So here are the best reasons to work in Bristol:

1. Food:

Bristol is not short of good food, drinks and atmosphere. One of the best brunches around is the bottomless brunch at Brace and Browns and is only £28 for two hours! Food and unlimited drinks, we will definitely be signing up for that!  www.braceandbrowns.co.uk. Alternatively if it’s a cheap but tasty work lunch you are looking for Chomp is the way to go with yummy burgers and including a seriously delicious veggie option!

2. Creativity:

Recently, Bristol was in the news for a creative crowd funding project. This was to build a huge water slide on Bristol’s Park Street to encourage a park and slide scheme. Bristol are open to new technology and creative ideas to build and create their city for today and the future. The creative sectors of business are also booming which means it is now prime time to work in the city if you want to reap in the benefits.

3. Natural Views:

The River Avon or now known as the Bristol Avon runs through the city and is the 19^th longest river in the UK. The benefits of this are that it makes you feel as if you are in the country side and not caught up in the industrial big city building life. It can be good to get away from the stresses of the day just by seeing some natural beauty! To get the best views along with some food and drinks, visit the White Lion Pub and go out onto the terrace!

4. Proximity:

Bristol is only a 40-minute drive away from bath! Bath is known for its natural Hot Springs and beautiful and historical architecture. A famous attraction here is Bath Abbey which is known for its coloured stain glass windows. See here for more: www.visitbath.co.uk

5. Digital Technology:

A new £12 million national express depot was said to bring 120 new jobs to the region. In addition to this, digital technology in the city is rising. According to Tech City UK, Bristol is leading the way in the digital technology echo system. Bristol has the highest turnover per worker in digital tech firms in the country. Both Bath and Bristol are hotspots for this industry.

If your looking for office space in Bristol then please don’t hesitate to contact our team on 020 3031 8563 or click on the following link www.loc8commercial.com

The post Top reasons to work in Bristol appeared first on Loc8 Commercial Blog.

After noticing a gap in the market for a social media marketing agency for SME’s, I launched The Social Shop late in 2013 after spending 8 years working my way up recruiting for the marketing and advertising agency sector.

Knowing I had 3 month’s wages in the bank to support me whilst I got the company off the ground, my first aim was to make sure I could cover my mortgage. I did what I knew best and used LinkedIn as a new business platform; luckily my first client came in the shape of a well-known restaurant in Camden. 

As one client turned into two, then five and then ten, I had to make a decision on an office. My overheads had to increase and in order to be taken seriously, I needed an office space. I moved into a space that my first client owned which was helpful as I didn’t have a clue where to find available office spaces! This first space in Camden was great as I was working alone. However, as I hired my first employee and my client base was growing, I needed to move somewhere neutral so all of our clients were treated equally. 

I was paying a lot for this space but had nothing else to compare it to, the 3 month notice period also didn’t seem a problem when I signed up. I quickly realised that as my cash-flow was forever up and down, being tied down to a contract with anyone was a commitment and I couldn’t stick to it for too much longer.  Therefore, we went from our own office space to a co-working incubator in Camden by a start-up called ‘Work.Life’. https://work.life/ 

‘Work.life’ was great; We were one of the first businesses to move into their first office. We were suddenly in a creative working environment with others in similar industries which was quite motivating. In addition, this space came with free tea, coffee and biscuits! Those that know me know I like to eat a lot of biscuits and drink a lot of tea, so the saving alone was fantastic!

We had access to free talks, events and were networking with new companies on a daily basis. However, I slowly realised the flexible work space in London was becoming hugely popular and there were other options that were not only more affordable, but more accessible than Camden. We were only there for 6 months but it supported 5 of us including interns. We met lots of SME’s that were in the same situation as us and the flexibility of being able to cancel our contract with 4 weeks’ notice was great.

We were very close to moving into Work.Life’s second office, a new space in London Fields, Hackney, as this was closer to where I lived. However, the desk cost was the same and contract restrictions were the same which wasn’t beneficial.

Whilst I was looking for a new flexible working space, I attended a networking event at a small incubator in Old Street which had a big personality; It was called ‘Launch 22’ based in Corsham Street. http://www.launch22.co.uk/

This place was just as cool, albeit with less capacity and free biscuits. However, it was slightly more affordable and in the heart of Tech City; A location that adds a huge amount of value to our credibility. Launch22 is a registered charity with 2 branches in Liverpool and London. Since joining we have become part of the family, a group of small businesses looking to grow with free mentorship and support from the large network of people associated with the incubator. The best thing about Launch22 for us is that we can cancel our monthly rolling contract anytime with 1 weeks’ notice. Being a small company, things can change for us on a monthly basis so this level of flexibility being in the heart of the city is awesome!

I have seen the pop up of many new but more expensive flexible workspaces around me over the past few years. I now understand there are office brokers like Loc8 Commercial, who are the best people to speak to about finding a suitable office space for your business. Speaking to office brokers reduces the timeframe and personal stress of finding somewhere new. Loc8 provide a free and impartial overview of the market and is very helpful in the way that they can give us new options that we may not have known previously. Add to the fact they gave us an insight into the workspace industry then it’s a win win.

