Offices To Let Glasgow
As Scotland’s largest business estate, Hillington Park is home to over 300 companies employing around 6,700 people.
From the days when MEPC began managing the Park it was known as Scotland’s first and largest industrial estate and since then MEPC has continued to develop the Park creating a diverse and growing business community. Prompted by a sense that there was light at the end of the tunnel after several years of challenging economic trading conditions, in 2012 MEPC, headed by its Chief Executive Rick de Blaby, embarked on a process of re-planning the short and medium term future of Hillington Park in ways that could harness the aspirations of existing Hillington businesses, the ambitions of Renfrewshire Council and other public sector stakeholders and the wishes of the wider local community.
Developing a vision for Hillington required MEPC to undertake some in-depth research that included infrastructure, communications and the wider customer experience. It also included conversations with a wide sample of the organisations based on the Park to hear first-hand about their experience of Hillington Park and what they would like to see and enjoy in the future.
Based on that feedback, and MEPC’s experience of managing business parks and developing business communities in six other locations in the UK, a detailed plan has begun to take shape. The final plan will set out a vision for Hillington Park over the next five, ten, fifteen and twenty years, and will include areas for development, opportunities to build the business community, better local amenities and changes to improve the arrival experience and movement around the Park.
"What is striking about Hillington Park is the level of diversity of businesses located here. The companies all benefit from the location – two minutes from the M8, two miles from the airport and with two on-site train stations. But also, one cannot fail to be energised by the sheer enterprise and commitment of the vast array of businesses in Hillington and their ambition to achieve success in their business ventures.
That puts the onus on us to ensure we continue to provide the best environment, the full choice of buildings and sizes, the appropriate supporting amenities, the level of safety and security and the wider sense of community in an ever improving way, so that people can grow, succeed and belong within the Hillington domain.
From innovative new start-ups to large scale warehouse operations, charities, professional services companies, small industrial operations and large office users, Hillington Park offers something for everyone. The organisations based here contribute a significant proportion of the GDP for the Renfrew and Glasgow region which is a similar to that of a small town. All together these businesses are Hillington Park.
Project Hillington is a very exciting proposition for us. As a dynamic business community our challenge is to help people benefit in new ways from this location - it is already a very popular location, we want it to be any company’s first choice."
Rick de Blaby, Chief Executive MEPC
Project Hillington, as it is termed by MEPC, includes a new masterplan, signage strategy and commitment from MEPC to put a case forward for significant investment in infrastructure, new commercial buildings and further supporting retail and other service amenities. There is also a new Commercial Director joining the MEPC team in March, Jamie Cumming, who will be tasked with taking this vision forward, working closely with the local council, Glasgow Airport, Braehead Shopping Centre, and other key partners.
MEPC’s Alison Clark and Roz Bird have been working on the new marketing strategy for Hillington Park including a review of all promotional materials, the website, use of social media and how best to support our customers.
“We have been exploring the diversity of business activity at Hillington Park and have been taking the camera inside the buildings to find out more about the people working behind the office, lab or warehouse door, and will be featuring some of these businesses in our new marketing materials,” explains Roz Bird, Head of Business Development for MEPC.
“The marketing strategy is clear: there is a diverse collection of organisations at Hillington Park but what unites them is a keen interest in the growth of their businesses, to maximise success and an appreciation of initiatives on the Park that can add value to them. The MEPC team are well set up to ensure that those value adding initiatives take off at Hillington Park. Look out for a Green Travel Plan, Social Committee and social events, biodiversity projects and business networking!
“A very big thank you is due to all our customers who have already contributed to the initial research project and the photography work in their businesses.”
Roddy Proudfoot, Leasing Manager at MEPC Hillington Park said: “Hillington Park’s central location, its connections to transport infrastructure and its diverse range of property options has always been appealing to companies at every stage of the business cycle.
“For example, start-ups and office based SMEs are attracted to the high quality serviced office space in the Hillington Park Innovation Centre and the newly refurbished Merlin Business Centre and at the other end of the scale we are able to provide large scale, flexible premises for businesses employing high numbers of staff and trading to an international customer base.
“In recent times we have seen new lets on the Park as our clients in the manufacturing, engineering and service industries continue to increase. Each of them, be they new customers to the Park or others who were already based here, expanding into new, fit for purpose accommodation.
“The quality commercial property sector market is highly competitive and why MEPC is working hard to ensure that everything within the Park is geared up to making the experience of being based here the best it can be. That includes the infrastructure, the customer and facilities management services and the environment we all work in. Everyone based at Hillington Park is part of a large community and we want it to continue to be one of the most appealing places to do business.”
