Hankinson Whittle Ltd
Client Snapshot
Client: Hankinson Whittle Ltd
Sector: Property Services, Painting, Decoration & Programmed Maintenance
Turnover: c.£25 million
Employees: 130 (c.200 following RW Integrated Solutions acquisition)
Coverage: National, with headquarters on the Wirral
New HQ: Prenton Business Park, Wirral
Service Delivered: Property Acquisition, Headquarters Relocation:
About the Asset
Hankinson Whittle Ltd is one of the UK's leading property services contractors, delivering in excess of £25 million worth of projects annually for clients across the social housing, healthcare, education, heritage, and commercial sectors. With a workforce of around 130 people and national reach across England and Wales, the business provides painting and decoration, cyclical maintenance, damp and mould remediation, refurbishment, and a specialist protective coatings division serving industrial, marine, and infrastructure clients.
The company operates from six locations, with its headquarters based on the Wirral. It holds a strong position on national housing frameworks and has built long-standing relationships with some of the UK's most significant social housing providers and local authorities. In 2022, Hankinson Whittle was acquired by RW Integrated Solutions, a specialist property services and maintenance group, significantly expanding the combined group's scale, capabilities, and geographic coverage.
The Challenge
Following the acquisition of Hankinson Whittle by RW Integrated Solutions in late 2022, the enlarged group undertook a review of its operational and property requirements. For a business of Hankinson Whittle's scale and national reach, its headquarters plays a critical role: it is the operational hub from which projects, people, and client relationships are managed, and it sends a clear signal about the business's standing and ambition to clients, partners, and recruits alike.
The relocation presented a number of specific requirements that needed to be carefully balanced:
The new headquarters needed to reflect the profile and professionalism of a national property services contractor, offering a working environment befitting a business delivering over £25 million of projects per year.
Location was operationally important: the Wirral provides strong logistical connectivity for a national workforce, and any move needed to retain or improve on that advantage.
The acquisition had created an opportunity to reduce occupancy costs while upgrading the quality of the working environment, making thorough market search and strong acquisition terms essential.
The timeline needed to be managed carefully to avoid operational disruption during the business integration period that followed the ownership change.
Hankinson Whittle needed a commercial property partner with detailed knowledge of the Wirral office and business park market, the relationships to identify the right opportunity quickly, and the experience to negotiate and secure favourable acquisition terms.
Our Approach
Following the acquisition, Hankinson Whittle instructed The UpCo to lead the search for and acquisition of a new headquarters. The UpCo's property acquisition team drew on its established knowledge of the Wirral commercial property market to identify suitable options that met the business's operational, locational, and financial requirements.
The engagement ran through a structured process:
Requirements briefing: working closely with Hankinson Whittle's leadership to define the specification for the new headquarters, covering size, location, specification, lease terms, and target occupancy costs.
Market search: conducting a comprehensive search of available and off-market opportunities across the Wirral business park market, leveraging The UpCo's local network and market knowledge.
Options appraisal: presenting a shortlist of suitable properties with a detailed assessment of each against the agreed criteria, enabling the client to make an informed decision with confidence.
Acquisition and negotiation: managing the acquisition process from heads of terms through to completion, negotiating commercially favourable terms on behalf of Hankinson Whittle.
Throughout, The UpCo worked to ensure the process was managed efficiently and with minimal disruption to the business, recognising that the leadership team was simultaneously managing the integration of the two businesses following the acquisition.
The Outcome
The UpCo successfully identified and secured new headquarters for Hankinson Whittle at Prenton Business Park, a well-located and highly regarded commercial location at the heart of the Wirral. The move delivered on all three of the key objectives set at the outset of the instruction.
What the Move Delivered
Logistical connectivity: Central Wirral location strengthens operational coverage across the North West and national network
Reduced occupancy costs: Favourable lease terms negotiated, reducing the occupancy cost base for the combined group
Quality working environment: Modern, high-quality premises at Prenton Business Park befitting a national property services contractor
Impact at a Glance
£25m+
Annual project turnover supported
Wirral
Headquarters secured at Prenton Business Park
3/3
Relocation objectives delivered
Why It Mattered
For a national property services business, the headquarters is more than an address. It is where bid teams prepare tenders, where management oversees projects spanning England and Wales, and where the culture and values of the business are shaped day to day. Getting the relocation right mattered both commercially and operationally.
The acquisition by RW Integrated Solutions created a specific window of opportunity: with the business undergoing strategic change, there was a clear case for addressing the property estate as part of the integration, securing premises that would serve the enlarged group's ambitions rather than simply inheriting what had come before. By instructing The UpCo to lead the search and acquisition, Hankinson Whittle ensured the process was handled by specialists with the Wirral market knowledge and commercial negotiation experience to identify the right property quickly and secure it on the right terms.
The result is a headquarters at Prenton Business Park that positions the business well for its next chapter, with lower occupancy costs, better logistics, and a working environment that reflects the scale and professionalism of a contractor delivering programmes for some of the UK's largest housing providers and public sector clients.