Market leader Glandore offers flexible workspace solutions
The Irish-owned family business was an early pioneer in offering serviced offices in Ireland and with its 10th location, Bottleworks, is leading the charge with its sustainable credentials
With 86 employees across three ventures, Glandore is an Irish-owned family business and the leading provider of flexible workspace in Ireland. An early pioneer in the industry, it opened its first location on Fitzwilliam Square in 2001 and to date has 10 locations across Dublin, Belfast and Cork with capacity for around 4,000 desks.
Growth in the industry shows no signs of abating and director Clare Kelly says it is the quality and range of services on offer which truly differentiates Glandore.
“We have evolved in response to our members needs and how they work, incorporating design trends and innovations we have seen around the world and expanding our hospitality offering to cater for their teams,” she said.
“These additions include our restaurant Suesey Street, private dining venue No 25 Fitzwilliam Place and our brand-new coffee kiosk called Sister Suesey which just opened this week in the grounds of our HQ Fitzwilliam Hall.”
Industry awards
The firm’s newest building, Bottleworks, which has won four significant property industry awards already, was chosen for its central location, the quality of the design and its sustainable credentials.
Launched on October 17, its opening was attended by Glandore members, alumni, members of the local business community and representatives of government organisations.
“We were particularly delighted to welcome the teams of Tata Consultancy Services and Funnel who are the first occupants of Bottleworks,” said Kelly.
“Charlie Taylor of the Business Post expertly moderated a very interesting panel discussion on the Future of Workspace with Deepak Chaudhari, country head Ireland at Tata Consultancy Services, Lucie Pierredon, vice president of Revenue Development and head of Ireland Office at Funnel along with Neill McNicholas, director, head of Tenant Representation at Savills.”
The director says that when the company started 22 years ago, serviced offices were “typically occupied by teams of less than 10 employees and generally on shorter term licence agreements from 6-12 months” – but this has all changed.
“In more recent years we have scaled teams to 200 and our longest member is with us since 2005 with 20 of our member companies between 5-10 years on rolling flexible licence agreements,” she said.
Indeed, many of the attendees at the recent launch spoke of their experience with Glandore and how they are looking forward to a long and successful working agreement.
“It (Glandore) takes the problem away from companies; they can focus on the core aspects of their business rather than trying to find a solution for their workspace and people,” said Deepak Chaudhari.
“The Glandore team was excellent in terms of building that relationship right from the start and providing the required services for our needs. We're here to stay. A strong relationship is key to our business and that also includes our service providers."
Lucie Pierredon agrees and says that when Funnel was setting up a new office in Ireland, it wanted to prioritise flexibility to support its growth, and Glandore was the ideal solution.
The Bottleworks building met all our requirements – it is a high-quality space, eco-friendly, has excellent soundproofing, is conveniently located and is Irish-owned
“Our goal was to have the ability to adjust our workspace as we expanded, with the right type of space for each stage in our journey,” she said.
“Initially, we started off 100% remote but after five months of growth, we took up our first office space in a co-working building. One year later, with 12 employees, we realised we required more space and control over our working environment. Fortunately, the Bottleworks building met all our requirements – it is a high-quality space, eco-friendly, has excellent soundproofing, is conveniently located and is Irish-owned.”
Neill McNicholas, director and head of Tenant Representation at Savills, says that flexible workspace is the way of the future as companies are “re-evaluating the way they work and determining their space requirements, against a background of rising operating costs, leading to an increased focus on the benefits of flexible offices”.
The delivery and type of flex space being offered is also changing, according to McNicholas: “It’s buildings like Bottleworks where you’re seeing the nice balance of a short-term commitment if you want but you also get a private space where you have your own meeting rooms, your own break out spaces and kitchens, your own sense of identity,” he said.
Companies also now need to consider if their offices are ‘commute worthy’ referring to the amenities within the building and in the local area as well as proximity to public transport. “Close to 70% of all Savills deals are in core Dublin locations within a 7 or 8 min walk from the Luas or the Dart.”
Describing the evolution of flex market Neill McNicholas said, “We're seeing more and more options like Bottleworks on the market, which ticks all the ESG boxes with an abundance of natural light as well – it's a huge focus for clients.”
Indeed, Clare Kelly says that from the outset Glandore has focused on providing high quality buildings in premium locations, best in class IT infrastructure and exceptional customer service.
“Bottleworks, with an NZEB performance specification for energy and carbon emissions and highest quality fit out will act as a template for further Glandore expansion,” she said.
