“The Marches Growth Hub has been fantastic. They could not have been more helpful to me as I set up a new business in Shrewsbury.”
Leah Whitley, Sales Director, Rent A Space Shrewsbury
Highlights:
About
Rent A Space is a new £3 million business incubator and self-storage facility which aims to have more than 500 customers within five years. It opened in Battlefield Road, Shrewsbury, in 2016 and already houses 15 tenant businesses and around 90 domestic and commercial customers who are using the storage facilities.
The four-storey Rent A Space site currently offers around 50,000 sq ft of space with potential to grow to 80,000 sq ft and provides storage solutions from as small as a locker to the size of half a football pitch, with a total of 300 storage rooms available.
“Businesses can come here for six months on a low cost rent rather than be tied to an expensive two-year tenancy and we can offer them space to grow,” said Leah Whitley, sales director for Rent A Space.
“Normally, growing businesses are with us for four or five years before they outgrow us and need to find bigger premises. I know that any retail business that comes here will do very well because they will have the footfall from the climbing centre, the park and ride car park, the Sunday market and the fast food outlets.”
The business challenge
The owners of Rent A Space had set up and operated similar successful ventures in the North West of England but had no business base in the Marches. Wanting to hit the ground running, Sales Director Leah was relocated to the Marches Growth Hub ahead of the business launch to support the launch process and target new customers.
How the Marches Growth Hub helped
As well as providing workspace for Leah at the Hub at the Battlefield Enterprise Park, the business support team helped the company make vital connections for the inward investment and shared local knowledge to help the project run as smoothly as possible.
Leah said: “The wealth of knowledge available through the Marches Growth Hub allowed me to access targeted and appropriate guidance at all stages of the project.
“As I was able to hot desk at the Marches Growth Hub, I could tap into their local knowledge and contacts and reach the right people at the right time.
“For a new business operating in an unfamiliar area, it was the kind of support I needed but wouldn’t have found under one roof anywhere else.”
Leah also attended a social media course, funded by the Marches Growth Hub, that has helped her make links and connections with potential customers and other local businesses.
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