Sunderland City Council has appointed a managing agent to ensure the continued success of three city business centres.
The North East BIC, one of the region’s leading providers of business support and workspace, has been appointed to manage Sunderland Software Centre, Evolve Business Centre and Washington Business Centre.
Sunderland City Council received lots of interest from parties interested in managing the centres, with the BIC drawing on its proven track record across all the key requirements, including its evidence of driving economic growth in the city, to secure the contract.
Over the past 32 years, the BIC has grown from a single business centre on the site of a former shipyard on the banks of the River Wear to four business centres housing over 300 businesses, ranging from sole traders to SMEs and large employers.
Through its business start-up and support programmes, the organisation has also helped over 8,000 people set up their own business, while helping more than 1,000 businesses to innovate and grow courtesy of funding and support.
Peter McIntyre, Executive Director of Economy and Place at Sunderland City Council, said: “We are delighted to have appointed the BIC as the managing agent of these three key business centres.
“The centres are already home to strong business communities which contribute significantly to the city’s economy and in the BIC we have a partner who we know can help build on this.
“Through their proven approach to managing their existing centres and their support programmes, they have demonstrated their ability to drive collaboration and create working environments with business growth and a real sense of community at their heart. We are looking forward to working closely together, drawing on their experience and expertise, and I’m sure our tenants will really feel the benefit of them coming on board.”
Sunderland City Council has operated Evolve, Sunderland Software Centre and Washington Business Centre since the three facilities opened their doors in 2006, 2012 and 2014 respectively.
During that period, the dedicated commercial hubs have helped a wide range of businesses launch and grow, driving economic activity across the city. The three business centres are currently standing at 71% occupancy, with new businesses moving in and companies expanding into larger suites as they grow.
Now, the City Council is onboarding the BIC as a managing agent to help ensure contribution from the centres to the city’s economy is maximised in the most cost-effective way.
Peter added: “The majority of the organisations in our business centres are small to medium sized businesses whose impact on the city economy cannot be overstated.
“By bringing in an experienced managing agent to work with us, we are hopeful it will provide the perfect environment for those businesses – and new tenants – to realise their full potential and continue creating opportunities for local people.
“It has all the hallmarks of a fantastic partnership, and we look forward to working with the team to ensure the businesses in our centres have access to the very best support and facilities to enable them to achieve their goals.”
Paul McEldon OBE, chief executive of the BIC, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that our team will be supporting Evolve, Sunderland Software Centre and Washington Business Centre, providing the same high level of service to their tenants as those who are based in the BIC’s own portfolio of properties.
“Over the past 32 years, we have welcomed hundreds of businesses into the BIC business community, the majority of which have gone on to grow into larger premises at our centres or elsewhere in the city, which really encapsulates what we are all about.
“As a social enterprise, the BIC prides itself on bringing people together to collaborate, improve access to support and funding and, ultimately, provide the best possible workspace to ensure the region’s businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs have all of the tools they need to succeed, and hopefully this is something that will really benefit existing tenants and those who will walk through its doors in the future. We can’t wait to get started.”
For more information on the business centres or Sunderland as a place to do business, visit: https://www.mysunderland.co.uk/business-and-investment
