Oxford Prop Tech pioneer company celebrates 15th anniversary

By Nicky Godding

1 September 2020

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A pioneer in property technology that offers online building management and engagement is celebrating its 15th anniversary.

Oxford-based Locale was founded in 2005 by entrepreneur Guy Windsor-Lewis aiming to digitally transform an industry that was often driven by old fashioned and outdated processes.

In 15 years, Locale has grown to a 30-person strong business, establishing themselves as a key component to building operations. Providing tech solutions to some big UK property players and iconic landmarks across the UK including Savills and The Shard, Locale covers more than 60 million square feet of real estate and around 200 buildings.

The Locale portal has evolved from simple document storage, to a multi-functional software that supports building teams in operations and occupier engagement. This includes modules such as announcements, visitor management, keys, deliveries, groups and helpdesk. In 2018 the company launched "Locale Life" tailored to each building’s community.

Operating in the city of Oxford, Locale is now moving into larger office space to accommodate the growing team, as well as to support ambitious plans to scale up marketing and video content, create educational virtual events, and push for further growth within PropTech.

Founder and Chief Executive, Guy Windsor-Lewis, said: “To be celebrating Locale’s 15th Birthday is an incredible milestone. When it was first created, it was a challenge to promote new and modernised property management and engagement tools in real estate in 2005. There were less than a handful of businesses in the market that offered digital solutions, and I have witnessed first-hand the evolution of PropTech in the UK.

“Slowly but surely, the approach to technology has improved and attitudes to tech adoption has accelerated the last couple of years - in particular the last 3 months - which has led to huge excitement and overwhelming growth for the PropTech industry.

“Over the past 15 years, I have been delighted to have been able to grow the Locale team, and invest in departments including product development, client services, sales and marketing in order to provide a seamless and robust experience for our clients. I hope to continue our development and growth in the next 15 years and I look forward to the industry fully embracing what we have to offer.”

By 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.