If we were currently looking to move offices we would want to view the following 3 options from looking at Loc8’s website:  

Serviced Office to let: Curtain Road, London

https://loc8commercial.com/office/serviced-office-to-let/1682/curtain-road-london-ec2a

Serviced Office to let: Westland Place, London

https://loc8commercial.com/office/serviced-office-to-let/1493/westland-place-london-n1

Serviced Office to let: White Lion Street,

https://loc8commercial.com/office/serviced-office-to-let/1033/white-lion-street-london-n1

The post Guest Blog: Why we chose to work in a flexible workspace appeared first on Loc8 Commercial Blog.

Apple is to establish a new London headquarters at Battersea Power Station, one of the city’s most recognisable landmarks.

The tech giant will occupy about 500,000 sq ft of space across six floors of the central Boiler House from 2021, moving 1,400 employees there from eight offices around the capital.

It will account for 40 per cent of the development’s total office space.

Apple currently has 2,530 staff in total in London, including about 1,100 working in its stores.

The Mayor of London, said the deal is a “sign that London is open to the biggest brands in the world and the leading city for trade and investment”.

The move follows a multi-billion-pound restoration of the former power station, which has stood unoccupied for decades on the banks of the River Thames.

Apple’s main European headquarter will remain in Ireland, where it employs 4,000 people

The post Apple taking over Battersea Power Station appeared first on Loc8 Commercial Blog.

The benefits of home working are well documented but it’s also easy to see why lots of people find home working a challenge. With the television and the kitchen beckoning it’s easy to succumb to distractions. It’s also difficult to tune out to the usual family noise and maintain a closed door policy in the home that allows you to get on with work.

It’s fair to say the move to an office outside the home will add to your commute but it will allow your business to be seen in a whole new light. Just having a prestigious address creates a credible impression for future customers and clients, and gives you a great place to meet them.

Making Your Commute Longer

A great way to get started is to look at what location is right for you and how it impacts on the commute for you and your team.  We looked at Location in our blog “Office Location, Office Location, Office Location”.  So take a look at our location tips to make sure the decisions you make are the right ones.

What’s Available

These days there is a wide choice open to you when you make the bold leap out of your home office. Flexibility is now a popular feature with providers offering flexible short term agreements with many not requiring a deposit. This means your initial outlay can be quite low. With Serviced Offices the term “easy in and easy out” is often applied to demonstrate the relative flexibilty and speed to both get started and potentially move on later.

What to do first

We all use sites like Compare the Market, Go Compare or even Hotels.com to make choosing the product or service we need as easy as possible. Selecting the right office space should be no different. An independent workspace broker like us can provide impartial advice and a quick reference opportunity to shortlist the ideal locations for your business. That way you get to see the entire market in one place. We provide an easy search portal that works on any device and allows you to shortlist possible solutions.

Here are the options you could consider and a brief outline of each one:

Co-working

The recent explosion in Co-working places has been a great advantage to small business owners trapped in their home office but are not quite ready for a full-time office of their own.

So how do they work? Essentially, Co-working is a large communal workspace, usually well designed and very comfortable. They often provide access to meeting rooms and private offices and generally have a membership rate which can be added to for other services.

Each location has great Wi-Fi and the opportunity to network with like-minded business owners, which is a far cry from the isolation and domestic distractions home workers often experience.

We have put together several great Co-working options for you to give you an idea of what is available:

Corsham Street, London N1 

Westland Place, London N1

Rivington Street, London, EC2A 

Virtual Offices

When is an office not an office? When it’s a virtual one! A Virtual Office is a quick and simple way to get a great business address and enhance your company’s profile without the cost outlay of a full-time office.

This option is ideal if you need to work on the move as it’s very easy to find a meeting room to use for important company meetings using our service.  A Virtual Office also allows you to control your initial outlay as set-up costs are significantly lower than a full-time office.

Here are some popular business addresses that provide virtual office solutions in the City of London:

No1 Poultry, London, EC2R

Royal Exchange, London, EC3V

Lombard Street, London, EC3V

Serviced Offices

A serviced Office comes in all shapes and sizes and there are a lot of considerations to take in to account when you start your search. One of the best advantages of a Serviced Office is the flexibility they provide. You can literally move straight in and the space can grow with you. With low set-up costs and transparent terms, each location will provide outstanding internet connectivity that will be faster and more reliable than your home Wi-Fi.

With Location as perhaps the most important consideration, its vital you consider not just transport links. Your office should also be close to your clients. Earlier this year we also talked about the 20 best locations for office space which you can read here.

The sheer choice of options can be a little overwhelming even if you have a very specific search area. So keep in mind that our experienced team can guide you through this veritable minefield of options.

