http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/en-UKMokoFeed10http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/http://data5.blog.de/design/preview/d2/8aad3c735df70ce82dca7fc989d411_160x200.jpghttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2009/07/29/egg-bank-harassment-6613339/tag:businesscentre.blog.co.uk,2009-07-29:/2009/07/29/egg-bank-harassment-6613339/Wed, 29 Jul 2009 19:53:14 +0200 <p>Although this blog has hitherto been restricted to business centre issues, I feel I must warn all readers about the deplorable attitude and bad behaviour of Egg Bank. If a customer misses a payment, as I confess I did recently, the bank subjects you to a barrage of telephone calls to every number they can lay their hands on, texts and emails. Not only is this dubious practice in itself, Egg continues to do this <strong>even after the customer has rectified the error and made the payment.</strong></p> <p>If the customer has the temerity to complain about this unjustified harassment, Egg is not competent enough to respond within the period set down by law and when it does finally get round to replying, it merely apologises, as though that were enough.</p> <p>Please avoid Egg Bank wherever possible if you want to avoid this sort of behaviour as you can be sure that if they do this, they do lots of other nasty things too. I shall be making a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman, but I don;t expect anything to come of it. A class action against Egg on the other hand might get it to change its behaviour.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2009/07/29/egg-bank-harassment-6613339/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>egg-bankharassmentcredit-cardfinancial-ombudsmanhttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2009/07/29/egg-bank-harassment-6613339/#commentshttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2009/06/08/workspace-6260910/tag:businesscentre.blog.co.uk,2009-06-08:/2009/06/08/workspace-6260910/Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:03:28 +0200 <p>I saw reported in May 30 Estates Gazette that Patrick Marples is leaving Workspace. Workspace is an interesting company. I had a few shares in my SIPP for a while, but sold when the price got too high and the yield below 2%. Not really a business centre company, more of a managed workspace owner, its main focus has always been on the value of the real estate rather than on the service income.</p> <p>Over the years I have had various conversations with Harry Platt, the CEO about the nature of Workspace as in many senses it is a property company, though Harry always denied this claiming it is a "property based service business". The market seems to have viewed it as a property company and it has suffered from the general malaise in the sector particularly as most of its assets are sub prime and sub prime assets have fared worse than prime properties.</p> <p>I see that DTZ are claiming that City real estate now offers good value as the prices have fallen so far (FT 8th June) but that the rest of the world has further to fall. Anglo-centric? Moi?</p> <p>Anyway returning to Patrick, he was a fairly classic chartered surveyor in outlook and his presence seemed to confirm the focus on real estate values. I wonder if his departure is just cost cutting or a change in emphasis? </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2009/06/08/workspace-6260910/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2009/06/08/workspace-6260910/#commentshttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2009/05/31/mls-bites-the-dust-6208229/tag:businesscentre.blog.co.uk,2009-05-31:/2009/05/31/mls-bites-the-dust-6208229/Sun, 31 May 2009 18:24:02 +0200 <p>MLS was the company everyone loved to hate in the UK business centre industry. Either it opened too many centres, or it priced its workstations too cheaply, or it didn't pay its suppliers on time, or it didn't pay its landlords on time or it and its management were just plain odd.</p> <p>All of these things were true at some point at least and now, after surviving many months of rumour and speculation, it finally has gone. The only centres still trading under the MLS brand are believed to be those in India. The UK network has been broken up with locations being taken over by MWB, Citibase, Forsyth or other stronger operators or closed down altogether.</p> <p>Whatever one might feel about MLS while it was alive, its departure was well managed with little, if any, comment appearing in the press and few clients losing money as a result, although some were inconvenienced by having to move out at short notice no doubt.</p> <p>The fact that MLS has been the only casualty of note in the business centre sector is proof if any were needed of the resilience of this industry in difficult times. The contrast with the property industry in general couldn't be more clear. Whereas the Estates Gazette and Property Week carry stories of property companies going bust in every issue, the counter-cyclical strengths of business centres have proved critical once again.