SEGRO has welcomed The Bakery, a team of 'open-innovation' specialists with a new and innovative approach to solving business problems, to the Slough Trading Estate which is Europe’s largest trading estate under single ownership.
The Bakery will bring to the more than 300 customers on the Estate and to companies in the surrounding Thames Valley its proven expertise in finding innovative entrepreneurs who can solve big business challenges.
The Bakery acts as a “match-maker” between small and large companies which have the solution to one another’s business issue. These can range from finding better ways to communicate with customers to showing how to drive further efficiencies through a supply chain.
Since its launch three years ago, The Bakery has worked on successful projects with companies including Unilever, BMW, Panasonic, Stella Artois and Barclays, helping them deliver creative, modern innovative solutions.
Andy Gulliford, SEGRO’s chief operating officer, said: “In an increasingly-complex and dynamic world, we recognise the importance of innovation and want to support our customers. We are more than a provider of buildings – we understand our role in the community and the opportunities we can create for people to work locally in thriving businesses.”
Tom Salmon, co-founder of The Bakery, said: “As the first London accelerator to expand to this region, we firmly believe that this initiative will help to kickstart corporate open innovation in the same way as accelerator ecosystems in Silicon Valley, Tech City and other clusters are doing. We aim to bring together developing entrepreneurs with forward-thinking corporates, and to contribute to a bright future for Thames Valley business.”
Gerard Grech, CEO of Tech City UK, commented: “Collaboration between startups, SMEs and corporates is fundamental to continuing the rapid growth of UK tech. It’s very exciting to see this partnership announced and to look forward to an exciting new tech cluster developing in Slough.”
The Slough Trading Estate is a popular location for businesses in the Thames Valley, having access to a large, skilled workforce within the catchment area which is set to expand following planned transport improvements including Crossrail and the Western Rail Access to Heathrow.
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