Choosing a virtual office is an effective way of securing a premium London business address without paying a premium price. Some of the key benefits of going for this type of service include:

– Having a virtual presence in a global city

–  Being able to choose among various premium addresses without having to pay for prime real estate

– Having more time to focus on running your business

– Saving on the costs of software, office equipment, and staff

Virtual Offices in London: Services Included

Virtual offices provide a registered address that can be used with the Companies House and in company stationery, as well as mail reception and mail forwarding to UK addresses and in some cases abroad too. Mail can be also be scanned, faxed, or collected in person.

Another common service is personalised phone answering, message taking, and call forwarding. Remote access to voice mail may also be available.

If virtual offices are provided by business centre operators, access to hot desks and meeting rooms is usually part of the package. Where the service provider has an international presence, access to business lounges in other cities or countries and invitations to networking events may be included.

Other services include secretarial and admin support (e.g. transcription, translation, booking appointments, event management, making travel arrangements, etc.). These are often available on a pay-per-use basis.

Choosing a Virtual Office Address

When choosing a virtual office address, it’s important to bear in mind that certain industry sectors are clustered in specific parts of the city (e.g. creative and media in Clerkenwell and Shoreditch, finance and banking in the City, small IT operations around Great Titchfield Street, or logistics and distribution in West London).

Here’s a list of geographical areas popular with virtual office customers in London along with their respective postcodes:

Zone 1

– The City, St Pauls, Blackfriars, Moorgate, Liverpool Street, London Bridge (EC1A, EC1V, EC2N, EC3A, EC4N, EC4Y, SE1)

– Fitzrovia, Charing Cross, Covent Garden, Marylebone, Paddington, Euston, King’s Cross (W1T, W1B, W1W, WC1B, W1H, WC1X, NW1, W2, WC2N)

Tags: London, serviced office, virtual office space

The London commercial property market is one of Europe’s largest both in terms of size and worth. Below you will find a wealth of data that provide a snapshot of the market in the UK’s capital city.

Offices

London offices account for 20 per cent of the city’s total commercial inventory, with an estimated value of £173bn. The fastest-growing areas in terms of rental growth include Heathrow (which currently already has more office square footage than Birmingham’s CBD) and Shoreditch, a formerly industrial area which is now a hotspot for media and tech companies.

Tags: 2017, Commercial Property, infographic, London Office Market

Over the past few years, London has emerged as the world’s capital of co-working. The five-year trend shows that 900,000 square feet of co-working spare (approximately 8 per cent of all new office space in London) are added or taken up in the city every year. Currently, it is estimated that London is home to 156 co-working spaces, and this figure is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years in a reflection of the how quickly the sharing economy gaining traction all over the business world.

Co-working space in London is not only the office accommodation of choice for start-ups, remote workers or freelancers, but it also appeals to large companies and corporates based in the City. KPGM, Microsoft, HSBC, Cisco, and Menlo Innovation are some of the blue-chip firms that currently use co-working space in the city.

Whether they are one-person start-ups or large corporates, co-working space occupiers are often attracted by the perks that this type of accommodation offers. These go beyond a strong entrepreneurial and collaborative spirit and a working environment specifically designed to foster creativity, and include flexibility, all-round support, spaces that foster a healthy work-life balance, and a strong sense of community.

Focus on flexibility and support

In co-working spaces, flexibility is not only evident in the terms of rental agreements, but also in space distribution, as some of these offices are arranged in open plan but also provide private working areas in work pods, or dedicated Skype booths used to conduct private meetings online. And lately, some co-working offices have even implemented a pet-friendly policy.

In terms of support, some of the top perks include:

– Free or discounted use of meeting rooms

– Free tickets to events focusing on entrepreneurial growth, such as those offered to members of Innovation Warehouse, which also offers access to its own incubator and accelerator

Tags: Co-working, office space, perks

North London Business Park is a 16-hectare campus-style office development located in New Southgate. The park is accessible via Oakleigh Road South or Brunswick Park Road.

Commercial real estate at North London Business Park totals 382,000 square feet and includes dedicated office and educational space. Serviced offices are available at the Comer Innovation Centre, and units range from 250 to 80,000 square feet, making the park a suitable choice for local start-ups.

Office space at the North London Business Park is spread over six buildings, although not all currently offer office space:

– Building 3 is a three-storey structure surrounded by 40 acres of parkland that offers Grade A office space as well as serviced offices. Traditional office units are available as whole-floor units or in smaller suites of up to 125,000 square feet.

