At a time when many recruiters are battening down the hatches, some are exploiting opportunities
brought about by the decline in commercial property prices.

The recession has forced landlords to be more flexible in their approach to businesses looking to expand through flexible terms and lower rents.

Sarah Grace, director at Kate+Co, told Recruiter that the terms that the commercial staffing firm has been able to negotiate were more flexible through lower rental agreements, a flexible lease and a short notice period without a huge deposit up front.

The decline in demand for commercial property has also increased the choice of locations in Stratford where Kate+Co opened a new office earlier this month, Grace said.

The Stratford office has already developed a steady profit stream, Grace said.

Jo Hand, managing director at the eponymous Middlesbrough commercial recruiter, said that her previous experience as a regional manager at Manpower UK in the Darlington area had driven in her decision to open a new office there. And these uncertain economic times were no barrier
to her expansion plans.

“We have decided to go with Evans Easyspace. With this company, the lease you take is a minimum of three months, so there is an easy
out option. You have to commit to three months, so if things weren’t working you could move on,” explained Hand.

Chris Haworth, head of commercial at estate agent Carter Jonas, said the recession has resulted in lower rents and more property available at a lower cost.

“It is easy to go into the market and do a soft deal but recruiters might be able to get a better deal if they get the right advice when they first go in.

“If rents have historically been £20 per ft, you might find you might be able to do a better deal at £18 or £17.50 due to the amount of space
available and the amount of people looking for that space.”