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Paul Austin, the head of global affiliates for officebroker.com, made an unusual discovery during the start of a normal Friday's business.

It was obvious, it was always there, but it was something he never quite managed to put his finger on. After analysing the situation, a number of the officebroker.com staff were diagnosed with suffering "thekettlesjustboileditus".

Research carried out by Liverpool Vision and Professional Liverpool, which was published in a report known as the Liverpool Commercial Office Market Review 2009, shows that the level of office take-up in the city centre reached a record level of almost 520,000 sq ft last year.

Total office space for the city as a whole (721,189 sq ft) was above 2008's level of 542,997 sq ft, signalling a more positive market. But this figure was still below the 2007 peak of 846,195 sq ft. Furthermore, take-up of Liverpool office space outside of the city centre dropped by 33%.

It is perhaps a sign that the economy is looking up, following the UK's exit from recession, that a leading serviced office provider has recently announced the completion of two large signings at their business centre in Gatwick.

Global manufacturer APV is moving across the road from its current base, and will be taking 79 workstations at Orega's centre. The second signing, international chartered aircraft service Meridian Aviation, has taken 49 workstations and will be establishing their head office at the Gatwick centre.

Research shows that during the 4th quarter of 2009, around 30% of office space in the City of London was newly occupied by insurance companies.

Commercial property agent NB Real Estate claim that out of a total of 860,000 sq ft of office space let in the City during Q4 2009, the insurance sector took around 250,000 sq ft.

Liverpool Football Club have secured a new home for their commercial operations, previously based within the iconic Anfield Stadium, having confirmed their new office base at 20 Chapel Street in Liverpool.

The building, owned by Rumford Investments, was completed in 2006 and is already occupied by the like of Barclays, Bank of Ireland and Ernst & Young. Liverpool FC’s commercial operations will occupy an entire floor of the building, with an option in place take over a further two floors…

Open plan offices are regularly praised for their constructive environment, which can help to boost motivation, assist projects teams and help keep wayward colleagues on the straight and narrow.

But they have also been blamed for distracting colleagues, speeding up the spread of illness and even causing high blood pressure.

An office video tour has been produced and published online for a business centre in south Bromsgrove, which highlights many of the property's key features, including secure on site car parking, a staffed reception, large windows with an abundance of natural light, and spacious offices.

The building offers a number of communal zones which are perfect for lunch breaks or informal meetings, and kitchen areas for preparing light meals, hot drinks and snacks.

How will the economic recovery benefit the serviced office industry?

It was confirmed yesterday (26.01.10) that the UK economy had finally exited it’s six-quarter long recession , albeit with a rather frail 0.1% growth. But growth is growth and with the service sector being highlighted as one of the areas creating this growth, what could it mean, assuming the growth continues, for serviced office space and the serviced office space industry?

A leading UK serviced office provider has added a number of properties to the officebroker.com website.

Clustered in the City of London, these offices occupy a prime location in the capital's chief financial district, and all are based conveniently close to tube and rail transport links.

Pictured left is one of the new offices, located at Old Bailey in central London.

According to officebroker.com statistics, the cost of workstations in serviced office space fell in Scotland to £221.00 per workstation in Q4 09 – 24% below the rental cost of £292.00 charged per workstation during the same period of 2008.

This drop in workstation costs, while an attractive proposition for those businesses seeking office space in Scotland, positions the serviced office market in Scotland below national averages for the same period.

A new scheme that launched yesterday (25th January 2010), called 'Hello Northwest', has been created to encourage more investment from overseas. In return, investors will gain free serviced office space for up to a year in one of several business centres across the North West.

The scheme is designed to attract more investment and jobs to the area, as well as promoting the North West as a key commercial region and showcasing its fast-growing, vibrant business scene.

Pictured left is one of the locations available, based at Piccadilly Place business centre in central Manchester.

A shortage of new office developments in central London has reportedly led to a fierce competition between several international companies, including Google, Royal Dutch Shell and Macquarie, in a bid to sign up for London's best quality office space.