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2009/05/31/mls-bites-the-dust-6208229/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>recessionserviced-officesreal-estatemlsbusiness-centresbusthttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2009/05/31/mls-bites-the-dust-6208229/#commentshttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2008/11/24/business-centres-still-outperform-5096428/tag:businesscentre.blog.co.uk,2008-11-24:/2008/11/24/business-centres-still-outperform-5096428/Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:08:33 +0100 <p>As any reader of The Estates Gazette or Property Week knows, the demand for office space in the conventional office sector (the non flexible sector) has fallen sharply in 2008. This is not true for the flexible, managed sector. On a visit to the excellent Abbey Business Centre in the Swiss Re Building in the City of London, better known as The Gherkin, I was unsurprised to be told by Abbey boss, Julie Calder that the centre was completely full.</p> <p>In general well located centres in central London are full, and those in outer London are still well occupied. Outside London the situation is more mixed, but across the industry as a whole the situation is much brighter than it is for conventional office space.</p> <p>Why is this? The business centre industry has a strong counter-cyclical element to it. Although it is of course affected by recession, the way that businesses react to a down turn, by avoiding new long term commitments and seeking flexibility, favours business centre space.</p> <p>In every down turn, some companies try business centres for the first time. Of those newcomers a certain percentage are permanently converted by the levels of service and convenience and never leave the sector. Recession is the biggest recruiter for business centre clients. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2008/11/24/business-centres-still-outperform-5096428/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2008/11/24/business-centres-still-outperform-5096428/#commentshttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/08/09/funds_pour_out_of_property~2779815/tag:businesscentre.blog.co.uk,2007-08-09:/2007/08/09/funds_pour_out_of_property~2779815/Thu, 09 Aug 2007 11:21:44 +0200 <p>According to a Financial News headline this morning, investors are withdrawing large amounts from UK property funds, influenced no doubt to the wave of articles from journalists about how the property market has peaked and is about to crash.</p> <p>Apart from the obvious comment about the herd like mentality of investors, I would like to reflect on the appropriate asset allocation for an individual investor. To my way of thinking the starting point, or rule of thumb for an individual investor should be one third equities; one third cash or fixed interest and one third property, not counting the house that you live in. You don't count the house for the same reason you don't count the car you drive or the clothes you wear, because they are primarily working assets, not investments.</p> <p>If this rule of thumb is right, UK investors remain woefully underinvested in property both directly and indirectly, with the average institution only 4% in property and many smaller funds having no investment in the sector at all.</p> <p>My conclusion is that we remain hypnotised by the cult of Equity. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/08/09/funds_pour_out_of_property~2779815/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>property-fundsasset-allocationinvestorshttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/08/09/funds_pour_out_of_property~2779815/#commentshttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/07/19/yourspace_plc~2663012/tag:businesscentre.blog.co.uk,2007-07-19:/2007/07/19/yourspace_plc~2663012/Thu, 19 Jul 2007 11:29:18 +0200 <p>Good news continues to fly in from the business centre industry. The latest company to report good results is AIM quoted Yourspace, which has announced full-year pretax profits of £4.2m up from £2.1m last time.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/07/19/yourspace_plc~2663012/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>serviced-officebusiness-centre-capitalbusiness-centrelondon-firstyourspaceavantab3chttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/07/19/yourspace_plc~2663012/#commentshttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/07/18/latest_news_from_the_serviced_office_gro~2656801/tag:businesscentre.blog.co.uk,2007-07-18:/2007/07/18/latest_news_from_the_serviced_office_gro~2656801/Wed, 18 Jul 2007 10:49:40 +0200 <p>I've just seen a news report that the Serviced Office Group PLC, one of the UK's quoted business centre comapnies, said it has sold three properties to Consort Property Holdings, a joint venture company formed by the company and UBS Investment Bank, for about 10 mln stg, which lead to a profit on disposal of about 0.1 mln stg.The office space provider said it would use about 8 mln stg of that money to repay bank debt associated with those properties.<br> Serviced Office Group will continue to manage the three properties for a management fee of 10 pct of the combined EBITDA of the properties.