Hillington Park company is ‘Outstanding Business’

Hillington Park-based NSDesign has scooped a top prize at this year’s Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce awards, named as the ‘Outstanding Business in Renfrewshire’ (with under 25 people) at the ROCCO awards.

The e-commerce and design solutions firm, which is located at the Hillington Park Innovation Centre, has enjoyed one of its busiest years to date.

Managing Director Gary Ennis said: "We are absolutely over the moon to have won this award – it really means the world to the entire team. We were delighted to have even been nominated and short-listed against such other good companies, but to pick up the award is really important to us.

"We are also in the running for another award, as we have been named as a finalist in the Scottish Software Awards, so we are hoping that we can continue our winning streak."

A spokesman from the awards judging panel said: "The judges were very impressed by NSDesign’s enthusiasm and approach of being a ‘people company that delivers technology’. The company growth is impressive, as are the levels of customer satisfaction. Well done!"

NS Design beat their landlords MEPC and Sporty Kids to the prestigious honour, but Grant Edmondson, managing director of MEPC Hillington Park, was just as pleased.

"We congratulate NS Design on their award, which is particularly gratifying to MEPC as this is the latest of many small companies successfully incubated at our leading edge Innovation Centre at Hillington Park."

NSDesign provides internet solutions with a wide range of web design, domain registration and hosting products for its customers, who include Greenock Morton FC, The Lighthouse (Scotland's Centre for Architecture and Design) and Highland Spring.

Gary Ennis added: "We may be a small company with fewer than ten members of staff, but we provide internet services to thousands of clients. These include government bodies, universities, public and private sector institutions, small-to-medium sized businesses and personal clients.

"We are a growing company and our customer care is unrivalled, which is why over half of all our new business comes direct from customer referrals. Winning this award has just cemented our reputation further."

For further information on NSDesign visit the website www.nsdesign.co.uk.

Under-11 Ambassadors for MEPC

Hillington Youth Club’s U11 football team are now ambassadors for MEPC Hillington Park, the majority landlord and developer of Scotland’s largest business location.

This follows a £1,300 sponsorship by MEPC for the club, which is currently leading its league, under the captaincy of centre-midfielder Kyle Harte.

MEPC’s sponsorship was marked last week by the handing over of a newly-branded team kit, with the company’s customer manager Alison Clark in attendance.

The Hillington Park U11 team proudly wore their new all-weather jackets and track suits at their first game, which they won 6-2 against local rivals Mosspark, before lining up for the obligatory team photograph - in pouring rain - at one of the directory boards at the Hillington Park estate.

Club manager Mark Scott said: "We are delighted by the support which we have received from MEPC, which makes us all thrilled and determined to pay back with success on the field."

Alison Clark said: "Hillington Park means a lot to local people, as there are currently over 7,000 jobs based here. As part of our investment in the local community, we’re delighted to support grass roots sports that get youngsters involved."

Charity works at Hillington Industrial & Business Park

Office workers and others at Hillington Park have responded generously to several recent charitable initiatives by MEPC at Scotland’s largest business location.

They have proved that the spirit of Christmas is still alive and well, and prepared to be counted, as the workforce has helped towards the following good causes:

Locally-based Blythswood Care’s annual Shoebox Appeal has been given a boost by publicity given in the latest edition of MEPC’s Hillington Herald newspaper, which has resulted in additional contributions from individuals and companies at the estate - including around two dozen shoeboxes from staff at Merlin House and The Hub at Hillington Park.

For the first time, the entire stock of shoeboxes, packed with useful day-to-day items, which have been collected at Hillington Park will be sent to charitable distributors in India.

Already, with three weeks still to run, some 16,000 shoeboxes have been donated by Scots, enough to fill two large containers which will be heading for the sub-continent in time for Christmas.

In other initiatives, the ‘Vision Aid Overseas’ project initiated by Vision Express has been supported, with more than 40 people at Merlin House, the Hillington Park Innovation Centre and The Hub donating unwanted pairs of spectacles for re-use in other countries.

