The building of a business community at Bradford Estates to boost local economy

New businesses moving into Bradford Estates’ premises, include a tech company, a wedding florist, a root produce grower and a furniture manufacturer, mixing start-ups with more established businesses to provide a unique commercial environment for all kinds of firms to flourish.

With more arrivals in the pipeline, the landed estates business is ramping up its circular economy drive by converting its surplus agricultural buildings into a flexible range of business villages located along, or just off, the M54, A5, A41 and A518, between Telford and Wolverhampton.

Working to its 100-year plan, Bradford Estates’ commercial property strategy is tied in with its stewardship of 12,000 acres on the Shropshire-Staffordshire borders, a long-term commitment to sustainably support the local economy by placing the business community at its heart.

Among the youngest occupiers to move in is Edwina Lowe Wedding Florals, a florist business which has expanded from a home garage to dedicated space at Tong Business Village adjacent to the A41.

Edwina, 25, has seen her business grow from providing eye catching floral displays for eight weddings in 2021, to reach 70 weddings in 2023. Edwina said: “I started out working in a garage at home in Codsall and had always wanted to get my own premises where I could have the space to be creative and grow.

“I had looked at industrial units but wanted somewhere with character, where couples can visit and enjoy the experience of planning their big day with a consultation session so when I saw Bradford Estates’ offering, I loved the history of the place and wanted to move in.

“The Bradford Estates construction team have worked with me to help create an environment that can be a romantic place for my customers and allow my business to grow.”

The Old Drying Shed, which adjoins the Bradford Estates Office on the A5, has been turned into the home of Big Timber, a new company creating benches from trees felled in the local area. Tree surgeon John Banner has launched the business with colleagues Jez Stridgen and Dave Yates to create furniture from oak, redwood, elm and cedar. Big Timber’s products catch the eye as the team keep the edges of the trees to incorporate them into the designs.

John said: “All of our furniture is made from wood sourced from the local area and we are looking to sell our products nationally. The Bradford Estates construction team have adapted the space to our needs and allowed us to bring back to life a working space used by Bradford woodworking teams of the past into a platform to build our sustainable, new business.”

Next door to Big Timber in the Studio building is Twindom UK Ltd, a tech company which makes 3D scanners for use by leading international entertainment and leisure brands.

Co-founder Suresh Bawa said moving into the Bradford Estates premises had been a great opportunity to grow the business he launched with partner Tim Page and which employs four staff.

Suresh said: “We have a lovely location which is strategically a great place to showcase our business and bring a positive experience for customers when they visit as the property has character and draws upon the heritage of the surrounding area.

“Our work is innovative as we are building the hardware and software for full body scanners for use by well-known international brands at the cutting edge of using avatars and metaverse technology in entertainment and leisure, in the USA and internationally.

“We plan for our premises to be the hub for our business as it is accessible for our suppliers and gives us the opportunity to grow into more space as the company develops.

“Twindom is producing groundbreaking technology so we are excited about our future at Bradford Estates, who have been great to work with since we arrived.”

Huntapac, a national supplier of root produce to the UK’s leading supermarket chains which has been operating since 1942, has taken over Woodside Farm on Lizard Lane, just off the A41. Growing carrots and parsnips from Norfolk to Inverness, Huntapac identified Bradford Estates’ location as a good fit when looking to move its Shropshire operation.

Farm director Ben Madarasi said: "We appreciate the heritage of Bradford Estates and their understanding of agriculture and farming as a landowner.

“Moving to this centrally located site has given us the opportunity to expand and the Bradford Estates team have worked with us to design our premises as a base to help us grow.”

Bradford Estates Asset Management Director Andrew Barrett has overseen these latest arrivals and said: ‘’Our aim is to build a local business ecosystem across the business villages, mixing new start-up companies on flexible terms alongside formal leases for more established occupiers.

“Our stock of historic buildings provides available premises, which can be repurposed to meet an occupier’s specific use requirements, at a more accessible rental point than neighbouring urban centres. As the direct owners of all these properties, we can offer occupiers a one-to-one relationship rather than having to negotiate through third parties, and as long-term owners, can be flexible to accommodate the needs of businesses within our varied range of space as they grow.”

For more information on the Bradford Estates commercial property portfolio go to bradford-estates.co.uk/properties/commercial/