Windsor's vamped up Parnell office space

The office offered for lease was a former warehouse and nightclub at 7 Windsor St. Photo / Supplied

Fastidiously transformed into a chic office, retail and showroom complex, a former Parnell warehouse and nightclub has three areas offered for lease through CB Richard Ellis brokers Jack Brabant and Lorne Somerville.

Brabant says owner Callum Baker's company, Parklane Group, has spared no expense in converting the 1950s property at 7 Windsor St.

The property comprises two buildings under one roof. The older part of the property was once an extension to the well-known Heard's confectionery factory on Parnell Rd and was used for storing chocolate.

It was owned for 20 years by whiteware supplier Peter Gower and during the 1970s the top floor was a nightclub, where pop superstar Lionel Ritchie and his band the Commodores played.

In recent years, the properties were second-grade warehousing until Parklane Group bought them in 2006 and spent some time considering how to convert the buildings while preserving their character features.

It is now a 1300sq m office and showroom complex housing Levi Strauss, Oakley International and fashion designer Kevin Berkahn, known for his elaborate creations.

The three areas for lease are a boutique office and showroom of 66sq m, a first-floor office of 186sq m and the property's flagship office and showroom of 347sq m. Each area is computer cabled and ready for immediate occupation.

Brabant says Parklane Group undertook an extensive refurbishment including new beams, roof, exposing brick walls, polishing the wooden floors and creating false windows on the east side downstairs. "These are lit from behind to give the feeling of natural light," he says.

Levi Strauss and Oakley International have their head office in the building and both these companies use their premises for buyers to view their latest products. Kevin Berkahn moved from Teed St, Newmarket to a new retail showroom at ground level.

"Smaller office and showroom suites are popular in Parnell, which is regarded as Auckland's creative quarter," Brabant says. "It is home to advertising agencies, architects, engineers, interior designers, web developers, marketing and public relations companies, and also hosts Auckland's largest art gallery precinct.

"Office space in Parnell buildings is competitively priced, there is good parking and the cafes and public areas give the village a modern, cosmopolitan feel."

Parklane Group, formed in 2004, has specialised in difficult Parnell properties and has about 60 office suites in the suburb, having purchased its first Parnell building in 2001 at 211 Parnell Rd, which was redeveloped into the well-known Nori restaurant, office suites and apartments.

"During that development we recognised that many of the Parnell office tenants we deal with don't want large floorplates. They want around 100sq m and we have specialised in this market," says Baker.

His company has tenants ranging from medium-sized businesses to international brands. "They are solid tenants who have done well and appreciate the charms of older buildings in a village where you can walk down the street and talk to people."

Although Parklane Group has been operating in Parnell for five to six years, it had never established an office in one of its own buildings. However, Baker and his team have now moved into Windsor St.

He says the city end of Parnell Rd is becoming "the Paris end of the suburb" because most of the buildings have been redeveloped or converted and haven't been pulled down.

"They don't have historic classifications, and while they are lovely they have restrictions on the type of tenants allowed to take up residence.

"Landlords have recently taken a different view on the tenants they want to attract and it's no longer shooter bar clients and students. They are after a more sophisticated, 'edgy' type of tenant, and this has boosted the area's attractiveness."

Parklane Group is a long-term investor and rarely sells a property. However, everything the company owns has now been transformed and Baker is on the look out for more property. "Finding this type of property is rare; it's like looking for hens' teeth."

Parnell properties that have stood for 130 years or more are good for another 130 years if they are looked after. Baker says the city's old buildings need to be treasured.