And Sightsavers International have benefited from the proceeds of a secondhand book sale on World Sight Day in October, when a total of £70 of books were sold.

Alison Clark, MEPC’s customer manager at Hillington Park, said: "These have been valuable community initiatives, and we were pleased to have participated at this time of the year."

The Arc - Office Development Glasgow

The Arc’s distinctive curved design will make it an innovative and iconic property within Hillington Park. Set in an attractive landscaped environment, the open location of this stylish terrace will afford generous amounts of natural light to the front and rear of each office unit.


Specification:

Each office benefits from the following:
• Glazed entrance lobby
• Dedicated male, female and
disabled person WCs
• Metal raised access floors
• Suspended tiled ceiling system with recessed
LG7 compliant lighting
• Double-glazing throughout
• Full barrier-free access provision
• Cycle shelters
• Gas-fired central heating system
• BREEAM ‘very good’ rating
• Dual flush energy efficient toilets
• PIR light switching

HILLINGTON PARK IN LINE FOR AWARD

Hillington Park, Scotland's largest business location and home to over 350 enterprises, has been transformed over the past ten years, as anyone who has visited the estate recently will testify.

Now the Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce has shortlisted the company responsible for leading the improvements, MEPC Hillington Park, for one of its annual 'ROCCO' awards, the 'Oscars' of the local business community.

MEPC Hillington Park is one of three potential winners of the ROCCO Award for 'Outstanding Performing Business in Renfrewshire with fewer than 25 full-time employees'.
The shortlist for the award, sponsored by Rock Radio, also lists one of the residents of the Hillington Park Innovation Centre, which has won wide-ranging praise for its own innovative structure and successful business model.

MEPC Hillington Park has itself sponsored one of the other awards. With its emphasis on sustainability and environmental best practice, the principal developers and operators of the majority of the estate sponsors the Renfrewshire Chamber's 'Best Environmental Performance' award.

Grant Edmondson, chief executive of MEPC Hillington Park, said: "We have had a very successful period at Hillington Park, as our development programme has enabled us to out-perform the market.

"We would be even more pleased if we ourselves were to win the Outstanding Performance Business award, which we would regard as the pinnacle of recognition."

Hillington Park Business Park and Industrial Estate Glasgow

Hillington Herald - NEW ISSUE!

Take a look at the latest Hillington Park, Glasgows newsletter.
Click for all the latests on the business park and industrial estate Glasgow.

Research finds Scottish office market holding up well

GVA Grimley research finds Scottish office market holding up well

New research from property adviser GVA Grimley suggests that the demand for office space in Scotland continues to be strong, despite the current economic downturn.

The firm's latest Market Report Scotland suggests the office market in Aberdeen is outperforming those in Edinburgh and Glasgow. However, market confidence in the capital has been enhanced by recent deals, including that which saw Morton Fraser take 40,000 sq ft of space at Quartermile, while development activity in Glasgow remains high.

For the full story visit here: http://www.propertyexecutive.co.uk/news.php

Hillington Park MD’s marathon success

Grant Edmondson, managing director of MEPC Hillington Park, recently completed his first marathon in Copenhagen to raise funds for Endometriosis UK, a charity which helps those affected by endometriosis, the chronic and debilitating disease affecting two million women in the UK.

Grant set himself the challenge at the start of the year to improve his own fitness and realise a long-held ambition of running a marathon. He chose to raise sponsorship in aid of Endometriosis UK as his wife suffers from the disease. As well as raising general awareness of the disease through his contacts in the business community, Grant has raised over £5,400 for the charity.

His finishing time was 3.11.42.

“I’m really pleased with how both the race and the fundraising went,” said Grant. “It just shows that if you put in the hard work early on, it makes the challenge more enjoyable and rewarding. People were incredibly generous in their support. I’m now looking forward my next marathon!”

ARC OF CONFIDENCE FOR HILLINGTON PARK OFFICES

A distinctive development of seven office suites is currently under construction on a speculative basis at Hillington Park, demonstrating a rare confidence in the market at this particular time.

