ST. MODWEN LEASES EIGHT OFFICE UNITS AT INNOVATION CENTRE, EVOLUTION PARK, BLACKBURN
St. Modwen, the UK’s leading regeneration specialist, is defying market conditions by securing eight new businesses to its recently opened Innovation Centre at Evolution Park, Blackburn which is specifically designed for start up and growing enterprises in and around Blackburn.
It comprises a range of fully-fitted office suites that range from 90 sq ft up to 2,000 sq ft. The Centre also provides an environment where they can share their expertise within one another and in turn, receive support to encourage ongoing business growth and development.
Recently opened by Jack Straw MP, St. Modwen’s 44,000 sq ft Innovation Centre is situated adjacent to Royal Blackburn Hospital. It forms part of the first phase of development at St Modwen’s £25 million, 223,000 sq ft Evolution Park which will comprise a mixture of speculative and bespoke buildings to house up to 1,000 jobs and meet the requirements of Blackburn’s business community.
Alchemy Business Acceleration, a management consultancy that provides small businesses with advice on marketing, business development and investment is one of the five companies to have already moved into the Innovation Centre. Carl Allen, managing director says:
“The Innovation Centre is a state-of-the-art facility that incorporates everything one would need for a start up or growing business. After viewing more than twenty office suites in the surrounding area, nothing else even came close to it.”
The Innovation Centre “Package” includes the rent, business rates, full secretarial support, high quality furniture, IT provision, as well as wealth of meeting room and conference facilities.
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Carl Allen continues:
“The Centre really enhances the professionalism of my business and makes my company look impressive to visiting clients and potential employees. Also, I worked out the money I have saved by not having to hire my own secretary and the cost of all furniture rates, IT provision etc. and it will mean that I can quadruple my marketing budget for next year which will truly help me to grow my business.”
Dawn Rogers, Centre Manager says:
“The Innovation Centre package has been designed to make life easy for company owners. When growing your business or starting out, there is no time to think about hiring secretarial support, ordering furniture or setting up your own IT systems and the Innovation Centre removes all that pressure.
“In addition to the strong take up of space, we are also experiencing a lot of success in the hiring of meeting and conference rooms which are available to hire for any organisation in and around the area and not just for those occupying the Innovation Centre. We recently hosted an event for 80 people on behalf of Lancashire Care NHS Foundation who have since booked for another 100 to 150 people.”
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Notes to Editors:
Innovation Centre
The other companies that have so far moved into the Innovation Centre include
Blue Door Solutions, Circino Flight Systems, International P.E.T Resales Ltd and the McCambridge Group.
The Innovation Centre at Blackburn is strategically located within Evolution Park, St. Modwen’s 14 acre Business and Industrial Park situated, within easy reach of Jct 5 of the M65 motorway.
Developed in partnership with Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, the Innovation Centre provides over 44,000 sq ft of office accommodation and offers a dynamic and new business environment to serve Blackburn and the surrounding area.
It provides start-up and growing enterprises with a range of tailored office space solutions that range in size from 90 sq ft up to 2,000 sq ft. The Centre also provides a high quality, modern conference and meeting venue, complete with the latest contemporary facilities and level of service to match.
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Next to the Centre, St. Modwen has also developed a “grow on facility” of 22,500 sq ft. This has been built so that, over time, businesses within the Innovation Centre as well as third parties can expand into these larger facilities without having to sacrifice the convenience of the location or the pro-active working environment that St. Modwen will have created.
St. Modwen is rolling out a series of Innovation Centres as part of its national regeneration programme and recently opened the second of these in Longbridge, Birmingham, on the former MG Rover site.
St. Modwen Properties plc
St. Modwen is the UK’s leading regeneration specialist, operating across the full spectrum of the property industry through a network of seven regional offices and a Birmingham based head office. The company is wholly focussed upon regeneration with expertise in town centre regeneration, partnering industry, brownfield land renewal and heritage restoration.
For further information, please contact:
Charlotte McCarthy
PR Manager
St. Modwen Properties PLC
T: 0121 222 9400
E: cmccarthy@stmodwen.co.uk
