Finlays Warehouse Meet the Team

The long-awaited launch of the show apartment at Finlay’s Warehouse is now only weeks away, with the doors opening in March.

This Grade II listed building, situated in the heart of Manchester’s popular Northern Quarter at 56 Dale Street, is being converted into 27 luxury apartments.

Built between 1870 and 1892, the building was originally the headquarters of the Scottish export firm Finlay Campbell and Co. Ltd, hence the name. The building is better known, however, for its more recent history as Foo Foo’s Palace—the famous nightclub run by a Manchester legend, the entertainer Frank ‘Foo Foo’ Lammar.

Foo Foo’s Palace enjoyed 25 years of success between the 1970s and the 1990s, but since then, despite short stints as part of the set on BBC’s Life on Mars and the Sherlock Holmes movie, Finlay’s Warehouse has been forgotten: a hidden gem that hundreds of people simply walk past every day.

Now, however, developers Facetspera Ltd. are changing that, bringing the building back to life by offering a selection of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments for sale.

Spearheading this project are Facetspera’s three shareholder directors, Alan White, Ben Caldwell and Stuart Lees.

Alan White trained as a chartered accountant but spent most of his career in retail, heading up Manchester’s N. Brown Group PLC home shopping company until his retirement in 2013. With fashion retail being one of the Northern Quarter’s main industries, Alan is well placed to contribute to the Finlay’s Warehouse project, holding a number of non-executive directorships with retail companies in the area.

Ben Caldwell is a Cambridge University graduate who transformed his family business, IESA Engineering Spares, from a traditional distributor into a leading online force in maintenance, repairs and operations. Since IESA’s sale to an equity investor in 2012, Ben has channelled his energies into Facetspera and a number of charitable causes.

Stuart Lees began his career as a chartered accountant, rising to the position of Partner at Arthur Andersen. In 2004, he became Chief Executive of the Latium Group, specialising in the retail and manufacture of home improvement products. A business force to be reckoned with, he is now an investing chairman at a number of companies, as well as being the Founding Director of Signia Corporate Finance Ltd.

The redevelopment team also includes the highly respected Manchester architect Roger Stephenson OBE. Roger received his title for Services to Architecture in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2001 and his firm, Stephenson: ISA Studios, has won countless architecture awards. He has redesigned many iconic Manchester buildings, including the Haçienda Apartments on the site of the world-famous ex-nightclub, making him the perfect choice to work on the Foo Foo’s building.

You can follow the progress of the building and watch out for the launch date announcement by liking the Facebook page. Alternatively, visit our website to register your interest now!