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A brand new serviced office business centre in Lichfield, which has recently undergone a £500,000 refurbishment, is proving to be a hit with clients.

The 2-storey property, which is one of the most recent additions to the officebroker.com website, now benefits from a completely new communications system, modern office furniture and carpeting, leather seating in the reception area and flat-screen TVs.

The benefits of serviced office space to businesses of all shapes and sizes are numerous, but as a leading researcher from commercial property firm Jones Lang LaSalle in Indonesia points out in a recent article, serviced office space can also be the perfect starting point for businesses seeking to expand into new markets.

Corporate travel consultancy firm Flight Centre UK has joined a number of other major brands by signing up for new office space in Leeds' landmark business development, The Gateway.

The £150m mixed used development, located on the edge of the city centre, is currently owned by Scotfield Developments. Development Director Stephen Holman said that this latest letting signals "signs of life" in the Leeds office market, and the agreement will raise the profile of the development.

IBM has taken on the role of office space “evangelist” – leading the way, along with the likes of Google and Vodaphone in reshaping the traditional use of office space in order to accommodate new working practices and reduce the burden of property costs.

A new Grade A office property in Sheffield offering fully serviced space has recently been added to the officebroker.com website.

Managed by one of the UK's leading serviced office providers, the business centre is located within a Grade A office building overlooking Park Square roundabout in the centre of Sheffield, and is currently being refitted to provide 82 workstations, state of the art reception facilities, and meeting rooms.

Two of the largest providers of serviced office space here in the UK have revealed how they have fared during the first half of 2010 while also providing an insight into how they view the immediate and long-term future of the serviced office space market.

Given the level of development taking place down at Salford Quays, it is perhaps unsurprising that those behind the regeneration of Central Salford are keen to get things moving away from the waterside lest it be overshadowed by the arrival of the first phase of MediaCityUK – in an attempt to make this happen they have submitted three applications that would pave the way for nearly 200,000 sq. m. of office space in the city centre.

Just days after a new serviced office business centre in South Kensington was added to the officebroker.com website, one office has already been snapped up and many more clients have been out to tour the space.

The business centre, which is located on Old Brompton Road in South Kensington – the only centre of its kind in the surrounding area – is currently undergoing a full refurbishment and is set to be completed in early September.

Immediate Demand for South Kensington Serviced Office Space.

For many years businesses operating out of serviced offices have enjoyed the benefit of having access to office space that is both cost effective and appropriate in size to their requirements, but with government departments and an array of property heavy businesses engaged in a flurry of work and office space mergers - could the ability of their staff to work effectively be hindered?

Jeremy Carr-Smith, who has been in the commercial property industry for over 15 years, has developed a new website aimed at helping businesses to plan their next office move.

HelpMovingOffice.co.uk offers free information and resources which will help any business overcome the stress of relocating, regardless of whether they are a large corporation upgrading to a conventional leasehold building, or a small company moving into a serviced office.

The serviced office space market in July 2008 represented what has been widely regarded as the ‘peak’ of the market in terms of the price charged per workstation. With the 2 year anniversary of this peak now upon us, the UK’s largest broker of serviced office space, officebroker.com, charts the changes in the serviced office market throughout this period.

What sort of view do you have from your office window?

officebroker.com's UK head office is based within a former Grade II listed cotton mill. It's located in the Staffordshire town of Fazeley, once the home of Conservative leader and 1834 Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel.

A new serviced office property is currently under construction in Leeds, adjacent to an existing building close to Bramley station that is operated by the same management team.

The new 4-storey development will offer 33 serviced offices and a long list of facilities, many of which are already included within the standard rental costs.

Office space in Dublin would appear to be in demand amongst technology companies, with internet search giant Google taking 40,000 sq. ft. of office space at the same business park as rival Yahoo!.

A serviced office property in Cardiff, based on Pierhead Street in a harbourside location close to Butetown, has impressed businessman Chris Thyer following his tour of the office space recently.

Chris, of legal services firm Stemma, left a review via the online officebroker.com feedback facility stating that he was "very impressed" with the business centre, and cited the appearance as one of its best features.

