Fast-growing Beal Homes has revealed plans for a showpiece new head office at Wykeland Group’s Bridgehead business park featuring industry-leading customer experience facilities.
The family-owned housebuilder plans to move just 100 yards across the road from its existing home to a new £4.5m building next to the Porsche Centre at Bridgehead.
A planning application has been submitted to East Riding of Yorkshire Council for the 19,000 sq ft, two-storey building, which will take Beal’s renowned and uniquely-personal customer service to a new level.
Beal is working with Wykeland, owner and developer of Bridgehead, on the scheme and it reinforces the strong relationship between the two local businesses, who are also joint venture partners in the regeneration of Hull’s Fruit Market urban village.
The planned investment comes just a few years after multi award-winning Beal relocated to then new-built offices at the business park close to the Humber Bridge – a move that accelerated the growth of the regional housebuilder.
The business moved to Bridgehead in 2014 to occupy a purpose-designed head office, including a Customer Selections Studio – now rebranded as the Design Lounge – where homebuyers personalise their new Beal home to fit their lifestyle and tastes.
Since then, the company’s reputation for quality and unrivalled customer service, including the unique “Beal Experience” enjoyed by every buyer, have driven growth in house sales from just over 100 completions a year to around 300, with turnover trebling in that time.
Now, Beal has once more outgrown its home and plans to invest in the new head office which is more than twice the size of its existing building.
Almost half of the floorspace will be devoted to an expanded Design Lounge and areas dedicated to customer service, including to host launch events for new developments. With its own entrance, this will be a seven-day sales outlet, open during the day and evening to suit customers’ busy lifestyles.
The 1.1-acre site will also feature a show garden, reflecting the further development of a recently-launched Beal service helping buyers to make the most of their outdoor space with advice from a landscape design expert.
Chief Executive Richard Beal said: “We’re very excited to put forward these plans and delighted to be working with Wykeland to deliver them. This is a major statement of our confidence in the future of the business and the housing market in Hull, East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire where we operate.
“This building will be both the headquarters of our business and a highly-visible shop window and showroom for the quality of our homes and the outstanding customer experience we’re known for.
“The facilities will enable us to enhance even further the customer journey, including the experience our buyers enjoy as they work with our expert designers to customise their new home.
“It will also offer a superb working environment for our excellent team. Post-Covid, people will care even more about the quality of their workplace and that will be a key issue in retaining and recruiting talented staff.”
As well as the dedicated customer service facilities, the new building will feature a reception area, central atrium, offices, meeting and training rooms, boardroom and breakout spaces and a first-floor outdoor terrace.
Mr Beal added: “We have been considering the need for a bigger Design Lounge to support our continuing growth for some time, but the events of recent months have accelerated our thinking.
“It’s clear to us the process of buying a new home is continuing to change. Since March all visits to our marketing suites and show homes, as well as our development launches, have been by appointment-only. Our customers have completely embraced this, as well as welcoming the extensive Covid-secure safety measures we have put in place.
“This tells us homebuyers are receptive to pre-booked appointments in first-class surroundings where they can truly experience the quality of our homes and the exceptional range of fixtures, fittings and finishes we offer as part of our design service.
“The pandemic has also changed people’s thinking about what they want from their home and private outdoor space, especially the desire for increased flexibility, including to provide for working from home.
“Our new head office will have the space and purpose-designed facilities to showcase fully the opportunity we offer to buyers to make their new home exactly as they want it to be, including altering internal layouts. It will also accommodate a new, greater range of customer options, such as furniture and soft furnishings.”
Pending planning approval, construction is expected to begin early next year with the new head office due to open in the first quarter of 2022.
Beal plans to make its current head office on the opposite side of Boothferry Road available for sale or to let, opening up the opportunity for another business to relocate to Bridgehead and benefit from its excellent and prominent location.
Wykeland Managing Director Dominic Gibbons said: “These plans will bring another landmark building to Bridgehead, in keeping with the high quality of design seen across the business park.
“Beal was the first company to make its home at Bridgehead and that move has been instrumental in the growth of the business. Now Beal plans to invest again, to literally build on that success.
“Pending planning approval, this development will also create an excellent opportunity for another company to join one of the region’s leading locations for business investment, by occupying the offices Beal will vacate.”
Beal and Wykeland are working with The Harris Partnership on the design of the new building and intend to re-engage Hull-based Chameleon Business Interiors to deliver the interior design and fit-out. Chameleon carried out the same work at Beal’s existing head office.