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Iconic Hallmark House in Bradford is placed on the market

The Grade II-listed Hallmark House, one of Bradford’s most iconic buildings, has been placed on the market.

The sale of the historic Art Deco building in Bingley Road follows the decision to move the headquarters of Hallmark Cards to its sister site at Dawson Lane in south Bradford.

The 76,207 sq ft building was built in 1937 and extensively refurbished in 2001. In addition to the House itself, 57,674 sq ft of refurbished warehousing and stores are also included in the 8.8 acre sale.

Mike Dove, partner with leading Yorkshire property consultancy Dove Haigh Phillips, who are marketing the property, commented: “This is an outstanding – and rare - opportunity for either a residential or commercial development in the heart of West Yorkshire. We are inviting offers in the region of £7 million.

“Hallmark House is a stunning four-storey property in a semi-rural setting on the edge of Airedale, which has immense potential. It is likely that the ancillary warehouse and stores buildings will be replaced with new build homes to complement the property which is itself a Listed Building. This will provide a developer, either residential or commercial with a highly flexible opportunity in an exclusive environment,” said Mr Dove.

The building has a rich history. During the 1930s, W N Sharpe of Bradford built Hallmark House as the headquarters for their successful printing business. In 1984 Hallmark Cards, the family-owned international greetings card business acquired W N Sharpe’s printing operation for nearly £21m. The colonnaded office building was completely refurbished and opened as Hallmark House in 2001.

Mr Dove continued: “Today Hallmark House and its ancillary buildings occupy a fine 8.76-acre, self-contained site in a delightful and imposing semi-rural position. The property overlooks mature woodland and countryside, two golf courses, private housing and local schools.”

He explained: “Hallmark is now enhancing their major distribution centre and European Headquarters facility in south Bradford. This investment has enabled Hallmark House to be released to the market on a freehold basis with vacant possession available in early 2017,” said Mr Dove.

The ancillary and amenity buildings are set away from the main building and located to the rear of the site. They are mainly single-storey buildings and provide canteen office and conference facilities which service Hallmark

The mainly level site extends to 8.76 acres with extensive frontage to both Bingley Road and Thorne Lane. The site provides extensive and well laid-out car parking together with formal landscaping, all enclosed by a secure perimeter. The property occupies a prominent position between the high-quality outer Bradford residential suburbs and the Airedale towns and villages of Shipley, Cottingley and Bingley.

Hallmark’s decision to move its headquarters to Dawson Lane in south Bradford was announced some months ago. The move will bring head office operations closer to the distribution operation and also create a dedicated creative and design space, enabling the business to be more connected.

Steve Wright, Hallmark’s international chief executive, said: “We’re excited about the opportunity that moving to Dawson Lane presents. The essence of our company is design and creativity and the relocation gives us an opportunity to re-shape our head office and ensure that it fits our needs as both a creative and customer focussed business.

“Although we will be sad to leave Bingley Road, it gives us a real chance to bring our Bradford-based teams together under one roof and create a new culture in the process. We’re committed to Bradford, we’ve been here for more than 30 years and we’re proud to be based in the city.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Beaumont .