Alive and thriving

Staying strong . . . businesses at the Acorn Centre are operating as usual

SIXTY businesses at Derker’s Acorn Centre have told customers they remain open for business.

Ten traders occupying 13 units at the Acorn Business Centre, Barry Street, were given notice to leave by the council, which decided not to renew its 25-year lease due to running costs and the need for expensive refurbishment work.

But businesses on the surrounding Acorn estate have been quick to reassure customers they are definitely still in business

And the council - which retains ownership of the majority of the estate - has pledged to continue to own, manage and support the estate, which serves mainly small companies

Victoria Lee, owner of Ambience Interiors, said: “There has been a misunderstanding and word gets around. A small part of the site is closing; it has nothing to do with us.

“There are many strong businesses here; the majority of the units are full.”

Richard McCabe, owner of Unique Custom Built Cabinets, said he had around 40 calls from customers who had placed deposits and worried whether work would be completed.

The building containing the threatened businesses has been bought by GM Machinery Group, which already operates from Acorn.

Owner David Taylor said: “We bought the building as an investment - it’s right next to our current warehouse.

“We thought it would give us room for expansion or we could rent out the available units.

“We made rents slightly higher due to the work that needs doing and gave the businesses written proposals. Only a couple of them showed any interest.”