Other firms including Debenhams, Aegis, and Bloomberg are also said to be searching for new head office locations in central London.

As part of officebroker.com's ongoing office video production scheme, a business centre in Swindon is the latest recipient to benefit from a video tour, which is now available to view online.

The video is designed to assist clients when they are searching for a new office, and provides a mini-tour of the building's interior, some examples of office layout, facilities, and exterior shots of the property. Other attractions such as local transport links and nearby amenities are also included, to help clients build an impression of what the centre has to offer.

A 19th Century period office property in Mill Hill, based in North-West London, has recently completed works on a new meeting room that can seat up to ten people.

The new facility is designed for use as a boardroom, and includes modern appliances including a large plasma screen for laptop connectivity, and Wi-Fi internet access. A whiteboard has been installed, and the business centre also offers tea, coffee and refreshments during lengthy meetings.

A UK serviced office provider, Orega, has taken on three strategic new appointments as part of its continued expansion and future plans for growth in the serviced office space industry.

Jessica Cox, pictured, is Orega's new Marketing Manager. She will be responsible for introducing marketing techniques and managing campaigns at Orega, to support both new and existing office locations, as well as monitoring and analysing trends internally.

Central Salford is set to undergo significant regeneration following the approval of city councillors.

The scheme, which covers 17 hectares in total and touches the districts of Salford Central Station, Chapel Street and the Historic Core, will regenerate this part of the city following years of decline.

The redevelopment plan will cost an estimated £650m. A new square known as St Johns Place will be constructed around Salford Cathedral, and the development will also introduce new commercial and office space, as well as housing and retail outlets.

This week, officebroker.com has added a business centre near St James, Central London, to its online database.

This property is based in a prime location in the capital and is close to many transport links, including the Green Park, Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square underground stations which are all within walking distance.

The Ancoats area of Manchester is set to boost the Manchester office space property market following approval for a new multi-million pound redevelopment.

In response to thebusinessdesk.com “state of the region” report I decided to take a quick look at the state of the serviced office space industry during Q4 09. Serviced office space is often the first port of call for Start-up businesses and other SME’s, with growth in this area giving an insight to the shape, size and quantity of SME’s beginning operations in the Yorkshire region.

Serviced office space increasingly helping to reduce the financial strain inflicted on SME’s by late payments.

Another video tour has been added to the officebroker.com website, this time for a property in Stafford.

Great Portland Estates, a UK property investment and development firm with around 80% of their properties located in London's West End, are planning to start three developments in the capital during the first half of 2010. Combined, the projects are estimated to cost around £100m.

Servcorp, the world's largest serviced office space provider, second only to global office giant Regus, has opened a new business centre in central London.

Land Securities have announced they will complete a £655 Million development, including shops, apartments and office spaces in two prime London locations.

The South West region has seen rent levels for serviced office space rise for the 3rd consecutive month

The Business Centre Association (BCA) has criticised the abrupt closure of a serviced office business centre in Glasgow, which was owned by EasyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou. Tenants were given just 10 days' notice to find alternative workspace.

A survey by North West news source TheBusinessDesk has revealed that business leaders in the region are upbeat about recovery, and the majority expect to see their companies grow this year.

The number of new occupants renting serviced office space rose during 2009 despite the impact of recession.

Research suggests that around 60% of adults in the UK suffer from back pain. While the true origin can vary - such as an old injury or a hereditary health condition - the chair you sit on in the office can greatly aggravate and further intensify the problem.

An attractive range of barn conversion offices near Buckingham now benefit from a video tour that has been added to the property's online listing at officebroker.com.

A Grade II listed former court house in Bradford city centre, based on Manor Row, is undergoing a major transformation to become a state-of-the-art business centre with serviced offices.

Two serviced offices in the East Midlands have been added to officebroker.com.

Research from commercial property agents CB Richard Ellis states that Central London office take-up had a strong finish to 2009, with December recording the highest level of monthly take-up for the year.