</p> <p>Now the report didn't specify, but the sale probably included Bowthorpe House near Gatwick airport, a long established serviced office building. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/07/18/latest_news_from_the_serviced_office_gro~2656801/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/07/18/latest_news_from_the_serviced_office_gro~2656801/#commentshttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/07/17/in_vino_veritas~2650860/tag:businesscentre.blog.co.uk,2007-07-17:/2007/07/17/in_vino_veritas~2650860/Tue, 17 Jul 2007 12:27:09 +0200 <p>Regus Chief Executive Mark Dixon has put his money where his mouth is and has bought a vineyard! The French vineyard, the Chateau de Berne estate in Var, Provence produces more than 400,000 bottles of rose, red and white wine a year we are informed.</p> <p>Well Mark, we raise our glasses to you!<br> <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/srv/media/media_item.php?item_ID=1803482" title="sf020325a"><img src="http://data4.blog.de/media/482/1803482_266ae364eb_s.jpeg" alt="sf020325a" vspace="5" hspace="5"></a> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/07/17/in_vino_veritas~2650860/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/07/17/in_vino_veritas~2650860/#commentshttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/07/06/avanta_and_london_first~2583944/tag:businesscentre.blog.co.uk,2007-07-06:/2007/07/06/avanta_and_london_first~2583944/Fri, 06 Jul 2007 10:44:47 +0200 <p>I must put in a plug for Avanta, the serviced office group run by David Alberto, one of the industry's most visionary and dynamic young leaders. I operate out of one of Avanta's buildings, so I can speak from personal experience when I say how good this operation is.</p> <p>Anyway, what prompted this plus is the news about Avanta's tie-up with London First, the agency that promotes inward investment into London. This is what the press release says:</p> <p><em><em>July 04, 2007 - Avanta, the serviced office company with a growing portfolio of business centres across the capital, has teamed up with London First to become a Principal Sponsor of the organization which campaigns to improve and promote London as a business location.</p> <p>London First is a business membership group supported by 300 of the capital's leading businesses with the shared objective of improving and promoting London. The group's approach is to harness the vision, energy and skills of business leaders to develop solutions to London issues including transport, skills, governance, planning, sustainable development, housing and crime. The organisation strives to make the case for London, so the interests of London business are represented at national, regional and local levels.</p> <p>The sponsorship is an extension of on-going support by Avanta of Think London, the foreign direct investment agency for London. The serviced office specialists are supporting the group's initiative to encourage the growth and inward investment of Chinese business in the capital, by offering free office space to small start up companies looking to enter the UK market.</p> <p>Chris Taylor, Avanta's Director of Marketing and Business Development, said: "Both Think London and London First play a hugely significant role in protecting and promoting the interests of London's business community. As one of the fastest growing providers of serviced offices in London, we feel it's important to give them our backing and we look forward to developing a long and mutually advantageous relationship with both organizations.</p> <p>Avanta currently operates eight business centres in prime locations across London, offering highly flexible, unbranded office space. The offices are fitted with advanced and competitively priced business technology, tailor-made to meet the requirements of any company, whatever shape or size. </p> <p>Avanta has recently announced the pending launch of a further two serviced offices in London, one in Regent Street in the heart of the West End, and the opening of their first business centre in the City, at 23 Austin Friars. This brings their portfolio of business centres in London to ten.</p> <p>The company has launched a virtual office service - Avanta Virtual PA. Designed to offer businesses a complete package of office support but without the actual office space, Virtual PA can deliver a full range of business centre facilities to home workers, business start-ups, professionals on the move, or larger organisations seeking a market presence in London.</p> <p>About Avanta<br>Avanta is an emerging name in the serviced office market, with a rapidly growing portfolio of office suites in prime locations across London, and in the Thames Valley. The company was formed in 2004 by David Alberto, previously with Regus and former Managing Director at MWB Business Exchange. Avanta can offer highly flexible, unbranded office space, with advanced and competitively priced technology, tailor made to meet the requirements of the occupier.