Reports in today’s business pages suggest that the UK’s economic recovery will slow during the second half of 2010, after research suggested that business confidence has fallen as the talk of cuts and tax rises begin to take their toll upon business leaders.

Developers have announced plans to redevelop Greenwich Market - a historic market area in South-East London - by building a hotel and office space to make it "fit for the future".

The plans, if approved, would introduce a 104-room hotel and new office space, and replace the market's canopy with a glass roof, but keep the original structure. The development would clear the food court and reduce the number of stalls, and campaigners fear that this would threaten a number of livelihoods.

Is now the right time to make that move to new office space many businesses have been putting on hold? Well that would appear to be the opinion of some at a time when commercial property agents such as Jones Lang LaSalle are reporting the “bottoming out” of the majority of regional office rents.

Despite interest from Chinese billionaire Joseph Lau of Chinese Estates Group, Tower 42 - a 600ft office skyscraper in the City of London - has been pulled from the market.

As we reported in July, Chinese Estates Group put in a £300m bid for the skyscraper, and the sale was expected to go ahead with the inclusion of a number of nearby properties including the Grade I listed Gibson banking hall.

Forward-thinking IT solutions and support firm Comprendo Ltd have settled into a new office in Skipton, located at a historic country estate that dates back to 1597.

As part of their search for new premises, Julie Martin of Comprendo first contacted officebroker.com in May, and spoke to account manager Ian Stanley regarding her search for offices in the Skipton area.

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Louise, team leader here in the Marketing Department of officebroker.com, on her marriage to Ben – who yesterday transformed her from Miss Dent to Mrs Redding!

The addition of a new business centre on the officebroker.com website means that companies now have the chance to base their business at the heart of one of the UK's favourite legends.

Located on a business park in the 70-acre Ransom Wood, right in the heart of Sherwood Forest territory, the centre not only boasts an attractive location, but one that fires the imagination of anyone who knows the tale of Robin Hood.

Two of officebroker.com's latest video tours, which have been produced for two centres under the same management company, have been given the official thumbs up - despite some miserable weather on the day that threatened to put a dampener on proceedings.

officebroker.com has been producing office video tours for UK business centres since February 2009, which are designed to assist clients with the office decision process and enable providers to better showcase the key features their centre has to offer.

Last night Jim Venables, Managing Director of officebroker.com, voiced his opinions on the first 100 days of the coalition government in a live discussion on BBC Radio West Midlands.

Salford Quays has been transformed from a memory of the North West’s industrial past into an incredible example of just what urban regeneration can achieve. Now the home of MediaCityUK, retail outlets and prestigious office space, we explore its journey from derelict dockland to media melting-pot.

The merging of office space appears to be a growing trend, with two sister companies in Manchester being the latest to announce that they will consolidate their multiple offices in Manchester in favour of a single workspace in the City Centre.

Online games company RASR Entertainment, a leading player in the online bingo industry, has recently signed for a new office in Ealing with the help of officebroker.com Account Manager Jade Edwards.

Umesh Ponnan of RASR Entertainment contacted officebroker.com in July as part of their search for a new office in the Ealing area, which needed to be big enough to accommodate their team comfortably and also provide a number of services for their day-to-day requirements.

A new type of conventional office lease known as the 'green lease' is beginning to grow in popularity as increasing numbers of UK businesses and landlords wake up to the benefits of going green.

"Although still very much in their infancy and potentially contentious, the support for green leases from landlords and tenants is growing," said David Cowgill, real estate solicitor at law firm DWF.

A business park offering serviced office space in the 1200 year-old port city of Bremen, North-West Germany, is revealing its "creative spirit" as part of an on-going restoration project.

Bremen is located along the river Weser and boasts a lively cultural scene with many key historical features, ranging from the ancient and imposing Bremen Cathedral, to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Market Square.

A business centre based in a quiet rural location in Bloxham, just south of the popular town of Banbury in Oxfordshire, has received glowing feedback following a client's tour of the office.

The property provides modern, fully serviced office space with a thriving business community and a long list of facilities, ranging from a staffed reception and meeting rooms with video conferencing, to competent on-site IT support and Wi-Fi broadband access.

