US software firm commits to the Midlands for a further decade

A US-based software company is extending its stay in the UK after agreeing a new lease on its offices in Solihull.

Infor, which is headquartered in New York, is one of the world’s largest providers of business enterprise software.

It has been based on the 247-acre Blythe Valley Park since 2008 and has now extended its lease on the building for a further 10 years.

Infor, which has around 74,000 customers in almost 200 countries, occupies 35,585 sq ft of space, where it employs around 250 software developers and finance teams.

The commitment is a further boost to the business park, which was acquired by IM Properties in 2014 in a deal worth around £125m. Since then the property company has invested £5m in the refurbishment of the park’s One Central Boulevard office scheme.

Infor’s commitment to the site comes less than two months after Zenith, the UK’s largest independent leasing, fleet management and vehicle outsourcing specialist, also extended its One Central Boulevard lease by 10 years, and upped its office space to 20,635 sq ft.

Rob Hemus, IMP’s asset manager, said he believed the two deals reflected the success of IMP’s strategy since acquiring the site.

“We were confident that we could attract new tenants here for ‘design and build’ schemes, because it’s a great location in terms of connectivity, environment and facilities,” he said.
 
“However, we also knew we had to get control and invest a significant amount to bring the existing space up to the highest contemporary standards.
 
“Right from the start, our in-house team and our agents, the Birmingham offices of CBRE and Savills, have been working very closely with all tenants to understand their future needs as organisations, and as employers, to ensure we could meet those requirements.”
 
He said this approach appealed to both Zenith and Infor which was why the firm has been able to secure the new lease agreements.
 
With those deals completed, IMP is already looking ahead to the next phase of Blythe’s investment programme.
 
“The final 60,000 sq ft of space at One Central Boulevard will come on stream between now and early in 2017,” added Mr Hemus.

Infor specialises in industry-specific application software suites designed for the cloud. Automotive, food and beverage, and industrial manufacturing are among its most successful sectors – all of which are strongly represented in the Midlands.
 
Andrea Masters, regional facilities manager, Infor, said: “The Blythe location is a key UK regional office, and also crucial to the smooth running of our operations throughout Europe, because our shared service centre at One Central Boulevard in the hub which controls all our European finance operations too.”
 
So far, 2016 has been a very successful time for the firm, having recently secured a big contract with motorcycle manufacturer, Triumph.
 
“They’ve chosen us as their IT partner to deliver a global transformation of their business systems, and our automotive suite of applications will ultimately support around 1,600 users across 24 countries,” she said.
 
“We already work with many of Britain’s best-known companies, including BAE Systems, Highland Spring and Rolls Royce, so it’s great to add Triumph too.”