World-leading digital business Big Bite has relocated to Albert North to accommodate its future growth.

The enterprise WordPress agency, which counts Amnesty International, The Times and The Wall Street Journal as clients, is the only WordPress VIP Gold partner in the UK and one of only nine in the world.

The move is an essential milestone for the company as it will enable the team to fulfil ambitious growth plans by hiring in excess of 20 staff in the next three years from the local area.

Iain McPherson, CEO and founder of Big Bite, said; “We had been looking for office space for some time, and had explored a number of options to accommodate our planned growth.

“We knew we wanted to stay local, ideally within the town’s digital and creative cluster, and Albert North provided the perfect solution.”

Boasting floor space of over 6,000 sq ft, the new first-floor office has been designed to meet the company’s long-term needs. A range of spaces and meeting rooms have been included to encourage collaboration across the company. Inspiration for the interior has been drawn from the team’s experiences in the US, including offices in New York, San Francisco and Texas.

The space will also be used for networking and training events, which includes the company’s Engineer training program which launched earlier in the year to train aspiring developers.

Big Bite has been committed to working with as many local businesses and tradespeople throughout the office fit-out. They enlisted the help of interior design specialists Cocoon & Bauer to design the space, Hartlepool based Big Interiors for the furniture, and Fox Creative and Smooth Print for signage.

“Our business operates globally, but our roots are firmly in Middlesbrough,” added Iain.

“The fact Albert North has been designed to specifically attract ambitious digital and creative businesses working alongside smaller independents and food outlets made it even more appealing for us.

“Even with the current backdrop of Covid-19, we’re very lucky to be continuing with our recruitment plans thanks to a number of new projects. We’re always on the lookout for talented web developers, and a full list of vacancies are on our website, bigbite.net.”

The rebirth of the town’s historic quarter has gone from strength to strength since Albert Road was transformed by Jomast into Albert North almost two years ago. With support from Middlesbrough Council, the area has benefited from significant regeneration with many of the town’s iconic buildings renovated to expand the digital cluster and create a bustling commercial district.

Mark Hill, commercial property director at Jomast, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Big Bite to SIXTEEN/26.

“The fact that this world-leading business has chosen Albert North as its new home is testament to the expanding digital and creative hub we have created.

“Since regeneration of the area started, we have welcomed numerous other high-profile businesses, including Mabo and Salesfire.

“All the upper floor space at SIXTEEN/26 is now fully occupied, and our focus remains on letting the ground-floor units which are suitable for a variety of uses such as food and beverage operators, independent retailers as well as office space.

Bespoke male groomers, King B, are also a recent addition to one of our ground-floor units alongside Cocoon & Bauer, Pie Jackers, Alkaline Kitchen and Ananda Wellbeing they are creating a vibrant business community.”

Businesses relocating to Albert North can take advantage of an incentive scheme which includes perks such as high-speed broadband, rent and rate incentives, free public health initiatives for all staff and a town centre loyalty card with exclusive discounts.

 

 

A multi-million-pound regeneration project in the centre of Middlesbrough has been hailed a success as it welcomes a further hat-trick of new tenants.

Albert Road, which is a main thoroughfare in the town, was transformed into Albert North 12 months ago. Now a vibrant new business community, the area has benefited from a joint approach to investment between Middlesbrough Council and local property and regeneration specialist Jomast.

Mabo, Alkaline Kitchen, Pie Jackers, Salesfire and Carbon by Clicksco are some of the businesses that committed their future to the area, and more tenants have joined them.

Cocoon & Bauer and Ananda Wellbeing are the latest businesses to make Albert North their home. Interior design business Cocoon & Bauer had outgrown their existing space when it set its sights on premises here.

Managing director Peter Turner said: “When we started looking for space to expand, it made sense to open a showroom as the domestic side of the business was taking off.

“We’d already designed commercial interiors for other businesses here, so we were fully aware of Albert North’s potential, and this made the decision to come here easy.”

Cocoon & Bauer, which will be next door to Pie Jackers at 21 Albert Road, expects to be open before the end of October. Work will start on the showroom design once Jomast has completed the first fix stage on the premises.

“Jomast has been incredibly supportive throughout the entire process. There is such a buzz here, and we wanted to be part of this community,” added Peter.

The area has also welcomed Middlesbrough’s first dedicated yoga and wellbeing studio. Ananda Wellbeing is the brainchild of Anna-Marie Morgan and her partner Adam O’Neil. The couple chose the central location after they were impressed with the vision Jomast have for Albert North and the regeneration taking place in the town.

Having worked with Cocoon & Bauer to create a design for the interior Ananda Wellbeing is transforming space at 10 Albert Road into a studio. It will cater for everyone, with beginners’ courses and more energetic classes for those more experienced. As well as pilates and salsa, hot yoga will be available on a ‘pay as you go basis’, which is a first for the area. Treatment rooms providing physiotherapy, reiki, hot stone massages and reflexology will also be available.

Talking about the new tenants, Mark Hill, commercial property director at Jomast, said: “It’s been 12 months since we welcomed our first new tenant, Mabo, to Albert North and the area has developed into a bustling commercial community.

“The success is down to the variety of tenants we’ve attracted which has resulted in a diverse but complementary community that includes tech and creative firms, quirky eateries and city living apartments.”