Here are some great examples of Serviced Offices which offer outstanding interiors, great service and an amazing first impression for your clients:

Russell Square, London, WC1B

Stratton Street, London, W1

Colmore Circus, Queensway, Birmingham, B4

For a more detailed outline all you need to do is get in touch and talk to a member of our team. Simply call 020 3031 8563 or visit www.loc8commercial.com

The post When is the right time to take your first Serviced Office? appeared first on Loc8 Commercial Blog.

In its 20^th year the survey looks at the number of new office developments that have started in the capital.  The latest suggests that more than 51 new office buildings have begun construction in the last six months, putting building work at a 20 year record.

Chris Lewis head of occupier advisory at Deloitte said, “Availability is the lowest it’s been for 15 years. The amount of development we’ve seen feeding through over the past five years has been below average, and as a result there has been very little space completed,” he said. “It is a surprise to see this many new schemes.”

He went on to say, “the pendulum is swinging away from landlords back towards tenants, with greater choice leading to more opportunity”. These record increases suggest demand has not slowed down over Brexit fears for the UK economy.

So what is currently under construction in London?

New Buildings in London

By far the largest building to start in the last six months has got to be 70 Farringdon Street right on the fringe of the area known as Midtown. It’s a colossal 843,000 square feet and due for completion in 2017. It is one of a number of new developments in this part of town which has seen prices soar. Availability has become limited as businesses look for alternatives away from the West End.

However, topping 70 Farringdon Street is the 40 storey 100 Bishopsgate building which at 867,000 square feet is located in the heart of the City skyscraper belt close to the Gherkin on St Mary Axe.

So these along with many of the other 51 developments are already 42% let at this early stage. Proving popular with a mix of businesses across the technology, financial and media sectors.

Interestingly, the London Tall Building Survey 2016 listed 94 tall buildings submitted for planning consent in the last year. Making a total of over 200 high rises waiting to start construction. By far the tallest of these is One Undershaft at 73 storey’s it will be the City of London’s tallest building and the second tallest in London after The Shard.

We will keep you posted on developments over the summer as new buildings launch and others start construction.

Main photo by Alamy

The post London Office Space Construction At An All Time High appeared first on Loc8 Commercial Blog.

So why should you consider using a serviced office broker? Well, there are a few reasons to consider that will ensure you make the right decision for your business. Not least is the benefit of having someone on your side with no affiliation to any one serviced office provider.

Your Impartial Friend

So how do you know if you are getting the right deal? And how do you know if you haven’t cost yourself unnecessary expense? The simple answer to these questions is you just don’t know. So it’s vital to tap in to some impartial advice that allows you to evaluate each office option.

As you visit each potential office space, it can be difficult to make sure you ask the right questions and then weigh up the pro’s and con’s of each location. A serviced office broker is very experienced at doing this. We’ve done it thousands of times for a wide and diverse number of clients from all sorts of business sizes and types.

Market Knowledge That Helps

So you have a company to run. A day job, right? Researching the London or Birmingham office market for example is going to take time. Time that in most cases you just don’t have.

Find out which are the UK’s best cities for business

Tapping in to the sort of market knowledge about a particular area that could save your business money and you a lot of time is available now. A good office broker knows about current office availability and office sizes that would suit your business. They also know what will be coming available in the near future and can point you in the right direction before anyone else see’s the space.

Comparing Locations is Never Easy

So why is one office space more expensive than another? It’s an important question. The answer however is not a simple one. There are many factors that influence the price of office space and possibly the biggest one is “location” (check out our recent blog “Office Location, Office Location, Office Location” for more information).

A good office broker will talk to you about the facilities each office location has, the proximity to local transport links and what the local amenities are like that will add value for your employees.

Creating Your Ideal Shortlist

Time is precious so you can’t waste time you don’t have by looking at the wrong space. The shortlist facility is a great way to create your optimal list. It cuts out all the wrong options and lets you drill down to ensure the locations on your list have just what’s important to your business. And you haven’t had to talk to anyone yet.

Once you’ve created your shortlist an office broker can easily set up viewings and can manage the sales process on your behalf to get the best rate possible to meet your budget requirements.

Your Very Own Property Consultant for Free

Imagine having someone working for you to get you the best deal and the best office space for your business for free. When you buy a house the estate agent is often more on the side of the seller (vendor) than they are on yours. After all they are working for the seller not you. So it’s easy to understand why house buyers can often feel very alone in the buying process.

A serviced office broker working impartially is more concerned about getting you the right deal. Their service is free to the office buyer. So not only do you get lots of positive support at no cost, you also get unbiased advice on the entire market and not just what the providers want to you to see.

And Finally…

So to recap, a serviced office broker offers a free, impartial service that provides unbiased access to the entire office property market.  And the good news is, this service is available today. It’s easy to get started. Simply search by location, create your own shortlist or just get in touch and let us do the work for you. Just think of the time you will save.

Find out more about SERVICED OFFICES.

The post Why You Should use a Serviced Office Broker appeared first on Loc8 Commercial Blog.