International TMC Key Travel has moved its Manchester headquarters into a new office in the St James’ Building on the city’s Oxford Street.
The company, which specialises in serving clients in the humanitarian, faith and education sectors, says the new office was needed following strong business growth, which led to the expansion of the team. The new HQ is spread across the entire 20,000 square feet of the ninth floor in the building – a change from the team being spread across four offices at its previous location in Lowry House.
Key Travel was advised by property specialist Matthews & Goodman in the search for the new office, as well as on lease negotiations with landlord Bruntwood.
The TMC says the space was designed to reflect its values of impact, simplicity and compassion. It has four ‘zones’ named after the four continents where Key Travel does business – Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania. There are also business lounges, meeting rooms and collaborative working areas named after some of the landmarks the company sends its groups to, such as Mount Everest, Mount Fuji and Lake Victoria. The theme of each zone also features displays of curiosities and objects sourced from local charities.
Meanwhile, the employee rest and kitchen area is name the Beehive in recognition of the office’s Manchester location. All the furniture is either recycled from Key Travel’s previous office or ethically sourced to be 100 per cent renewable. Staff also have access to an outside terrace.
Megan Cameron, the TMC’s property and facilities manager, who led the relocation project, commented: “Our success and subsequent growth in the last 12 months meant we had outgrown our previous offices. The space at St James’ gave us a blank canvas, albeit with challenges set by a building dating back to 1912 featuring low ceilings and no raised floors.
“Our new office co-locates our UK team in one space in an inspiring environment. This enables them to identify better with the travel needs of our unique customers and to demonstrate their compassion more effectively. Co-location also promotes better collaboration and simplifies work-flows, improving our efficiency in supporting clients who are making a positive impact on communities across the world.”
Matthews & Goodman partner David Laws, added: “The Key Travel team were very clear about the operational requirements for their new offices, as well as its need to reflect their brand and corporate values. I believe their new offices tick all those boxes.”
The interior design was led by ADT Workplace, with its design director Stacey Charlesworth saying: “By working closely with the team at Key Travel, we were able to design an inspiring and unique environment which is tailored to the organisation’s needs and aspirations, with nods to travel throughout – for example a distinctive Tuk Tuk and luggage labels – as well as reflecting the company’s strong brand personality.”
Key Travel ranked 18th on the BBT Leading 50 TMCs list for 2019.
keytravel.com