– Building 4: over 170,000 square feet with on-site security, a cafe, and close to public transportation. The building has open plan office space (sub-divisions considered) and meeting / training space.

– Building 5: a two-storey building that is currently fully let.

– Building 6: the smallest of all buildings at North London Business Park, also fully let.

Reception is located in Building 2 and there is conferencing and events space available at the Emerald Suite, which is located on the side of the park facing Oakleigh Road. This venue has an approximate capacity of 590 people and has 7 meeting rooms.

Tags: North London Business Park

Sustained rental value growth has been the predominant theme in the London commercial property market during the first quarter of the year. On the whole, Q1 2017 can be described as positive and with no significant changes with regards to the previous quarter.

London Office Market Q1 2017

Take-up rates in Central London doubled in Q1, reaching 1 million square feet in February. These were particularly high in Southbank, where vacancy rates dropped to their lowest point in the past 18 months, reaching 3.3 per cent. Central London take-up by sector remains unchanged, with media and tech occupiers on the lead, followed by the public sector, finance, and business services. Grade A vacancy rates ranged between null values in Aldgate to 15 per cent in Holborn.

Total availability increased by 4 per cent to 14.7 million square feet, although most supply is clustered around King’s Cross, Paddington, Stratford, and London Bridge.

Rental values grew by 0.2 per cent across the city. The lowest average rents are currently £40 / sq ft in Stratford and £47.50 in the Docklands, whereas the highest are in St James and Mayfair (£110 / sq ft), Soho, Belgravia, and Knightsbridge, ranging from £85 to £87.50.

However, the introduction of higher business rates in April may reverse the generalised upward trend. This will be most evident in the legal sector, which has also been affected by increases in annual rent costs, reaching 5 per cent over a five-year period. The business rates revaluation may lead to a decreased enquiry volume in sub-markets affected by the sharpest increases, namely Clerkenwell, Camden, Shoreditch, King’s Cross, and West City.

Tags: 2017, commercial property trends, London, Q1

If you sometimes feel overwhelmed during meetings, terrified during presentations, and just a little bit slow during your day-to-day interactions at work, there are ways for you to appear smarter. Using a little science and a lot of research, the sociology world has found ways for you to look smarter at work.

Tags: employee, Office Worker Advice, productivity

Chiswick Business Park is an award-winning commercial property development that offers first-class office and retail space along with multiple leisure amenities. This development has received numerous awards since 2001, the most notable of which include the 2002 British Construction Industry Award, the 2003 RIBA Award, the 2011 Best Business Award for Best Customer Focus, the 2012 Financial Times Top 50 Workplaces in the UK, the 2013 Queen’s Award for Enterprise and Sustainable Development, and the 2016 Green Apple Award.

Currently, the park consists of 11 buildings that occupy nearly 1.5 million square feet, although further development is expected given that the park’s developers have planning consent to build a total of 1.8 million square feet. Some of the features that characterise the space available at the park include floor-to-ceiling heights of 9.8 feet, open plan floor plates, VAV and air displacement heating and air conditioning systems, ample parking space, smart building automation and monitoring systems, and CCTV. Moreover, the park is known for its commitment to green practices, evident in the presence of sustainable washrooms and the recycling of food, green waste, and rainwater.

Amenities

This business park offers a wide range of amenities in addition to state-of-the-art commercial property space, including on-site coffee shops, restaurants, bars, and shops. On the leisure front, tenants have access to a Virgin Active fitness club, landscaped outdoor areas suitable for pedestrians and cyclists, dedicated outdoor space for corporate events, and annual sports events organised by the companies headquartered here. A miniature golf course is 1.6 miles away, and the park is only a few minutes’ walk from the Gunnersbury Triangle Nature Reserve, which provides tenants with opportunities to unwind in a pleasant natural environment.

Tags: Business Parks, Chiswick, Chiswick Business Park, London

London’s skyline and its blend of traditional and modern architecture is certainly representative of the city’s special relationship with its past and future. One of the most distinctive traits of the city’s skyline is its surprisingly low number of high rises, especially when compared to other global cities with a large population and high levels of economic activity. Makeover plans were put on hold or abandoned altogether during the financial crisis, and in other cases they were met with opposition from residents and consumer groups. But recently, an impressive number of development plans have received the go ahead, and in early 2017 there were 119 high rises in the city’s development pipeline. Submissions for planning permission increased by 30 per cent in just one year, and many affirm that the city’s skyline will the fully transformed by 2025.

