Marketing and tech firm Velocity Worldwide commits off-plan to prestigious office in the building set to become Belfast’s premier workspace.
BE Offices has signed its first client at Belfast’s Custom House, within weeks of going to market.
International marketing and tech firm, Velocity Worldwide, has committed to taking space in the newly refurbished historic building for its new international headquarters. The prestigious office suite, known as The Commissioner’s Office, is centrally located on the second floor of the building, overlooking the River Lagan and the historic Titanic Quarter beyond. Signing for a significant term and entirely off-plan, demonstrates Velocity’s confidence that Custom House is set to be the flexible workspace destination for Belfast-based businesses.
Commenting on the deal, Derren Jennings, BE’s Sales Director said: “We are humbled by Velocity Worldwide’s faith in our ability to deliver off-plan and absolutely delighted that they have selected Custom House for their new corporate headquarters, bringing their workforce back to the office after the pandemic.
“BE Offices are thrilled to be bringing something new to the Belfast office space market as more and more people adopt flexible working, seeking best-in-class solutions and aspirational spaces in order to attract and retain talent.”
Enda McShane, Velocity Worldwide’s CEO (pictured shaking hands with Custom House owner Neil McKibbin) commented: “From the minute we stepped into Custom House we felt that this was the kind of space our staff would love to work in. This is a signature building in Belfast with a long and rich history, it is our intention to now develop the future of Velocity from an office that will provide a vast array of benefits and services for our valued team members, from barista bar to wellness pods to a free gym, why would anyone want to work from home?”
Building owner, Neil McKibbin, Director of Straidorn Properties added: “It is fantastic to see the first letting in Custom House coming from an indigenous company with a global reach. From first viewing it was apparent that the team at Velocity recognised that the qualities exhibited by the new offering at Custom House supported their ambition to provide the best possible working environment for their growing business.”
BE Offices announced its joint venture partnership with Straidorn Properties at the end of April and have been unsurprised to receive a very high level of office space enquiries, based on the outstanding quality of the workspace offering in such an historic and well-known building.
Opening later this year, Custom House is currently undergoing a £6m refurbishment to create what will be Belfast’s premier flexible workspace. The building will offer wellness pods, a complimentary gym, shower and changing facilities, bike storage, coffee lounge and a podcast room, as well as an extensive suite of indoor and outdoor event spaces and conference and meeting room facilities. A dedicated BE hospitality team will be on hand to deliver its award-winning customer service and support.
In a first for the UK serviced office sector, Custom House clients will also enjoy industry leading superfast 10Gb primary and 10Gb back-up lines, setting new standards for fibre-based connectivity that is faster, more reliable and has greater capacity than anything currently being offered elsewhere in the UK’s serviced offices sector.
To further enhance the offering, BE Offices are pursuing WELL Certification for the building via the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) through the WELL v2 pilot, the next version of the WELL Building Standard (WELL). WELL is focused exclusively on the ways that buildings and communities, and everything in them, can improve occupier comfort, drive better choices, and generally enhance, occupier health and well-being. Now registered for this leading building certification program, Custom House will seek to be Northern Ireland’s first WELL Certified building.
