Energy tech company opens first Birmingham office

Green energy supplier Octopus Energy is set to create 40 jobs in the next year after picking one of Birmingham’s most iconic buildings as the location for its first office in the city.

The fast-growing energy technology company has agreed a three-year lease with landlord Hortons’ Estate on a 1,123 sq ft first floor office suite at the Grade II listed Imperial and Whitehall at 23 Colmore Row.

Following successful launches and expansions in Brighton, Leicester, Warwick, Newcastle and Manchester, the company – which supplies more than two million households in the country – has chosen Birmingham for another sales office, where agents will be trained by Octopus directly to provide advice on switching and products.

Octopus Energy moved into the office space made available by previous occupant, Node.

Hortons’ has retained the urban planners as a tenant, agreeing flexible lease terms in a smaller suite in the same building.

Imperial and Whitehall forms part of The Grand, which was originally built by Issac Horton in the 1870s. The office accommodation was refurbished and offers flexible working office suites.

The new lettings to Octopus Energy and Node mean that all of the building’s first floor office space is now let, with the only remaining suites being on the second floor.

Nina Meeks of Hortons’ Estate, said: “Imperial and Whitehall is an historic building in the heart of Birmingham’s Colmore Business District, that has been refurbished to exceptionally modern standards. We are very pleased that our investment in the building has attracted Octopus Energy to base its new Birmingham office here and we wish them every success. It is equally satisfying that we have been able to work closely to retain our existing occupier, Node, to meet its requirements and facilitate its move to a more suitable office suite.”

Neil Woolley, director at Octopus Energy, said: “We’re so excited to be bringing so many  green jobs to Birmingham through our new dedicated sales office. Birmingham will become a hub for training up our staff to spread the word about cheap green power, and get more and more people to join the renewable energy revolution.”

Imperial and Whitehall’s joint letting agents are Johnson Fellows and Lambert Smith Hampton.