Premium serviced office provider Gilbanks has let more than half of its new Bristol workspace months before it is due to open, following what the company described as unprecedented demand.
The 23,500 sq ft workspace at Assembly Bristol is scheduled to open in January 2027 and will mark the Leeds-headquartered company’s first location in the South West.
Gilbanks said 51 per cent of the space has already been committed, with lettings agreed to a range of professional services companies and a global technology firm.
The company targets professional services firms and growing businesses seeking a high-quality, professional office environment with the flexibility, cost certainty and simplicity of a fully managed office.
Alex Duckett, founder and managing director of Gilbanks, said: “The level of demand in Bristol has exceeded anything we have experienced ahead of opening a new location. To have 51 per cent of the space committed several months before we open gives us a great deal of confidence in both the building and the Bristol market.
“We believed there was room in the city for a different type of flexible workspace, aimed at businesses that want the quality, privacy and service of a premium office alongside the flexibility to grow.
“What has been particularly encouraging is the quality of the businesses we are speaking to. Bristol has a strong professional and financial services community, alongside an expanding technology sector, and that fits very well with the Gilbanks model.”
The new centre will be located in Assembly C, part of the Assembly Bristol development, and has been designed by Ekho Studio. The interiors take their cues from Bristol’s arts and cultural heritage while retaining the quieter, business-focused environment used across Gilbanks’ existing locations.
The opening will take the Gilbanks portfolio to five sites. The company opened its first workspace at One Park Row in Leeds in 2018 and has since expanded into Manchester and Birmingham, including a location at No.1 St Michael’s in Manchester.
Bristol forms part of a wider national expansion programme that is targeting 12 UK locations by 2030.
The company recently secured a further six-figure debt funding package from Frontier Development Capital to support its growth. It followed a seven-figure investment from FDC in 2024, which helped fund the company’s expansion outside its original Leeds base.
Duckett added: “Bristol was an important step for us because it takes Gilbanks into a new region and gives us a base in one of the UK’s strongest regional economies.
“The early lettings suggest businesses are making decisions well ahead of occupation, where they find the right space. Our focus between now and January is on delivering the standard they expect and building on the momentum we have already seen.”
