A legacy building of a business that has evolved through Grimsby generations is to be repurposed to aid start-ups in a digital-driven world - after more than a decade on the market.
Bird seed specialist Haith’s derelict Park Street premises has been taken on by the man behind the conversion of the town’s old Royal Mail sorting office in Holme Street.
Hassan Ahmed aims to replicate the success there with the large warehouse and processing operation - unoccupied since the historic business headed to state-of-the-art facilities on Europarc in 2008.
Based in Manchester, but with growing interests this end of the M62, he has a passion for restoration over demolish and rebuild.
The £150,000 project is underway, with the 20,000 sq ft assembled site having been on the market for a shade under the additional spend.
Mr Ahmed said: “This is my fifth project, I started in 2007 in Manchester, took a place that had been empty for 20 tears and renovated it.
“A lot of people when they come to property - 98 per cent - buy a house, renovate and rent or sell it. They are not interested in the older mills and buildings. They come down and apartments are built or something else. These are very strong buildings.
"I try to educate others, there is a lot of potential value in these industrial or commercial sites, rather than residential. They are easier to manage and since the pandemic - and pre - there has been a big push for businesses to move online. A lot of people are starting, becoming more entrepreneurial, and for that reason there is a need for storage and small spaces to start up.
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“This will help a DIY shop, a trade counter, small retailers, with affordable premises for a new start. It won;t be too much of a burden, we aim to provide a very reasonable package.”
Haith’s had operated from the site for 61 years - itself launching into e-commerce and propelling itself to a new level from the Cleethorpes border location.
Mr Ahmed said: “It is a busy place. This is a beautiful building, we were in touch last year, we stepped away, but now we’ve got it.
“We’re now making it watertight, it has not been maintained for almost 13 years, but we’re looking at a £150,000 project.
“I’m looking to do the same as we did in Holme Street. I bought the site, restored it and is all occupied. There we have fruit and veg lady, a car garage and body work facility, as well as others.”
For Carl Bradley, director at agent and chartered surveyor Clark Weightman, it closed off a long-running property on the books.
“I wish them well,” he said. “It is a big commitment and there are going to be some challenges, but it is a prominent site and a lot of that type of premises is found on industrial estates west of the town. There are a lot of people in that area, there’s a lot of opportunity.”
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A complex residential development had initially been proposed, and was consented, but never came forward.
Haith’s itself launched online from the site, having set up in the 1940s there after John Edward Haith, a young zoo keeper, started mixing birdseed in a tin bath tub at the back of a pet shop in Grimsby Road.
It went on to recruit former ‘Goodie’ and celebrity twitcher Bill Oddie as brand ambassador, while diversifying into fishing baits.
Haith’s itself, through director Simon King, is now an ambassador of international trade.