The iconic Merrion Centre in Leeds is undergoing a major redevelopment and the project has been hailed a Game Changer by the judges of the recent Yorkshire Property Awards.

In the latest of our dynamic Game Changer videos, which were shown at the Awards, the work to transform part of the Merrion Centre and establish a new HQ for Leeds City Council, was highlighted as the reason for winning.

Click here to see the video report.

Town Centre Securities, the owners of the centre, were presented with the award in recognition of the transformation that has taken place in and around Leeds’s longest established shopping centre.

Members of the Town Centre Securities team receive the Award.

The Yorkshire Property Awards, which this year celebrated its 20th anniversary, are held in order to celebrate the achievements and efforts of Yorkshire’s commercial property sector. The event also raises money and is hosted by Variety, the children’s charity.

The Merrion Centre was picked out by the judges, due to the large scale and success of the work that has taken place across the Merrion Centre, including the new ibis Styles Leeds City Centre Arena Hotel and transformation of Merrion Way and Wade Lane.

The redevelopment will transform parts of the Centre.

Bruce Lightbody of Addleshaw Goodard, who was part of the judging panel, said: “The transformation that has taken place across this site has been truly remarkable. What was an original 1960’s shopping centre is now a four-sided island site, operating at virtually full occupancy. This area of Leeds has been completely regenerated, enabling premium residential rental levels to be achieved and opening up the Arena Quarter as a major regional destination scheme with its own Marco Pierre White’s restaurant and bar!”

The centre team have been undertaking a successful programme of bringing in new tenants to expand the shopping, leisure and dining offering within the footprint, as well as the impressive bars, restaurants and additional leisure venues that cater for the crowds visiting the First Direct Arena.

Most recently, the area has welcomed the opening of the new Ibis Styles Hotel and Marco Pierre White’s restaurant and bar in the city. The work by the team has proved successful as the centre welcomed a record number of approaching 12m visitors in 2016.

The Leeds Arena has boosted interest in the neighbouring Merrion Centre.

Edward Ziff, Chairman and Chief Executive of Town Centre Securities, owner of the Merrion Centre, said: “We could not be prouder to win this game changer award, and be recognised by other businesses in the region for the results of our hard work. The Merrion Centre is a key part of the Leeds property landscape, and we have ensured that we continue to make it a key destination for residents and visitors by updating and adding to our strong offering.

“The last few months have seen us welcome some great new brands, with a number of our new additions telling us we were the clear choice for them when looking for their first location in Leeds. We’re not stopping here and have some every exciting plans to keep expanding our offering and ensuring the Merrion Centre offers something for everyone.”

In the first of our series of videos highlighting our work with the 2017 Yorkshire Property Awards, you can see our colourful and dynamic video spotlighting Verdion’s Game Changer Award for iPort, Doncaster.

Click here to see the video.

The Game Changer Award recognises projects or deals “which have had a material effect on the surrounding environment or on the
market, which are widely recognised in the property sector as worthy of praise, and which show excellence in conception, design and execution”.

The video is an example of our growing profile and expertise in the UK and international property market.

Verdion recently announced the second phase of construction of iPort, its £500m, 337 acre logistics park, which connects to the region and wider UK via a Strategic Rail Freight Terminal.

Watch out for the other Game Changer videos coming soon on this site.

The clock is ticking – counting down to the biggest night of the year for the Yorkshire property community, The Variety Yorkshire Property Awards.

This year is a special year for the event as it’s the 20th anniversary.

Melinda Messenger who is supporting this year’s special appeal.

The Awards take place in a glittering ceremony in front of over a 1000 guests at a black tie dinner in Rudding Park, Harrogate on the evening of 4, May…and the evening is a complete sell out.Good Call Media’s Nik Wood, will be on stage for the event, acting as Master of Ceremonies supporting the celebrity speaker for the night and introducing the Awards themselves which celebrate the very best of the property industry in the Yorkshire region over the last 12 months.

We have also recorded a series of special video reports for the event, including a message of support for the appeal of the evening from celebrity, Melinda Messenger.

Watch out for details of the winners and you will also be able to watch our colourful videos highlighting the projects that are identified as Gamerchangers by the judges.

And finally, the evening raises hundreds of thousands of pounds for the organisers, Variety The Children’s Charity so keep an eye out for the special project that has been highlighted as one of the key programmes to be supported in Yorkshire in 2017 and beyond.

Our latest video report for Volition has gone live and highlights the company’s progress with its colorectal cancer screening triage test in both Asia and Europe.

To see the report, click here

Dr Jasmine Kway, VP Asia Volition

The report features Dr Jasmine Kway, Volition’s Vice President of Asia who says: “We are pleased to be working with Professor Chiu Han-Mo and hope to develop a long-term working relationship. ‘This is an exciting time for Volition as we start our first clinical work in Asia. In addition, we are also taking our first regulatory steps in Asia as we prepare the submission of our CE Marked Nu.Q^TM Triage product to the Singapore and Taiwan regulatory authorities. Regulatory approval in Singapore and Taiwan would not only make our product saleable in these countries but also potentially in nine other South East Asian markets.”

Volition is a multi-national life sciences company developing simple, easy to use blood-based cancer tests to accurately diagnose a range of cancers. The tests are based on the science of Nucleosomics^®, which is the practice of identifying and measuring nucleosomes in the bloodstream or other bodily fluid — an indication that disease is present.

New state of the art robotic screening equipment in Volition’s European facility.

As cancer screening programs become more and more widespread, our products aim to help to diagnose a range of cancers quickly, simply, accurately and cost effectively. Early diagnosis has the potential to not only prolong the life of patients, but also to improve their quality of life.

In Europe, Volition has received Ethical Approval to proceed with the second and final phase of the logistics and pathway design study in Denmark for its Nu.Q^TM Triage Test. The study, conducted in collaboration with the Hvidovre Hospital and The Danish Research Group on Early Detection of Colorectal Cancer, deals with the practical issues of how the product fits into Denmark’s current national screening program. Results from the study are expected by the end of the third quarter this year and will be presented to the National Screening Committee.

Volition’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Louise Day commented “We are delighted to receive this timely Ethical Approval for the second phase of the logistics and pathway study. We are hopeful that our collaborators in Denmark will determine the very practical logistics of putting into practice the Nu.Q^TM Triage Test and provide a smooth, patient-friendly implementation into the Screening Program.”