Softcat, the FTSE 250 IT company, has agreed a lease for 9,000 sq ft of office space at the newly refurbished Billiards Building, Birmingham.
The company, which provides IT infrastructure solutions to the public and private sectors, has signed a ten-year lease on the whole of the 7th floor with landlord Grosvenor. It will relocate from its current office at Interchange Place on Edmund Street, where it has been based since 2019.
Joint agents CBRE and JLL advised Grosvenor on the letting. LSH acted for Softcat.
Billiards Building, previously known as 134 Edmund Street, was acquired by Grosvenor in 2021. The 79,000 sq ft Grade A office has been upgraded as part of a £35m capital investment programme to transform the organisation’s 500,000 sq ft regional office portfolio.
The building now features a new reception and business lounge, café, gym and yoga studio, and communal roof terrace.
A new M&E system and wider energy efficiency improvements, including replacing the building’s gas-powered system so that’s it’s fully electric, have also significantly improved its operational energy usage. As a result, it has achieved net zero status and EPC ‘A’ rating.
Fergus Evans, Grosvenor office portfolio director, said: “Securing net zero status demonstrates how existing buildings can be successfully refurbished to create environmentally friendly, energy efficient Grade A office space.
“We are seeing strong demand for buildings which offer outstanding amenities and industry leading environmental performance in fantastic locations, which is reflected in the interest we have received from occupiers at Billiards Building.”
Following the letting to Softcat, just 13,000 sq ft remains available to let, with a further three floors currently under offer.
Theo Holmes, senior director and head of office agency at CBRE in Birmingham, said: “Today’s corporate occupiers want and expect more from their office, whether that’s in the quality of the space, the provision of onsite amenities or the building’s green credentials.
“The refurbishment of the Billiards Building means it now meets all the needs of the modern, discerning office occupier. Furthermore, the flexible floor plates enable the building to react to changing business needs, offering fully fitted and traditional solutions and a range of suite sizes for businesses to scale up.”
Jon Carmalt, director National Office Agency at JLL, added: “It is testament to the quality of the works and the building’s offering that a letting has being achieved at project completion. Further lettings are also progressing and will soon follow.”
