Mailbox Birmingham

Mailbox Birmingham (also known as The Mailbox) is a mixed-use development located within the

The scheme comprises 689,000 sq. ft. of primarily office space, with ancillary retail and leisure offering, located on a 4.8-acre waterside site.[2] It is home to occupiers including BBC Birmingham, WSP, Associated Architects, Harvey Nichols, Malmaison Birmingham and other leading stores and restaurants.

The Mailbox is about 300 metres (980 ft) long from front to back including The Cube. Above the front shops it has an additional 6 floors which includes a hotel and residential apartments. The Worcester and Birmingham Canal passes along the back with a number of restaurants overlooking.

History

Previously the location of a

The main entrance was located at Blucher Street beneath a tower set between a square block for parcels on the left and a lower block for the letters sorting office on the right. The structure consisted of a steel frame on a 40-foot (12 m) square grid with lightweight pre-cast concrete floor slabs and reinforced concrete retaining walls and sub floors. The exterior was clad with cast glass troughs and exposed aggregate panels. Ventilation was provided through air-handling units which provided the building with the temperature it required. Extract fans were also placed on the roof. The exterior consisted mainly of the glass slabs and projecting air handling units with recessed windows.[3]

Redevelopment

1997

The Royal Mail sorting office was recognised by Chatham in 1997.^{[clarification needed]} Chatham had been an important figure in the regeneration of Birmingham, working with Argent to develop Brindleyplace. He found out that the sorting office was to be sold and tried to convince Argent about the potential the building offered if it were to be converted into a mixed-use building. Argent was unconvinced and so Chatham decided to establish his own development company, Birmingham Development Company, and purchased the building in 1998 for £3 million. He also paid a further £1 million for the surrounding waterfront buildings.^[4] Soon after purchasing the building, he sold the air-rights to Crosby Homes, providing him with further money for redeveloping the building.^[4]

The building was converted by the Birmingham Development Company and designed by the RIBA award winning, Birmingham practice, Associated Architects. It was to include two hotels with a total of 300 rooms, 15,850 sq. m (170,000 sg. ft.) of office space, 9,290 sq. m (100,000 sq ft.) of retail space and a similar area for restaurants and a health club.^[4] Crosby Homes constructed apartments above the space. The redevelopment of the sorting office involved demolition of all but the steel sub-structure. It cost £150 million overall and opened in December 2000. Following the purchase of two retail units by Harvey Nichols, the development was valued at over £125 million.^[4]

A public square the size of

In 2004,

In April 2011 the Mailbox was sold for £127.1 million to a joint venture between Brockton Capital and Milligan.[7]

2013

On 30 May 2013, Milligan Retail announced that the Mailbox would undergo a major renovation, designed by

On 13 March 2015, Gas Street Social opened at the Mailbox.[10]

2022

In August 2022 it was announced that the BBC intends to leave The Mailbox when its current lease comes to an end in 2026.

IPSX listing

In December 2019, Brockton Capital and Milligan sold the Mailbox to M7 Real Estate ("M7").

In October 2020, M7 announced its intention to float the Mailbox on the International Property Securities Exchange ("IPSX"), making it the first single property REIT to be listed on a dedicated property stock exchange. Shares in Mailbox REIT commenced trading on 14 May 2021.

In April 2022, M7 completed the conversion of level one of the Mailbox from retail into 50,000 sq. ft. of flexible office space, which is now operated by IWG plc under its Spaces co-working brand under a new 10 year management agreement. The accommodation has been well received with occupancy in excess of 60% by October 2022.

List of occupiers

References