Tech services firm opts for High Weald House to continue rapid expansion
Fast-growing IT services firm Factory Internet has moved from the Innovation Centre in Hastings to a second-floor office in High Weald House on the Bexhill Enterprise Park.
Established in 2011, the company provides IT services to large organisations UK-wide – specialising in complex, business-critical systems, cybersecurity and cloud computing. Its clients span government bodies, investment banks, national charities and telecoms firms and include The RSPB, Eddie Stobart, Kinnerton Confectionery and Vodafone.
Factory Internet started out using Sea Change Sussex’s Creative Media Centre in Hastings town centre as a ‘virtual’ business address, before moving to an office in the regeneration company’s Innovation Centre in northwest Hastings in 2016.
In 2020, having grown to a team of five with a need for more space to build and test computer systems for its clients, the firm expanded to two offices in the Innovation Centre.
It found many clients needed even more IT support during the pandemic and, now with a team of 10 plus more being recruited, it decided now was time for its next move.
The company’s management team considered three main options: to expand within the Innovation Centre; to build its own premises; or to move to another managed business centre with larger office spaces.
It chose the latter option and looked at several properties in the local area, choosing High Weald House.
Robert Morgan, Factory Internet Founder, explains:
“Our business is doubling in size every two years and providing long-term careers for ambitious local people, so it’s vital we have the right premises. High Weald House was clearly the best option for us in providing the flexibility to take more space in future as our business grows.
“It stood out as a high-quality new building that would give the most professional impression to our corporate clients when they come to visit. And added to that are a convenient location, phenomenal internet speeds and the building’s impressive energy efficiency, which fits perfectly with our sustainability ethos.
“It was also a big plus for us to be able to stay within the Sea Change ‘family’ of premises. They’ve looked after us extremely well since we started, and their managed properties enable us to focus on our core business instead of worrying about all the ancillary aspects of running a building.”
You can find out more about Factory Internet from its website: www.factoryinternet.co.uk.
The company is busy recruiting additional employees, including apprentices. Anyone interested in finding out more about the positions available should contact Jo Saxby at jo.saxby@factoryinternet.co.uk or 01424 540 175.
High Weald House
Developed by economic development company Sea Change Sussex, High Weald House is a 25,674 sq ft building over three floors. It stands in the southwestern part of the Bexhill Enterprise Park, next to Glovers House and near the Combe Valley Way roundabout. Offices within the building are available to let from 628 sq ft upwards, suiting small, medium and large companies. High Weald House has a light-filled atrium incorporating meeting areas and tea points, designed to encourage the tenants to mix and collaborate. It has ample on-site parking and is an energy-efficient building — with an EPC rating of A(21) — making the most of daylight and natural ventilation.
Anyone interested in viewing offices in the building should contact one of Sea Change’s agents:
• Alex Hobbis from Dyer & Hobbis: 01424 423 626 | ahobbis@dyerandhobbis.com
• Richard Harding from Bray Fox Smith: 020 7629 5456 | richardharding@brayfoxsmith.com
They can also visit www.bexhillenterprisepark.co.uk for further details, a virtual tour of the building and to download a brochure.
The High Weald House project is supported by East Sussex County Council and the South East Local Enterprise Partnership.
Bexhill Enterprise Park background
In addition to High Weald House, serviced plots on the Bexhill Enterprise Park are available which can accommodate up to 220,000 sq ft of business premises. Companies can buy these plots to develop their own properties or commission Sea Change to develop schemes to their specification.
The Bexhill Enterprise Park is part of a programme outlined in the Rother Local Plan to create a major new business and residential community to the north-east of Bexhill. This is designed to provide long-term jobs and homes to accommodate population expansion in the Hastings and Bexhill area.
