Michelmores has agreed a new 15-year lease at Woodwater House situated on Exeter’s Pynes Hill Business Park, as the Firm embarks on a full office refurbishment.
The Firm will occupy 30,000 sq ft at Woodwater House, with a full refurbishment commencing in June 2025. The new, future-focused office space has been designed to support the Firm’s agile working model and will include a new client suite, a variety of collaborative working areas, social spaces and a cafe.
Michelmores has been based at Woodwater House since 2005, when it became the first occupier of the new, purpose-built office. The Firm has since grown to a business of 540 people, with offices in Exeter, Bristol, Cheltenham and London.
The refit, which will complete in late 2025, will upgrade the sustainability credentials of Woodwater House, aligning with Michelmores’ environmental impact strategy to reduce its building-related emissions, which have been measured annually since 2022 as part of the Planet Mark framework. Under the framework, Michelmores has committed to reduce its overall emissions by 5% each year.
The refit of Woodwater House follows the Firm’s relocation to the newly refurbished 10 Victoria Street in Bristol in March 2024, to support Michelmores growth in the city, following a 72% increase in headcount over the last three years.
Tim Richards, Managing Partner at Michelmores, commented:
“By agreeing a new 15-year lease of Woodwater House, we are continuing to invest in the vibrant and growing business community in Exeter, with so many innovative businesses and organisations.
“This major refurbishment will offer our clients and our people a future-focused space to connect and collaborate and will provide a fantastic platform to support our growth plans over the coming years”.
Miranda Pammenter, Director of Operations at Michelmores commented:
“The refit of Woodwater House is a great opportunity to rethink our workspaces to enhance our successful agile working model, while creating spaces that foster collaborative working and support wellbeing. The refurbishment will also significantly reduce our building-related emissions, which we measure annually in partnership with Planet Mark and is central to our sustainability strategy.”
Michelmores is partnering with DThree on the design and refit and was advised by Noel Stevens at Alder King on the lease arrangements.
