Next step to help start-ups

Sep 26 2007 By The Journal

A SUCCESSFUL business saviour is celebrating expansion.

Metropolitan House has proved so popular for start up businesses that it has had to add more facilities to its portfolio. It now offers space from 100sq ft to 2,000 sq ft.

The Office Company, tucked just behind Ikea at The MetroCentre, is ideal for start-up businesses as they can move straight into fully equipped offices and start trading immediately.

After a successful first six months, the site has almost reached capacity in occupied space and the Virtual Office service is proving more and more popular.

With the added advantage of full secretarial support there is no need to stifle a business with overheads before it starts!

The Office Company concept is to support new enterprises by providing serviced accommodation on flexible terms.

It is a real passion of the business that new start-ups and entrepreneurial businesses get help not only with space but also the assistance from Lynn Gate and Kate Beverley who are always on hand to offer free impartial advice.

The aim is to meet the needs of start-up businesses as they become established and grow.

Lynn, who also owns The Storage Company, said: “I knew there was a shortage of good quality office space with ample parking to rent on flexible terms in this area and I was confident that the space would be taken up quickly.

“We have helped many businesses over the years with our easy approach to space.

“Developing this building has allowed us to take that one step further by offering a variety of office space from short-term flexible lets to long term tenancies of up to 10 years.”

Lynn added: “There are so many things to think about when you are trying to set-up a business; we can help by cutting through the unnecessary burdens.

“I know from experience what it’s like and it’s my passion to be able to help young, entrepreneurial businesses.”

Lynn’s Operations Manager Kate Beverley said: “Some people work from home and do not or cannot have an actual physical office which is where virtual offices are ideal.

“They provide companies with a business address and a business telephone number which is answered by a receptionist stating the company name and taking any messages.

“This takes away the pressures of having all calls directed to mobile phones and ensures no calls are missed or important daily tasks affected by volumes of calls.”

The Office Company team is based in the serviced office facility they run at Metropolitan House.

The 20,000sq ft, three-storey building offers modern office facilities set in a rural haven near the River Derwent, with its walkways and picnic areas just minutes away from Newcastle city centre, the airport, the A1(M) and the Metro-Centre.

“We believe in working face-to-face with clients.

“It’s important for tenants that we are on site too so they know any issues will be dealt with promptly,” added Lynn.

With her team led by Kate, Lynn said the aim was to offer not just high quality rented office space but also to create a business community.

She explained: “Metropolitan House is already becoming a community where people get to know each other and business owners, whether they are start-ups or established enterprises, find
like-minded people.”

The building has two boardrooms, a secure entry system which allows tenants 24-hour access and the latest broadband and telecoms connections.

The ground floor offices are fitted out for wheelchair access and the building boasts a large, private car park.

The boardroom facilities are available to both tenant and external companies and have proven to be extremely popular for both all day events with catering and for smaller one-on-one interviewing conditions.

Kate said “We are always looking for new ideas to involve the tenants and create a community within the building.

“From October we will be holding a series of events such as healthy eating and lifestyle events and a fitness centre on the second floor.”

The development of Metropolitan House is part of a wider expansion in office and storage space for the group, which also includes a modern secure storage facility at Newton Aycliffe in
County Durham. The site has around 3,600 sq ft of office space remaining in a mixture of sizes from one person to 20 person offices.

Available space of 2,800 sq ft is currently open space which can be divided or left in an open format depending on tenant needs and demand.

Virtual Office space is available on request via Kate Beverley.