Thompson Commercials drives expansion with purchase of new HQ

The office block at Geneva Way, Hull, which has been acquired by Thompson Commercials from Sewell Group.

THE first corporate headquarters of leading construction firm Sewell Group will provide a platform for the further growth of a rapidly-expanding transport business after being sold in a deal completed by Garness Jones.

Thompson Commercials Ltd expect to move next month after adding the 3,898 square-foot building at Geneva Way in Hull to a property portfolio which includes seven depots stretching from Boston to Tyneside.

But Paul Simpson, Managing Director of Thompson Commercials, admits his sights were set on another location until he visited Geneva Way to see the quality and potential of the block which Sewell Group built 27 years ago.

He said: “I wanted to centralise various parts of the business including accounts, invoicing, sales admin and leasing and the plan was to do that near our Hull depot but then I saw this place.

“It looks brand new because they built it very well. It’s great value for money and the location is ideal for most of the 30 people who will be working here. It’s almost made to measure and it will be a good working environment for everybody, nicely decorated with plush furniture.

“It gives us another platform. We’ve got room here to bring in more people and if I achieve everything I want to achieve I could imagine us out-growing this in the next five years.”

Paul White, Agency Director of Garness Jones, said: “Thompson Commercials needed more space and their preference was to expand to a site close to their Hull depot alongside the A 63.

“We knew Geneva Way would offer a high-quality solution and Paul was convinced as soon as he saw it. The key for him was the opportunity to create a convenient, modern and stylish working environment for his staff. That’s an increasingly important consideration for employers and it is rewarded with higher productivity.”

Sewell Group built the offices in 1990 after finally deciding that its original converted house was too tight a squeeze. The company’s decision to bring its teams together at its complex at the other end of Geneva Way provided the expansion opportunity for Thompson Commercials, which employs 170 people.

Graham Atkins, Commercial Director of Sewell Group, said: “Years ago, we were in a converted house in Sutton village with a traditional builders’ yard at the back, and it was a huge decision at the time to move. But we bought the land at Geneva Way, put a road in and 27 years ago built an office and lived there for several years without any neighbours, slowly building up the business park down there.

“Now we have outgrown it. We had a dilemma about whether to do a full refurbishment but we also had the opportunity to do that with Geneva Court at the other end of Geneva Way. It’s a bigger footprint and we decided to put the old office on the market.”