</em></em> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/07/06/avanta_and_london_first~2583944/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>business-centre-capitalserviced-officebusiness-centrelondon-firstb3cavantahttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/07/06/avanta_and_london_first~2583944/#commentshttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/06/21/yourspace~2494562/tag:businesscentre.blog.co.uk,2007-06-21:/2007/06/21/yourspace~2494562/Thu, 21 Jun 2007 17:52:12 +0200 <p>Just reported on the excellent EGI service this afternoon is the news that the small but dynamic business centre company Yourspace plc has acquired one of Glasgow’s finest examples of Victorian architecture from Scotia Land for £5m. The former Clydesdale Bank building at 24 St Vincent Place fell into disuse in 2004 when it was deemed surplus to the bank’s requirements. Your Space apparently wants to transform the 30,000 sq ft Category A-listed property, formerly known as the Citizen Building, into a “five-star boutique” office facility.</p> <p>My comment: 30,000 sq ft is a good size for a business centre in this location and as Glasgow is relatively undersupplied in serviced offices, this one looks like a winner!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/06/21/yourspace~2494562/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>glasgowbusiness-centreyourspacehttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/06/21/yourspace~2494562/#commentshttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/06/19/larry_lipman~2479660/tag:businesscentre.blog.co.uk,2007-06-19:/2007/06/19/larry_lipman~2479660/Tue, 19 Jun 2007 11:11:58 +0200 <p>the former owner of BizSpace, which he sold to Highcross, is back in the business. This is old news, but his company Safeland today reported good profits, "LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Safeland PLC swung to a full-year pretax profit, mainly on the 3.6 mln stg it received from the sale of its stake in two companies, and posted a confident outlook for the future.<br> The property management group said its newly-launched fund management business performed well and losses at its Italian self-storage business continued to fall. The company also said it will realign itself to focus on its successful fund management business as the 'difficult' conditions in property trading are unlikely to improve.<br> Pretax profit for the year to end-March came in at 3.69 mln stg, boosted by profits from the disposals of Bizspace PLC and Serviced Office Group PLC, compared with a year-ago loss of 1.15 mln. Revenue for the year was 18.27 mln stg, up from 15.59 mln. Net Asset Value per share rose 3 pence to 114 pence. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/06/19/larry_lipman~2479660/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>bizspacehttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/06/19/larry_lipman~2479660/#commentshttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/06/19/the_basil_street_hotel~2479572/tag:businesscentre.blog.co.uk,2007-06-19:/2007/06/19/the_basil_street_hotel~2479572/Tue, 19 Jun 2007 10:58:44 +0200 <p>MWB Business Exchange secures Knightsbridge site<br> Today's news reported by EGI is that, MWB Business Exchange has secured a Knightsbridge building for its latest central London centre.<br> The AIM-listed company has exchanged contracts to prelet the 34,000 sq ft former Basil Street hotel, SW3, from Quinlan Private on a 10-year lease commencing in June 2008 following a complete refurbishment of the 100-year old property.<br> A rent of £45 per sq ft will be paid for the six-storey building which forms part of a block above Knightsbridge tube station which runs from Basil Street to Brompton Road, and can be accessed from Sloane Street.<br> This latest acquisition forms part of the company's strategy to expand its presence within central London and will take the total number of Business Exchange centres to 57.<br> Last week Business Exchange announced two more central London centres with the purchase of a lease on 55 Old Broad Street, EC2 and a profit-sharing joint venture with PRUPIM for a centre in the landmark City Tower at Basinghall Street EC2.<br> John Spencer, CE of Business Exchange, said: “This is our first Knightsbridge centre but forms part of our central London expansion strategy to provide high quality centres in prime business locations where there is known demand for the style of flexible office space which we are successfully providing for our fast-growing client base.”</p> <p>Well my comment is, good luck to MWB, but the Basil Street Hotel is a sad loss. It was a fine boutique hotel, full of character. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/06/19/the_basil_street_hotel~2479572/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>basilmwbexhttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/06/19/the_basil_street_hotel~2479572/#commentshttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/05/19/large_scale_move_into_business_centres~2298327/tag:businesscentre.blog.co.uk,2007-05-19:/2007/05/19/large_scale_move_into_business_centres~2298327/Sat, 19 May 2007 18:12:42 +0200 <p>According to Frank Cottle, President of the Alliance Business Centre Network and one of the leading figures in the industry, in an interview in this week's Estates Gazette, the industry is about to see some major investments.