Yorkshire Counties Town Centre Retail Is Dying Right? Andrew Corbett
On the contrary! Barnsley town cen- tre is bucking the trend and in my view out perform- ing other nearby towns and cities such as Rotherham, D on cast er, H u d d ersf i el d , Wakefield and Sheffield, reports Andrew Corbett BSc
Hons DipSurv MRICS ACIArb Director Smiths Chartered Surveyors Barnsley This is due in no small part to the foresight, substantial invest- ment and energy that the Council are putting in to transforming Barnsley town centre. The Glassworks has been a major success for the town attracting new operators such as the Botanist, Flannels, Cineworld, Nandos, River Island and Deichmann in addition to the likes of Next, TK Maxx and JD Sports. The success of the Glassworks was partly responsible for the demise of the Alhambra Shopping Centre as some key retailers jumped ship into the Glassworks, but the Council stepped in and acquired the centre and a substantial part of it is to house a health facility providing easier access to healthcare and reducing the pres- sure on both primary care and the hospital.
Large parts of town centre real estate have changed hands over the last 5 years as funds and property investment companies have exited Barnsley. These have been replaced by new owners and this has enabled rents to be rebased making prime and second- ary space more affordable for independent traders and has, in my view, created a fan- tastic mix of household names, independent traders, a thriving market and food, drink and leisure offers that make Barnsley such
a great place to live, work and visit. There are few vacant units in the town centre. The Glassworks will shortly only have one availa- ble unit and vacancy rates in the town centre have decreased over the last year to around 10%. The majority of these voids are gener- ally in the second and tertiary streets such as Market Street and Peel Street. Nevertheless as the town improves these shops are slowly being let and I fully expect the vacancy rate to drop below 10% in the next quarter. In the last 12 months we have let 44,233 sqft of town centre retail space.
Barnsley has not been immune to the difficult retail trading conditions and the rationalisa- tion of major retailers with M&S relocating to the Peel Centre Retail Park and Iceland closing their store in Peel Street. Smiths Chartered Surveyors are instructed on both of these and have good levels of interest, so we are hope- ful they will be re-occupied in 2025.
What’s Happening in the Industrial Sector?
The industrial sector remains robust across the whole of South and West Yorkshire. Whilst demand for large sheds has slowed over the last 12 months there is still good demand from occupiers and investors for small units on 1,000 – 2,500 sqft up to around 25,000 sqft. Prime rents on new and modern buildings are up to around £8.50 psf with smaller units achieving £10 psf. Speculative development has generally slowed but Carnell Management Services has started on site at Rockingham (adjacent to Junction 36 of the M1) where Smiths Chartered Surveyors and Knight Frank are joint letting agents. The scheme is to provide over 70,000 sqft in 7 units ranging from 3,000 sqft to 21,500 sqft with practical completion due in Q1 2026. All units will be
Network Space Investments Acquires Prime Sheffield Industrial Estate
Network Space Investments (NSI) has completed the £9 million acqui- sition of a prominent 103,262 sq ft industrial estate on Grange Mill Lane in Sheffield – just minutes from Meadowhall and junction 34 of the M1. Comprising four vacant warehouse units with generous, secure yard space and parking, NSI will comprehensively refurbish and reposition the estate as a modern, high-spec industrial hub. This will deliver high-quality space across a range of flexible unit sizes from 10,000 to 50,000 sq ft, all featuring eight-metre eaves. The new units will be available from late summer 2025, adding much-needed supply to a highly constrained local market.
This latest acquisition is part of NSI’s strategy to redeploy capital following the recent successful disposal of Europa Way at Trafford Park. It also follows recent acquisitions in Oakhill, Manchester, and Cowley Way, Sheffield, further strengthening the company’s footprint across key regional industrial markets.
Roger Haworth at CPP acted on behalf of the vendor. NSI was unrepresented.
COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MONTHLY 2025
built to a high specification achieving BREEAM Very Good and will include solar panels, EV charging points, fully fitted offices/amenities in a secure landscape site.
Offices?
The office sector in Barnsley remains patchy but what is clear is that hybrid working is here to stay. Whilst smaller businesses have pretty much all returned to the office full time, larger organisations have settled into three days in and two days working from home. This has led, in some situations, to downsizing where lease events allow and some large, good qual- ity space coming onto the market, notably Gateway Plaza (approximately 65,000 sqft).
Town centre offices remain stable at around £7.50 per sqft where good quality space readily re-lets. We are managing and letting agents at Queens Court on Regent Street, a 16,000 sqft office building, which is around 90% occupied. Older, poorer stock remains difficult to let. Out of town offices are doing well with rents at around the £12.50 psf mark. We act as letting agents at Churchfield Court owned by Hurstwood Holdings and we are now achieving £11 per sqft on new lettings where the landlord’s general policy is to refur- bish units as and when they are vacated.
In summary, Barnsley is an evolving, dynamic town and a great place to live, work and visit. In my (almost!) 40 years of working here, we have never been busier!
Tel: 01226 298 456 e-mail:
andrew@smiths-surveyors.co.uk
Eddisons appointed to let Mandale’s first Sheffield business park
North East developer Mandale Group has appointed Eddisons to let its flagship Mandale Park S20 multi-purpose business units scheme in Sheffield, its first development in the city. The 21-unit, 33,000 sq ft development near Holbrook Industrial Estate in south east Sheffield, which is due for completion in June, will consist of two-storey hybrid units designed for office and warehouse use. Each 1,500 sq ft, £23,000 p/a unit will include ground-floor warehouse or storage space with high-spec adaptable office space, kitchen and toilet above. The units will also be fitted with solar panel systems.
George Thompson, director at Eddisons in Sheffield, said: “Mandale are known for creating flexible and functional modern business spaces across the north of England that can be tailored to spe- cific needs and that is exactly what they have done with their new Sheffield development, which is their first venture in the city.“
Mandale has been responsible for new and refurbished schemes across the UK, including recently completed industrial estates in Rotherham, Newcastle and its native Stockton On-Tees.
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