Yet another large firm is on the lookout for new office space in Central London, with the commercial lawyers Fladgate reported to be on the prowl as it attempts to attract new clients, improve its corporate image and widen its catchment area by merging its current office space in Mayfair into a single site in Covent Garden.

Serviced office provider Forsyth Business Centres has boosted occupancy levels at their business centre in Manchester with the addition of two new tenants.

Recruitment company Globaleye and finance experts Ford Campbell have taken a total of 31,000 sq ft of space at the property, bringing occupancy to almost 60%.

The Great British Business report from HSBC has identified the principle qualities that current business leaders cite as central to historical British business success – and will be essential in helping them survive moving into the future.

Effective cash management is “key” to the continued economic recovery according to an expert from financial firm Deloitte, placing business centres who offer serviced office space in a prime position to capitalise.

Mayor Boris Johnson has unveiled One Great George Street, a conference and office property in central London, as the official media centre for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

An estimated 50,000 journalists are expected to use the facilities, which will provide a fully serviced location with live broadcasting areas, office space, and additional space for photographers.

An office provider who recently won the title of Business Centre of the Month has added a new centre to the officebroker.com website, located just a few miles from their award-winning btc in Stevenage.

According to Centre Manager Ros Beattie - who is also responsible for the btc centre, which won the officebroker.com award in June 2010 - the new site is a "smaller partner site to the btc" and offers a range of small offices with single-storey workshop units.

The 42-storey Strata Tower in Elephant & Castle (SE1) has been named winner of the Carbuncle Cup – an award given to the building voted as Britain’s ugliest new building.

Serviced office space provider Regus have teamed up with the organisers of Global Entrepreneurial Week (GEW), offering their global reach to help bring 60,000 people together in what is hoped will be the biggest Speed-networking ever held.

A landmark serviced office property in Cologne, West Germany, has featured in new photographs that highlight the architectural significance of this award-winning building located in the Rheinau Port area.

This striking property is set around the Rheinauhafen, an urban regeneration project in Cologne that was launched in the 1990s along with an urban design competition. The project is focused on the area around an 1880s industrial harbour on the River Rhine, just south of the city's historic old town.

As symbols of the UK's industrial heritage, [mill buildings have a history of manufacture which makes it fitting that these same properties should be occupied by so many businesses today.

Global money manager Schroders have shortlisted the office space of Great Portland Estates and the 100 Bishopsgate scheme as prospective new bases for its London Operations, fanning the flames of competition as big business begins to battle for London’s newest office space developments.

As the UK emerges from recession the desire to broaden its economic base will lead to a focus on high-end, value-added science, technology and research – this is the opinion expressed by property firm Lambert Smith Hampton in the Thames Valley Office Market Report 2010, highlighting the office space of the Thames Valley as the ideal location to benefit from this shiny new horizon.

Labour MP for Salford Hazel Blears has hit back on media claims that the BBC's move to MediaCityUK will be "the end" of the corporation, and has ridiculed suggestions that staff are "being forced to crawl sobbing up the M1".

"I know the 'silly season' is upon us but this is taking nonsense to a new level," she says, in a letter to editors published on the Manchester Evening News.

The announcement today that Sir Philip Green, founder of the Arcadia Group that includes High Street brands such as Top Shop and BHS, will lead an efficiency review of government spending looks set to include the use of government property and office space as part of the its drive to identify existing inefficiencies and potential savings.

Office space rentals in Edinburgh is reportedly showing “welcoming signs” of of stabilising according to property agents based in the Scottish capital, with the volume of office space being taken-up during the early part of 2010 exceeding the same period of 2009 by over 10,000 sq. ft.

David Lathwood of King Sturge in Manchester claims that the collapse of law firm Halliwells, which blamed much of its £22m debt on office costs, says that landlords will now look very closely at professional firms before agreeing office lease deals.

"For the time being the kind of deal done by Halliwells is gone," said Mr Lathwood, according to the Manchester Evening News.

officebroker.com has completed its Serviced Office Review series for the second quarter of 2010, a set of reports which provide a detailed overview of regional activity within the serviced office space market of the UK between April – June 2010.

