Expanding Car Parks Operator Apex Parking Doubles In Size

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Expanding car parks operator Apex Parking has doubled the size of its portfolio by acquiring 10 new properties.

The company has also rapidly grown its workforce with its headcount now standing at 44 after transferring in 21 staff from a previous operator in one day.

Apex Parking‘s newest locations are Pall Mall, Moorfields and Rumford Street in Liverpool, Chorlton Street in Manchester, The Core in Leeds, New Street, Royal Angus, Londonderry and Horsefair in Birmingham and High Street in Weston-super-Mare.

The company, which was founded in 2021, already operated 10 car parks in London, Liverpool, Manchester, Chester, Bristol, Stoke, Ipswich and Hounslow. The new acquisitions came about after National Car Parks (NCP), which was founded in 1931 and with a portfolio of 340 UK car parks, went into administration in March.

Landowner GreenPoint, a global real assets investment firm with more than $1 billion of equity under management, decided to move away from NCP and the administration process and find new operators for their 32 sites.

Working through their pan-European business management company partner Lysara, GreenPoint decided to split its portfolio between Apex Parking, which already ran three sites for them, and another operator.

Director Ben Sullivan said:

“We are particularly pleased to have been chosen as the as preferred management partner for these 10 car parks by GreenPoint."

“We believe their decision was very much influenced by the work we have done to turn around the existing three sites but also for the significant commercial support and insight we gave them post-NCP’s administration announcement."

“This expansion is another significant step in our journey and reflects the confidence our clients continue to place in our team. Strategically it has worked out very well for us, geographically complementing our existing sites and allowing us to both expand and move forward rapidly through economies of scale."

“We will be upgrading the car parks to the most modern standards, making the lighting better, changing bay markings, improving and reducing signage, increasing safety aspects and dealing with anti-social behaviour."

“The installation of new equipment, supplied by APT Skidata, is making the act of parking simpler and more pleasant – and we offer competitive prices, with discounts for subscribers and season tickets and also reward schemes."

“We would like to reassure drivers by pointing out that we will be honouring season tickets previously bought through NCP for our 10 new car parks, even though we are not obliged to do so by law and most likely will not be receiving any of those funds."

“As a responsible employer we are also dedicated to improving the facilities for our dedicated and hard-working staff. They are the face of our business, the people interacting with our customers and dealing with any issues.”

“Working with a landlord who understands our vision in terms of putting staff back into car parks is so refreshing, as is the appreciation that we need to invest to build a decent, sustainable business and it is the long-term revenues we are looking at, not making a quick buck and disappearing.”

Scott Parsons, chief executive of Lysara, said:

“Over the past few months, the team has worked at pace to transition 30 assets into a stronger operating structure, securing long-term income with Q-Park across 20 sites and retaining attractive operational upside across a further 10 sites with Apex."

“This is an important milestone for Lysara. The new arrangements strengthen the quality and resilience of the portfolio, refocus on the customer experience and preserve our flexibility to integrate new services, including EV charging, overtime.”

Apex Parking, founded in 2021, operates 20 car parks across England, including London, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Chester, Bristol and Birmingham. Visit here for more details with Apex Parking.

Photo: Car park operator Apex Parking directors, from left, Iain Selbie, Guy Watson and Ben Sullivan have overseen a doubling of the size of the company with the acquisition of 10 new properties across the country

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Mar 7, 2025
3 min read

A Derbyshire beauty salon is celebrating after winning top prize in its category at the industry’s biggest national beauty awards ceremony in London.

Elegant Touch Beauty, based at Mercia Marina, near Willington, South Derbyshire, was named Large Salon of the Year at the glittering event hosted by Professional Beauty magazine on Sunday night. It is the first time the business has entered the annual awards.

The prestigious award comes on the back of a year in which owner Anna Inglis tripled the size of her operation by moving to larger premises on the marina’s iconic Boardwalk development last summer.

Anna launched Elegant Touch Beauty in 2012 at the age of 18 from a rented salon space in Hilton, South Derbyshire. She relocated to Mercia Marina two years later and now employs more than 10 staff at the larger premises.

Anna (33), who took almost her entire team to the black tie awards ceremony at The Brewery, in Chiswell Street, London, said:

“We are all just blown away on the night when we heard our name being called out. It was exciting to even be shortlisted, but to be named overall winner was just amazing.”

Professional Beauty magazine received hundreds of entries for the Large Salon of the Year category, which was whittled down to five shortlisted candidates from across the UK.

Awards judge Sara Shoemark visited the Mercia Marina business in November, declaring her treatment at Elegant Touch to be one of the best massages she had ever had and describing her visit to the salon as “flawless”.

When the award result was announced by celebrity compere Jamie Laing, the TV presenter of ‘Made in Chelsea’ fame, he introduced the winning salon as “beautiful, with highly trained staff and an exceptional level of care.” Anna said:

“Just to receive that feedback was incredible. But to go on and win the award at our very first attempt proves that we must be doing something right for our lovely customers.”

The salon has always aimed to go above and beyond in terms of client experience. As such, it offers welcome trays, an extensive beverage menu, free goodie bags, birthday rewards and VIP incentives. As well as salon treatments such as massage, nail treatments and waxing, it offers non-invasive body sculpting, IPL and the latest skincare transformation treatments such as HydraFacial.

In an unprecedented move, Anna closed the salon for two days so that the team could attend the recent awards ceremony in London, with the exception of an apprentice who is under 18.

Elegant Touch Beauty is not alone at Mercia Marina in terms of awards success. Neighbouring business Lotus Indian Kitchen’s gongs include a Trip Advisor Travellers’ Choice Award, while The Boardwalk development itself won national architecture awards after it opened in 2015.

Similar plaudits are likely when the marina’s landmark Promenade development, which includes 15 luxury waterside apartments, is completed next year.

The marina has also won countless Visit England tourism awards and David Bellamy Gold Conservation Awards over the years.

Robert Neff, general manager of Mercia Marina, said:

“We are so pleased for Anna and her wonderful team at Elegant Touch Beauty. Their customer service is second-to-none and they fully deserve this fantastic award recognition."

“The salon has an exceptional draw from all parts of the county and beyond, and makes a wonderful addition to the marina’s retail offering. It’s great to see yet another national award being added to the marina’s tally!”

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Expanding Car Parks Operator Apex Parking Doubles In Size

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