A major £8.5 million extension to weight loss organisation Slimming World’s headquarters has opened in Alfreton, Derbyshire.
Delivered by construction and infrastructure company, Morgan Sindall, the project expands the company’s existing HQ to include training facilities, offices, a new restaurant and atrium.
Its handover was marked in a ceremony held in May, with Slimming World founder Margaret Miles-Bramwell OBE and Morgan Sindall project manager, Peter Maguire, in attendance.
Slimming World has experienced significant growth in the last few years and the extension ensures it has the facilities to provide a great working environment as well as bigger and better training spaces.
The 75,000 sq ft, two-storey headquarters houses new office space for Slimming World’s 350 head office employees alongside a state-of-the-art training centre for its 4,800 franchisee Consultants, who run local community slimming groups throughout the UK and are trained on site.
Margaret Miles-Bramwell said: “When I held the very first Slimming World group 49 years ago I couldn’t have imagined how many lives we would go on to transform – for our members achieving their weight-loss dreams, and for those members who go on to become Consultants running their own small businesses.
“People have always been at the heart of Slimming World’s success and so ensuring that our people – our head office staff and Consultants – have the facilities and environment they need to do the best job possible has been a real priority for us. I’m confident that our fabulous new building will ensure that we continue to be at the forefront of weight management now and for many years to come. Extra-special thanks go to Morgan Sindall, whose care and professionalism during this construction has been outstanding. They really have delivered everything we wanted and more.”
The building sits on the 4.6-acre site of Slimming World’s existing head office, which remained fully functional throughout the construction project. A number of standout visual features were incorporated into the design including a helical staircase at the centre of the atrium, a bespoke floor system in the restaurant which matches the ceiling grids above and baritone-shaped men’s toilets. The training facilities are equipped with up-to-date interactive technology.
Sean Bowles, managing director of the central region of Morgan Sindall said: “From the outset of this project we have worked closely with Slimming World to understand its vision and create a space with a ‘wow factor’ for the company’s staff and Consultants.
“The building provides a fantastic end-user experience for those who come to work and attend training here and will enable Slimming World to continue to provide the best service to its members throughout the UK for many years into the future.”