The Arc, a £4 million development by MEPC, the majority landowners at Scotland’s largest business location to the west of Glasgow, is a curved terrace of single-storey office accommodation, ranging from 226 square metres (2,433 square feet) to 352 sq m (3,789 sq ft).

The scheme was designed to take advantage of a unique semi-circular site on the east side of Hillington Park, and is expected to appeal to small to medium-sized businesses seeking high-quality, good-value, out-of-town accommodation. Indicative rental costs are likely to be in the range of £16 per sq ft per annum.

Grant Edmondson, managing director of MEPC Hillington Park, said: "Even though there are signs that the office market is cooling, MEPC are ploughing ahead with this speculative office scheme since we have very little stock available. We are committed to providing office space of a price and quality at the Park which the occupier market demands."

The development is located in what is becoming an established office area of the estate: adjacent to Centura Court which is home to Ceridian, British Red Cross and Fujitsu, and close to the Hillington Park Innovation Centre and the Lumina building, which was let to Balfour Kilpatrick early this year.

The Arc will be built to a high sustainable specification and has achieved a ‘Very Good’ BREEAM rating. Unusually, the accommodation is at ground floor only, offering a single, space-efficient floorplate. Each office will enable occupiers’ full control over their premises, with dedicated main door entry and reception, together with the ability to erect their own external corporate signage.

Mr Edmondson also revealed that MEPC has successfully let an office suite on the ground floor of The Hub, which also houses MEPC’s own estate office. OLM Group Ltd have graduated from the Hillington Park Innovation Centre, taking 278 sq m (2,992 sq ft) on a five-year lease, at a rent of £15.50 per sq ft. The remaining space on the first floor of the prominent building in Earl Haig Road, opposite the Retail Centre, is also under offer.

At the same time, Online Media Branding Ltd (trading as 360 Innovate), are relocating from the east end of Glasgow into nearby Cameron Court, Cameron Street, where they will occupy an office suite of 361sq m (3,893sq ft) at a rent of £10.00 per sq ft on a 10-year lease.

"We are always pleased when a company that has been incubated at Scotland’s leading-edge Innovation Centre decides to remain at Hillington," said Mr Edmondson. "It demonstrates our long-held experience that by providing the right range of accommodation and a flexible customer-focused approach, MEPC can retain growing businesses at Hillington Park over the long term."

The letting agents on Hillington Park offices are Ryden and Cushman & Wakefield.

Hillington Park joins the social network revolution

Hillington Park sets up a facebook page. Hopefully this will develop over the coming months to provide a resource of information for what’s happening on the business park here in Glasgow

Click to view our page

Offices and Industrial Units To Let/Rent Glasgow

Hillington Park Glasgow currently has a number of offices to let and industrial units to let on the business park/ Industrial estate. If you would like to see what office and industrial space we currently have available then click on the links below:


• Offices To Let/ Rent Glasgow
• HeadOffice/ Headquarter Buildings To Let/ Rent Glasgow
• Warehouse/ Industrial Units To Let/ Rent Glasgow

New Office Suites on Hillington Park Glasgow

A distinctive development of seven office suites is currently under construction on a speculative basis at Hillington Park, demonstrating a rare confidence in the market at this particular time.

The Arc, a £4 million development by MEPC, the majority landowners at Scotland’s largest business location to the west of Glasgow, is a curved terrace of single-storey office accommodation, ranging from 226 square metres (2,433 square feet) to 352 sq m (3,789 sq ft).

The scheme was designed to take advantage of a unique semi-circular site on the east side of Hillington Park, and is expected to appeal to small to medium-sized businesses seeking high-quality, good-value, out-of-town accommodation. Indicative rental costs are likely to be in the range of £16 per sq ft per annum.

Grant Edmondson, managing director of MEPC Hillington Park, said: "Even though there are signs that the office market is cooling, MEPC are ploughing ahead with this speculative office scheme since we have very little stock available. We are committed to providing office space of a price and quality at the Park which the occupier market demands."

