Viewpoint on the need of infrastructural tenants in a business center.
Office real estate market becomes highly competitive. The more competition grows the more owners of office buildings think about merits and flaws of their business centers as well as competitive advantages for tenants.
Office real estate market becomes highly competitive. It is especially acute for A and B+ class facilities, because this segment is close to glut in almost every big city. The more competition grows the more owners of office buildings think about merits and flaws of their business centers as well as competitive advantages for tenants.
The basic trend of business centers development is practically the same as of retail real estate: namely providing the tenants and guests with supreme comfort and facilities for a convenient business . Everything should serve this purpose: high-quality property management, client-centered work of a management company, attention to visitors of a business center (professional staff of a security company, reception zone etc. The primary goal of an office worker is to get the job done in time, which is why the infrastructure of a business center has to meet this goal. Provided that infrastructure is not only some tenants making additional income for the owner, but the whole concept of the facility, including both services for tenants (supplied by the infrastructural tenants) and special functional zones (organized by the owner himself).
A spacious foyer/lobby zone, infrastructural/shopping premises on the first floor, premises with a separate outside entrance, visitors and tenants logistics are usually planned at the design stage in high-quality office buildings. Elaborate and convenient concept of a business center is a hallmark of a high-class facility. For example the concept of a lobby in the office center “Legion 1” on Bolshaya Ordynka (Moscow) is very interesting: there are natural trees, soft sofas at the waiting area, meeting halls.
To come up with the quantity and the mix of infrastructural tenants the owner should at first analyze the location of the building: is it in an already developed area with no lack of cafés/ restaurants/ stores within walking distance or the infrastructure is substandard in the area. In the latter case the owner has to think of a broader concept of extra services in his facility. But the solution of these problems depends on the size of the business center, its floor area and of course the staffing. The bigger the facility, the more attractive it is to infrastructural tenants (usually more than 10 000 sq.m. in gross area).
Needless to say that food issue is vital in all business centers. The owners of big facilities can place a canteen with a good operator, a restaurant/ café (with a separate entrance, in case there is such an opportunity, or only in the lobby), a coffee-point (a small branded stand with fresh coffee and pastry) in the entry zone. Such tenants don’t usually choose small size buildings. That’s why the owners must think of an alternative – placing vending machines and/ or mini market.
Banks branches, air/ rail tickets distributors, drug stores, dry-cleaner’s, beauty salons, cosmetological centers, flower/ gift shops, wine houses are considered to be popular tenants in business centers as well. Placing cash machines is now almost integral. The owner can check with the tenants to find out, which banks they are customers of, and place cash machines of the most popular banks. Aside from the standard beauty salons there are specialized manicure centers, which become more and more popular.
Apart from this “standard” set there are examples of placing fitness-centers in high-class facilities. For instance, one of the best Moscow business centers “Romanow Dvor” comprises a fitness center World Class. Of course not every office center has an opportunity to contain a full-fledged fitness center, but there is growing demand for gyms now, which don’t require much space.
, December 09, 2014
