Unprecedented demand for offices – impacting on small to medium sized businesses

Newlands Court, Burntwood

A lack of good quality stock in the office market has led to Gladman Developments letting 6100 sq ft of space at Newlands Court, Burntwood in a deal which the joint agents JLL said could have been done several times over.

Online car retailer wewantanycar.com secured the space as its new Midlands headquarters, moving from its current base in nearby Cannock. Victoria Burnett, senior surveyor at JLL who act as joint agents with Kingston CPC said: “The interest for these offices has been simply astounding. It’s a sign of the extremely strong demand for good quality vacant offices when you literally have occupiers queuing up to take the space.

“We’re seeing an increased demand for buildings like this as there is a real shortage in the market place for small to medium sized operators, with little or no new build in key regional centres.”

James Talbot from wewantanycar.com said they had been looking for new offices for some time: “We looked at a number of offices before we struck upon the right one. It was difficult to find suitable accommodation. Options were limited and we struggled to find one with the right configuration which was also of a quality finish. Gladman Developments offered the right terms and a building which ticked all the boxes, with a great specification and image to reflect the head office status.”

Newlands Court forms part of Burntwood Business Park, positioned between Cannock and Lichfield, within easy reach of junctions 11 and 12 of the M6 motorway, the M6 toll and the M54.

Romy Silvers from Gladman Developments added: “It’s important to be able to support business growth and as we are seeing across both the region and the UK, a dearth of good quality, well located stock is really starting to impact on the marketplace. This has long-term economic consequences for business and those companies unable to move forward and find the facilities to house their expansion.

“Newlands Court offers excellent connectivity which is a key driver for companies looking for headquarter offices which both employees and clients can access easily. Clearly when the product and place is right demand will be high. We’ve witnessed this not only at Newlands Court but across our schemes.”

Gladman Developments has over 25 years property experience in a range of sectors including office and industrial accommodation, retirement living and more recently, strategic land promotion.