A property expert at Higgs LLP has been praised for her “relentless professionalism” after helping a distribution specialist secure a long-term lease of a new premises – within 30 days.
PDS Group, which specialises in fragile distribution, was looking for a second site to enable its strategic growth plans.
The business identified a 58,578 sq ft site at Hawthorns Business Park in West Bromwich.
With heads of terms agreed at the beginning of December, PDS Group was keen to complete on the 10-year lease before Christmas to facilitate fit out ready for use in the New Year.
Sarah Bradford, Legal Director in Higgs’ commercial property team, stepped up to the task and advised on all legal issues, documentation and risks quickly and effectively to achieve the client’s goal.
Sean Kiely, Managing Director at PDS Group, said: “WB58 at Hawthorns Business Park represented the perfect site for our business as it offered high class sizeable warehouse space along with a large secure yard to complement our distribution model.
“Once heads of terms were agreed we needed a solicitor that could enable a very fast completion leading up to a holiday period. We have worked with Higgs on all previous property dealings and we knew they would do their utmost to work to this very tight deadline.”
“Sarah Bradford was fantastic and relentless in her professional advice and support throughout the process, enabling completion within 30 days of engagement.”
The warehouse has been fully refurbished by the landlord with sustainability, carbon reduction and energy efficiency at the forefront of the works, including solar and air source heat pumps, which aligns with the client’s values and targets.
Highly-experienced Sarah, who joined the Higgs team at the beginning of December, said: “I was delighted to be able to achieve the client’s goal of completing before Christmas.
“It was a pleasure to work closely with Sean Kiely and we took a very commercial approach to the transaction.
“This is another example of how Higgs’ wealth of experience in property transactions can deliver results in a smooth and efficient manner.”
Higgs had previously been instructed by PDS Group to acquire leasehold premises in Oldbury and PDS Group later returned to Higgs for legal advice when looking to exit the premises early.
The property dispute team at Higgs was on hand to offer PDS Group swift advice on the terms of the lease and assisted with the operation of the break clause to achieve an effective early termination as desired.
Reanne Upton, an Associate in the Property Litigation team at Higgs said: “Terminating a lease early is not always a straight-forward process, especially where time is of the essence.
“Knowing that we have assisted PDS Group in achieving its desired outcome and have collectively enabled it to move forward with its strategic growth plan is extremely satisfying.”
Higgs LLP is a full-service law firm that can assist clients in all aspects of their business needs, including commercial, tax and business wealth preservation, insolvency and business recovery and company secretarial services.
PDS Direct is a logistic provider offering a full range of distribution and warehousing services to the UK and Western European markets, specialising in fragile distribution.
