Occupiers are missing out on the basics. According to Steve Johnson, of Manchester property agent King Sturge: “There is a historic deficit of amenities for companies operating in industrial and distribution areas, which often means that workers have to travel to the nearest town to obtain simple items like sandwiches or to pick up a paper.”
Johnson agues that areas like Trafford Park are effectively small towns and facilities should be available to service the population. Landlords and developers are also becoming increasingly aware of the situation and its importance to attract new tenants.
“There are parks where on site facilities offer a real benefit for employees and add value for occupiers in terms of the retention and recruitment of staff”, he continues. “Good amenities are popular with occupiers, help to attract businesses and benefit everyone in the locality. Trafford Park could do with offering more in this area.”
James Good, director of investment and portfolio management at Brixton, the owner of 2.7million sq ft of property at Trafford Park, says: “From our point of view, it’s very disappointing as there is a general lack of facilities within Trafford Park, but we are constantly looking at ways of improving amenities for our occupiers and we’ll continue to do this.”
