A thriving business innovation centre in Southampton has recorded 70% occupancy within just nine months of adding new serviced offices over three floors.
Three more companies signed up this month (November) to five-storey Ocean Village Innovation Centre, bringing the total number of firms on site to 33.
One of the latest occupiers is BBQ, which helps corporate companies build digital products, such as websites, for household names like B&Q and internet service provider Plusnet.
In homage to the sweeping view from the third-floor window, BBQ founders and co-directors Colette Youde and Alex Ward personalised the office with a wall-sized atmospheric photograph of Southampton’s Itchen Bridge, taken by Alex at night-time.
BBQ, established in April 2013, stands for Building Better Quality. Colette comes from a quality assurance background and Alex started web coding from the tender age of 12.
Colette said: “We are actively exploring the idea of creating a digital services quality standard – a trusted hallmark of excellence for the web design industry.”
She added: “It is great to be amongst like-minded businessmen and women in a thriving, supportive environment. You can feel the energy here – it is palpable.”
OVIC is operated by Oxford Innovation, which runs 21 similar innovation centres across the country. It is the first use of the modern building near Ocean Village Marina, with OVIC launching in September 2010.
Robert Greenberg, OVIC centre manager, said: “We’re receiving up to five viewings a week, with three more companies signing up from November and following in the footsteps of ambitious tech pioneers such as BBQ.
“We’re already at 70% occupancy for December, which is no mean feat given that an extra 39 offices were installed over three open-plan floors back in the spring.
“Two of the five floors were already full, hence the £1m project back in the spring to bring much-needed serviced office space to the market.
“There is no doubt that the recovering economy is generating new product and service demand, with OVIC’s occupiers expanding on the back of the upturn in British commerce.”
Occupiers at OVIC include Project Kudos, the international asset-backed investment specialist, business organisation Business South, recruiter Capita Resourcing, Complete Marine Freight Services, tugs company Svitzer Towage, shipping logistics provider YA Logistics (UK), water environment consultancy DHI Water Environment and TMC (Marine Consultancy).
The centre provides serviced offices, virtual offices and meeting rooms for hire.
They are geared to start-ups, early-stage firms and outsourced businesses requiring a supportive easy-in, easy-out environment, with all-inclusive packages and competitive prices.
A number of firms at OVIC have more than one office due to expansion.
