[Last updated April 2023] A guide to serviced offices and office space for rent in Swindon that also provides general information that may be useful if you are considering renting office space in the town.
For further offices information or to search office space for rent in Swindon just click. Or contact us for any other office space query.
History & Geography
Swindon is located among the rolling chalk hills of the Wiltshire Downs in South West England, approximately halfway between Reading and Bristol. The town is bordered by the River Ray to the west along with its tributary the River Cole, and to the north by the Vale of White Horse. While there is evidence of habitation in the area during the Bronze Age, it was only during the Roman occupation of Britain that Swindon became a permanent settlement. As with many towns in England, Swindon grew up around a Roman military outpost, thriving off trade with the Legionnaires. After the departure of the Romans, the area surrounding Swindon became a battleground between Romano-British forces and the Saxons. Eventually, the Saxons were victorious and many settled in the area. Swindon continued to grow and by the time of the Norman invasion in the 11th century, was a sizable town. In 1259, the town held its first market under the auspices of William de Valence, the Earl of Pembroke. Swindon’s economy during this time relied on agriculture, with many sheep farms, as well as cattle operations located in the area. During the 18th century, quarrying also became a bulwark of the local economy. With the advent of the 19th century and the canals and railroads that came with it, Swindon’s economy boomed and its population swelled rapidly. The path of the Great Western Railway through Swindon, built by the famous Isambard Kingdom Brunel, transformed the town from a quiet market town to a Railway town with more people and transformed infrastructure. The town continued to grow and during WWII, was a major staging post for the military. After the war, the town’s population expanded still more and extensive housing estates were built to deal with the boom. Today, Swindon is one of the most prosperous towns in the region after a concerted regeneration effort. It serves as a transportation hub as well as a centre of trade and retail.
Economy
Traditionally, the main economies around Swindon have been agriculture, quarrying and the railways. However, the Great Western Railway Works shut down in the late 1980s and, today, the town has a predominantly service and retail-based economy. The Brunel Centre and the Parade are two of the largest shopping centres in the region and the McArthur Glenn Designer Outlet, for reduced-price clothes, brings visitors from all around the region. Among the major employers in Swindon is Honda, which has a car manufacturing plant in the area, and BMW Mini, which also has a site around Swindon. Mobile phone giant Motorola is a large employer, as is Dolby Labs. Halcrow Group Limited, the internationally-renowned engineering firm, also has a large presence in Swindon. The banking sector is represented by HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest, Barclays and Handelsbanken. The town benefits from excellent transport links to London and the rest of the UK, which is part of the reason many multinationals have chosen to base themselves there. Swindon is often used by market researchers in the UK as the demographics of its residents are an almost perfect representative sample of the country’s population as a whole. Swindon also has the honour of being statistically the second-safest place to live in the UK after Guildford, Surrey.
Swindon is also the UK headquarters location of the insurance firm, Zurich, and opened its new 100,000-square-foot Unity Place office in the Kimmerfields district in 2023.
The new HQ office is the anchor piece of the Swindon Kimmerfields regeneration project of the underused 20-acre zone between Swindon railway station and the retail core.
The 20-year scheme will provide public realm space, a series of new streets surrounded by retail and leisure space, a hotel, a new bus interchange, further office space to rent, and new homes.
Culture
Swindon has a thriving cultural scene for a town of its size. Live music is very popular in Swindon and several venues including The Beehive, Riffs, The 12 Bar, the Furnace and the Victoria regularly host acts. The Oasis Leisure Centre, an entertainment and sports complex regularly hosts concerts and inspired the name of the Manchester band Oasis. The Wyvern Theatre is home to Swindon’s drama scene and also screens films and comedy acts. Many visitors come to Swindon for the festivals it regularly hosts like the Swindon Festival of Literature and the Swindon Mela, a celebration of South Indian arts and culture which attracts an average of 10,000 visitors every year. Since 2010 Swindon has been the location of the Big Arts Day, a celebration of the arts which attracted more than 20,000 people in its second year. The event is held at Lydiard County Park, Swindon’s largest green space. Swindon is also home to Swindon Town FC which play from the County Ground located near the town centre.
Transportation
Since the town’s birth, at the junction of two Roman roads, transportation has always been an important part of Swindon’s identity. The town has two junctions onto the M4 motorway and is on the ex-GWR main line to the capital. The town itself is served by a comprehensive bus network operated by Stagecoach and Thamesdown. A car-sharing scheme has become very popular in Swindon and currently has several hundred thousand members. The town is well known for its roundabouts, particularly the so-called Magic Roundabout which is unique in that it is actually five roundabouts in one, featuring a contra-rotational hub.
Office Space for rent in Swindon
Following the financial crisis in 2008, Swindon had a fairly diversified office market with space both downtown and in the surrounding area in office parks.
From 2010 to 2013, demand gradually increased and, in 2013, the only Grade A office space in the town centre was in Station Square, which had been freshly refurbished.
There were, however, plans in the pipeline to develop the nearby Union Square. The rest of central Swindon had something of an oversupply of sub-grade space. Renters in Swindon enjoyed good incentives due to the amount of empty secondary space in the town. In 2013, headline rent was £15.75 per square foot in the town centre and £18.5 per square foot per year for out-of-town space.
Insurance firm, Zurich, opened its £37 million UK headquarters office in April 2013. The building with space for 1,000 staff was constructed by Skanska and the deal involved a sale and leaseback with Swindon Council, providing the council with 20 years of rental income.
The building named, Unity Place, was awarded the BREEAM ‘Excellent’ accreditation for the project design stage and it aims to achieve the same accreditation now that it is completed.
Features of Unity Place include furniture that is partly made from recovered ocean plastics and includes bird boxes in surrounding areas to support local wildlife. A multi-faith room and a nursing room will be available to staff as well as cycling facilities such as storage, a repair station and showering facilities.
The development is part of a larger 20-year, 20-acre regeneration scheme and will deliver further prime office space in subsequent phases.
Later in 2023, the owners, FI Real Estate Management (FIREM), of Zurich’s former head office, 1 Newbridge Square, will begin a £7.5 million renovation of the property.
The rejuvenated office building will deliver 100,000 square feet of space with environmental credentials including targets of EPC A, BREEAM Excellent and Net Zero Carbon.
Grade B refurbished office space is currently quoted at £22 per square foot in the town centre and £16.50 per square foot for the same quality space in out-of-town locations such as Kembrey Park.
There are 10 flex office space providers in Swindon that provide a range of flexible office and workspace solutions that act as alternatives to renting an office on a traditional lease.
These include private serviced offices, managed offices and corporate coworking memberships.
Profiles of all providers operating in Swindon can be seen here.
We carry out a free office space search and our advisory and acquisition services are also free, always. Our Swindon office space brokers and agents are globally regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) ensuring the highest standards of commercial property advice and service at all times. We look forward to helping you find the best office space for rent for your business.
The Office Providers are Regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)