The Station Office Network has confirmed it will be opening its first drop-in workplace outside London this summer — and has chosen Leeds because of the city’s “dynamic” business culture.
The 19,500sq ft flexible office will be situated at One Aire Street, adjacent to Leeds station, and will offer everything a regular office does including desks with high-speed broadband connections, self-contained offices, fully equipped meeting and board rooms and even a receptionist to handle mail and switchboard enquiries.
Launched as a joint venture with Network Rail, the Office Group already has three airport-style ClubRooms up and running at London’s Paddington and Liverpool Street stations and at King’s Cross East Side where it has taken two floors within the main station building. The new Yorkshire complex will retain the building’s 1930s art deco features and also boast a roof terrace with 360-degree views across the city.
“Leeds is a dynamic market which is developing steadily in the tech and media sectors who value the importance of great work place design and brilliant technology. They’re a driving force in the UK economy and we want to be on hand to support them,” explained the Office Group’s Olly Olsen.
With mobile technology effectively demolishing the boundaries of the traditional office, Network Rail has said it wants to “replace laptops precariously balanced in coffee shops” with design-focused flexible work places.
“This innovative joint venture brings an additional facility to our busy stations by transforming underused space into productive work environments that meet the needs of time scarce business travellers,” said David Biggs, the company’s managing director in charge of property.
“Stations are convenient destinations for shopping, dining and leisure and the success of our first site at Paddington has proved that they are equally sought after for business,” he added. “As we prepare for another decade of dramatic growth on the railway, the serviced office product will continue to be a key element of how we improve our stations and enhance the passenger experience.”
Another factor in choosing Leeds for the first regional ClubRooms was Network Rail’s plan to stimulate economic growth in the North of England through better town and city connections. “With all of this in mind, we are confident that the flexible office space model will be attractive to both the current market and future business travellers passing through Leeds.” added Biggs.
Charlie Green is co-founder and joint chief executive officer of The Office Group. “Flexible and mobile working are becoming ever more the norm for businesses and stations have become destinations in their own right, not just somewhere to travel through,” he said.
“We have already identified a number of new and exciting locations across the UK, which will form part of our expansion strategy to help create a network of flexible work space for our customers that want to do business at our stations.”
