London’s up and coming areas offer big office space for smaller rents than you’ll find in some more established locations. If your business is scaling on a budget, here’s how to get more bang for your buck.
You’re reaching the end of your lease. The space you have is no longer the space you need. Your clients are starting to grumble about the faff of trying to visit you. Perhaps the team is preparing a mutiny unless you move somewhere that’s better connected.
If you’ve reached the point where the next person to join the business will have to stick a piece of plywood over the table football to get a desk (we’ve seen it done), it’s time to move. But where to? Here’s our easy-to-follow guide:
Make a better move
There’s more to finding serviced office space in London than simply finding an office big enough to fit everyone in. Do it right, and your search for new office space could resolve lots of other business issues too.
- Choose transport links: If you’ve been existing in an industrial unit on the outskirts of nowhere for the past few years, your workers and your clients will thank you for relocating somewhere better connected. Better transport links can create happier clients and a happier, more productive team.
- Match your culture: No business starts out with a fully-formed sense of its own identity. But by the time you’re growing, it can quickly become apparent that the space you’re in doesn’t match your ethos. With the right office design, however, you can base yourself in a space that’s the right fit in more ways than one. Many of our office spaces for rent offer the ability to customise the space, so you really can mould it to your own brand.
- Change the way you work: It’s amazing how a building can unwittingly influence the way you work. The wrong space combats collaboration. It hamstrings productivity. It helps build all those unhelpful siloes. Find the right office space for rent in London and it feels like someone turned on the light. Suddenly, you see all sorts of new ways of working more productively.
- Have better conversations: Every office thrives on communication, and that’s especially true for a large office. When your new space comes with breakout areas, brainstorming rooms, meeting areas and more, it’s much easier to ensure the conversations that need to take place, happen.
So, where are the up-and-coming areas in London for large business where you can find all of the above plus some very attractive prices?
Up and coming areas in North London
Our choice: Islington
It’s close to the heart of the city yet you don’t pay the city centre premium. It’s trendy and it’s busy, yet there’s still plenty of green space so it doesn’t feel quite so chaotic. Islington has long been popular with recruitment companies, media, marketing and business services, but the wave of tech startups in the area has made it worth another look for a whole range of companies who might once have looked elsewhere.
In particular, if yours is a business that needs to tap into the tech startup market to ensure it stays agile and responsive, you’ll find a billion(ish) new collaborators on your doorstep.
Choosing office space for rent in Islington
Myddleton House is a light, airy space for up to 100 people. It’s just 5 minutes from Angel tube station, and with King’s Cross just a 10-minute walk away, the whole of the UK is within easy reach. Even closer to Angel is Workplace – Goswell Road, a former art-deco warehouse and now a stylish, open-plan space. It’s customisable too, so you can add your own branding and make it your own.
Also worth considering: Citibase – Finchley takes you further north, but makes getting onto the M1 and North Circular easy. And for stylish space at unbelievable value, Workspace – The Chocolate Factory has room for 147 in Wood Green.
Find more offices and shared office space in North London
Up and coming areas in South London
Our choice: Croydon
According to ONS data and as reported by Croydon BID, the superpowered performance of Croydon has helped the southern part of outer London achieve the highest rate of economic growth in the country. With a 9.3% growth rate, Croydon outstrips the London average and is more than double the UK average.
Croydon is vibrant, diverse and as its star continues to rise, more and more businesses are choosing to scale up here, where you’ll reach the M25 in half the time compared with starting in Central London.
Choosing offices and shared office space for rent in Croydon
Regus – Interchange House has room for up to 126 people, includes all business rates and bills and is pretty much 30-40 minutes from everywhere (well, Central London, Canary Wharf, Brighton and Heathrow). Although the lease is set up for maximum flexibility, when you sign up for longer you get big discounts.
Also worth considering: With capacity for a crowd larger than the ones some South London football clubs get, Workspace – Biscuit Factory is a collection of offices, studios and workshop spaces for 400+. The space also packs in a gym, event space, kitchens and showers.
Find more offices and shared office space in South London
Up and coming areas in East London
Our choice: Shoreditch
Hang on, we can hear you saying. We’re putting Shoreditch in a list of up and coming London areas and we’re doing it with a straight face?
But the thing is, Shoreditch has spent the last 20 years being a sort of default shorthand for boutique hipster businesses when in reality its appeal is far broader than that. That’s not news to Londoners, but it often is news to those thinking of moving into London, who might be surprised to find office space in Shoreditch covers a whole range of businesses, with some surprisingly good deals for large organisations.
Choosing office space for rent in Shoreditch
Workspace – Brickfields is all exposed brickwork and high ceilings, belying its industrial heritage. With room for 96, it’s a contemporary space that’s perfect for a sizeable workforce. If you’re looking for somewhere with room for more, We Work 97 Hackney Road is just a short hop away in Hoxton and has space for 220 people. We love the brainstorming room with its writable walls.
Also worth considering: Clerkenwell may be closer to the bright lights, but there are smart deals to be had if you know where to look, like Workspace – Exmouth House, with room for up to 109. And with City of London University on your doorstep, there’s a readymade source of talent nearby too.
Find more shared office space in East London
Up and coming areas in West London
Our choice: Hammersmith and west
There may be plenty of large office space for rent in West London, but with lots of multinationals in the area, bargains take a little more searching. Nevertheless, as you head out to Hammersmith, Chiswick and Ealing you’ll find large serviced office space that comes with a relatively bijou price tag.
Choosing office space for rent in West London
If you’re willing to sign up to a minimum one year lease, the stunning TOG Hammersmith, with its 360° views of London, has room for 140 at impressive prices. You’ll pay more if you want a more flexible rent.
Spaces – Chiswick gives you lots of chic space (there’s room for up to 150) for a very healthy rent and a generous one month minimum rental. And Spaces – Park Royal takes a similar approach and price with an office suite set in peaceful, landscaped gardens.
Find more offices and shared office space in East London
Want more options for your business? Find more up and coming areas of London offering great value office space for larger companies and scale-ups when you call us for a chat on 020 3608 8436.
