IM Properties (IMP) has secured another major tenant at Blythe Valley Park, off junction 4 of the M42.
Midlands based accountancy firm PKF Cooper Parry has agreed a lease on the entire ground floor West Wing, totalling 17,810 sq ft, in the newly refurbished One Central Boulevard building with IM Properties.
Currently based at No8 Calthorpe Road, PKF Cooper Parry’s new office at Blythe Valley Park will provide a modern, aspirational environment, incorporating the latest business thinking on flexible workspace and employee wellbeing.
Rob Hemus from IM Properties said the firm’s decision to move from a city centre location to the greener, more open spaces of Blythe not only reflects its forward thinking but is a growing trend from occupiers looking to set themselves apart to attract and retain the best staff.
“We’ve always said Blythe is not your average nine to five. The location sits perfectly with occupiers’ desire to offer employees something a bit different, which isn’t all about the work. Set in a 122 acre country park, we’re geared up to looking after staff wellbeing with open spaces to get out and run, walk and cycle in. We’ve also got a Virgin Active gym on site and have recently invested in a coffee house, which opens Q1 2017 and will be run by leading Birmingham independent Java Lounge.
“Blythe also offers an active social scene with regular occupier events such as Foodie Fridays to get people out of their offices and talking with like minded businesses and individuals. It’s important the park offers a sense of fun as well as function for occupiers and their employees to enjoy.”
Ade Cheatham, CEO of PKF Cooper Parry, said: “One Central Boulevard will provide us with modern, high specification, Grade A office facilities. Anyone who has visited our Sky View office in the East Midlands will know that we’re not your typical firm of accountants and like to do things differently.
“The new West Midlands base has been designed to be flexible, to encourage creativity and collaborative working. It will be leading edge in design, with lots of quirky and fun features thrown in – from Narnia cupboards to Segways and a running track to ‘wow’ our staff and clients alike.
“On a practical level, One Central Boulevard puts our offices at the centre of the motorway network, within easy reach of each other and our clients across the Midlands. We’ll also have ample visitor parking and space for future growth – we have ambitious growth plans and are planning to double our market share in the West Midlands over the next two years, adding new experts and talent across the team.”
PKF Cooper Parry is the fastest growing firm of accountants in the UK and the only accountancy firm listed in The Sunday Times’ 100 Best Small Companies to Work for.
The firm joins existing tenants Siemens, Arup, Infor, Enzen and Zenith at Bythe Valley Park. Prologis and Rybrook have also both signed pre-let agreements for 15,000 sq ft of space.
Ashley Hancox, executive director and national head of offices at CBRE in Birmingham, said: “Attracting a tenant with the vision and aspirations of PKF Cooper Parry is exactly what the letting team hoped for as we set out our ambitions for One Central Boulevard and future phases of Blythe Valley Park.
“Their decision to commit to the Blythe Valley adds great credit to the work undertaken since the Park was purchased by IM Properties and their aspirations of creating the next generation of mixed-use environment within which you can live and work.”
Blythe forms a significant part of IMP’s portfolio in the Midlands and recently won outline planning to create one of the most ambitious sustainable new communities in recent years, centred around creating up to 750 new homes.
As part of the approved plan, IM Properties will also look to add up to further 1 m sq feet of commercial space, which will potentially create up to 7300 new jobs in the area. Provision for a 200-bedroom hotel and a housing with care facility of up to 250 units, leisure and other uses of up to 40,000 sq ft is also included.
IM Properties, based in Coleshill, is one of the largest privately owned property groups in the UK, with an investment and development portfolio of circa £900 million across the UK, Europe and US.