Marks & Spencer are moving 200 back office staff to a new location in Spinningfields, central Manchester, on a 15-year lease. The company are signing for 21,000sq ft of office space at 3 Hardman Street, and will be located on the 8th floor.

The supply of prime office space property in Paddington, London is set to receive a boost as the final phase of the Paddington Central redevelopment is given the green light.

A converted barn property in Quinton near Northampton, that provides serviced office space for local businesses, now features an online video tour to help prospective occupants gain an in-depth view of the office property, prior to booking a viewing.

[p]Two commercial properties, located in [url= http://www.officebroker.com/London.aspx?Type=CL] Central London[/url, housing 65,000 sq ft of office space have been acquired by the Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP). [/p]

Heron Tower, an iconic office tower in the City of London, has been awarded the prestigious BREEAM rating of 'Excellent'.

Broadcasting Place, a property based in Leeds that is currently fully let to Leeds Metropolitan University on a 22-year lease, has been sold to Aviva PLC for £37.65m.

Analysis of the serviced office industry in London’s West End, carried out by officebroker.com has revealed that Q4 saw growth in both enquiry levels, workstation costs and the number of occupants leasing serviced office space in this prime London location.

In a recent study by recruitment firm Office Angels, office workers have been criticised for using too much jargon in the workplace.

Sky News is due to open a new studio and office space in the City of London. The new base will be on the 15th floor of the City's landmark building, The Gherkin - formally known as 30 St Mary's Axe - and will be the new home of Sky News' weeknight business news programme, Jeff Randall Live.

Serviced office space is often the first step for new businesses and entrepreneurs when they look to establish an office in order to help their business to grow. So how would the serviced office industry stand to benefit from Conservative Party policy suggestions aimed at making it easier for small firms to get started in business?

This week, a new property has been added to the online database at officebroker.com.

This serviced office in Soho is now available to view on the website at officebroker.com, which contains detailed information about the property, its location, and contact information to enquire about pricing and availability.

Commercial property agent Lambert Smith Hampton has found that outside of London, Manchester has grown significantly more in terms of property take-up than the UK's other major cities, including Birmingham, Edinburgh, Bristol, Leeds and Glasgow.

Virtual office space and remote access software have allowed a large number of SME’s to overcome the wintery weather that has wreaked havoc on UK businesses during the last few weeks, particularly those dependent upon their staffs ability to commute to a fixed office location.

As officebroker.com continue to produce online videos of serviced offices around the UK, which provides a more in-depth view for the benefit of businesses seeking space in the area, another video has recently been published for a serviced office property in Bath.

Figures from King Sturge show that despite a year-on-year contraction in take-up of office space in Birmingham during 2009, last year's take-up levels were close to those seen in 2007.

Plans for a new development in central Poole, including 20,000 sq ft of Grade A office space and 25 serviced apartments, has been given the go-ahead by town planners. The outline planning consent has been given following 18 months of consultations.

Commercial property rents and long-term office leases in Central London are set to rise this year, following a two-year drought in building development which is now beginning to find its feet.

However, figures from officebroker.com suggest that the serviced office space market is moving in the opposite direction, as the average cost per person of a service office in Central London dropped by -9% in 2009 Q4 when compared with Q3.

Local authorities are being urged to enter into partnerships with Business Centre Association (BCA) members, in order to run flexible workspace or to sell off under-performing business centres run by local authorities.

A new video has been added to the officebroker.com website, showcasing a serviced office property in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

The serviced office space industry ended 2009 on a relative high compared to the downturn earlier in the year. But what have businesses learnt from the troubles in 2009 and how will they turn these lessons into positive actions during 2010?

A leading office space provider (DTZ) has reported that demand for serviced office space is expected to increase in London during 2010 and that competition for the property currently available will be fierce.

The Burj Dubai, now the world’s tallest building, opens its doors and offers 300,000 sq ft of executive office space in a location like no other.

As the Federation of Small Businesses calls for banks to return to their “normal lending criteria” those looking for office or commercial property hope to benefit.