Trade parks provide purpose-built units that combine warehousingand showroom uses, aimed primarily at businesses like builders' andplumbers' merchants, car spares suppliers and office equipmentsuppliers who deal with trade purchasers as well as the generalpublic. Rents are typically higher than on industrial estates inthe same area, but lower than on traditional retail parks.

Anthony Wardle, Director of Ashtenne Trade Park Management said:'The trade park market combines the strengths of prime industrialinvestments with the capital and rental growth potential ofout-of-town retail property in its early days. Over the last twentyyears retail parks and fashion parks have all been established asnew and premium sectors within the property market. T3 intends tobe the market leader in this exciting new sector as it developsover the next three to four years.'

T3's strategy will be to acquire existing industrial estates andconvert them into trade parks through rebranding and refurbishment.It will also to acquire and develop of new trade parks. Tokickstart the fund, Ashtenne is selling it four existing trade parkinvestments in Northampton, Sheffield, Truro and South Shields for£8.8 million ($12.85 million).