There are many quirks within the Derby commercial property market that can catch new businesses off guard. Most customers gravitate towards Pride Park as their preferred location. However, in the last couple of years, options have become increasingly limited. This has forced many businesses to look elsewhere: RTC Business Park on London Road, Cardinal Square in the city center, or the Cathedral Quarter for business units with a bit more character as an alternative to the standard units on business parks.
Once you’ve decided on a location, the first question around fit out is always around the space in its current form and the state that it is in.
Cat A or Cat B — and what your landlord has actually done
Most commercial properties available in Derby are Cat A. This means that the landlord has taken care of the base build (raised floors, suspended ceilings, heating and cooling systems, WCs) and the rest is left to the tenant to complete. What you can expect to see is an empty space with just the power supply and no other fit out.
Cat B means everything that converts a shell and core office into a functional office: partitions, kitchen facilities, meeting rooms, flooring, lighting, furniture, IT cabling, etc. That’s the budget you have to work with. For a Derby office which is in the 1,000 to 3,000 sq ft range (the majority of local transactions), you should expect to spend £30 to £60 per sq ft for a standard Derby Cat B fit-out (which is dependent upon finish and the degree of structural works required).
One thing that you should be aware of is that in Derby, the standard of office space is becoming a key factor in making a leasing decision. Landlords are being more Cat A positive (in particular on Pride Park). However, don’t assume that will mean something to you, you need to check it out.
Pride Park and the Parking issue
Pride Park has very good access – the A38, A50, A52 are all nearby and J25 of the M1 is about 7 miles to the east. For employees coming from most of Derbyshire, it is very easy. Office space in the city center does not have that advantage and it influences the design and layout of the office space.
If your employees are either cycling in, or using Derby station, which is close to both Pride Park and Cardinal Square, you will need changing and storage facilities. It may be a small issue, but it is the kind of issue that is raised six months after the fit-out, when someone asks the design team why there’s no place to store a bike.
How long it takes
Compared to Manchester or Leeds, Derby has significantly less pressure on the supply chain. As a result, local fit-out contractors have much greater availability and shorter lead times, and due to lower costs, labour is less expensive than in other cities in the East Midlands.
However, you shouldn’t expect the process to be complete on the day you sign the lease. Expect fit-outs for SMEs that occupy 1,500 to 3,000 square feet and require a Cat B fit-out to take between eight weeks and three months to complete to the point of the space being ready for employees. This time estimate also includes the time needed for sign-off, purchasing, and the unplanned snagging week.
What to sort out before you brief anyone
The first three decisions that every business has to make before engaging a contractor are: (1) how do you want the space to work (open plan, cellular, etc.); (2) what does the IT infrastructure look like; and (3) are you purchasing or leasing the furniture. Each of the decisions will impact the design, and changing any of the decisions once work has commenced will be a costly impact.
Derby is home to a number of office fit out Derby contractors from whom it is advisable to obtain multiple quotes. A national contractor is not necessarily going to be the best choice.