One of the country’s leading internet gurus Charles Astwood has launched a new, free website transforming the way businesses can search for premises to rent and is currently focussing on the Bristol commercial property market.
Charles, whose website London-Eating.com transformed ordinary punters into restaurant critics, says the new site PropertyDNA.com will act as a hub for commercial property lettings.
Having seen the trend for online property searches in the residential sector take off, Charles firmly believes that more and more businesses also want to search online in a similar fashion for their commercial space.
The website is showcasing Bristol commercial properties to the whole country with the majority of the city’s leading property agencies listing details of the offices, shops and warehousing units they have to let on the site.
PropertyDNA.com also features added services including space calculators, rating and building surveying advice that will help small and medium sized businesses decide on the property that is most suitable for them.
“We picked Bristol as a focus point because it has a vibrant range of businesses looking to let a whole range of commercial property – whether it be office, industrial or retail space – and it is also a very attractive city that people are keen to relocate to even in these tough economic times,” said Charles, who manages PropertyDNA’s website development and digital strategy.
“Our main aim is to make tenant and occupier searches easier, especially for small and medium-sized businesses that do not have time or specific in-house expertise when it comes to property matters. Our site can put them in touch with the relevant agents who can guide them through the lettings process.”
Charles founded London-Eating.com in 2000 and sold it to TopTable.com in 2007, now the largest online restaurant guide in the UK. Since then, Charles with his trade-mark shock of red hair and geeky specs, has changed gears starting a new digital agency, Medialam, in 2011.
PropertyDNA’s Christopher Tabor and Jay Cable, both experienced chartered surveyors, are working with Bristol’s commercial property agents, and the site now showcases almost 1,000 industrial, retail and office units to let in Bristol.
The pair are also working closely with investment fund houses including Scottish Widows, Prupim and Cordea Savills who are very supportive of PropertyDNA’s concept and are listing their vacant properties on the site.
“There are good deals to be done in renting traditional office space and now is a good time for expanding businesses to find premises. We have seen a large number of home-based businesses start-up during the recession and the most successful ones now need premises.
“We are also seeing people want to expand out of serviced premises or downsize as a result of the recession. There are SME’s desperate to find the right property out there and landlords are keen to let. PropertyDNA.com is a way to bring them together.”
