Pictured above: L-R: TJW Bodyshop owner Tomasz Walkuski
and Arv Soar of Property Investment Portfolio
Rock Valley, the Mansfield based industrial business park that
just two years ago was the crumbling site of a double glazing firm,
is now a thriving hub of small business activity, according to its
owner Arv Soar.
Whilst the recession kept many business parks in the East
Midlands half empty, Rock Valley maintained an above 80% occupancy
rate throughout, and has now reached full occupancy with its latest
business leaseholder - car repair firm TJW Bodyshop.
Arv Soar's property development company Property Investment
Portfolio purchased and developed the site in 2008 and rather than
mothballing the site in the recession like many other companies -
it pushed hard to attract the right businesses.
"A lot of people thought we were crazy to push Rock Valley
during the downturn," explains Arv Soar.
"But we knew that this town centre location would be great for
start up businesses that required small scale industrial units to
get their ventures off to a great start - even in tough market
conditions."
Rock Valley's latest tenant, TJW Bodyshop, has enjoyed an
enormous success since arriving, so much so that owner Tomasz
Walkuski's order book has already reached capacity for the
foreseeable future and he's potentially looking to hire more
technicians.
26 year old Tomasz whose business is nearly two years old,
relocated to Rock Valley from Sutton in Ashfield, he says:
"To me Mansfield is an excellent place to do business, there is
a large population of drivers here and we seem to be attracting a
lot of customers from Nottingham as well.
"I'm looking to grow my business here and expand my team of
three. I'm also branching into vehicle body art - a passion of
mine, which I think will bring in customers from across the UK and
perhaps even further afield."
TJW Bodyshop's neighbours at Rock Valley include a car valeting
company, a double glazing company and a steel fabrication
company.
"Businesses don't stop in a recession, they just assess running
costs and value," continues Arv Soar.
"Mansfield offers low costs and high value to businesses looking
to set up shop as well as offering good value in the residential
housing market. It has fantastic road links, an affluent population
and good access to Nottingham, and there is the all-important buzz
coming from its small, innovative young businesses."
Following on from the success of Rock Valley, Property
Investment Portfolio is now looking to focus its attentions on the
residential market and is looking to increase its residential
property holdings in the area.