Birmingham accountancy firm confirms relocation plans

Midlands accountancy firm PKF Cooper Parry has confirmed plans to relocate its Birmingham operation to an out-of-town site where it can progress its growth plans.

The firm has agreed a lease with IM Properties for the entire ground floor of West Wing, in the newly refurbished One Central Boulevard building at Blythe Valley Business Park.

Currently based at No8 Calthorpe Road, Edgbaston, the new office – totalling 17,810 sq ft – will offer the firm the capacity it needs to support its growth ambitions and better serve its clients.

Rob Hemus, of IM Properties, said the firm’s decision to move from a city centre location to the greener, more open spaces of the business park reflected a growing trend from occupiers looking to set themselves apart from the city in order to attract and retain the best staff.

“We’ve always said Blythe is not your average nine to five. The location sits perfectly with occupiers’ desire to offer employees something a bit different, which isn’t all about the work,” he said.

“Set in a 122-acre country park, we’re geared up to looking after staff wellbeing with open spaces to get out and run, walk and cycle in. We’ve also got a Virgin Active gym on site and have recently invested in a coffee house, which opens Q1 2017 and will be run by leading Birmingham independent Java Lounge.

“Blythe also offers an active social scene with regular occupier events such as Foodie Fridays to get people out of their offices and talking with like-minded businesses and individuals. It’s important the park offers a sense of fun as well as function for occupiers and their employees to enjoy.”

Ade Cheatham, CEO of PKF Cooper Parry, said: “One Central Boulevard will provide us with modern, high specification, Grade A office facilities. Anyone who has visited our Sky View office in the East Midlands will know that we’re not your typical firm of accountants and like to do things differently.
 
“The new West Midlands base has been designed to be flexible, to encourage creativity and collaborative working.  It will be leading edge in design, with lots of quirky and fun features thrown in – from Narnia cupboards to Segways and a running track to ‘wow’ our staff and clients alike.
 
“On a practical level, One Central Boulevard puts our offices at the centre of the motorway network, within easy reach of each other and our clients across the Midlands. We’ll also have ample visitor parking and space for future growth – we have ambitious growth plans and are planning to double our market share in the West Midlands over the next two years, adding new experts and talent across the team.”
 
The firm joins existing Blythe tenants Siemens, Arup, Infor, Enzen and Zenith. Prologis and Rybrook have also both signed pre-let agreements for 15,000 sq ft of space.
 
Ashley Hancox, executive director and national head of offices at CBRE in Birmingham, said: “Attracting a tenant with the vision and aspirations of PKF Cooper Parry is exactly what the letting team hoped for as we set out our ambitions for One Central Boulevard and future phases of Blythe Valley Park.  
 
“Their decision to commit to the Blythe Valley adds great credit to the work undertaken since the park was purchased by IM Properties and their aspirations of creating the next generation of mixed-use environment within which you can live and work.”

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