Building services company expands into Aqueous One at Aston Cross

Aqueous One

National property services company Ian Williams is moving its Birmingham office to the recently-refurbished Aqueous One office building on Aston Cross Business Village.

The company has taken the entire 8,212 sq ft second floor office suite on a 10 year lease at a new headline rent for the building of £13.50 per sq ft. Asset Managers XLB Property was advised in the transaction by global property consultants Knight Frank and joint letting agents Colliers International. Charles Warrack of Johnson Fellows acted for the occupier.

The Ian Williams company is expert in building maintenance and modernisation within the education, social and commercial housing sectors and works in more than 400,000 homes each year. It is moving from premises at Cuckoo Wharf, just off Spaghetti Junction on the nearby Lichfield Road.

As part of a joint venture with Harbert, XLB recently completed a comprehensive refurbishment of the offices and common areas giving Aqueous One a new Grade A specification.

Richard Williams, associate in Knight Frank’s Midlands Office Agency team, said: “The decision to invest in a full refurbishment of the building has paid real dividends in attracting a high-quality occupier at a rent that cements a new rental tone for the Business Park. The deal was agreed and progressed through to a swift completion thanks to the commercial approach taken by both landlord and tenant. Just a 3,728 sq ft suite on the first floor now remains available”

Douglas Bonham from Colliers International added: “The quality of the refurbishment, which included the installation of brand new air conditioning system and LED lighting, has really helped reposition the accommodation to attract Ian Williams and offers a cost effective solution for prospective tenants of the last remaining suite.”