- Client
- Demandware
- Sector
- Commercial
- Location
- London
- How we helped
- Office Commercial property and asset management Commercial tenant advisory
Michael is Head of Carter Jonas’ London Tenant Advisory Team and specialises in providing office search, lease negotiation, relocation management, rent review and lease restructuring consultancy services to office tenants based in Central and Greater London. He has over 20 years experience and his clients include international corporates such as Hitachi, Warner Bros and Hackett, not for profit organisations such as The Overseas Development Institute and The Nursing and Midwifery Council as well as owner-managed businesses including Wavex Technology, Credo Business Consulting and Turley Associates.
The range of consultancy services provided by Michael and his Team include advising on office availability, rents and rent free periods, undertaking property searches, representing tenants in lease negotiations, developing office relocation project plans, timetables and budgets and project managing each stage of the relocation process, including overseeing the pre-contract due diligence, and co-ordinating the activities of all those consultants who will be involved in the office move.
Following submission and acceptance of a competitive fee proposal, Carter Jonas was appointed by Demandware (UK) to assist them with the relocation of their London headquarters in City Point, EC2 to new premises of approximately 12,000 sq ft at 240 Blackfriars Road, SE1.
The brief was to provide technical due diligence services relating to the new premises in respect of suitability, cost, risk and potential improvements and to act as Employer’s Agent and provide project management and contract administration services for the subsequent CAT B fit-out of the new premises.
As part of the exercise we undertook, along with our Mechanical & Electrical services sub-consultant, a Validation Survey of the base build services installation. The results of this and the execution of the works that were subsequently identified proved invaluable in terms of providing Demandware with a premises in which all of the services installations operated correctly from the day on which they moved in. In our role as Employer’s Agent, we dealt with the landlord’s requirements in respect of wayleaves for data services and Licences for Alteration.
The fit-out was procured on a negotiated Design and Build basis with Oktra Ltd; a fit-out contractor that specialises in this type of project. Carter Jonas oversaw a detailed design and stakeholder engagement process led by Oktra. This process has resulted in a premises that functions extremely well for the client and incorporates all of the facilities and design features that the client desired with multi-use meeting rooms that can be arranged in different configurations, break-out areas, individual offices and kitchen facilities. The new premises has been provided with technologically advanced audio visual equipment throughout and a sophisticated room booking system.
The project programme was ambitious and was required to be completed within 12 weeks. Carter Jonas successfully managed to project to achieve completion on time and within budget.