Continuing our tour of serviced office locations across the world, we focus on Hamburg in Northern Germany, where officebroker.com currently advertises seven office properties.

Motor insurance group Admiral have unveiled plans for a new head office in Cardiff, with the 11-storey office building planned for the former David Street car park at the heart of the City Centre.

Never enough hours in the day? Feeling overloaded? Office becoming like home?

We bring you the top five ways to improve your work-life balance with the help of Heather Townsend, founder of The Efficiency Coach and author of the FT Guide to Business Networking.

An office building only a few miles from Liverpool City Centre is to undergo a £50,000 refurbishment as it strives to attract new tenants to its Merseyside location.

A popular UK serviced office provider has created a 'show office' at their new City of London centre on Fetter Lane.

In response to a number of enquiries from businesses interested in the new centre, the company have opened one office that will allow potential clients to tour the space.

In direct contrast to reports from DTZ that the letting of office space in Birmingham had fallen by half in the second quarter of 2010, rival commercial property agents Savills have reported a 63% increase in office space take-up between April – June 2010.

Both the interest in and take-up of serviced office space in Eastern England increased between April – June 2010 according to a report from officebroker.com, the UK’s leading independent broker of serviced office space.

A former cigar manufacturing mill built in the early 20th century, which has been fully refurbished to become a serviced office business centre, has featured in an office video tour which is now available to view online at officebroker.com.

The property occupies a superb location in the heart of Congleton town centre, close to many local amenities and offering easy access to junction 17 of the M6.

Despite recent reports by DTZ that the office space market in Birmingham having been subdued during the second quarter of 2010, Property firm GE Capital Real Estate has this week secured the largest letting in the Edgbaston area of the city for over 12 months.

Istithmar, the overseas investment arm of Dubai World, has sold West End office property One Trafalgar Square to a Russian investor for £172m.

The transaction involving One Trafalgar Square, also known as Grand Buildings, is reportedly one of the largest office investment deals in London's West End.

Over the last week, four serviced office properties in the City of London have been added to the officebroker.com website.

Each centre occupies a prime location in London's chief financial district, close to many underground transport links such as Bank, Monument and Aldgate, and offer excellent business facilities ranging from meeting rooms equipped with videoconferencing equipment, to Wi-Fi internet access.

Activity in the serviced office space market of the East Midlands during the second quarter of 2010 was positive according to a report made available today by officebroker.com, the UK’s leading independent broker of serviced office space.

“In my view, the brain has four essential requirements for its physical workspace: possibility, energy, calm and flexibility.”

This is the view of Mark Dixon, founder and owner of Regus, the world’s largest provider of serviced office space in a press release which explores the concept of designing the ideal workspace.

UK construction and regeneration group Morgan Sindall has claimed that growing demand for office space, particularly in London, is helping to offset the impact of government spending cuts.

According to City AM, Morgan Sindall said that demand for office space was being driven by financial firms in London, and that its office fit-out business has seen revenue increase by 12%.

In what appears to be a positive response from the Banking Sector to recent criticism over the difficulties many small businesses are experiencing securing lending, many of whom often choose to base themselves in serviced office space, a “lending taskforce” has been launched by bosses of six major British banks including Barclays, Lloyds and RBS.

officebroker.com has today published its Serviced Office Review: Wales Q2 2010 report, presenting a Quarter-on-Quarter analysis of activity within the Welsh serviced office space market between April – June 2010 compared to the same period of 2009.

DTZ have reported a significant drop in Grade A office transactions in Birmingham during the second quarter of 2010, with tenants hesitant to commit during the uncertainty surrounding the May General Election and subsequent Emergency Budget being highlighted as driving factors.

Account Manager Jade Edwards has been tipped as "a star in the making at officebroker.com" by UK Head of Sales, Chris Meredith.

Jade, who started at officebroker.com in January of this year, has impressed clients and providers alike with her skills as an Account Manager for the areas of Thames Valley, the M1 & M40 corridors, and parts of the South East.

