Office estate in Cardiff’s Womanby Street sold for £7.5m

5 April 2022
  • Trade Collective offices in Womanby Street, Cardiff sold by Cooke & Arkwright
  • Trade Collective offices in Womanby Street, Cardiff sold by Cooke & Arkwright
  • Trade Collective offices in Womanby Street, Cardiff sold by Cooke & Arkwright
  • Trade Collective offices in Womanby Street, Cardiff sold by Cooke & Arkwright

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A heritage office estate in Womanby Street in Cardiff city centre has been sold by Aegon Property Income Fund for £7.5m.

The freehold investment sale of the Trade Collective estate was negotiated on behalf of Aegon by Cooke & Arkwright’s investment agency team and their joint agents, Savills. CBRE advised the purchaser, Telereal Trillium.

The Trade Collective comprises four heritage buildings offering 43,850 sq ft of office accommodation along Womanby Street, with part of the estate fronting onto Westgate Street. 23 Womanby Street, Castle Buildings, and Westgate House & Court are warehouse style, period office buildings, while The Croft & Womanby Studios occupy a courtyard environment in Jones Court.

A comprehensive refurbishment programme was recently completed on three of the four offices, which provide a range of suites for SME businesses across all sectors.

The Trade Collective is almost fully let with the remainder under offer, and current occupiers include Atlantic Resource, Bar 44, Box UK, BRC, Contractors QS & PM, Ffenics Developments, Gaunt Francis architects, GRC World Forums, Lyons Davidson solicitors, Sero Life, and Stepping Stones.

Womanby Street is one of the oldest and most historic streets in Cardiff and a prime location close to Cardiff Central Station, Central Square, St David’s 2, Cardiff Castle and the Principality Stadium. The surrounding area is the heart of Cardiff’s music and leisure quarter, creating a unique environment that is rich in culture and attractive to office occupiers.

Cooke & Arkwright have been providing rating valuation advice to The Welsh Rugby Union Limited (“WRU”) and Millennium Stadium plc for many years. They were recently successful in achieving substantial reductions in the assessments of the Millennium Stadium, covering both the 2005 and 2010 rating list. These negotiated reductions yielded savings of c.£3.5m which, crucially, allows the WRU to re-invest in rugby throughout Wales. They advise the WRU across the group portfolio including the National Centre of Excellence in the Vale of Glamorgan. The valuation issues across the WRU portfolio are complex requiring a high level of understanding of the funding and finances of professional sport in Wales. Cooke & Arkwright’s experience and understanding of these issues and application to the rating valuation have yielded these substantial negotiated reductions. The WRU and the Millennium Stadium entrust our work to organisations with the required levels in experience and expertise in dealing with these complex issues. I am glad to say we have this expertise in Wales. I would have no hesitation in recommending ratepayers making use of this Welsh based expertise.

Steve Phillips, Group Finance Director, Welsh Rugby Union Group