Trilogy Real Estate and LaSalle Investment Management have announced four lettings at Republic, the “next-gen workplace campus” in East India Dock, E14, aimed at companies priced out of central London and Shoreditch.
Threepipe, an independent digital agency that counts Nike, The England & Wales Cricket Board and Sweaty Betty among its clients, has shifted its 80-plus staff from Covent Garden to the campus, taking 6,000 sq ft of office space.
Horticulture, a restaurant launch led by chef Marc-Antoine Bodin, will create an independent food offering to coincide with the full launch of the project this spring.
Alongside the 2,900 sq ft restaurant, Horticulture will source food locally and feature a flower shop alongside retro hi-fi systems and all-day DJs.
The Gentlemen Baristas, the coffee start-up near Borough Market favoured by bloggers and known for its barista school, has announced it will open its fourth café at Republic with a deal for 3,100 sq ft. Its other outposts are at The Building Centre in Bloomsbury and The School House, based at Jerwood Space.
Hadley, an east London accountancy firm, has also taken 1,000 sq ft of space in Anchorage House.
Republic is already home to The Trampery co-working space and Deliveroo’s east London recruitment hub. Average quoting rents for Republic are in the mid-£30s per sq ft, depending on the floor and location in the building.
It aims to stem the tide of young companies leaving London by creating 600,000 sq ft of affordable workplace that meets contemporary professional and personal needs, with a focus on the core values of creativity, connectivity and affordability.
The first phase of the masterplan includes the transformation of Anchorage House into 225,000 sq ft of substantially refurbished space with a co-working space. The plans, by architect Studio RHE, completely transform the existing first-generation Docklands office to create a dynamic environment that embodies contemporary work practice.
Extensive landscaping is under way, replacing the streets of the original 1990s development, using planting, open water and trees to create a series of external spaces defined by timber porticos and colonnades.
Robert Wolstenholme, managing director of Trilogy Real Estate, said: “Republic is already attracting young businesses priced out of central London and Shoreditch, and with this series of lettings we are setting the tone for our new creative neighbourhood – a place for our tenants to work, collaborate, innovate and play.
“Studio RHE’s reimagining of the building and The Trampery’s community management will be catalysts when the building launches fully in May.”
Jim Hawker, co-founder and director of Threepipe, said: “Ridiculous rents and rates of central London have forced us and many other creative agencies to look elsewhere to settle and run our businesses.
“Republic is designed for creative businesses, is competitive in rates and will be a place where our business can expand and grow.
“We have fast access into the West End and have more flexibility to spend our hard-earned money on things other than rent and rates by investing more money into staff training, developing our own IP and attracting talent and clients.”
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