DIGITAL WORLD SOARS INTO SHORTWOOD

Another new lease has been completed at Shortwood Business Park, a development by Priority Sites close to Junction 36 of the M1, Barnsley.

Unit 7B has been taken by Digital World the trading name of Soars of Barnsley Limited. The company specialises in the installation of satellite TV dishes and digital TV services and has contracts throughout the UK.

Steven Soar the company managing director said “After a detailed search of several possible sites in Barnsley we decided to come to Shortwood because of its unrivalled location on the motorway network. We have 24 full time staff and 22 sub contractors all of whom need ready access to the road network in order to fulfil our nationwide installation programme. We were delighted to deal with Priority Sites with whom we agreed a lease. We moved in within about four weeks of deciding that we wanted this building”

Lee Buchanan of Priority Sites said “Shortwood continues to buck the trend of a generally very challenging market.

Chris Rowlands (left) with representatives of Digital World, Priority Sites, Knight Frank and Barnsley Development Agency outside Unit 7B at Shortwood Business Park

Whilst many developers are struggling to move stock we have proved at Shortwood that a quality product in the right location will always be popular. From the original eleven units over half are now sold, let or under offer though we still have some availability in the range 5,000 to 10,000 sq ft”.

Joint letting agents for the development are Barnsley based Chris Rowlands & Co. and Knight Frank of Sheffield. Chris Rowlands said “Steven Soar had a clear idea of what was required in terms of his business relocation and we were able to provide more or less precisely what he needed at Shortwood. The office space within the unit has been extended by Digital World very readily because the building is designed to be adaptable”.

Steven Soar added “Not only is the building to be used as the national headquarters for Digital World, but we are also developing a new company called Blue Square Design which will specialise in signage, particularly for exhibitions. Once again the location, centrally within the UK is absolutely ideal and will help the growth of the new company hugely”.

Barnsley Development Agency has played a pivotal role through their role as enablers and facilitators of new business development in Barnsley. Shaun Higginbottom, development manager for BDA said “Everyone concerned with the Shortwood project has worked hard to bring about its success. This latest deal with Digital World is excellent news for Barnsley, particularly with regard to the numbers of jobs that the company has generated”.