Office technology business IT@Spectrum has chosen Bridgehead business park as the launchpad for its next phase of growth.
Work has begun on purpose-built new offices for the Hull-based company, which has ambitions to double the size of the business, supported by the advantages and opportunities Bridgehead offers.
The new 15,000 sq ft, three-storey offices will take the total employed at Bridgehead, one of the UK’s greenest business parks, to around 600. Developed by regeneration leader Wykeland Group, Bridgehead has rapidly become a bustling business hub, strategically located by the Humber Bridge and A63/M62 corridor.
Supported by the office move, IT@Spectrum Managing Director Ken Sturdy anticipates a 25% growth in the IT@Spectrum workforce over the next three years, with half of the new recruits apprentices.
Mr Sturdy said: “We have plans to double the size of the business over the next five years. Our new offices will support that drive and also give us the capacity to grow.
“To accelerate our growth we need an environment that supports collaborative working and this delivers that perfectly.
“We have a growth plan running alongside this build, to gain maximum benefit from our fantastic new offices and also to support the significant investment we are making in these premises.”
The move to the £2.75m offices, which have been designed in house by Wykeland, will also cement IT@Spectrum’s relationship with sister business The One Point, which will occupy part of the new premises. IT@Spectrum has a stake in The One Point, having replaced an outgoing shareholder in 2014.
The two businesses will join Beal Homes, bathroom retailer Victoria Plum, the John Good Group of companies, laser firm Rofin-Sinar and design-to-print graphic services company SGS International at one of the region’s most sought-after business locations.
IT@Spectrum and IT services and telecoms company The One Point currently occupy separate offices in Hull and the move will enable them to develop their partnership. Together they will bring around 70 staff to Bridgehead.
Mr Sturdy added: “Putting our complementary capabilities together under one roof and getting everybody working collaboratively will mean IT@Spectrum will grow and The One Point will grow, which will add value for us and for our customers. It creates greater opportunity for collaboration and mutual benefit.”
Martin Lauer, Managing Director of The One Point, said: “Working together with IT@Spectrum we will create a digital focal point at Bridgehead, where we will work with the very best businesses within the region and beyond.
“This new space will be a showcase for innovation, mobilisation and digitisation, with technical excellence, sales and engineering support under one roof.”
Mr Sturdy said the new offices had been inspired by the high-quality working environments Wykeland has created through the refurbishment of Marina Court in Hull city centre and the stunning, new-build C4DI tech hub in the city’s Fruit Market. “We’ve used these as signposts to what we want,” said Mr Sturdy. “We’ve seen what Wykeland has done and want that for our own business.”
The building is scheduled to be complete in September and the offices will be fully occupied by January.
Mr Sturdy said the offices were “purpose-designed to encourage collaboration” and enable the company to offer clients a “living showroom” experience where they can see IT@Spectrum’s print and office automation systems in action.
He added: “As well as creating a great working environment for our staff, we’re building this for our clients. We’re saying ‘come in, spend some time with us and see how we work and how we can help develop your business’.”
IT@Spectrum has more than 30 years’ experience providing innovative solutions to enable businesses to print more efficiently, manage their data and information electronically and automate processes. IT@Spectrum’s client base includes blue chip businesses such as Smith & Nephew, Associated British Ports and Cranwsick Plc.
Mr Sturdy said: “The core of our business is in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and you couldn’t get a better location than Bridgehead. From a transport and communications perspective it’s ideal – straight across the Humber Bridge into Lincolnshire and along the M62 into the rest of Yorkshire. The access to our client base and for our clients to reach us is fantastic.
“The brand visibility is also superb because of the high levels of passing traffic and the green theme of the business park really fits our drive to help our clients achieve a ‘less paper’ office.
“Bridgehead offers a high-quality, modern and functional working environment, with green and technology themes. It’s also a fantastic place to work, with a woodland walk on site, and it’s now on a bus route which means staff without their own transport can get to the office easily.”
IT@Spectrum has purchased the plot and will own the building. Mr Sturdy explained: “We had a desire to own the premises and for it to be an asset for the business and Wykeland could offer that flexibility.
“We’ve worked very closely with Wykeland on this project and their approach has really suited us. After we agreed the deal to purchase the land, Wykeland managed the design and procured the building, so we have been able to concentrate on expanding the business and our collaboration with The One Point.”
Stephen Hudson, Development Director of Hull-based Wykeland, said: “We’re delighted IT@Spectrum has chosen Bridgehead as the perfect location to take its business to the next level.
“IT@Spectrum and The One Point add to an impressive list of forward-looking companies who have decided to relocate to Bridgehead in order to invest in the working environment of their staff and the service they offer to customers.”
Hessle-based PDR Construction is building the new offices. Managing Director Paul Dransfield said: “This will be the fourth building we have built at Bridgehead. It’s a purpose-built unit, featuring a striking design, and has a prominent position at the entrance to the business park.”