Gavin Bridge, co-founder of Cubex Land, agreed, saying that “vanilla was ok”. He added that although cities such as Bristol were attracting start-ups with a penchant for quirky warehouse-style spaces, this was a harder sell in regional markets.
Zoe Young, property project manager at M&S, spoke of the need to deliver space that would increase productivity and said that developers should look to retailers’ strategies as an example.
She said: “We feel that the environment in which we design and build will have an impact on both employees and customers and that should have a positive impact on our economies. For employees, this means less turnover and for customers, higher footfall and sales.”
Richard Morris, UK chief executive of Regus, pointed out the potential for growth in the serviced office market as more businesses recognise it as a service.
He said: “We think there will be an acceleration in the way office space is provided and consumed. It is on the rise. Why would anybody expect me to commit to a long-term arrangement when there is flexibility?
“There is no one-size-fits-all offering that should be landed on as a conventional approach. It depends on what the customer wants.”
Author: shekha.vyas@estatesgazette.com
Link: http://www.egi.co.uk/news/google-style-offices-like-christmas-jumpers
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