Meet the people of City Works

The main reason we moved here was because East Manchester is now the hot spot for our type of work.

“Here we have our office and storage facility combined,” explains business partner, Declan O’Hare, “whereas in south Manchester they were some way apart. So that’s much more convenient.

“But the main reason we moved here was because East Manchester is now the hot spot for our type of work. Our biggest clients are here and we can service them much more efficiently from City Works.”

Theo and Declan started their general plumbing business in 2003, but this was to be no ordinary plumbers. “Out trade doesn’t always have a good image,” explains Theo, “and so we set out specifically to challenge the stereotypes and offer a high quality, professional service, which is where the name comes from. We moved into fitting luxury bathrooms for the more affluent clients but have now shifted our market again. We’re now specialists in disabled adaptations of bathrooms for the elderly.”

With a workforce of 15, Qualifit works closely with Manchester Working – the direct works arm of Manchester City Council – as well as other local authorities and housing associations to fit adapted bathrooms in their tenants’ homes.

“Not only are our clients close by but our suppliers are all on the doorstep too. There are plumbing merchants, electrical suppliers, a tile warehouse all within a few hundred yards of us. Four suppliers have premises on this trading estate which makes it all quite cosy,” says Declan. “Here we have the potential to expand. We can put another 600 square feet of office space above us and even build a mezzanine to increase our storage facility.”

Why choose City Works?

“When we were considering our relocation it was essential we were close to the M60,” says Theo. “We looked at other locations around the orbital motorway but City Works has the advantage because the place was brand new and Manchester’s business rates are not as high as some of its neighbours.”

www.qualifit.co.uk
www.langtreegroupplc.co.uk/cityworks

“I was selling military clothing and accessories through eBay and before long the bedroom could no longer contain all the merchandise,” he says. “Within a couple of months there were boxes of goods all over the house, including the kitchen! So we moved to a bigger house but the business soon outgrew that too.”

So, within its first year MMG Trading Ltd moved into a unit on a business park in Miles Platting, but that too soon reached capacity. “We started with one unit,” recalls Michael, “and then took on another and then another. I had seen City Works as I’d been driving past and decided to take a closer look. It suited us perfectly and we moved here in September 2010.”

We have lots of deliveries and daily collections from Royal Mail and other couriers so City Works is perfect.

Michael and his two colleagues sell what was once called army surplus to a whole range of online clients in the UK and abroad. “We’re never really sure who specifically buys our goods,” admits Michael, “I guess anyone who needs camouflage clothing like fishermen, hunters, even paint ball enthusiasts.” Bizarrely, MMG Trading even sell to military servicemen in Afghanistan.

Two years after setting up, Michael had developed his own website – Military1st.co.uk – and now sells through that as well as through eBay and Amazon.

“I’m thinking of buying a house here in East Manchester,” says Michael, “just down the road in Beswick and plan to continue to expand in the area. We’re having a mezzanine level built in the stock room soon and if that isn’t enough space we can always expand into one of the larger units here at City Works.”

Why choose City Works?

“We have lots of deliveries and daily collections from Royal Mail and other couriers so City Works is perfect. It’s very quiet and vans can come and go without any trouble.”

www.military1st.co.uk
www.langtreegroupplc.co.uk/cityworks