After more than 40 years of fulfilling its founding vision of regenerating and preserving the heritage of Nottingham’s Lace Market, niche developer Spenbeck is selling its 46,000 sq ft commercial portfolio.
Currently occupied by a collection of the region’s companies, Spenbeck’s flagship Birkin Building and adjacent property 35-37 St Mary’s Gate in the heart of The Lace Market are being brought to market via property agent Innes England. The portfolio is available in its entirety for offers in excess of £4m, or in smaller lots.
Spenbeck was founded by brothers Mich and Don Stevenson in 1981. Since then, the Stevenson family has been passionately dedicated to the historic Lace Market buildings, bringing them back to life and making the area the industrial and leisure hub it is today.
Spenbeck’s well-known passion for its buildings and The Lace Market will always be part of Nottingham’s heritage.
Mich Stevenson is well known for “saving The Lace Market” after he boldly championed the area back in the 1990s – and was awarded an OBE for his heritage work over the past 40 years. Second generation co-owners Becky Valentine and Victoria Green took up the mantle to head up Spenbeck, now with sustainability and interior design at its core.
Becky said:
“We are immensely proud that Spenbeck and the Stevenson family will forever be synonymous with the long-term regeneration of The Lace Market and our significant contribution to the cultural, social, historic, and economic heritage of the city of Nottingham. While both generations of Spenbeck recognise that the sale will inevitably be a huge emotional wrench, we are all excited about our new direction.”
Victoria added:
“Having put our own stamp on Spenbeck for the last 12 years, it was always our intention to move into new areas. Our experience at Spenbeck reinforced our desire to share our passions and wealth of expertise in heritage buildings, sustainability, building health and interior design to support companies as they navigate increasing demands created by current ESG requirements.’’
“We are excited to be scaling up what we have done over the last 40 years, investing significant time and finance to support a wider audience across the public and private sectors.”
Becky added: “It has been a privilege to have been the custodians of these incredible buildings, yet it was never our intention to keep them forever. Working with our stakeholders over the past four decades has been an honour and we would like to thank everyone for their support and efforts with our multi-award-winning achievements. We now look forward to working with them in delivering Spenbeck’s consultancy services.”
Innes England director Ross Whiting said: “It’s an emotional time for Victoria and Becky to dispose of these substantial and elegant buildings, however this is a great and rare opportunity for a buyer to acquire a notable portfolio within the heart of The Lace Market, as an investment, for owner occupation or potentially for an alternative use.”