A video that has been produced for an office property in central Macclesfield highlights the key qualities of the building, starting with its superb historic architecture and stylish modern additions, to the many business facilities that complement this flexible offering.

In the wake of new commercial development and office space proposals in the City of London, Stuart Fraser - Policy Chairman of the City of London Corporation - speaks out about the future of the capital's Square Mile.

Yet another County Council has identified its property portfolio and the way in which it uses its existing office space as a way of meeting budget cuts, with Hertfordshire County Council identifying it as an area in which it can save £3m before 2014.

The serviced office market in Scotland was subdued during the second quarter of 2010, with data from UK’s leading broker of serviced office space, officebroker.com, presenting small decreases across all the key areas of the market compared to 12 months ago.

A business centre located close to Altrincham town centre has featured in an office video tour, which is now available to view on the officebroker.com website.

The video covers all the key parts of the business centre facilities, starting with the exterior facilities such as on-site car parking, transport links and security features, before moving onto the building interior.

Serviced office provider Orega is set to open a new business centre in central London at High Holborn, adjacent to Chancery Lane underground station.

Orega have agreed to operate the business centre and manage the entire glass-fronted building it is located in, which offers air-conditioned offices spread across five floors. A term of 10 years has been agreed for a total of 20,000 sq ft, which Orega plans to open on 1st October.

The latest Leeds Offices Market View from CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) has reported a “significantly greater” number of commercial office property transactions in Leeds during the first half of 2010 – signalling what they consider to be a cautious increase in occupier confidence.

officebroker.com's extensive coverage of the UK serviced office market meant that account manager Paul Rowe came up trumps recently for engineering services firm MMES Limited.

Peter MacDonald of MMES Limited, a company specialising in the servicing of ADE systems and devices used in the semiconductor industry, first contacted officebroker.com in June 2010 and spoke to Paul regarding his requirements for a new office near Glasgow.

A growing number of businesses throughout Yorkshire & Humberside turned to serviced offices for their workspace solutions between April – June 2010 according to data from the UK’s largest broker of serviced office space officebroker.com - who reporting a 21% increase in Q2 2010 compared to the same period of 2009.

Property developer Terrace Hill has confirmed the completion Hudson Quay 2 on Teeside, an office building offering 38,500 sq. ft. grade A office space that has been pre-let to Middlesbrough Primary Care Trust (MPCT) who are expected to begin using the offices later this year.

The Opus 40 Business Park in Warwick has been granted permission to build an additional 260,000 sq. ft. of office space, an announcement which follows the confirmation of a 122-bedroom hotel for the commercial site three months ago.

The tallest office building in Yorkshire is being marketed with up to 20,000 sq ft of Grade A office space available.

Standing at 110 metres (360 ft) to roof level, the Bridgewater Place property, also known as The Dalek, is located in Leeds' popular Holbeck region overlooking the River Aire.

Local businesses in Wolverhampton could stand to benefit from a fund of over £500,000 - designed to provide firms with a cash boost and help to fill vacant work units and office space within the city.

Bahrain, an island country in the Persian Gulf in-between the peninsula of Qatar and the mainland country of Saudi Arabia, offers a number of prestigious serviced office centres that are available via the officebroker.com website.

Currently there are five properties available through officebroker.com, two of which are located in the Diplomatic Area of Bahrain's Central Business District in capital city Manama, and three are based in the Financial Harbour of Manama.

Serviced office space throughout the South West recorded its lowest Q2 price in three years during 2010 according to a report published today by officebroker.com.

Research from CB Richard Ellis shows that investment in Manchester's office market soared during the first half of the year, with £316.7m invested from January-June in 2010, up from £46m in the first six months of 2009.

"The market in the first half of the year saw a robust recovery in office values," commented Rehan Zaman, associate director in the capital markets team at CB Richard Ellis North West, according to Property Week.

Planning permission has been granted for the UK’s largest planning application – paving the way for the 4.5bn Wirral Water scheme in Liverpool that will include 400,000sq m of office space to finally get underway.

A striking business centre located in Theale, just outside of Reading, has featured in a video tour that highlights the many plus points of the property.

