfolio.” Neil Simpson, Finance Director at EE Smith Contracts, added that the business has continued to invest in its facilities and employee development to maintain its unrivalled capability and craftsmanship. He said: “With the challenges of Brexit, the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine over the last five years, we have seen an extended period of uncertainty for UK industry. “The strength of our markets, our continuing focus on client satisfaction and our relentless hands-on approach have allowed our business to grow significantly in size and capability against this testing backdrop. “Due to high client satisfaction, we have a continuous stream of new business prospects from previous clients or their professional advisors. “The company is well set to continue to grow in the coming years, having retained surplus profits and further strengthened our robust balance sheet. “I am excited to see what the business can deliver once freed from the external challenges.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Seoul, South Korea: almost 10 million inhabitants and an extraordinary economic-financial structure that places it among the world’s strongest economies. This is home to the headquarters of some of the most famous multinationals, embedded in an incredibly high housing and demographic background. Offices, industries, trade centres, banks and financial institutions make it the New York of East Asia. Yeouido – the district where most of the banks and the Seoul Stock Exchange are located – is referred to as “Korea’s Wall Street”. A melting pot of cultures and influences, where the Made in Italy flag is also held high by Caesar, which has furnished the floors and walls of the Hall of an imposing Office Building with the quality of its marble-effect porcelain stoneware. The Anima Futura collection, laid in two different colours – Amazing Silver and Majestic White – dictates the majestic and solemn mood of the premises, with its timeless marble look. Astonishing and enlightening are the musts of slabs that change the connotations of the environment, making it shine and extending it. A scenic presence that also imposes itself on the eye thanks to the different features characterising all surfaces: sharp or hinted veins, striking colour transitions, delicate or complex visual textures. If the delicate veins of Majestic White run across the ceramic tile and characterise spaces with their fascination, Amazing Silver stands out for its noble elegance, thanks to its intricate pattern of veins ranging from anthracite to bronze. An impactful combination in the name of refinement and taste, for a memorable and unique environment. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Wates is set to grow its retail project portfolio with the appointment to deliver three large-scale fit-out contracts on behalf of Marks and Spencer (M&S) in Dundee, Uckfield, and Guildford. With a combined area of over 80,000 sq ft, the three contracts form part of M&S’s major investment to transform its estate in response to changing retail trends, a move that is set to create 3,400 jobs across the UK. The largest of Wates’ contracts, in Dundee, will include the fit-out of a 52,467 sq ft sales floor split across two levels to create a larger full-line store. This will replace the current M&S Foodhall at the Gallagher Retail Park – a project previously delivered by Wates. Work on the new Dundee store will include the creation of a new Simply Food store and cafe as well as home and clothing departments, becoming one of eight new full-line M&S stores. Alongside Dundee, Wates will also complete fit-out projects for two new Foodhalls in Uckfield in East Sussex, and at Guildford Ladymead Retail Park, both approximately 15,000 sq ft, forming part of the retailer’s plans to expand its grocery trade. The M&S Uckfield project starts this summer with completion scheduled in time for Christmas and M&S Guildford Ladymead Retail Park will begin in January next year. All three contracts will be delivered to a fast-tracked schedule in line with M&S’s three-year store transformation programme. Each project is designed to bring more theatre to the shopping experience with new illuminated signage, bespoke wall finishes, new fridge cases and local wall messages. The projects will incorporate a range of energy efficiency measures to support M&S’s sustainability strategy. These contracts build on Wates’ long relationship with M&S, which spans two decades and includes the delivery of nearly 300 fit-out projects across the UK. This includes 50 projects through the retailer’s Foodhall Framework, established in 2014. Recent M&S projects delivered by Wates include the 25,440 sq ft Foodhall at Bluewater, Kent and a full-line fit-out in Colchester. Scott Camp, Managing Director of Wates fit-out and refurbishment business, said: “Retail trends are constantly evolving and working with M&S for the past 20 years, our business has seen how agile they are in their response to consumer needs. Understanding their strategy is absolutely vital to the work we do and enables us to not only bring their vision to life but do so at the pace required. We’re very proud to have worked across some of M&S’s flagship stores, and we look forward to making Dundee, Uckfield and Guildford as exceptional as all of our previous projects on behalf of M&S.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
