Historic Hallmark House goes on the market with a £7m price tag

The grade two listed Hallmark House in Bingley Road dates back to 1937 and has been part of Hallmark’s history for more than 30 years.

Hallmark Cards announced it was moving its headquarters to its sister site at Dawson Lane in south Bradford last year. It stressed that all 489 head office staff would join the 118 at Dawson Lane and no job losses were expected.

In addition to the 76,207 sq ft Art Deco house, which was refurbished in 2001, 57,674 sq ft of warehousing and stores are also included in the 8.8 acre sale.

Mike Dove, a partner at agent Dove Haigh Phillips, which is marketing the building, said: “This is an outstanding – and rare - opportunity for either a residential or commercial development in the heart of West Yorkshire. We are inviting offers in the region of £7m.”

W N Sharpe of Bradford built Hallmark House as the headquarters for its successful printing business. In 1984 Hallmark Cards acquired W N Sharpe’s printing operation for nearly £21m. The colonnaded office building was completely refurbished and opened as Hallmark House in 2001.

Hallmark’s decision to move its headquarters was announced some months ago. It said the move would bring head office operations closer to the distribution operation and also create a dedicated creative and design space, enabling the business to be more connected.

Steve Wright, Hallmark’s international chief executive, said: “We’re excited about the opportunity that moving to Dawson Lane presents. The essence of our company is design and creativity and the relocation gives us an opportunity to re-shape our head office and ensure that it fits our needs as both a creative and customer focussed business.

“Although we will be sad to leave Bingley Road, it gives us a real chance to bring our Bradford-based teams together under one roof and create a new culture in the process.”