Benmore Octopus, a joint venture between Benmore Group and Octopus Group, has secured London Stock Exchange-listed Belfast firm Diaceutics as an anchor tenant for 10,000 square feet of space and more tenants are expected to sign up in the near future.
With demolition works under way at site, H&J Martin Construction Director, Gareth Moore commented; ” H&J Martin Construction are proud and privileged to be awarded these works at the famous Kings Hall site. The contract provides an opportunity to add another iconic site to the already impressive list to which the business has successfully contributed.”
The contract award comes shortly after the release of a book detailing the history of the H&J Martin business from its founding in 1839 through to recent times.
‘Master Builders’, written by local journalist and historian Alf McCreary, with a substantial contribution by the late Billy Martin, was launched in December at the Belfast Harbour Commission – a building which was originally constructed by H&J Martin in 1896.
The book demonstrates H&J Martin’s contribution to the built heritage across the island of Ireland, where the business has successfully delivered iconic projects, such as the Robinson and Cleaver Building, Belfast’s Central Library, the Ulster Museum, the Slieve Donard Hotel in County Down, and Arnotts Department Store in Dublin.
The recent history of the business is also covered within the book, and reflects the purchase of the business by Lagan Specialist Contracting Group in 2015 – a private family owned group of companies, whose subsidiaries carry out a diverse range of specialist contracting and property development activities throughout Ireland, the UK, Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean and North America.
Kevin Lagan, CEO of the Lagan Specialist Contracting Group commented; “Master Builders is a fantastic tribute to all those who have contributed to the success of H&J Martin over the years. With annual Revenue of c.£50m and over 250 employees, H&J Martin today represents a significant and extremely important part of the Lagan. As Group CEO I am incredibly proud of H&J Martin’s history but also extremely excited about H&J Martin’s future within Lagan. “
David Lynch (Commercial Manager, H&J Martin Construction) with Gareth Moore (Director, H&J Martin Construction).
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