Trilogy Real Estate and LaSalle Investment Management have announced a raft of new lettings completed at Republic London over H2 2021, as well as several occupier expansions at the campus. The strong performance saw the innovation campus at East India Dock secure lettings on over 120,000 sq ft of space in 2021 – equivalent to 30% of the Docklands sub-market.
York St John University is relocating from central London and has taken up 25,000 sq ft of space in the Export Building to become the latest education institute to bring its London campus to Republic. York St John University will use the new space to expand and consolidate its existing courses, including apprenticeships, and launch seven new postgraduate programmes and professional education courses. The university will also further develop its Venture Creation Lab initiative, which supports students’ entrepreneurial development and spin outs, grows their research activity and connects into the local community and business eco-system.
The University of the West of Scotland (UWS) has taken an additional 25,000 sq ft in the Export Building to add to the circa 16,000 sq ft it already leases within the Import Building at Republic. The new space will be used to expand the number of postgraduate, MBA and professional education courses offered by the University which has based its London Campus at Republic since May 2020.
Anglia Ruskin University took a further circa 24,000 sq ft in the Export Building in November 2021, continuing its successful expansion at the campus. The university now occupies circa 85,000 sq ft across both the Import and Export Buildings. Allsop and CBRE act for the landlord on office leasing. ARU London has been advised by SHB Real Estate.
Trilogy has also partnered with The University of the West of Scotland (UWS) and The Trampery to launch The Greenhouse – an incubator unit with 30 desks for innovative start-up companies selected through The Trampery’s Evo Pioneers Programme and the networks of UWS. 10 companies selected by each of these programmes will be given space free-of-charge, with access to business support and coaching. The remaining 10 desks will be available to paying members. The Greenhouse will occupy a 2,000 sq ft ground floor workspace in the Export Building.
Republic’s new ‘micro-studios’ concept will officially launch in the new year, with one of the five available spaces, which range from 500 to 1,000 sq ft, already pre-let to the online parking marketplace Your Parking Space, and one under offer. The workspaces operate on an all-inclusive basis with full access to all of Republic’s extensive amenities.
Black Rock Whisky Bar opened its doors at Republic in late 2021. Black Rock is a unique high-end bar concept developed by Thomas Aske and Tristan Stephenson, who last summer won investment from a group of three Dragons on TV’s Dragon’s Den, for their Whisky Me Home subscription service.
Laurence Jones, Head of Asset Management at Trilogy, said:
“Despite the challenges of a post-COVID landscape, there was an enormous amount of success at Republic during 2021. Trilogy has been on a six year journey at Republic anticipating and adapting to the future of work and our development of a campus that brings together the worlds of business and education/skills training has resulted in uniquely beneficial relationships and interactions. These are of course facilitated by the high quality of design and award-winning environment we have created. The Greenhouse incubator is a collaboration between Trilogy, University of the West of Scotland and the Trampery with a specific aim to identify, incubate and accelerate fast-growing, impact-focused businesses from the local area to generate value within our community.”
Retail/F&B businesses continued to take space at Republic during 2021, such as artisan gelato parlour Gelato a Casa and the Sweet Nothing Bakehouse, which were joined by physical therapy innovator Myoset in August 2021.
East London based non-profit Oitij-jo Collective also opened the TATI Craft Hub, a traditional Bangla textiles and creative craft workshop in a retail unit at Republic. The space is a new base for the organisation’s work with women from the British Bangladeshi community, creating opportunities for entrepreneurship and business development through creative projects, training, mentoring and networks.
Republic is a unique innovation campus in East London: a well-connected, affordable and socially and environmentally sustainable place where the world of education meets the future of work. Universities and Education institutes including The University of the West of Scotland, Global Banking School, Anglia Ruskin University, York St John University and City Gateway sit alongside an ecosystem of creative businesses, third sector organisations and institutions. The campus has set a new standard for placemaking, with a range of on-site amenity and spaces for businesses of any size, from single desks to entire floors, developed with a focus on creativity, connectivity, sustainability and wellbeing.