Office Principles expands into new North Warwickshire headquarters

Published by

Nicky Godding

Reading-headquartered interior design consultancy Office Principles clearly doesn't believe that working from home will last post-covid as it is celebrating 18 months of growth by investing in a new regional headquarters in the West Midlands.

The firm has signed a five-year lease on a standalone building at Coleshill Manor Office Campus near the M42 and M6 motorways, that will support its ongoing expansion in the region.

Office Principles will design and deliver its own human-centric office fit out to incorporate industry leading technology, with a focus on biophilia (Editor's note: nope, I didn't know what this word meant either. Apparently biophilia means the idea that humans possess an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life), sustainability and employee wellbeing. It is expected to move into the refurbished office facility in early 2021.

Formed less than two years ago by Gary Tailby and Tina Batham, Office Principles’ Birmingham-based team delivers multi-disciplinary design, consultancy and construction solutions across a variety of sectors within the built environment.

The regional business has enjoyed immediate success, with its original team of seven employees delivering £7.5 million of projects in its first year, with a further £12.5 million secured in 2020. Its growth is set to continue next year, with 20 significant projects about to go to site or in the pre-construction phase and revenue forecast to hit £17.5 million. It plans to further expand its regional team to deliver the new projects, employing 18 staff.

Office Principles work for regional clients including Anglian Water, Cooper Parry and Aegon Asset Management, as well as client consultants CBRE, Knight Frank, EMCOR and Gerald Eve. The Midlands operation is supported by three established Office Principles sites in London, Reading and Manchester.

Gary Tailby, Office Principles in Birmingham, said: “We’re incredibly excited to be moving into new premises in the West Midlands. There is a real hunger to continue to grow the business here and I have been impressed by the level of support and commitment that is being invested.

"When Tina and I formed the Birmingham office, our vision was to secure new business on a negotiated basis through added value in the design phase of a project and build a highly skilled team to deliver on-site. It's an approach that has been hugely successful. Investing in well connected new premises close to the motorway network, will enable us to capitalise on a growing workload and support our clients UK-wide. We are looking forward to delivering an impressive workplace of the future and have consulted with our people in creating an environment that allows them to work in whatever way they are most productive.”

Established more than 30 years ago, Office Principles specialises in office refurbishment, commercial fit out and corporate furniture systems. It delivers services on behalf of a wide range of leading UK and international companies including Visa, Twinings and BDO.

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.