Two long-standing law firms in Coventry plan to modernise and create growth after moving into new city centre office premises.
Neighbouring law firms Richardson and Davies and Payne Skillington, which were both established in the 1930s, have relocated to the top floor of Park House in Station Square.
Commercial property agent Reeves & Partners arranged the lettings, as the law firms’ previous premises located in Park Road and Manor Road, which were adjoining, will be demolished as part of the Friargate development.
Richardson and Davies employ 10 members of staff and Payne Skillington nine members of staff and both plan to expand their teams over the next 12 months.
Both firms have completed a number of renovations at the 4,672 sq ft office including the installation of meeting rooms and storage facilities.
Miles Barker-Davies, partner at Richardson and Davies, said: “Our intention is to modernise and to expand the services available to clients. We have been established since 1936 and it is nice to have a change of environment, but the main attraction of Park House was that we were able to remain in the Station Square area.
“We thought long and hard about our business requirements and we seem to have achieved a balanced working environment.
“The office has been tailor-made to meet the necessary requirements. It was important for us to have a storage facility and we have also installed cell type offices in the west wing, which offer a greater degree of privacy, as well as a number of modern meeting rooms in the east wing.
“Reeves & Partners has also helped us to secure a number of on-site parking spaces which is hugely beneficial for our clients and there is potential to expand this further.
“Sharing the office space with Payne Skillington has also worked well. We are both small firms and offer a similar range of services including commercial law and private client work. We occupied neighbouring houses in Park Road for a number of years so we have a shared history.
“We have started to notice a pick-up in activity which is growing gradually with business confidence. Now that we have a bigger base from which we can create growth, we would also like to focus on succession planning and recruit younger members of staff over the next 12 months.”
Reeves & Partners, which has offices in Coventry and Leamington, has let over 30,000 sq ft of office space with the last six months to companies having to relocate due to the Friargate development.
The major redevelopment scheme, which covers a 37-acre site adjacent to Coventry railway station, will see the development of new offices, hotels, homes, shops and restaurants and include a new pedestrian route into the city centre.
Richard Pomfret, of Reeves & Partners, said: “Richardson and Davies and Payne Skillington are set to enter a new chapter in their long-established histories with access to extended office facilities which will enable them to modernise their services.
“The two firms first moved to Station Square in the 1960s and are keen to support the ongoing redevelopment of Coventry’s city centre and the advantages this will bring for the city.
“Reeves & Partners has assisted more than 10 firms which have been affected by Friargate and we are pleased to have sourced suitable office space to meet their requirements in various locations around Coventry.”