Which Areas Are More Likely To Be Transformed?

London’s vertical transformation will be most evident in the City and East London. Tower Hamlets will be thoroughly transformed, as there are 93 high rises in the borough’s development pipeline. This area will be home to the city’s tallest skyscraper, once the 75-storey Landmark Pinnacle is completed. Moreover, the construction of the impressive Bishopsgate 22 and 1 Undershaft may make the Gherkin invisible, and similar developments are planned in Isle of Dogs (with the 45-storey Baltimore Tower), the EC3 postcode (with the Scalpel Tower, 100 Bishopsgate, and 60-70 St Mary Axe).

The city’s skyline will also bring a new visual identity to areas outside the city core. Shoreditch will consolidate itself as a major business district with developments like Bishopsgate Goodsyard, Principal Tower, and the Stage. Southwark will have 26 new high rises, and Lambeth and Newham will not be left behind with 32 each. Other areas whose skyline is likely to change include Croydon, Barnet, and even West London, particularly in Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham.

Tags: London, London Office Market, London Skyline, Office Market Trends, office space

4th Quarter 2016 – Commercial Property Report for London

During the last quarter of 2016, and much in line with the rest of the year, a cautious approach has been the predominant theme in London’s commercial property market. Broadly speaking, the market saw a consolidation of the trends that were evidenced earlier in the year, namely weak occupier demand (particularly in the office sector), moderate rental growth levels, and a surge in the number of occupiers looking for flexible lease terms.

London Office Property Market Q4 2016

Political uncertainty and fluctuations in the value of the pound caused a slow-down of the office market during Q4. However, while take-up rates were down when compared to the long-term average, they noticeably picked up towards the end of the year. With regards to the causes behind this slow-down, market analysts at Green Street Advisors have drawn attention to factors other than the current political climate. For instance, the implementation of advanced technologies and automation is expected to have far-reaching effects in industry fields that are considered major office occupiers, ranging from finance to customer service.

The main office market indicators behind end-of-year data showed that Grade A absorption and take-up rates were down when compared to the city’s 10-year average. At the same time, availability rates for office properties across the city increased, and rental values remained stable. Market indicators for West End office units followed this pattern with the exception of rental rates, which evidence a slight decrease of 5.2 per cent, mainly in Marylebone, Knightsbridge, and Bloomsbury. In other parts of the West End, rental values remained stable thanks to a combination of flexible incentive packages and low vacancy rates. The highest rental rates were in Mayfair and St James’ (£118 / sq ft), whereas the lowest were in Paddington and Bloomsbury (£67.50 and £68.50 respectively). Vacancy rates were at their highest in St James’ (close to 10 per cent), Paddington and Bloomsbury (6 per cent). Key occupiers were business services, media, tech, and finance.

Tags: 2016, Commercial Property, commercial property trends, London, statistics

In October 2015, the mayor of London unveiled his office’s development plan for several neighbourhoods in East London and to the south of the River Thames. This initiative is part of the London Plan, an ambitious project that was initially presented to the general public in 2004. The main objective behind the new City in the East plan is to promote the socio-economic development of designated Opportunity Areas within the British capital.

Below is a detailed description of the plan and the benefits that it will bring to local residents once completed.

City in the East: An Overview

The City in the East Plan is a collaborative project that will bring together the Greater London Authority, local borough councils, Transport for London, and a number of stakeholders from both the public and private sectors. The plan aims to consolidate and build on previous urban development projects, such as Thames Gateway.

City in the East will focus on the creation of employment and on the development of quality housing by capitalising on the large amounts of brownfield land available in this part of the city, and by transforming it into mixed-use developments. Overall, it is expected that the implementation of this plan will benefit approximately 600,000 Londoners and will result in the creation of 280,000 jobs and 200,000 homes. At the same time, the City in the East plan will help prepare the UK’s capital city infrastructure for future demographic growth, as it is expected that London’s population will increase by nearly 2.5 million by 2050.

Opportunity Areas and Housing Zones

The City in the East plan will affect a total of 27 Opportunity Areas and Housing Zones.

The largest area is Olympic Legacy, where 32,000 new housing units and 50,000 jobs are to be created. This Opportunity Area covers Olympic Park, the northern and southern Olympic Fringes, Hackney Wick, Fish Island, and Stratford. Approximately 1.3 million square metres of commercial space will also be built in this Opportunity Area.

Tags: City in the East, Commercial Property, London Business, London Plan