The development is located in what is becoming an established office area of the estate: adjacent to Centura Court which is home to Ceridian, British Red Cross and Fujitsu, and close to the Hillington Park Innovation Centre and the Lumina building, which was let to Balfour Kilpatrick early this year.

The Arc will be built to a high sustainable specification and has achieved a ‘Very Good’ BREEAM rating. Unusually, the accommodation is at ground floor only, offering a single, space-efficient floorplate. Each office will enable occupiers’ full control over their premises, with dedicated main door entry and reception, together with the ability to erect their own external corporate signage.

Mr Edmondson also revealed that MEPC has successfully let an office suite on the ground floor of The Hub, which also houses MEPC’s own estate office. OLM Group Ltd have graduated from the Hillington Park Innovation Centre, taking 278 sq m (2,992 sq ft) on a five-year lease, at a rent of £15.50 per sq ft. The remaining space on the first floor of the prominent building in Earl Haig Road, opposite the Retail Centre, is also under offer.

At the same time, Online Media Branding Ltd (trading as 360 Innovate), are relocating from the east end of Glasgow into nearby Cameron Court, Cameron Street, where they will occupy an office suite of 361sq m (3,893sq ft) at a rent of £10.00 per sq ft on a 10-year lease.

"We are always pleased when a company that has been incubated at Scotland’s leading-edge Innovation Centre decides to remain at Hillington," said Mr Edmondson. "It demonstrates our long-held experience that by providing the right range of accommodation and a flexible customer-focused approach, MEPC can retain growing businesses at Hillington Park over the long term."

The letting agents on Hillington Park offices are Ryden and Cushman & Wakefield.

Farmer Autocare sets up in Hillington Park Business Park Glasgow

Farmer Autocare, one of Scotland’s leading motor servicing brands, has decided to locate in new premises just completed speculatively by developers MEPC at Hillington Park.

The franchise business, set up by former Kwik-Fit entrepreneur Tom Farmer, is taking two of the largest units in the new Kelvin Gate development of industrial starter units, located beside the Hillington Park Retail and Amenities Centre, and accessed from Kelvin Avenue.

The £3 million development of 13 units, ranging from 139 to 325 square metres (500 to 3,500 square feet), fills a well-known gap in the commercial property marketplace, where new-build facilities of this size are not commonly viable.

Farmer Autocare has agreed terms to occupy two adjacent units totalling 603 square metres (6,500 square feet) at the end of one of the two terraces which make up the Kelvin Gate development, where there is additional parking space for their operations.

The franchisee, Willie McLernon, already operates two successful Farmer Autocare sites in Paisley and at Glasgow Airport. He has taken out a combined lease on the two units at Hillington Park over ten years, at a rent of £7.50 per square foot.

"This superb location is at the heart of a vibrant estate where nearly 9,000 work," said Mr McLernon. "With people getting so busy, and perhaps keeping their existing vehicles on the road for a couple of years longer, they want the convenience of a local, fast and friendly maintenance service."

Grant Edmondson, managing director of MEPC Hillington Park, said: "It’s encouraging that we have immediately found our first occupier for Kelvin Gate so soon after completion of the development. These small modern units are ideal for small businesses and we expect them to let up quickly."

Malcolm Pearson, associate with letting agents GVA Grimley, added: "There has been no small unit industrial development in this area for many years due to the soaring costs associated with their construction. This has created a gap in the market, which MEPC have spotted, and occupiers are recognising that these units represent good value in such a prime location, with fantastic amenities right on their doorstep."

The letting agents for Kelvin Gate are GVA Grimley and James Barr.

The Hillington Park Blog Goes Live!

Keep up to date with all the latest goings on at Hillington Park and also industry related news and views.

Hillington Park, Glasgow is a highly successful business park and industrial estate which is home to a variety of industry and commerce with companies directly involved in manufacturing, distribution, technology and the service sectors. The total Hillington estate covers 417 acres and approximately 3.5 million sq ft of existing office and industrial accommodation. This includes a series of new industrial units and warehouse developments and the new office developments at the Hillington Park Innovation Centre and Centura Court.