Online Office Firm To Open Asia Pacific Division - 12/06/2007
The company, established in 2001 by entrepreneurs Jim Venables and Andy Haywood, has already made forays into the US market, having launched a successful office in Dallas, Texas, in 2006.
Plans to open a Hong Kong office later this year are now well underway with the announcement that officebroker.com has formed a strategic partnership with one of the world's leading serviced apartment web-brokers - Move and Stay.
The company, which has offices in Bangkok and Barcelona, maintains a strong presence in the Asia Pacific region and although, serviced apartment rentals form the core element of its business, it also handles enquiries from customers looking to secure serviced office space around the globe.
While already working with many international office providers operating out of the region, most of whom are existing customers of officebroker.com, the new partnership means that Move and Stay's office enquiries will now be managed by officebroker.com. Anyone looking to secure an apartment or office anywhere in the world can now search for space, browse through service and amenity details and make direct contact with providers thanks to the search technology shared by officebroker.com and Move and Stay.
Customers of both firms will also benefit from locally trained consultants, who offer an enhanced service by managing all transactions both at the search stage and on an ongoing basis.
officebroker.com's success in the UK, European and US markets means the company is already a major global presence. Plans to expand into new markets have always been
part of the company's growth strategy but, as Jim Venables said, establishing a presence in a new geographical location is all about planning.
"We don't rush in to new markets for the sake of it," he added.
"Moving into a new area takes a lot of research and careful planning and we see the collaboration with Move and Stay as a first step to becoming the biggest online office broker in the Asia Pacific region.
"Move and Stay is well established in this part of the world and, by tapping in to their local expertise, we will also start to develop our own presence and reputation in the region."
Meanwhile, officebroker.com's strength in Europe and the States brings considerable advantages to Move and Stay, which plans to expand market share in these areas.
"Move and Stay is well known and has a great reputation in Asia Pacific," said Gael Ovide-Etienne, chief executive of Move and Stay. "officebroker.com, meanwhile, has established a very strong presence in Europe and the UK and, as both businesses look to expand globally, it was obvious that there was a natural fit.
"This is not just a technology partnership. We see it as a strategic collaboration which will allow both businesses to develop internationally and share local expertise."
Mr Venable added: "From June 1, all office space enquiries generated by Move and Stay will be managed by officebroker.com's trained consultants based in our UK and US offices. We very much look forward to forming new relationships with these customers
