Celebrating 10 years of Witney BIC

In December 2012 Witney Business & Innovation Centre opened its doors to provide flexible and supportive space for companies to work, grow and thrive. To mark the anniversary we held a celebratory evening, including speeches from customers, wine-tasting courtesy of Private Cellar who have an office at the Centre,  and of course a delicious cake by Palace Cuisine, a local family-run bakery.

The Business and Innovation Centre is currently home to 34 companies ranging from start-ups looking to grow their teams and expand their office space, to individual business owners who have one of the smaller office spaces. Managed by Oxford Innovation Space, we pride ourselves on providing a professional service for its customers, whilst also maintaining a sense of community.

Witney BIC Community Manager, Amy Waller explains: “We have a range of businesses here, and from speaking with our customers what seems to be key to our success is the flexibility we offer in terms of the spaces available and leases which takes the pressure off those big business decisions. I also feel like we’re one-big family here and our anniversary event was a great opportunity to get together and celebrate.”

The centre has seen many businesses come and go over the years and this is all part of the offering, as the centre is used as a steppingstone towards securing their own premises. In contrast, some customers don’t have expansion plans and simply need dedicated office space. This is the case for the Centre’s longest serving customer, David Parry Owner of David Parry Employment Law who joined the Business & Innovation Centre in 2013 when he started his own business. He said: “I’ve seen many businesses start out, expand, and then move on, which is great for them, but I have never wanted to grow my business and so have remained in the same office for the last nine years.  I live in Witney and primarily wanted an office space that would enable a work/life balance. It just works perfectly for me, as absolutely everything is taken care of, leaving me to focus on the day job.  I also love the amazing views over the Windrush valley.”

The latest business to join the centre is The Networking Retreat, who having worked from home since 2000 bucked the current trend of home-working and secured office space to help differentiate between work and home life. Stefan Thomas, Founder of The Networking Retreat, and author of Business Networking for Dummies explained: “From my first meeting to view the offices available I just had a really good feeling about the Centre. It's nice to have a base as my speaking gigs take me to all four corners of the UK and mainland Europe. I’m here regularly enough to get to know other businesses and having a base that’s walking distance from my home enables me to stop the boundaries of work and home life becoming grey.”

Centre Manager Amy added: “I’m really excited about the next ten years here at the Centre, welcoming new businesses, supporting our current customers and seeing some expand their teams and move on. We have an opportunity to play a really critical role in business development and the local economy which is very rewarding.”

Are you looking for office space? Contact us today to discuss how we can help you.