Hutchinson Builders buys new Kitchener St office in Toowoomba CBD for upwards of $4m through Cushman and Wakefield

One of the Toowoomba region’s busiest construction firms has moved closer to the heart of the CBD in a $4m deal that will see it expand its workforce.

Dozens of workers will soon be moving into the heart of the Toowoomba CBD, after top construction firm Hutchinson Builders announced it had secured its new headquarters.

The major building company will move its 60-strong workforce to the former Namoi Cotton building on Kitchener St in Toowoomba City, overlooking Mothers Memorial and Queens Park.

The $4m purchase, handled by Cushman and Wakefield, will see Hutchies occupy the top floor, with the company to lease the ground level to other professional services firms.

Toowoomba team leader Sean Lees said the company wanted to employ even more people, having been constrained by its current offices on Prescott St, which it was also in the process of selling.

Hutchinson Builders team leader Sean Lees (left) with Cushman and Wakefield head of national investment sales Daniel Cullinane on site of the new Hutchinson Builders Toowoomba headquarters in Kitchener St, Friday, March 10, 2023. Picture: Kevin Farmer

“For us, we’d run out of space a long time ago at our existing premises,” he said.

“We were making do, we had people out at an office at our modular yard, we had people working remotely and our office at 120 per cent capacity.

“I was never comfortable with that level of disconnection in the team.

“We’ll have about 58 employees working out of this office from day one, but we think we’ll get close to 70 in there eventually.”

The sale comes just months after fellow firm FKG Group confirmed it had bought the old Suncorp building next door for $10m, with the aim of beautifying the ground floor with new food offerings and bars.

Concept art by Aspect Architecture for 122 Margaret Street in Toowoomba City, which will undergo a $4m redevelopment by FKG Group after it was bought for $10m from Clive Berghofer.

Mr Lees said the proximity to the centre of town and upcoming developments played a role in choosing the site.

“We just felt this building was perfect in terms of proximity to the CBD and Queens Park and felt connected to it — we’re super excited to get down here,” he said.

“You’re going to end up with a significant density of professional services and white collar staff in a central location.

“That sort of food offering and proximity to the park, I can see it being a real hub for professional services in Toowoomba.

“When we’ve finished doing what we’re doing and they’ve (FKG) finished theirs, they’ll be complementary of one another.”

Hutchinson Builders team leader Sean Lees (left) with Cushman and Wakefield head of national investment sales Daniel Cullinane on site of the new Hutchinson Builders Toowoomba headquarters in Kitchener St, Friday, March 10, 2023. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Cushman and Wakefield’s head of national investment sales Daniel Cullinane said he fielded significant interest in the asset before Hutchies snapped it up.

“This building and this corner of the CBD has probably been under-utilised for a period of time, so it’s good to see the entire fringe of the CBD is coming into what it should be,” he said.

“When you get up there and have a look at the views from the kitchen overlooking the park, it’s the best views in Toowoomba hands-down.

“Interest was great, we probably had 50 to 60 inquiries and $26m worth of offers in total.

“We’d done close to $20m worth of deals in the Toowoomba region in the past four weeks.”