</p> <p>"Both [UK and US markets], says Cottle, are on the brink of a large-scale move by property companies and REITs into the serviced office market. He says this signals a change from the majority of serviced offices being run by smaller 'mom and pop' companies." </p> <p>The two themes of consolidation of small firms and investment into the industry will dominate the coming years for business centres and serviced offices and Business Centre Capital is well placed to channel that into profitable investments.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/05/19/large_scale_move_into_business_centres~2298327/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/05/19/large_scale_move_into_business_centres~2298327/#commentshttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/05/10/estates_gazette~2246507/tag:businesscentre.blog.co.uk,2007-05-10:/2007/05/10/estates_gazette~2246507/Thu, 10 May 2007 17:43:04 +0200 <p>If you read the property press, you will have seen big articles about our new fund in both Estates Gazette and Property Week.  Progress has been good so far and we hope to finalise the investor group at the EG and Europroperty real estate private equity summit in Marbella on June 11-12 (<a href="http://www.thepropertysummit.com/">www.thepropertysummit.com</a>), where we have a workshop entitled, "Generating Superior Returns from  Traditional Asset Class" on the second day.</p> <p>Chris Brierley, my deputy and I will be presenting the ompelling arguments for investment in serviced offices. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/05/10/estates_gazette~2246507/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/05/10/estates_gazette~2246507/#commentshttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/02/21/investment_property_forum~1776738/tag:businesscentre.blog.co.uk,2007-02-20:/2007/02/21/investment_property_forum~1776738/Wed, 21 Feb 2007 00:00:43 +0100 <p>I would like to use this blog give a plug to the Investment Property Forum <a href="http://www.ipf.org.uk">www.ipf.org.uk</a><br> This organisation, which as its names suggests caters for property investors, generally of the institutional sort, holds consistently the best seminars and lectures I have attended since I left college many years ago.</p> <p>As a general comment, age has not improved my attention span, but I am easily able to sit through and concentrate for a 2 hour IPF seminar because the content is so good. Vivienne Wootten and the team deserve a lot of praise for their hard work! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/02/21/investment_property_forum~1776738/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/02/21/investment_property_forum~1776738/#commentshttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/01/04/2007_news~1513866/tag:businesscentre.blog.co.uk,2007-01-04:/2007/01/04/2007_news~1513866/Thu, 04 Jan 2007 16:29:13 +0100 <p>The Business Centre Capital team starts off the New Year with a search for a new investor. Our former financial partners were never able to raise the sort of capital needed to reach critical mass for investment in the business centre world and the arrival of a new boss in charge of the property team was the final straw (not just for us, but for around half the professionals in the property team). So we are now looking for an investor with vision and with a deep pocket.</p> <p>Luckily there are plenty of deals to be done..... </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/01/04/2007_news~1513866/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>executive-suiteinvestmentbusiness-centreshttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2007/01/04/2007_news~1513866/#commentshttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2005/10/20/regus_presentation~248290/tag:businesscentre.blog.co.uk,2005-10-20:/2005/10/20/regus_presentation~248290/Thu, 20 Oct 2005 13:25:09 +0200 <p>I was hoping to attend the Regus investor presentation today to get a better insight into their strategy for the future, but unfortunately they wouldn't let me in. Something about me being a competitor. I don't think so really, but there you are.... </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2005/10/20/regus_presentation~248290/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2005/10/20/regus_presentation~248290/#commentshttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2005/10/03/abcn~213805/tag:businesscentre.blog.co.uk,2005-10-03:/2005/10/03/abcn~213805/Mon, 03 Oct 2005 12:18:45 +0200 <p>You can tell what an ego I must have posting my picture twice on the first page of this blog! (Actually it was just incompetence, as I didn't realise that it would show up as it did.)</p> <p>Anyway for those to whom one picture of me seems insufficient, you can see another if you look at the latest edition of the splendid web publication Officing Today <a href="http://officingtoday.com/september2005/">http://officingtoday.com/september2005/</a></p> <p>Published by the Alliance Business Center Network, it carries interesting articles on the business centre world and news of upcoming events.