First Tenants sign up at Imperial & Whitehall

Hortons’ has secured a trio of lettings at Imperial & Whitehall, the newly refurbished offices at The Grand, on Colmore Row.

Commercial insurance firm CNA Hardy (UK) Limited has agreed a ten-year lease on Suite 2.01 (1,161 sq ft), while Node Urban Design has taken 1,123 sq ft on Suite 1.01 on a five-year lease at £26,190 per annum.

Surge Recruitment, which has taken 223 sq ft on suite 1.01 on a three-year lease at a rent of circa £9,000 per annum, completes the trio.

CNA Hardy, which opened its fifth UK office in Birmingham last year, is relocating from 43 Temple Row to bigger premises at Imperial & Whitehall due to the ongoing expansion of the business.

Node, which recently celebrated its fifth anniversary, has relocated from Innovation Court on Edmund Street.

Stuart Payne, operations director at CNA Hardy (UK) Limited, said:

We chose The Grand due to its historic background and long standing foundation as an iconic building in Birmingham. The office’s location in the Central Business District and access to local amenities were also key considerations.

As part of the multi-million pound redevelopment of The Grand, Hortons’ has invested more than £1.5million in refurbishing the office suites.

The offices, which range in size from 183 sq ft – 2,874 sq ft, with potential to combine some of the suites to create larger working spaces, are on the first and second floors of the iconic Grade II* listed building.

The suites have been comprehensively refurbished to bring them up to modern occupier standards, while retaining some of the original period features.

New features include video entry system, air conditioning, network cabling and superfast broadband, as well as communal kitchen facilities on each floor, shower room facilities and a newly installed passenger lift.

High ceilings, tiled fireplaces, refurbished timber sash windows and exposed brickwork have been retained, while contemporary modern fittings, including lighting and ironmongery, have been installed.

Nina Meeks, management surveyor at Hortons’, said:

Since launching Imperial & Whitehall earlier this year we have received lots of positive feedback and a huge amount of interest from potential occupiers.

The investment we have made in redesigning and refurbishing the office suites is being justified and we’re pleased to welcome CNA Hardy, Node Urban Design and Surge Recruitment as the first new occupiers at the building and look forward to announcing further lettings in the near future.

The space is being marketed by the Birmingham offices of Johnson Fellows and Lambert Smith Hampton.