Hughes Ellard - Portsmouth, Unit H, Herbert Street

Date: 06 Jul 2009

An expanding company which supplies temporary power to customers across almost every industry in the UK has opened up a new depot in Portsmouth.

Abird signed an initial 12-month lease on a semi-detached industrial unit and storage yard right by Portsmouth Naval Base and the cross-channel ferry port.

The company specialises in the hire and sale of diesel generators from everything to Wimbledon, rock festivals and country fairs to construction, quarrying and roadworks.

Portsmouth-to-Southampton commercial property consultancy Hughes Ellard acted for a private landlord in the letting deal.

Details on the rent of Unit H, Herbert Street, have not been disclosed.

The property, near the M275, consists of 2,590 sq ft workshop and office and 5,912 sq ft of yard space.

Abird's seventh depot in the UK has created four jobs, with Carly Hammond from Portsmouth the depot manager.

The family-owned business, set up in Watford in 1950, was named Abird for one reason only - to get front page in the alphabetical telephone directory.

Before the internet era, that was virtually the only way of finding out how to look up a service.

Abird's general manger, Dr Chris Anspack, said: 'There's always a bit of good-natured banter from customers regarding the company name, but we're not going to tinker with a great brand that has been successfully powering Britain for 59 years.

'The Portsmouth depot has allowed us to provide a super-efficient service to the South Coast, whereas before units would have had to be transported over from our nearest other depots in Kent and Essex.

'The market in the South is big, and the depot is also conveniently situated to respond to demand from the marine sector. For example, cross-Channel ferries are often in need of power supply.'

Andy Gibbs, one of Hughes Ellard's business space and development agents for the Solent Corridor, said: 'Abird is a great success story and we're pleased to have been able to help make this strategic location a reality.'

POWER LETTING: Carly Hammond, the manager of Abird's new depot in Portsmouth, with Andy Gibbs of commercial property consultancy Hughes Ellard

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