Imagine the panic: it's a week before Christmas, and you're
told the company needs new office space for 250 desks. You don't know how long
for, but it had to be ready within three months, all on one site, and with
24-hour access.
If this happened to you, where would you turn?
Mark Lycett, Group Estates Manager at Centrica, faced this very dilemma last December.
Luckily, he turned to Instant, and we were able to find him the right premises,
near head office, at a great price, and all up and running well within the
three month deadline.
Instant has been working with Centrica for more than 5
years, helping them find flexible office solutions and effectively working as
an extension to their in-house real estate team.
When the brief for the 250-desk facility landed on Mark's
desk, he contacted his account manager at Instant, Helena Hughes, to find space
as close as possible to the head office in Windsor. Helena was able to put
forward a few options, despite the limitations of accommodating such a large
group in one business centre, and the need for 24-hour access and substantial
IT requirements.
Thanks to the close working relationship between the two
companies, Mark knew he could trust Helena's judgment without taking up
valuable time for site visits. He also knew that Instant’s knowledge of the
market meant that Centrica could be sure of getting the best possible value for
money.
In March 2011, 250 Centrica staff moved in to their new
space close to Heathrow in the Abbey office (now Regus). The plan was to stay
for at least four months, but Centrica has the flexibility to extend the term
at the same rate if required.
Mark Lycett commented: “We had a challenging brief that
needed to be sorted out in a short timeframe. Our long-standing relationship
with Instant meant that we could rely on them to make suitable recommendations
to accommodate all our requirements, at the same time as saving us both time
and money. We are very happy with the outcome and the team is happily settled
in their Heathrow office.”