Foot Anstey LLP is expanding and relocating to the White Building in Southampton, just 12 months after it opened in the city.
The top 100 firm, which is among the fastest growing in the legal industry, has acquired the top two floors of the building, totalling 6,489 sq ft on a 10-year lease at £22 per sq ft. The new offices offer panoramic views over the city.
Foot Anstey was attracted to the White Building as it provides the high quality, open plan space to enable agile working and continue to provide a client-centric service.
The company’s decision to relocate was also driven by its desire to find a workspace that supported its staff’s health and well-being, as well as providing the right environment for clients.
The iconic office underwent a dramatic transformation in 2016, with redesigned office accommodation and common parts to provide contemporary, design-led collaborative office space. As part of the transformation, the landlords have created the kind of space that tenants can enjoy and feel proud to occupy, including provisions such as secure cycle storage, new shower and changing facilities, as well as social breakout space.
The White Building won the Development of the Year and Workplace Environment of the Year in last year’s South Coast Property Awards, and more recently the highly commended RICs award, underlining its credentials as one of the most sought-after offices in the city.
Head of Real Estate, Martin Hirst from Foot Anstey LLP said: “We are delighted to be strengthening Foot Anstey’s presence in Southampton with our new premises. In a short period of time we’ve successfully developed client relationships and nurtured talent within the Southampton market. The impressive space at the White Building will facilitate further growth, support our strategy of providing a client-centric service and provide an environment where our employees can thrive.”
A recent report by JLL, which handled the transaction, revealed that companies stand to benefit measurably from the experience they create for their staff in the workplace.
Nella Pang, associate director at retained agents JLL said: “Our worldwide survey demonstrated emphatically that helping people to feel good at work is more than a ‘box-ticking’ exercise in trying to achieve work-life balance, as it makes a real difference to staff creativity and productivity. The White Building offers the sustainable and collaborative working environment that ambitious businesses like Foot Anstey desire and that will enable it to continue its expansion in the city.”
Andrew Oliver, of Ashville Asset Management, the asset manager for the landlord, said: “We’d like to welcome Foot Anstey to White Building and are delighted they chose it for their new Southampton office.
The take up and demand from such tenants is a real accolade to the quality of the building and the success it has had since launching last year. We look forward to a long-term relationship with Foot Anstey and hope they enjoy their new office environment.”
Foot Anstey joins companies like Yo Telecom, JCF Works, Regis Bentley, Wessex Petroleum and Novum Law who all moved into the White Building in the last 12 months.