This ultra-modern business centre is based within an impressive building just moments away from Theale train station. Junction 12 of the M4 motorway is a few minutes away, and as shown by the video, the centre also offers extensive secure on-site car parking for staff arriving by car.

Hammerson, one of Europe’s leading commercial property investors and developers, have acquired a prime office building in the City of London for £183m, adding to its existing office space portfolio of grade A office developments throughout Central London.

officebroker.com has recorded marked changes in the North East serviced offices market during the second quarter of 2010, with the brokers Serviced Office Review: North East Q2 2010 report highlighting the presence of larger deals and greater commitment.

Stuart Bell, Director of Vanderbell Publishing Limited, had a number of reservations when he first contacted officebroker.com for help finding a new office for his online supplements company.

"Finding a commercial managed office for the first time can be a daunting experience," he said.

With "no idea how to start" and some slightly unusual requirements, Stuart contacted officebroker.com and spoke to Senior Account Manager Marcus Shelton, who specialises in Greater London and the South East.

Leading internet broker officebroker.com has recorded a marked improvement in the serviced office space market throughout the South East in a report published today on its website, with improvements in all key areas of the serviced offices market during the second quarter of 2010.

Having painted the corridors on both floors of the officebroker.com head office last month, the team behind officebroker.com's orange walls have now added new signs to the walkways.

Running almost the full length of the corridors at the company's head office near Tamworth, the new signs that adorn the walls have been installed from individual lettering that reads "welcome to officebroker.com".

A “dynamic” regeneration scheme for East Belfast is expected to begin next month, with the £20m project incorporating over 10,000 sq. ft. of office space as it seeks to stimulate both the commercial, residential and community space available in Eastern Belfast.

Almost a quarter of students graduating in 2010 and 2011 are planning to start their own business, with many blaming the lack of jobs as the impetus for their self-employment plans.

A poll of 1,000 students taken out by insurance firm Hiscox in June has revealed that 32% already have a business idea, and 23% are already running money-making schemes or are in the process of setting them up.

A serviced office centre located within the grounds of Liverpool John Lennon Airport has been highly commended by businesses based there, who have shown their appreciation by giving top marks via officebroker.com's popular online review facility.

A month after moving into their new Cardiff office, Ronnie Wells from 3D Care - who first contacted officebroker.com for help finding a new office in June - has come back to officebroker.com to confirm that the team are settling in well at their new location.

Global financial services firm UBS has agreed a deal with British Land and Blackstone to build a new 700,000 sq ft office tower in the City of London.

The new UBS office, which will become the firm's European headquarters, will be one of the biggest buildings in London's financial district. The £340m property will be built on the site of the firm's former office buildings at 4 and 6 Broadgate, which covered a combined 428,000 sq ft.

Legal & General Property, who manage over 8.7bn of property assets, has produced an “Office Occupiers Guide” to help arm its office space tenants with an understanding of the environmental impact of property and a toolkit to implement change.

Stalled office schemes throughout Greater Manchester could be given a kick-start thanks to a £110m fund led by a consortium of ten local councils, paving the way for a string of grade A office space schemes to be completed.

A high-end business centre offering serviced office space in Bracknell town centre has featured in a video tour that is now available to view on the centre's officebroker.com profile page.

In April, here at officebroker.com we launched the 'Business Centre of the Month' award.

Created to recognise excellence in business centres throughout the UK, the accolade recognises serviced office providers that raise the bar on customer service, generate a positive business community, and maintain an active online profile.

The winner of July's Business Centre of the Month award is Esselco, whose superb City of London centre - 3 Lloyds Avenue - certainly ticked all the right boxes and impressed Jim Venables, officebroker.com Managing Director and award judge, to become July's winner.

Westminster Council have given permission for Crown Estates to undertake the regeneration of two buildings on Regent Street, paving the way for the creation of nearly 300,000 sq. ft. of Central London office space on a site which will be known as W5.

Aussie shopping centre giants Westfield have been left with permission to build 1.1m sq. ft. of prime office space at its “Stratford City” site – soon to be the largest shopping centre in Europe and which is located between Stratford tube station and the East London Olympic Park.