Salesfire, a rapidly growing digital firm is the latest tenant to make a move to Albert North having secured 5,000 sq ft of new office space on the second floor of SIXTEEN/26.

Founded in 2017, it provides e-commerce businesses with solutions to increase website conversions, sales and ROI, and it boasts Hype, Ringtons Tea and Lifestyle Fitness as its clients.

Richard Himsworth, Salesfire’s CEO, said: “We’ve experienced tremendous growth during the second half of last year which resulted in us growing our client base by 175% and trebling the team to 23 full-time employees.

“This resulted in us quickly outgrowing our existing premises, and we needed a new office that would be flexible enough to meet our ambitious growth needs.

“Having searched the market, we quickly realised Albert North provided us with the perfect opportunity as it offered us the space we required now with the flexibility for future expansion.”

Salesfire has joined Mabo Media, Alkaline Kitchen, Keystage Recruitment, Working Links and Hays Recruitment who have also chosen this central location.

“The fact that this area has been designed to attract the town’s ambitious digital and creative sector alongside living space and food outlets made Albert North even more attractive to us,” added Richard.

Tenants based at Albert North receive many perks including high-speed broadband, rent and rate incentives, free public health initiatives for staff, and a city centre loyalty card offering discounts and incentives in local shops.

Mark Hill, commercial property director at Jomast, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Salesfire as our latest tenant, and the fact that we have modern facilities and space flexible enough to meet their future growth needs demonstrates the calibre of what we have available.

“In under six months, we have let 20,000 sq ft at Albert North, and this is a testament to the potential businesses see in this bustling new community.”

An area of Middlesbrough is being brought back to life by local regeneration specialists Jomast and Middlesbrough Council.

Albert Road, which is a main thoroughfare in the town, runs from Middlesbrough railway station to Centre Square and Teesside University. The once-bustling commercial district is now benefiting from significant regeneration to reinvigorate the area into a vibrant new business community known as Albert North.

Made up of a collection of eclectic buildings, Albert North will boast a number of modern studios and offices for small to large businesses, as well as food and drink outlets and city living apartments.

Built to complement Middlesbrough’s existing digital and creative quarter and the Boho Zone, Albert North is being welcomed by many businesses who are looking for modern, flexible office space to meet their growing needs.

“Our aim is to bring together passionate people and inspiring businesses into one exciting business community” said Mark Hill, Commercial Property Director at Jomast.

“Companies are looking for bespoke office accommodation and creative spaces with flexible terms and attractive incentives, which is exactly what Albert North will offer. More people want to work in the centre of town as it allows them to have easy access to all the local amenities as well as good transport links’ he added.

The Middlesbrough Mayor’s 2025 vision puts the town firmly at the heart of the Tees Valley City region, competing with cities across the UK. Albert North sits within Middlesbrough’s historic quarter, with the heritage and architecture of the older buildings being restored and retained.

Internally, each unit will be fully refurbished to offer spacious interiors that meet the high standards businesses now expect.

“Albert North allows businesses of all sizes, including the town’s prominent creative and digital sector, to remain in close proximity to each other, which in turn will encourage a collaborative environment for these businesses to thrive,” said Michelle McPhee, City Centre Manager at Middlesbrough Council.

“We are working with local businesses to shape the culture of Albert North, and this includes a range of benefits such as high-speed broadband, rent and rate incentives, free public health initiatives for employees and a town centre loyalty card with exclusive discounts” she added.

“Jomast and Middlesbrough Council are committed to improving and regenerating Middlesbrough, and Albert North is testament to this”.

Key details have been revealed which will see major improvements made to a historic area of Middlesbrough town centre.

Albert Road, which is a main thoroughfare in the town, runs from Middlesbrough train station to the town centre and Teesside University. It has already seen various developments in 2017 including the Holiday Inn, Bistrot Pierre and the ongoing restoration of the Town Hall. New plans set out by Jomast will ensure that the positive regeneration in this area continues into 2018.

The Stockton based property developer has announced that work has started on 15 – 25 Albert Road, with the vision being to convert the eclectic mix of historic buildings into commercial units while conserving their period features. These empty properties will be fully refurbished and extended to attract a mix of businesses including restaurants, cafes, coffee shops and independent retailers. A number of residential units will also be available on the upper floors.

In addition to this, Prudential House, which sits at 27 – 33 Albert Road, will undergo improvements including new windows and a full exterior clean. The regeneration work is scheduled to take around 12 months.

Mark Hill, Commercial Property Director at Jomast spoke about the plans, saying, “The historic and architectural significance of this section of Albert Road represents the quality of architecture throughout the historic quarter of Middlesbrough – something which Jomast are dedicated to conserving.

“The lack of occupancy and investment in this area has been recognised in recent years and we’re pleased to be able to continue our plans to invest in Middlesbrough.”

The work on Albert Road follows a string of successful regeneration projects for Jomast in Middlesbrough and the surrounding areas, including the popular Bedford and Baker Streets, Zetland Buildings in Exchange Square, Sun Alliance House and Wilsons Courtyard on Albert Road and the Queens Square area of the town.

“Jomast is committed to improving and regenerating Middlesbrough, and the work which has started on Albert Road is testament to this” Mark added.