Businesses searching outside London for premises offering greater value for money and a better lifestyle for employees have started to look at locations in Hertfordshire, according to commercial property consultants Kirkby Diamond.
As the country eases out of lockdown, companies are seeking business space with London style but reduced costs and improved commuting options, according to associate surveyor Paul Quy.
Well-known high street food retailer Crepeaffaire has signed a deal which will see it leave its West End offices to open a new head office in Letchworth.
It has agreed a lease on 1,600 sq ft of space at The Pixmore Centre, Pixmore Avenue, for offices with training and production facilities.
Allen Kerslake, CEO of Crepeaffaire, said: “The new space will combine a head office, training academy for our Crepeaffaire stores, and a central production kitchen for our exciting new Crepe & Roll product. We are delighted to be bringing crepes to Letchworth and to be partnering with Bizspace, who have been welcoming and supportive in creating an effective mixed-use space.”
Paul Quy said: “We have recently opened our Hertfordshire office and, as companies come out of lockdown, we are seeing the start of a drift of occupiers from London to this region, attracted by the prospect of an improved lifestyle combined with more affordable business space.
“The Pixmore Centre, which is owned by Biz Space, is the perfect location for the food retailer because it offers flexible business space which they can adapt to suit their training and production purposes. It’s the sort of hybrid facility that has been very popular in East London, but it has the benefit of greater affordability in an excellent location in leafy Letchworth.”
He added: “We’re looking forward to working with more landlords and occupiers in Hertfordshire as companies look outside London while they continue to recover from the impact of the pandemic.”
John Kinnard, of Biz Space, said: “We are glad to see that yet another occupier has chosen Bizspace Letchworth as its base, and we hope that they enjoy the character of the building, and everything that Letchworth Garden city as a location has to offer.”
