Europe’s largest, specialised, digital agency to the automotive industry has leased a unit on Oak Court, ProLogis Park Coventry, meaning the prime 22,000 square feet office development is now fully occupied.
G-Forces Web Management Ltd (GForces) has taken Unit 4, a 1,865 square feet self-contained suite, on a five-year letting. Andrew Pittaway, of AP Commercial and Rupert Gillitt, of D&P Holt represented the owners, Abacus Developments, the development arm of Sir Robert McAlpine.
Abacus is building an additional ten car parking spaces for the tenant, who recently moved into the 2-storey unit. The first phase of an expansion move will see at least 20 new skilled jobs created by the end of the year, as well as a range of work placement opportunities.
The Coventry office will support GForces’ existing car dealer and manufacturer client base across the Midlands , handling customer support, account management, marketing services, project management and training.
Since it was founded in 1999, GForces has become a market leader in building, managing and marketing websites for major automotive retailers and manufacturers. It currently employs more than 170 staff, and provides digital solutions to numerous carmakers, such as Nissan and Mazda, and more than half of the Top 200 UK franchised car dealer groups, including Mercedes-Benz Retail Group, Lookers, Jardine Motors, H. R. Owen and Johnsons Cars, of Redditch.
Paul Hilton, Regional Account Director, said Oak Court’s prime location, and the standard of the accommodation, were key to the deal. “It was the best premises I looked at. The motorway links are very good, the quality of the accommodation is excellent, and it was also fitted out well enough for us to move in straight away. We will expand into the full office suite over the next three months.”
GForces, based in Maidstone, Kent, has a strong track record of working closely with local academic institutions. It plans to link up with the University of Coventry in the second phase of expansion, to offer students structured learning and hands-on work experience, through its successful GForces Training Academy scheme.
Oak Court is on a 2.3-acre site, close to Junction 3 of the M6. Other high-profile occupiers include Comau Estil, Delta Energy Services and Hauser GmbH UK. Abacus also has an adjacent 1.5-acre site, called Tripoint, which can provide a further 30,000 sq ft-plus of office accommodation, with extensive parking, on a design-and-build basis.
Property agent Andrew Pittaway said: “Coventry is still regarded as a major location in the Midlands, but there is a continuing lack of quality A Grade accommodation being built, and the existing stock has been taken up. With Oak Court now fully occupied, we will be focussing our efforts on taking the second phase of the project forward, by securing an occupier for Tripoint, which will be able to provide some 32,000 sq ft, over three floors, of Grade A Headquarter office accommodation.”