Another global occupier signs up at 1 West Regent Street

FDM Group, a global professional services provider with a focus on IT, has been announced as the latest office occupier at 1 West Regent Street, a newly completed Grade A development located in Glasgow city centre.

FDM has taken the entire sixth floor at 1 West Regent Street, comprising 13,600 sq ft of high quality office space, on a ten year FRI lease.  The firm is relocating from its current Glasgow office on St Vincent Street due to business growth and plans to commence fit out works immediately with a view to taking occupation before Christmas.

FDM is known as the UK’s leading IT graduate employer and is renowned for its specialism in training ex-Forces personnel.  It has over 130 clients worldwide and aims to help them achieve specific business objectives within various sectors including financial services, media, retail and insurance.

1 West Regent Street, which was developed by a fund managed by Clearbell together with M&G Real Estate, comprises 143,000 sq ft of Grade A office and retail space over eleven levels. It offers a first-class working environment, rivalling Grade A office accommodation in London and elsewhere in the UK.  It benefits from a unique location that is not only in Glasgow’s Central Business District but is also near to Queen Street station and adjacent to the Buchanan Quarter retail scheme.

Sheila Flavell, chief operating officer at FDM Group, commented on the move:  “As an employer we are committed to creating a stimulating working environment for our staff so the search for a new office in Glasgow was extremely important.  We were looking for a work environment that is efficient but also fits with our culture as a modern and dynamic professional services business.

“1 West Regent Street’s flexible and efficient open plan floorplates make it a great fit for FDM’s culture. We can’t wait to move into our new Glaswegian home in the heart of the city.”

Nick Berry, partner at Clearbell, added:  “I am thrilled to confirm that 1 West Regent Street has managed to attract yet another fantastic occupier to the building.  We are creating a very impressive tenant line up, featuring a broad range of high calibre organisations. FDM is a successful business in its field and I am confident its relocation from an older property in the city to 1 West Regent Street will provide a much improved and more efficient working environment.”

1 West Regent Street has a double height reception, high quality finishes throughout and open plan, flexible and efficient floor plates which range from 12,818 sq ft to 13,702 sq ft and are virtually column free.  It also includes 40 car park spaces and 54 cycle spaces, and has dedicated sports style changing rooms with lockers and high powered showers.  It is one of Glasgow’s greenest buildings with EPC ‘A’ and BREEAM ‘Very Good’ ratings achieved following assessments.  It was completed in just 85 weeks.

Global engineering firm Weir Group PLC, media organisation Global and professional services company Arup will take occupation of four office floors later this year.  Restaurant and café chain Giraffe, the first retail and leisure operator for the development, opened on the ground level in July 2015.

JLL and Bilfinger GVA represented Clearbell and M&G Real Estate. FDM Group was unrepresented.

Bilfinger GVA and JLL are letting agents for the office development with CBRE and Culverwell marketing the ground floor retail units.