</p> <p>The next ABCN event wil be in Washington DC on 25th October and I will be there. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2005/10/03/abcn~213805/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>business-centreexecutive-suiteofficeswashingtonhttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2005/10/03/abcn~213805/#commentshttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2005/09/17/slough_estates_trials_new_serviced_offic~186197/tag:businesscentre.blog.co.uk,2005-09-17:/2005/09/17/slough_estates_trials_new_serviced_offic~186197/Sat, 17 Sep 2005 10:48:19 +0200 <p>According to a newsflash on egi.co.uk Slough Estates has just announced it is setting up a new serviced office on a trial basis just outside Cambridge. The units in the building will be from 350 sq ft to 5,000 sq ft, so it is not really a business centre in the Regus sense.</p> <p>I think that there is a continuum between large areas of space let to a single tenant on a flexible basis, such as those managed by Trillium on the one hand and the provision of small units let to multiple tenants, as with a conventional serviced office, on the other. The new office just announced by Slough Estates in Cambridge sits somewhere between the two, as does the LandFlex buildings of Land Securities.</p> <p>I expect to see many more developments of this type filling in the gaps in the flexibility continuum until there is a seamless provision of all sizes and shapes of space on flexible terms, as this is what the customers want. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2005/09/17/slough_estates_trials_new_serviced_offic~186197/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>sloughflexibilityserviced-officehttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2005/09/17/slough_estates_trials_new_serviced_offic~186197/#commentshttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2005/09/07/what_s_the_point~168233/tag:businesscentre.blog.co.uk,2005-09-07:/2005/09/07/what_s_the_point~168233/Wed, 07 Sep 2005 21:51:07 +0200 <p>of business centres? Why make such a thing about them? Well in short, the secret is this. Unlike traditional property, business centres offer flexibility in terms of how much space a company needs and how long it can take it for. But surely this is what happens anyway isn't it? No, it isn't. Usually if you want to rent an office you have to sign a lease, which is a legal document requiring a solicitor, and you have to sign up for 5 or 10 years even if you're not sure how long you want the space for. Business centres allow you to rent space for a month or for three months using just a simple contractual licence that anyone can understand and you're not tied in to anything longer.</p> <p>Plus, and this is where it gets interesting, unlike a traditional office where you have to spend time and money sorting out the phones and cleaning services and paying the rates and all the other aspects of having a property, in a business centre this is all included, so that you can get on with running you business.</p> <p>So business centres are in tune with the way people do business today. Fast changing conditions, few commitments and a high level of service. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2005/09/07/what_s_the_point~168233/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>leasebusinesshttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2005/09/07/what_s_the_point~168233/#commentshttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2005/09/07/welcome~166845/tag:businesscentre.blog.co.uk,2005-09-07:/2005/09/07/welcome~166845/Wed, 07 Sep 2005 11:03:41 +0200 <p><a href="http://data1.blog.de/blog/b/businesscentre/img/IMG_0051_edited.JPG" title="A picture of B3CPres"><img src="http://data1.blog.de/blog/b/businesscentre/img/IMG_0051_edited_small.jpg" border="0" alt="A picture of B3CPres"></a></p> <p>I thought I should start by giving a very warm welcome to anyone who chances upon this blog and to encourage everyone to join in and post messages.</p> <p>The theme of this blog will not appeal to many, as it is business related, but hopefully in time, it will spread among those who are involved in this sector or would like to be.</p> <p>OK so what is the theme? Flexible work space, including serviced offices, business centres and managed work space. For a better idea what I mean, take a look at <a href="http://www.bca.uk.com">www.bca.uk.com</a> or <a href="http://www.officebusinesscenters.com">www.officebusinesscenters.com</a> or <a href="http://www.abcn.com">www.abcn.com</a></p> <p>I have been involved in this sector of the real estate market since September 1999 in a financial and investment capacity and I have visited many business centres around the world. In this blog I intend to reflect on events, trends and personalities from the world of flexible office space. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2005/09/07/welcome~166845/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>executive-suitebusiness-centreserviced-officehttp://businesscentre.blog.co.uk/2005/09/07/welcome~166845/#comments